Teton Rock Gym – Kids Climbing Capacity Building

Kids Climbing Capacity Building – $3,500

The Community Foundation of Teton Valley fully funded Teton Rock Gym’s Competitive Grant that will further enrich our community through a strategic investment in expanding and improving the children’s section of the Rock Gym facility and offering free family climbing days during this summer. This project helps meet the needs of our community for more healthy, affordable, year-round recreational activities.

Despite Teton Valley’s enviable location, surrounded by spectacular mountain terrain, Teton Valley has a clear shortage of healthy, year-round recreational activities due to a lack of infrastructure and affordability. Teton Valley lacks brad public access to basic recreation infrastructures, like a recreation center or public pool that many communities take for granted. While we have seasonal family activities at our fingertips like skiing and hokey, they are not affordable sports. This combination of lack of infrastructure, high cost, and barriers to entry results in the lack of adequate recreational opportunities for many Teton Valley families, particularly during our long winter season.

With a mission of fostering personal and community growth through the challenge of rock climbing, the Teton Rock Gym plays an important role in addressing the community need for affordable access to healthy, year-round activities. Teton Rock Gym offers an affordable and accessible way for all community members to experience the challenges and rewards of rock climbing in a safe and welcoming setting.

Last year the Rock Gym launched a program for 4-6 year olds that was met with so much enthusiasm it catapulted into after-school programming, a youth climbing team and a partnership with Teton County School District #401’s Winter Sports Program. The objective of this project is to increase capacity to accommodate young climbers by expanding and improving the kid’s section of the gym with new bouldering walls, kid-specific climbing holds, and a 7’ plastic tube slide, as well as expand access to our facility by providing one day a month with extended hours and free climbing for families. This project will work toward an important organizational goal to make the Teton Rock Gym and the sport of climbing accessible to everyone in Teton Valley.