Most people’s worst nightmare would be to be trapped on the side of a cliff, but there is an entire sport built around putting all of your effort into scaling up the side of a wall, or falling off trying. Many climbers find themselves with only two points of contact on a wall – one finger jammed on top of a hold the width of a finger, and toes smeared onto another microscopic piece of plastic – and see it as another puzzle to solve. This may seem like an insane hobby to many, but there is a group of people within Coronado who have constructed an entire team around it.
Coronado’s Climbing Club, led by president Nate Maxwell, Class of 2026, and sponsored by Angela Carnevale, art teacher, meets twice a week at our local climbing gyms such as CityRock and Springs Climbing Center. Despite a small population, Ms. Carnevale shares that “Coronado has consistently ranked in the top ten in the state for years,” and regularly competes in local competitions. Though the sport is very self-driven, the team camaraderie is strong. Even if there is just one athlete on the wall, there is also a group of people helping them find the next move and get up the wall. Climbing truly is a puzzle, and one that takes physical and mental strength, so having a group of teammates is so important. Second-year climber Caleb Ballentine, Class of 2026, says that “everyone supports you, and it’s so high energy.”
A small team, Coronado Climbing has rich traditions because it has existed for over a decade. Ms. Carnevale has been coaching since 2022, but Mr. Magnuson coached for 4 years before that. He describes climbing as a “different environment, but everyone is hard-working and super supportive,” and he enjoyed his time coaching before passing it on to Maxwell and Carnevale. Mr. Magnuson was not the one who started this club, though. Retired Rocky Mountain High School teacher Mark Felix founded it, along with his climbing and outdoor-focused class that has since been retired alongside him.
So why climb? Ballentine joined as a way to work out and build muscle, but now he is competing regularly.
Competitions are a particular highlight for him, saying that “when you’re not motivated to get to the next hold, there’s everyone screaming at you and cheering you on from the ground.” Having friends around him is a really valuable part of the team, as also described by Mr. Magnuson. He values the people who climb, as well as the challenging nature of the sport, describing how climbing “forces you to trust yourself as well as being super challenging. It’s a great workout, and you can find an amazing community.”
Coronado Climbing Club has succeeded in competitions, become a tight-knit team, and seen huge improvements from its climbers. Even so, they know that there’s always an opportunity to keep going up.
