SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Blue Granite Climbing Gym will host their annual Climbathon fundraiser this Sunday, December 8 for their “Community Climbing Initiative”. 

Participating teams sign up for a time slot — either 4 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. — and climb as many pitches as they can in 1 hour. The price of entry is $80 for each team of four climbers, and teams are asking to solicit sponsorships from family and friends. The Climbathon will be followed by a community potluck.

The event is the main source of funding for the gym’s “Community Climbing Initiative,” a program intended to “remove barriers to climbing, broaden accessibility to the sport, promote and celebrate inclusivity, and provide under-resourced youth and under-represented populations the opportunity to experience rock climbing.”

“We work with kids and their families to introduce them to climbing and get them in the gym,” says manager Gianna Aveni.

For those interested, there is still time to sign up to participate in the Climbathon event supporting this initiative. Aveni warns that participants should move quickly to get sponsorships, but says it’s feasible. 

“Reaching out to sponsors can happen quickly,” says Aveni. “For my team, we got most of our sponsorships and donations within the first several hours of us posting on social media. People will have to move quickly to get sponsorships, but we can definitely take more sponsorships! The more people join up the better.”

Everyone is welcome to join the community potluck after the competition.

The Blue Granite climbing gym opened in 2018 and quickly became a community center for South Lake Tahoe. The gym hosts regular climbing events like Pride Night, Ladies Night, and Noche de Diversidad, as well as seasonal events like Rocktoberfest. 

In a town like South Lake, the climbing gym is a community center for many people. Despite this, the cost of climbing can also be prohibitive. It’s one of a number of barriers that exist for many kids who would like to enter the sport. 

The Community Climbing Initiative’s stated goals include “continuing to offer opportunities to under-resourced youth, expanding to offer more family and adult opportunities, and offering free educational programming.” They are “incorporating outdoor climbing etiquette, Leave No Trace principles, and stewardship” into their programs.

For more information about the Climbathon event visit https://bluegraniteclimbing.com/events-gatherings/.

Those interested in the Community Climbing Initiative can find more information about it on the Blue Granite website: https://bluegraniteclimbing.com/cci/. You can donate directly to the program at the link.

Anna Kristina Moseidjord is a reporter for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.