In the shadow of Bastille cliff, Esha Mehta is getting ready. She鈥檚 putting her legs through a harness. She鈥檚 tying a knot. She鈥檚 clipping into a rope. And she鈥檚 talking and listening, getting mentally prepared for a new climbing route.
鈥淚 am so excited,鈥� Mehta says. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 going to be challenging.鈥�
This is Mehta鈥檚 first time climbing Eldorado Canyon State Park鈥檚 Bastille Crack, one of Colorado鈥檚 most popular and classic climbs. The route is rated 5.7, a technical crack climb with good hand holds, yet requires ropes and vertical climbing to ascend safely.
What鈥檚 unusual about the climb is that Mehta, a psychology major and senior at 彩民宝典, won鈥檛 be able to see the route. She鈥檚 blind.听
What: Diversity & Inclusion Summit, Inclusive Recreation Program session.
Who: Students, staff and faculty.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 9 from听2 to 2:50 p.m.
Where: UMC-247
The session will focus on current and future Inclusive Recreation Program events and how student groups can become involved.
She鈥檚 climbing with guides from , a local adaptive sports organization. The climb is part of the university鈥檚 , recently developed by Recreation Services in cooperation with the Disability Services Office. Funding for this climb was provided by Disability Services and the.
鈥淢any students come to 彩民宝典 in part to participate in outdoor activities, and students with disabilities should have the same opportunities as other students,鈥� says Mike McNeil, a disability access coordinator with Disability Services, who is also at the climb.
On this warm November day, Adam Fisher is Mehta鈥檚 eyes, describing to her what she can expect along the route. When she ascends, Fisher, the sports program director for Paradox, 听will be hanging on a nearby rope, ready to coach and answer questions.
But at this moment they are at the bottom of the 350-foot cliff.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 your favorite part about this rock?鈥� Mehta asks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very aesthetic,鈥� Fisher says. 鈥淚t looks really cool. The bottom 20 feet or so look super blocky. On top of that ledge, there鈥檚 this monstrous flake that鈥檚 really big, like bigger than you, that鈥檚 kind of thin and sharp, but a really good hold.
鈥淟ike a big flake. You will know it when you get there. Kind of sharp, Fisher reiterates.
鈥淟ike a sideways cornflake?鈥� Mehta asks.
鈥淵eah. That鈥檚 exactly what it is. Like a sideways cornflake,鈥� Fisher says. 鈥淪o you can kind of walk your hands and then at that point you shift left, and that鈥檚 where the crack starts.鈥�
Fifty feet above, Ryan Pederson, a sports guide with Paradox, is poised with a rope which Mehta is tied into. He鈥檒l be there for her if she slips, and also to belay her back down when she鈥檚 ready to descend.
Fisher explains the basics of crack climbing. He shows Mehta how to feel inside a crack and to rotate her feet so they鈥檙e vertical and lock securely in the crack. Soon she鈥檒l transition from one crack to another using hand and foot jams to ascend.
Before she starts her ascent, she puts Dragon, her guide dog, into a sit, and he licks her face enthusiastically.
鈥淗e鈥檚 always worried about me when I climb,鈥� she says.
She calls up, 鈥滺ey Ryan.鈥�
鈥淐limb on!鈥� Pederson yells down.
鈥淪weet,鈥� she replies.
A shift in focus
Disability Services previously focused on a medical model, approving accommodations based on a student鈥檚 medical documentation. For instance, those with learning disabilities might be allowed more time to complete a test or might be assigned a scribe to take class notes.
Those types of accommodations still happen, McNeil says, however, Disability Services is now taking 鈥渁 more holistic approach鈥� to help students with disabilities become more involved with campus and Boulder life. The shift has allowed students with disabilities to participate in activities previously outside the scope of Disability Services.
But the rock climbing is just the beginning of what the university can do, he said.
鈥淲hether it鈥檚 going rock climbing or bringing wheelchair basketball to the recreation center, we鈥檙e open, but we want it to be driven by students,鈥� he says. He hopes those interested will attend the of the on Wednesday, Nov. 9, from 2 to 2:50 p.m., located in room 247 of the UMC.
McNeil expects the Inclusive Recreation Program to evolve and grow, depending on interest among the 彩民宝典 community. Seeing Mehta rock climb helped Disability Services start to define what is possible, he says.
鈥淲e learned that doing outdoor trips is a possibility and that opens up many opportunities of other recreation opportunities in the immediate Boulder area,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e learned what resources it can take to provide equal access for some intensive outdoor activities. This will allow us to plan events that will include more students in the future.鈥�
For Mehta it was especially significant to climb with the university鈥檚 support.
鈥淚 love being at CU,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love educating people about adaptive sports and what it鈥檚 like to be a blind person participating. It鈥檚 put two of my worlds together.鈥�
The first time
As a child, Mehta climbed the shelves in her parent鈥檚 home, where occasionally bookshelves would come crashing down.
Her first time climbing outdoors happened in 2009 during an independence training for the 听Colorado Center for the Blind. Mehta, who can only see light and bright colors, was blindfolded during the rock climbing part of the training. After that, she became hooked.
鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 awesome to use my hands to see what鈥檚 around me,鈥� says Mehta, who feels indoor competition climbing is much more restrictive on routes and holds. 鈥淥ne of the reasons I absolutely love outdoor climbing is anything I touch with my hands or my feet I can climb. There鈥檚 a lot of freedom in it.鈥�
As she reaches the top of the 75-foot pitch, she raises her fist in celebration and bumps fists 听with her two climbing guides. Then, she pauses for a selfie on top of her mountain.
鈥淪he crushed this,鈥� Fisher says. 鈥淪he was faster than your average climber. A lot of people, you give them instruction on this and they are like, 鈥業 can鈥檛 do this.鈥� Or 鈥楿h huh. Uh huh. Uh huh.鈥� And then they don鈥檛 do any of the things you just talked about. And Esha was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 how you hand jam? OK, I鈥檒l do that. That鈥檚 how you foot jam? Alright sure.鈥� 鈥�
Mehta says it was her first time crack climbing and using hand and foot jams.
鈥淭hat was amazing,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t was hard at the beginning, but I think I got the hang of it. It was awesome. I am ready now for round two.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a metaphor for life. You approach a challenge, you struggle. You might fall, get bruised and banged up. But eventually you鈥檒l get to the top.鈥�
And then she climbs again, this time with Fisher staying on the ground. As she grips the rock, she knows exactly where she's going.
