Challenge By Choice
Rock climbing and summer camp share many core values and provide an unforgettable outdoor experience
By Kailan Manandic
Photos Courtesy Of Shaffer’s High Sierra Camp
Everyone has had a bittersweet recollection of their adolescence. It could be a memory of piano lessons, birthday presents, orange Creamsicles, or double plays on first base; whatever it is, it carries a holistic feeling of accomplishment, joy, and belonging that grows rarer every day.
Summer camp seems to perfectly capture this essence. The formative moments at camp can solidify lifelong lessons and help shape a child’s character in an equally holistic way. It’s an unforgettable experience for most campers and often creates a deeper appreciation for nature.
“We try to be very intentional about supporting that ultimate goal,” says Scott Shaffer, co-owner and co-director of Shaffer's High Sierra Camp in Sattley, Calif. “Hopefully, they can develop a passion for not just a sport, but the gorgeous outdoor setting that leads to a healthier lifestyle—by just getting outdoors—and will hopefully last their lifetime. Then, of course, the more people we get who appreciate nature, the more advocates there are to protect these natural resources.”
Scott and his wife, Lisa, founded their camp in 2000 in the northern part of the Tahoe National Forest. Since then, Shaffer's High Sierra Camp has earned accreditation from the American Camp Association and critical praise from Outside magazine.
“I can tell you that I'm a little bit more gray now than I was when I started the camp,” Shaffer says with a laugh. “But it's a big source of pride.”
Shaffer's High Sierra Camp offers a wide variety of programming, from rafting and mountain biking to archery and performing arts. Alternatively, campers can sign up for a specialized program track that focuses on a specific activity during their one- to two-week-long camp session.
Over the past two decades, the Shaffer’s team has worked hard to refine their programming and expand their scope—all while maintaining a quality summer camp experience. One of their fastest-growing program tracks happens to be one of the fastest-growing extreme sports in the world: rock climbing.
“We get more and more kids who are interested in coming to camp just for rock climbing,” Shaffer says. “So, we've seen our rock-climbing program track grow into a pretty strong component of the camp community. It’s a cool thing to see.”
The Rush Of A Hard-Fought Battle
Rock climbing has a rich history in the United States and what started as a lifestyle has now become an Olympic sport, nearly nine decades later. Today, climbers co-exist with many different values—some are the traditional dirtbags who pioneered the ideals of modern rock climbing, while most are pulling on plastic for the first time at their local bouldering gym.
Despite these differences in perspective, there’s a feeling that all climbers share. It’s the rush of a hard-fought battle to reach the top of a route. It’s the euphoria of looking around at the world from a new perspective. It’s the warm embrace of friends back on the ground.
Whatever it is, it’s a holistic feeling of accomplishment, joy, and belonging that grows rarer every day.
“It fits in so well with our mission of helping kids take another step toward becoming happy, healthy, well-adjusted adults,” Shaffer says. “It creates a space where they can challenge themselves, and because of that, it's a very supportive environment—people are rooting them on and so they develop some skills that lead to self-confidence.”
The values embedded within rock climbing seem to pair perfectly with the atmosphere and lessons learned at summer camp. Both emphasize safety and preparation just as much as a boundless love for the outdoors. Both offer a significant challenge and treat failure as an opportunity for growth.
“I think the cool thing about rock climbing is that, even though it can be seen as more of an individual sport when you're in the zone, you also spend most of the time on the ground either cheering for your other campmates or belaying them up the wall,” says Ronan Shaffer, programming director at the camp. “It's cool when you're all focused on the same thing and looking out for each other, working towards the same goal. I think it especially builds a sense of community in a place that's so difficult to access otherwise.”
Belay Is On
Few things compare to the feeling of “sending” a climbing route outside. After overcoming a 100-foot-tall challenge, the climber hangs there for a moment and takes in a stunning view of the Tahoe National Forest with nothing but air beneath them.
But before the reward, the climb begins at the bottom of a steep cliff with nervous tension. The rope is taught, swaying back and forth with the wind while the belayer and the climber double-check the system.
The safety checks in rock climbing are like a ritual. Throughout the years, climbers have created redundancies for nearly every part of the system to minimize the risk. As the sport has grown, industry experts have even attempted to negate human error with auto-locking belay devices and assisted-braking resistors to increase friction on the rope.
Unfortunately, with an increase in safety standards, the barrier to entry into the sport has also become greater. While most people can spare $30 for a day pass and rental gear at a local gym, outdoor climbing has a harder approach. Thankfully, summer camp is the perfect place for kids to explore an extreme sport in a controlled and accessible environment.
“For rock climbing outside, the barrier to access is greater than most other sports, so it's cool to give a lot of these kids their first opportunity to climb outside and explore places that they wouldn't otherwise go,” Ronan says.
Ronan is Scott and Lisa’s son, and throughout his time at the camp, he has worked to refine the programming to create a balanced set of activities that offer something interesting for everyone.
An “Aha” Moment
When Shaffer's High Sierra Camp first began, it hosted only 20 to 25 campers during each of the four annual sessions. Camp Fire, a youth-development organization, built the original camp facilities in 1950 and operated Camp Me Wa Hi until the camp was abandoned after the North Yuba River washed out an old logging bridge that provided access to the site.
“The forest was doing its best to reclaim its territory, and then we came along,” Scott says. “It needed a lot of work, but we saw the potential and jumped in with both feet. I quit my job, emptied my 401K, got a mortgage on the house, and kind of bet the farm, so to speak.”
The camp has since grown to host nearly 90 campers and six annual sessions. In 2010, they added many of their current programming tracks, including rock climbing.
“Originally, the focus was on providing some really cool outdoor adventure activities—it was more of an introduction to hook kids on the outdoors,” Scott says. “Then I had an ‘aha’ moment and realized what made camp special; it was the personal growth, not just for the kids, but for the staff as well.”
Despite this growth, the team at Shaffer’s has done its best to maintain a balance between campers, activities, and counselors. It’s something they continue to refine each year all while striving to preserve the experience that is central to both summer camp and rock climbing.
“We hope [our campers] come away glowing, feeling that they've made friends, they've had a ton of fun, they've learned a few things,” Scott says. “And even if they aren’t conscious of it, we hope they’ve taken that step forward toward developing a love of the outdoors, gaining a little bit more self-confidence, and feeling better about themselves. We want our campers to walk away from the experience knowing that they can get out there, do things on their own, and try new things. There's no failing here, and we hope that gives them a sense of resiliency.”
Kailan Manandic is a staff writer for Camp Business Magazine. Reach him at Kailan@NorthstarPubs.com.