{"id":5197,"date":"2022-10-27T13:28:55","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T21:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/?p=5197"},"modified":"2022-10-27T13:30:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-27T21:30:27","slug":"paracliffhangers-overcome-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abilitytools.org\/blog\/paracliffhangers-overcome-mountains\/","title":{"rendered":"ParaCliffHangers: Overcome Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Three<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Emily Seelenfreund, Cofounder & Vice President of Para Cliff Hangers
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\"A<\/figure>
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When you hear adaptive recreation- what comes to mind? Perhaps wheelchair basketball; maybe quad rugby if you saw Murderball back in the day; possibly Goalball if you are really in the know. Rock climbing most likely doesn\u2019t make your short list. It didn\u2019t make mine- in fact the first time I rolled into a climbing gym- I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d be able to get up the wall at all.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>
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Growing up with Osteogenesis Imperfecta and using a wheelchair or crutches for mobility, I was used to lots of fitness opportunities- especially those that involved outdoor recreation and any degree of risk being off-limits. I quickly learned that climbing was different. Climbing is, at its core, a sport about adapting. There is no one \u201cright way\u201d to climb a wall- ten different climbers might approach the same route in ten different ways- one using their flexibility to their advantage- another relying on brute force, another cleverly finding a hidden rest area to get to the top.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>
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Adaptive climbing is simply a natural extension of climbing\u2019s innate adaptability and once I experienced it- I was roped in! My friend and first climbing mentor, Denise Stypulkowski, was also addicted- she found climbing shortly after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and was drawn to an activity she could do alongside her brother. We decided we wanted to give back to the climbing community \u2013and create   a space for other climbers with disabilities \u2013 which is how, in November 2019, ParaCliffHangers<\/a> (\u201cPCH\u201d) was born.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Two<\/figure>
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Today, PCH is a thriving non-profit, running programming in both New York City and the East Bay. We support climbers through recurring indoor meetups, outdoor climbing adventure trips, and by sponsoring a competitive adaptive climbing team that competes at national and international competitions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Adaptive climbers utilize a variety of adaptive equipment and techniques to climb their own mountain. For example, at PCH sessions we often set-up a mechanical advantage system that uses pulleys to assist climbers by removing some of their weight when ascending. Check the system out in action here: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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