 | Students in the Outdoor Education Program explore some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountains. Several mountain ranges are a short distance from the Colorado Springs FVS campus, offering unique opportunities to hike in pristine wilderness and climb remote peaks.
At Fountain Valley, outdoor education is a varsity team sport, offered in both the spring and fall. The program’s primary aim is to help students develop skills, build physical stamina and exercise the judgment necessary for safe travel in the backcountry. During the week, students work on physical conditioning and acquiring outdoor skills. On weekends, they head to the mountains to climb a peak, traverse a rugged canyon, or rock climb on one of the many local rock formations. By the end of each season, a student will have spent at least three weekends outdoors.
In addition to mountaineering, basic rock climbing is also taught. Colorado Springs and all of Western Colorado also enjoy a significant climbing scene. Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Canyon, Ute Pass, Ute Valley, Cheyenne Canyon and Table Mountain are within 30 minutes of campus. More advanced students have a chance to go on a multi-pitch climb with instructors. In the spring season, students take advantage of the snow to do some ski mountaineering and snowshoeing in order to gain access to 14,000-foot peaks.
|
While outdoor climbing is part of the outdoor education experience, winter climbing at FVS is an indoor sport, and the athletes are trained in the physical activity of climbing with minimal instruction in rope work and technical details required for outside climbing.
The FVS competitive climbing team competes in the Colorado High School Climbing League, which is now a few years old and has grown to include more than 20 teams from across the state. In fact, the league has grown enough to justify conducting the first ever high school state championship in 2009. The top three schools from each of four different regions were invited to attend the finals, along with the top individual performers.
|
| | | |