Mountaineer Games

Mountaineering is the practice of climbing mountains. Mountaineering ranges from a hike along the foothills of a mountain to full-scale advanced climbing. Due to the danger of mountaineering, children are not encouraged to participate in more advanced climbing. Children can still play mountaineering games while remaining safe and learning skills.

  1. Practice Climbing

    • An important skill used in mountaineering is climbing. While it is unsafe for children or the untrained to scale a rock face, they can still get experience at lower levels. Visit a rock face and have the person climb up the rock. Teach the person how to look for cracks and nooks. The spotter should have his hands below the person in case she falls. Alternatively, the spotter can attach a line to the rock face and have the person climb up while wearing a safety harness. If the person falls she is still secured to the rock. Time the person as she climbs and then time her climbing up a different face. Compare the times. In a group, have one person climb one face and another climb another face in a race.

    Name the Equipment

    • Knowing the equipment -- what to use and when to use it -- is important. There are many different types of mountaineering equipment that are designed for different situations. Prepare a series of flash cards with the equipment and ask the person to name the item and where it is used. In a group, the cards can be used as a type of quiz. Break up the participants into teams and have them buzz in using a clicker or bell. The first team to buzz in gets a point. The team with the most points at the end wins.

    Conditioning

    • Part of being a mountain climber means being in excellent physical condition. The whole body must be strong and able to endure physical pressure. Have the people train. Have them climb ropes and trees to prepare for climbing. Jogging is an excellent way to build endurance. Both upper and lower body exercises are important. Setup an endurance course for the participants that tests the different skills they will need for mountaineering. Have the participants compete against each other in the course. A point is awarded for the person who completes a section of the course the fastest. The winner is the person with the most points at the end.

    Surveillance

    • An expert mountain climber knows the best way to scale a mountain. Visit a mountain with the novice climber and walk around it and discuss the different approaches to scaling it. Have the person devise a plan of attack based on her own observations and supplied maps. Have the person explain the logic of her decisions. In groups, have each person explore the mountain on their own and make their own map. Assign grades for the maps at the end, the winner is the person with the best map.