The Saugeen Times

Students climbing the walls
at KDSS
By Liz Dadson

Sports/Education

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Instructor Paul Ludoph of the Guelph Grotto attempts a climb as dictated by the Grades 11 and 12 students when the rock-climbing walls opened to physical education classes at KDSS Monday morning

Students are climbing the walls at Kincardine District Secondary School this week, but it's okay because they're physical education students and they're testing their strength and skill on the rock-climbing walls in the gymnasium.

An annual event at KDSS, the climbing equipment and walls are brought in by The Guelph Grotto, with instructors who train the Grades 9 and 10 students on how to safely complete the activity. The instructors also supervise the Grades 11 and 12 students who try greater challenges on the walls.

"The most challenging one is the angled wall," says instructor Ben Spears. "Once they get good at climbing that, then they have to try doing it by using only the red holds,or just the orange or blue holds."

They can then try climbing with their feet tied together, their hands tied together or blindfolded.

The boulder wall involves strictly climbing skill, without the ropes, helmets, and belay equipment. The senior students challenge each other by starting with a simple climb, and then adding more holds to it as each climber completes the run.

The rock walls are at KDSS until Thursday, said owner/instructor David Perozzo. By Wednesday, the remaining equipment will be in use, including ascending lines, rappelling lines, rope ladders, the very challenging firecracker (a single line with rungs), the Donkey Kong ladder, and the cargo net.