MetalMark Climbing and Fitness is under an hour from the Valley floor, and yet many Fresnopians have never made the drive, let alone climb there. Having a world class climbing gym in the Central Valley allows people who would never consider climbing to give it a try with our friendly and helpful staff.
On February 27th, the Madera Adult School came to MetalMark to climb. They have made several trips to the gym over the past year as part of a program to introduce their students to unique extracurricular activities.
Aurora Garcia is a teacher at MAS, and brought the group of students to MetalMark this month. “I work with the students ages 18-22, and our program is designed to assist special education adults in providing them with transitioning skills to adulthood. Two of the components of our program are community and fitness.” Climbing is a great chance for the students to build confidence and challenge themselves in a safe and supportive environment.
Daniel, a staff member at MetalMark, worked with the teachers before hand to teach them to belay, so that when the students arrived they were able to climb with instructors that they knew and trusted. “It was super fun,” said Daniel. “Especially to see everyone working together to cheer each other on.”
Climbing for the first time can be both physically and mentally demanding, but the feedback from the students was positive. “I feel like I was on top of the mountain,” said one student. “It was my first time climbing, it was awesome. I enjoyed climbing all the way to the top.”
“I was very excited to see our group gain more confidence with each climb and challenge themselves to do something new. Students continue to set new goals to reach higher each time,” Said Garcia. This has been a wonderful experience for our students and staff.”
Each Touchstone Climbing and Fitness gym has a strong commitment to outreach and supporting their local community. If you have a group you would like to bring to the gym, please contact the gym manager for details!
