June 8, 2026

As the school year winds down, the youth competitive climbing season also approaches an end, with Youth National Championships happening June 25 – July 3, 2026 in Salt Lake City, UT. Athletes compete in Boulder, Lead/Toprope (TR) and Speed climbing. Top competitors from Nationals move on to World Climbing Youth Championships in Arco, Italy.

At Rock Haven, we have a Climbing Team with two distinct levels – the Development Team, with less intense practice sessions and shorter practice times, and the Competitive Team, members of which have longer practices and more intense drills. Most new athletes ages 8-12 will first join the Development Team, though it is open to climbers ages 8-17. Athletes who have already spent time on Dev Team or are coming from another youth team may qualify right away for Competitive Team.

Our general philosophy around youth climbing is to let athletes take the lead on how intensively they want to practice and how they want to be involved in the sport. At the same time, we strongly encourage athletes on the Competitive Team to compete in local USA Climbing sanctioned events, as well as other community competitions at our gym and at other local gyms. 

Climbing competitions are a way for climbers to challenge themselves, to experience the routesetting and overall environment of other gyms, and to meet other youth competitors and their families and supporters. There is a special energy at youth competitions, as athletes give it their all and vie for a spot on the podium. At the same time athletes find a supportive environment, as spectators cheer for and encourage all athletes, regardless of which team they represent.

Several team members on the Rock Haven Comp Team have competed locally each season, and as we grow the team we hope to see more who take this route. One member of the youth team has made it as far as the Divisional level, and we know that as our competitors continue to practice hard and grow as athletes, it won’t be long before we see multiple athletes at the higher level events including Nationals.

In August we will be hosting a “training camp and trial days” for new and returning youth climbers. The event is two afternoons, usually a Tues & Thurs in the late afternoon. There is plenty of time at the end of the second day for Q & A and for families to meet coaches. Both teams officially start practice the week of Labor Day.

This coming fall, the Development Team will be open to accepting new and returning climbers. For the sake of seeing improvement and getting something out of team practices, we ask that families commit to a minimum of three months of team participation. New team members will be accepted based on whether we have spots available at the time they want to sign up.

The Competitive Team will be slightly more formal, so that signups happen by season – Fall, Winter and Spring, with an athlete committing to attending all practices in a given season. This allows us to schedule coaching staff appropriately and for athletes to build good routines and increase performance. 

If you have a young climber who is interested in competitive climbing, our Head Coach, Ben, is always happy to talk about how to get started and what to expect. At the youth level, one of the best ways to get started is to simply climb often, i.e. two to three times per week. A second recommendation is to buy your athlete their own shoes. To start out, they do not need much more than this. Pair that with our Summer Pass, and your young climber will be ready to join the team this coming fall!

So don’t be a stranger – come climb with us, and stay a while!