My time in FM101

by Kai Johnson

Ienjoyed rock climbing the most out of all the adventures we had during my time in FM101(Mazama Family Mountaineering). There were lots of instructors, who patiently helped me. I was challenged by the harder outdoor climbs at Horsethief Butte. There, I learned some helpful climbing commands to keep me safe. Because we stayed the night at a campsite nearby, all the kids played games together. Truly it felt best when I finally reached the top of a hard climb with the encouragement of my friends. We all supported each other and cheered one another on. Climbing can be tricky, exciting, and fun, but is best when done with your friends (even new ones).

Kai enjoying FM101 rock climbing and snow sessions. Photos by Aaron Johnson

Rappelling was scary but became fun. At first I was terrified, but I refused to look down, and lowered myself slowly. The instructors helped me get over my fears. There is a helpful rappelling checklist to keep us safe, which is BARK: buckle, anchors, rappelling device, knots. Eventually I got comfortable with rappelling and I couldn’t stop. It is an unbelievable feeling after you finish a rappel. Rappelling is scary if you haven’t done it before, but once you do, it becomes fun.

Glissading is like being on a thrilling water slide in the snow. Surprisingly, we got to hold ice axes. Because the ice axes were sharp, we had to be very careful so nobody got hurt. When I was learning how to glissade, I was taught to look around and see if there were any obstacles, which could be rocks, trees, pathways, and ice. Before you can glissade, you need to know how to selfarrest using the ice axe. We practiced multiple ways of glissading and self-arrest, such as head first on your back, head first on your belly, feet first on your bottom, and feet first on your belly. The final rule is only glissade down what you have climbed up. Glissading, like a water slide, has rules that if you don’t follow, you could get hurt.

I can’t wait to be an assistant next year with all my new friends!