Childcare near Smith Rock?

Hi all!  I'm trying to wrap my head around logistics for a possible Smith trip this winter with a 9 month old kiddo. Not sure if it's going to happen but I'm exploring my options. If anyone has sitters they've used or centers that allow drop ins, I'd love any tips.  Thanks!

I dont have any childcare leads to offer, just wanted to share that I've found the Monument Area to be the most kid-friendly zone in the winter at Smith. The area below the cliffs is fairly flat, so it's convenient to setup a 'home base' that's far enough away from the walls to be safe from rockfall. Sunny all day and with the recent development there's lots of options from 5.6 to 5.13. It does close for Golden eagle nesting though, usually sometime between mid-January and early February...

Here's my son below the Monument at 6 months old:

We definitely relied on friends for belays se we could swap turns watching him, and also did a fair bit of lead/TR solo to get some pitches in as parents. He's three and a half now, and becoming a much better crag kiddo, it's starting to feel worth all the effort!

Kevin Piarulli wrote:

I dont have any childcare leads to offer, just wanted to share that I've found the Monument Area to be the most kid-friendly zone in the winter at Smith. The area below the cliffs is fairly flat, so it's convenient to setup a 'home base' that's far enough away from the walls to be safe from rockfall. Sunny all day and with the recent development there's lots of options from 5.6 to 5.13. It does close for Golden eagle nesting though, usually sometime between mid-January and early February...

Here's my son below the Monument at 6 months old:

We definitely relied on friends for belays se we could swap turns watching him, and also did a fair bit of lead/TR solo to get some pitches in as parents. He's three and a half now, and becoming a much better crag kiddo, it's starting to feel worth all the effort!

Kevin you are parenting goals right there! Have you found any good routes to get your 3 yr old on at smith or around Bend/Redmond? We took our 3 yr old to rope de dope and got her on one of the easier routes just to get used to hanging and being on real rock vs our climbing wall at home. Honestly we haven’t done much outdoor stuff with her yet for climbing. Haven’t felt the drive and loading the gear down was worth it with the short attention span. Bouldering might be an easier option for outdoor climbing. Would love thoughts!

Sydney, 

There is a little 20' slab just right of Phone Call from Satan/Purple Headed Warrior that has a single bolt on top and is a perfect top rope for our son! You need to extend the anchor out to the lip. Having someone at the top is a good idea, because we find it easier for him to top out and walk down the back, rather than awkwardly lower down the wall. If we have a toprope hanging on a vertical/overhung route, he loves beig hoisted way up in the air and just swinging around. I can see more low-angle slabs becoming possible for him soon, like maybe the waterfall slab at Southern Tip? He's also nearly ready to get out of the full body harness and into a regular one, which should help.

I think you're on track with bouldering probably being the best option for families, we've done a fair bit of that. Obviously need to impress on kiddos the importance of not standing on the pads under a climber and getting squashed. Widgi is a great spot when the road is open due to the accessibility and large flat area in the forest. One great thing about being only three feet tall is that there are lots of interesting possibilities on boulders that are so small, an adult-sized climber would step right over it and not even notice.

You're so right about the attention span, we might get an hour or two of interest in climbing (with many snacks to help) before moving on to playing with a stick in the dirt. And it is a lot of work, for a lot less climbing than we used to do, but still feels worth the effort. Gotta wear them out somehow! With how fast time seems to pass, it'll only be a short while before he's giving me belays on my project, or more likely putting the rope up for me ;)

Kevin Piarulli wrote:

Sydney, 

There is a little 20' slab just right of Phone Call from Satan/Purple Headed Warrior that has a single bolt on top and is a perfect top rope for our son! You need to extend the anchor out to the lip. Having someone at the top is a good idea, because we find it easier for him to top out and walk down the back, rather than awkwardly lower down the wall. If we have a toprope hanging on a vertical/overhung route, he loves beig hoisted way up in the air and just swinging around. I can see more low-angle slabs becoming possible for him soon, like maybe the waterfall slab at Southern Tip? He's also nearly ready to get out of the full body harness and into a regular one, which should help.

I think you're on track with bouldering probably being the best option for families, we've done a fair bit of that. Obviously need to impress on kiddos the importance of not standing on the pads under a climber and getting squashed. Widgi is a great spot when the road is open due to the accessibility and large flat area in the forest. One great thing about being only three feet tall is that there are lots of interesting possibilities on boulders that are so small, an adult-sized climber would step right over it and not even notice.

You're so right about the attention span, we might get an hour or two of interest in climbing (with many snacks to help) before moving on to playing with a stick in the dirt. And it is a lot of work, for a lot less climbing than we used to do, but still feels worth the effort. Gotta wear them out somehow! With how fast time seems to pass, it'll only be a short while before he's giving me belays on my project, or more likely putting the rope up for me ;)

Kevin,

You are awesome. We will have to try that area out by phone call from satan. I know exactly the area you are talking about. Thanks for the advice! You really are an inspiration! We have a climbing wall at home that goes up into our attic that we have two bolts up too to create an anchor. This has been great for getting used to the harness and practicing lowering, but we are eager to start getting her out on some real rock a little more. This advice will help a lot. Yes, that’s true. Short attention span, but hey there is still a lot to do!

That will be the dream when he is belaying you. So awesome! Keep climbing and maybe we will run into you at Smith sometime!