by Luis Rodriguez
Some students at Ouray School have found that rock climbing is the perfect way to combat the boredom of growing up in a tiny town. Sophomore Lis Ray, for instance, has been rock climbing since she was ten. She got into rock climbing because of her friends down at Montrose Recreation Center, and found it really fun.
Since moving here to Ouray she found it hard to get back into rock climbing, but with the help of Mr. Chiang’s outdoor education class, she was able to get back into the sport. She joined the climbing team along with sophomores Cloe Kiparsky and Ella Skoloda and senior Mica Hart. The team meets at the Ridgway Secondary gym. After a recent head injury, though (unrelated to climbing) Lis has had to stop again. She hopes to start up again in the summer.
Mica got into rock climbing at a very young age because of her father, and now climbs regularly with him and also with her friends, with whom she meets regularly at Basecamp Ouray. She hopes to guide for Basecamp this summer, so she is doing an internship there during school hours, and loves learning new skills.
Mica finds it interesting that kids living in Ouray have access to rock climbing but most are not able to climb. She finds it easier to climb indoors than outdoors but still enjoys doing both.
Because of all this interest in climbing, the managers of Basecamp Ouray are considering letting the kids of Ouray School climb for free. Owner Logan Tyler said that he may offer free climbing for students during the summer, on weekdays from noon to 3.