The Thacher rock climbing program is non-competitive by design, which is not to suggest that our climbers don’t work hard, dedicate themselves to improvement or struggle to succeed. They certainly do. For us, non-competitive means that we do not pit climbers against climbers, tally scores or declare winners and losers. Instead, climbing at Thacher is an individual pursuit, one that we embrace with our climbing partners while competing only with ourselves. We challenge ourselves to develop mental and physical strength and to expand climbing knowledge and technique, while always reaching for ever steeper and bolder climbs.

While we don’t maintain team win/loss records, our climbers experience plenty of victories and defeats. As with team sports, our victories follow many hours (sometimes calculated in weeks and months, even years) of dedicated practice and determined effort. These victories are often quiet, personal moments that are both deeply satisfying and understandably evanescent. We celebrate and cherish the unique bond between teammates, one that is both symbolically and literally represented by the tying of a double-eight knot at each end of a climbing rope linking one climber to another.
We begin each season bouldering at the Gymkhana Field and teaching our newer climbers the knots and techniques critical to safe climbing. Our more experienced student climbers share their knowledge and expertise with their new teammates. Once all our climbers have demonstrated mastery of our safety protocols, we move onto roped climbing--both top-roping and lead climbing--on our campus sandstone as well as on our artificial climbing walls. Advanced climbers may learn anchor systems, aid-climbing techniques, route setting, and multi-pitch climbing.