After an almost three-year hiatus, a Rock Climbing Club has come back to DGN under new leadership. Junior Carly Ermitage, who has been rock climbing for seven years, is revitalizing the club to enthuse students about rock climbing once again.

The club held its first meeting before school Nov. 1, introducing the basics of rock climbing. Since this initial meeting, the club has only grown having just had its third meeting Dec. 6. Through various announcements, Ermitage continues to reach out to and involve more students.

“It’s a lifelong activity that people can do, and I think it would be really good for more people to get into it,” Ermitage said.

Ermitage got the idea to start the club during the summer of 2023, inspired by her friend who started a similar club at a different high school. Though DGN used to have a Rock Climbing Club led by former student and climber Alexa Moy, the club disbanded in 2020.

“I wish that the Rock Climbing Club had stayed because I absolutely would have joined it when I first came here and I think it would have been really helpful for me,” Ermitage said.

Though Ermitage founded the club, it is PE teacher Cristina Krein who is the club’s official sponsor. Krein, who often rock climbs in her free time, is excited to get more students involved in the club and echoes the benefits of rock climbing.

“I wanted to sponsor the Rock Climbing Club because I feel like it’s an opportunity for students to participate in a lifelong activity they can do after they leave high school,” Krein said. “For me, just the physical and mental challenge is something that I love about it. I think it makes me more resilient as a person.”

Students in the club take a trip every month to the indoor climbing facility Vertical Endeavors. The Rock Climbing Club provides transportation and a discounted rate of only $11 per visit, making rock climbing a much more accessible activity for many students.

When they’re not taking trips to Vertical Endeavors, Ermitage holds meetings teaching various safety and climbing techniques to club members who may not have climbing experience.

“I think sometimes it can be scary to go rock climbing having no experience,” Krein said. “Students can come here and have an opportunity to experience it with peers and people who have rock climbed before. I think it’s a really empowering thing.”