Bouldering competitors scale rocks, raise funds at Governor Dick

Around 300 bouldering competitors and enthusiasts flocked to Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick on Saturday to participate in the 2025 Diabase Double Down.

The event raises money to help South Central Pennsylvania Climbers contribute to park maintenance at Governor Dick, as well as leasing climbing sites on private ground, paying for liability insurance, and supporting outreach efforts.

“SCPC has several climbing areas that we help steward, and Governor Dick park is one of them,” said Kaia Sword, SCPC vice president and chair of the annual events committee. “People come out to help support and then to help raise money for Governor Dick park as well, and then, as part of that, they get to have fun and compete.”

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Bouldering is a kind of rock climbing done without ropes and harnesses. It requires participants to scale what can seem like sheer walls by grabbing onto tiny ledges with only their fingers and toes.

Not all climbers participated in the competition. For those who did compete, it was divided by gender, age, and skill level. The website listed 15 divisions, along with star chaser and speed racer options for people who want to climb as many problems as possible and those who want to complete a set route as quickly as they can.

“About half of our participants get really competitive, and they try to get the top spot, and then the other half are just here for the fun,” Sword said.

The highest age category was “Ancient Hard Person” for men aged 60 years old and up. Sword said they have one climber who has been a long-time supporter of them, so they create new categories as he ages up.

Climbers brought their own fall pads, which they carried on their backs as they hiked through the park to various boulders. The scaling was extra safe with so many fall pads lining the ground.

Sword said there’s always a level of risk involved, but the fall pads, people spotting climbers, and training that teaches people how to fall safely help minimize risk. She said most of the problems in Governor Dick are about 10 to 15 feet up in the air.

“I like to describe it as we try to take the most difficult way to get to the top of the rock, that oftentimes you could walk around the other side and just walk right up the back,” she said.

For Chris Dodson, a climber from the Camp Hill area who started in an indoor climbing gym in April, Governor Dick was his first experience climbing out in nature. He wasn’t competing, but he was trying out the natural holds in the boulders and connecting with other climbers before heading in to work later.

“It’s super nice. Everybody’s very friendly,” he said. “From just having my experience with other climbers at the gym and now here for about an hour, everybody seems consistently kind and willing to help and spot.”

Dodson said he was convinced to come by someone at his gym who told him the park has over 700 problems, and the extra mats on the ground make it safer than usual.

He said he loved climbing as a kid and rediscovered it as an adult.

“Climbing’s just an excellent exercise,” Dodson said. “Plus, you get to the top. You don’t have to do like 30 reps and be like ‘I’m done, I’m tired.’ No, I achieved something.”

He had a scrape on his hand, which he covered with a bandage. He said that’s a sign he had a good time.

“It’s like kids,” Dodson said. “You get inside, you have bumps and scrapes, but that just means you had fun.”