Bringing the benefits of mountain adventure sports to kids.
It’s great to see how many people are seeking an increased connection with the outdoors and the challenge it can provide. For those who have felt it, the benefits are clear. One of the ways psychologists understand the experiences we feel in outdoor adventure sports is the concept of “peak experience”.
Imagine embarking on a rock climbing objective – you are scaling a daunting route that pushes your comfort zone. Midway up, fear creeps in, but you trust in your training and the guidance of an experienced mentor. As you navigate the challenging ascent, your focus sharpens, and adrenaline courses through your veins. Once you reach the summit, a rush of accomplishment floods over you. Throughout the day, your emotions fluctuate between exhilaration and exhaustion, but a sense of fulfillment lingers, knowing you conquered your fears and pushed your limits.
Psychology professor, Gayle Privette, found that peak experiences shared a few major characteristics. One of those characteristics was significance, which outlined the connection with these experiences and participants’ increases in “personal awareness and understanding” serving as “turning points in people’s lives”(2). Anyone who works with large numbers of teens understands that this “turning point” is often one of the most critical factors in the development of young people – especially those with the least resources or those who have experienced trauma.
Outdoor access, particularly with experiences at the “edge of risk” as outlined by the mental health experts at the Gateway Mountain Center, holds the potential to create far more “turning points” for so many young people who need them. In a time full of uncertainty for some many young people just now contemplating adulthood, time in the mountains could be the key to ensuring resilience through ever-present challenges.
Peak experiences, which are “often described as transcendent moments of pure elation and joy” carry innumerable psychological benefits(2). These experiences can also fulfill the highest level of human need on Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs – self actualization. For some individuals, peak experiences might manifest during physical feats like mountain climbing or skydiving, while for others, they could arise from creative pursuits such as performing in front of a large audience or mastering a challenging piece of art. Peak experiences are deeply personal and can vary widely among individuals.
Whether physical, creative, or performative, these experiences share a few common threads—one of which being that they involve engaging in activities where success is not guaranteed, yet the belief in one’s potential for success serves as a powerful motivator and the realization of that success a powerful reward.
With increased experience, individuals become familiar with a state of flow, where they are fully immersed in the activity, experiencing enjoyment and fluidity. This state of flow can be profoundly healing, providing a break from the stresses of daily life and helping one build confidence that can translate to life’s other challenges(3).
Peak experience is one possible explanation for the allure of the mountains. Our breathtaking and challenging high-altitude geography draws a growing number of mountain enthusiasts seeking to push their limits and achieve personal growth. Setting individualized goals, whether summiting a peak or conquering a challenging route, fuels folks’ senses of purpose and accomplishment. The problem-solving skills honed in such pursuits translates to other areas of life, fostering resilience and self-understanding.
Because of the particularly critical need for motivation and self-actualization skills amongst teens, folks who work with youth have begun to take advantage of our mountainous resources to help their students and mentees tap into peak experience.
By combining the skills of a mountain guide who specializes in finding the edge of risk and a longtime classroom teacher specializing in teen learning, we hope to provide exceptional programs for teens and families. Programs that provide opportunities for teens to learn their own lessons from the challenge and allure of mountain sports can empower them with skills they can carry on into the rest of their adult lives.
You can learn more about outdoor mentorship programs for teens and young adults here:
https://www.carly-clusserath.com/outdoor-mentorship-programs
Carly Clusserath is an educator with 11 years of teaching experience. She specializes in STEM subjects and experiential education. She believe that the best way to inspire long-term growth is through asking questions and engaging experiences.
References:
- Privette, G. Defining moments of self-actualization: Peak performance and peak experience, in K. J. Schneider, J. F. T. Bugental, and J. F. Pierson (Eds.). The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology, 161-180; 2001
- Verywell Mind. 2023. What Are Peak Experiences? Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-peak-experiences-2795268
- Boniaiuto, M., Mao, Y., Roberts, S., Psalti, A., Ariccio, S.,…Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2016). Optimal Experience and Personal Growth: Flow and the Consolidation of Place Identity. Environmental Psychology, 7(2016). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01654
- Sierra Experience. (2023). Helping Young People Cope With the Psychological Impacts of Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.sierraexperience.org/blog/helping-young-people-cope-with-the-psychological-impacts-of-climate-change