Tethered Together: Adaptive Climbing With Sam
“My love for adaptive climbing started because I absolutely fell in love with this sport and this community, and I wanted to do everything I can to make that accessible to everybody,” says Sam King, Head of Instruction at Peak Experiences.
Sam has been a critical partner with Beyond Boundaries during our adaptive climbing programs, and watching him work with our participants and guides is truly a sight to behold. Sam is a dedicated climber, guide, and adaptive climbing partner and has had a massive impact on our programming, thanks to his dedication and the commitment of Peak Experiences to creating an open and welcoming environment for climbers of all abilities.
Katie heads our adaptive climbing program, which has an impressive track record of helping participants reach new physical and emotional heights.
Sam is a seasoned climber, having been in the sport for over a decade. He’s worked as a private climbing instructor and guide, attended adaptive climbing training from Paradox Sports, and holds multiple other climbing and rope system certifications.
Since becoming involved with Beyond Boundaries through Peak Experiences, Sam has worked hard to develop new systems and learn new skills to help our participants.
“He’s expanded his adaptive climbing skill set, and now Beyond Boundaries groups benefit from it. Some of our participants are non-ambulatory, and Sam makes this possible. Without Sam, we wouldn’t be able to do indoor climb programming like we do. We would lose over two-thirds of our events,” explains Katie.
Watching Sam rig an adaptive climbing system is like watching a chef prepare a five-course dinner– it allows you to see a master at work. For Sam, however, the challenge lies in the climbers.
“I don’t think the systems are that challenging; I think the work with individuals is, and I love this aspect. I think the difficult part sometimes is making sure I’m giving enough energy to everyone that I can. I want to be able to help everybody, and that can be challenging,” he says.
Sam always greets our participants with bright energy, a welcoming smile, and reassurance that they are in capable hands. He helps individuals who may be struggling with the difficulty of climbing feel welcome, confident, and excited.
“My introduction to adaptive climbing wasn’t just ‘okay, make climbing accessible to all able-bodied people,’ but let’s make climbing accessible to everybody,” he says.
For many of our adaptive climbing participants, climbing with Sam is the first time they’ve ever had the opportunity to try the sport, and it’s important to him that he provides a space that makes participants feel safe and like they can participate in the activity.
“One of the things that I like to talk about with climbing is that you don’t often realize that you’re putting your life in someone else's hands. Every time you tie in, you’re doing just that. I think it builds trust between people,” he says.
Our team sees Sam’s dedication to safety, professionalism, and care every time we climb with him.
“He makes me feel safe. I know if he sets something up, we’re in good hands,” says Katie.
For Sam, climbing has been a journey that has allowed him to merge his passion with his career. As he builds the instructional programming at Peak Experiences, he can bring other people into the climbing community and share his expertise with groups like ours.
Climbing with Sam has allowed our team to help participants open up, expanding what they feel is within their ability to achieve and embrace our challenge-by-choice ethos.
“I think it’s hard to put into words seeing their face lighting up and letting them experience climbing for the first time. Take someone who uses a wheelchair and has to rely on someone else for most of their daily tasks. For them to experience going up in the air and leaving that position, we can see a range of emotions. We have had caregivers with them say, ‘This is the most excited I’ve ever seen them.’ It keeps me firmly tethered to what I’m doing,” says Sam.
Thanks to Sam and Peak Experiences for helping us change lives and build this fantastic adaptive climbing program.
Want to reach new heights with Beyond Boundaries? Volunteer for our climbing trips right here.