Outdoor Programs

The school's climbing program is founded on safety, personal challenge and skill development: it affords opportunities for development at all levels.

For the beginners, "belay school" begins on the ground as novices literally "learn the ropes." Once a mountaineer has demonstrated a mastery of the knots and the safety systems, her skills are then put to the test on the School's Alpine Tower - a 60-foot climbing structure on campus.

After the basics of climbing and belaying are perfected, students are then able to go off-campus for trips to the local climbing gym, as well as to some of the many rocks in the area.

For climbers with a serious interest in this sport, more advanced techniques and more challenging climbs are offered.

Whether you come to us as a seasoned rider or as a novice interested in trying this sport for the first time, we have a place for you in our program.

Beginners are able to try out mountain biking using one of our "fleet" bikes. Instruction is provided so that all of the necessary skills can be developed; shifting, braking, weight distribution, safety, repair and maintenance, and fitness training are all part of the early lessons.

As a rider's skills are sharpened, trips off campus are arranged, and with literally hundreds of miles of trails to choose from in the nearby National Forests, there's almost always a new route to explore.

Western North Carolina boasts some of the greatest geological, ecological and biological diversity in the country. Our mountaineering program takes full advantage of our location within the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and our hiking and camping programs encourage all students to experience the richness of this area first hand.

All new students are required to participate in an overnight camping trip during their first year here. Some weekend trips are just day hikes. Other trips are moderate camping trips with small packs and short hikes to gorgeous campsites and ghost stories around a campfire. 

Learning self-sufficiency, exploring new territory and enjoying the sanctity of nature are all a part of the experience our camping program has to offer.

Ice climbing is an odd combination of strength and finesse; the ice-tools and crampons need to be wielded with force, but sometimes the ice is fragile and a delicate touch is needed. Add to that sub-freezing conditions, sharp tools and a vertical ascent taking you well off the ground, and you've found a challenge worthy of even a seasoned adventurer.

Our instruction begins with the novice, showing him the equipment, demonstrating the techniques and offering a more moderate introduction to the sport. For the more advanced climbers, we offer steeper ice, more extreme conditions and more challenging techniques.

Western North Carolina has numerous spots ideally suited for winter mountaineering. When the weather permits, Asheville School students can experience the exhilaration of both cross-country and downhill skiing or snowboarding.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is closed to motorized traffic once the snows begin to fall, providing a wonderful track for cross-country skiers to follow. Six area ski resorts are able to help by making snow when the temperature drops below freezing. Asheville School offers downhill ski trips almost every weekend during January and February to resorts such as Beech or Sugar.

Also during that time, the school participates in interscholastic ski races sponsored by the Cataloochee Ski Area. These take place on Wednesday afternoons and evenings, and seniors or students with honors are eligible to participate.

The mountaineering program introduces students to fundamentals of kayaking on flat water in the pool. There, the novices begin to learn how to get in and out of the boats safely, how to steer and maneuver the boat and how to roll.

After these basics have been mastered, students are taken to a nearby stretch of class I-II water on the French Broad River. There, skills are sharpened and some of the subtleties of navigation through the current are learned.

For those students with the interest and aptitude, we offer trips to more advanced rivers, such as the Tuckaseegee, the Pigeon and the Ocoee.

Students who master this adventure sport will have learned skills that extend well beyond the banks of the rivers they paddle.

Though it's not a regular part of our afternoon mountaineering program, caving is an activity that we sponsor numerous times during the year.

Students are given safety instruction, as well as some background information on cave structures, karst topography and the history of spelunking in North America. Equipment for each student includes a helmet, a headlamp and a secondary light source.

With these tools, students become underground explorers, and once inside the cave they are quickly entranced by this "other-worldly" experience. For more avid cavers, topics such as conservation, mapping, vertical caving and cave rescue are discussed, along with the opportunity to visit some more remote and extensive caves.