LOFTY GOAL

The initiative to get 100,000 kids climbing.

By Matt Inman

T

he 10-year-old sat on the edge of his folding chair, emitting a mixture excitement and annoyance like only a child can. He looked down at his socked feet, then back up at me, still waiting for me to put shoes on him. I suggested again he try a six, to which he hemmed and hawed before offering up a size seven. Smiling, I said, "Sure, let's give a seven a shot." His face lit up. "Perfect," he said, jumping up and running over to take his place in line. He was the last in a string of kids to get shoes, and while I didn't catch his name, his smile and enthusiasm created a memory I won't soon forget. I recently had the opportunity to visit the J. Churchill Owen Boys & Girls Club in Denver, Colorado, for the grand opening of its indoor climbing wall. I had been invited to the event by Tim Baum, executive director of 1Climb, to see first-hand the process the nonprofit goes through when it donates and opens a wall. This is the fourth wall 1Climb has built since 2017, and it expects to double that number in 2020. Haven't heard of 1Climb? The St. Louis-based organization started as an idea from professional climber Kevin Jorgeson, who is best known for his 19-day ascent of Yosemite's El Capitan with Tommy Caldwell in 2015. He and Caldwell spent those 19 days living on the wall, becoming the first to free climb the 3,000-foot route known as the Dawn Wall. Jorgeson grew up in Northern California and credits finding rock climbing with giving his life purpose and direction. Having gotten so much from climbing, he wanted to find a way to give other children that same opportunity. In 2015, he shared his idea with Dan and Dave Chancellor of So iLL (known for its creative climbing holds) and the indoor climbing gym, Climb So iLL. The brothers saw the potential and agreed to partner up. Thus, 1Climb was born. The benefactors of the organization are kids, and 1Climb founders wanted to find a way to reach the largest number of them quickly. A partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America was a perfect match, allowing 1Climb to build walls across the U.S. and have thousands of kids climbing each day. In 2017, all their hard work came together, and 1Climb built its first wall at the

climbing

1Climb's wall at the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club in St. Louis.

WATCHING THE KIDS CLIMB WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY

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terrain July/August 2020