Grip It Continued!

We've been going weekly now for almost a month to Grip It and have been having a great time!

Look at that monkey go!

I've been so impressed with this little guy!

Neither of our kids have been much for climbing - not around the house or even outside. I expect it has a lot to do with their over protective mother always telling them to 'be careful' or 'don't do that, you might fall' etc etc.

But I think given the relative safety of being roped in and being encouraged to climb, it has opened this great opportunity and Finnegan has really taken off and UP with it.

We've been totally impressed with Keira too. This past Monday, Tim encouraged her to climb to the top of the low wall. He has the strength to give her that extra boost and help lift her upwards as she's reaching for holds which helps her out a lot.

WOW she did it!

Grip It

The day after Finnegan's birthday, we ventured over to Grip It which is a new climbing gym in Saskatoon.

We had just started going to Climb 306 in 2010 but then shortly afterwards it had closed down. At Climb 306 we arranged with them to instruct a course for homeschooled kids that Finnegan participated in and I also took a learn to climb course from Amy Holowach.

I was very happy to learn that Grip It had opened up in fall 2011 and was still in our neighbourhood, now just located over on Avenue F and 23rd Street.

So we've bought a monthly pass to try things out. The plan is to go there at least once a week and make it a family outing, having fun climbing together. And so far it has been a lot of fun. I am totally amazed at how much of a change there has been in Finnegan from two years ago when he had first tried climbing and was pretty fearful about going up to any significant height.

After just a couple attempts he had already climbed to the top of the low wall and then proceeded to climb straight to the top of the 50 ft wall!!!!!!! Who are you and what have you done with my son!

Keira has also been pretty stocked about the climbing too.

She's not quite yet the spiderman that Finnegan seems to have become, but she is also 2.5 years younger and has been doing extraordinarily well.

Even mom gets to give it a try at the end of the session! I can only manage about one, maybe two times up, on the easiest of climbs and by then my forewarms are already aching!

Climbing at the PAC

For the last 5 or so weeks, on Saturdays while Keira is in her creative dance class, Finnegan has been having fun on the climbing wall at the PAC.

Finally last weekend he made it up to the crevice which has been his major goal from the get-go.

He's still a longs ways from the top, so no doubt there will be plenty of climbing days ahead of us. Mom hopes to give it a try one of these evenings with her friend from work!