- Sean Aiken
- The One-Week Job Project
- The_One-Week_Job_Project_One_Ma_split_046.html
WEEK
JOB: ROCK-CLIMBING INSTRUCTOR
(INDOOR)
LOCATION: VICTORIA, BRITISH
COLUMBIA

EMPLOYER: THE BOULDERS CLIMBING
GYM
WAGE: $12–$15 HOUR

JOB DESCRIPTION: Helped
out with the adjacent high school’s climbing teams, organizing
warm-ups and a training program at the end of each practice. I also
helped with a kids’ birthday party, cashed out and closed the gym,
and, on the last day, learned how to build anchors when climbing
outdoors.
INDUSTRY IQ:
-
Bouldering is a
style of climbing that doesn’t require ropes. For this reason
routes are usually less than fifteen feet high.
-
Acrophobia is a
fear of heights.
-
North America’s
highest mountain is Mount McKinley (a.k.a. Denali) in Alaska, at a
height of 20,320 feet.
WHAT I LEARNED: Often,
activities are merely a pretext for being
together.
There was a
great atmosphere at Boulders. The kids loved the sport, but it was
obvious that the friendships, sense of community, and team spirit
played a huge part in bringing them back to the gym every
day.