Position Overview
Übergrippen Indoor Climbing is seeking a Competitive Youth Climbing Coach to join our TeamGrippen coaching staff in Castle Rock, Colorado to coach our Yeti Team, our elite youth team. This role supports highly motivated athletes competing at the highest youth levels and plays a key role in technical development, competition preparation, and team culture.
The coach works under the guidance of the Team Director and Head Coach, while independently leading practices and athlete development for a group of approximately 8 to 12 elite athletes.
Coaching Responsibilities
- Lead structured training sessions following curriculum developed in collaboration with the Team Director and Head Coach
- Independently coach and manage a small group of youth athletes, ranging from advanced to elite that can be between 9 and 18 years old.
- Demonstrate drills, techniques, and quality movement standards used throughout the curriculum
- Plan and execute practices aligned with the seasonal competition schedule
- Lead effective group warm-up routines
- Apply and demonstrate advanced training techniques and communicate them clearly to the Head Coach
- Physically, mentally, and emotionally prepare athletes for USAC competition formats, including redpoint and isolation (onsight/flash) formats
- Support athlete development across bouldering, sport/lead, and speed
- Engage professionally and effectively with parents
- Assist with competition travel and athlete support at events
- Consistently follow and enforce all SafeSport policies and guidelines, maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and a safe, supportive environment for all athletes
Risk Management & Athlete Safety
- Demonstrate a strong understanding of USAC Competition Rules, USAC Coaching Standards, and all SafeSport policies
- Maintain full compliance with SafeSport guidelines in all athlete interactions, communications, supervision, and travel
- Actively promote athlete well-being, emotional safety, and professionalism at all times
- Continually monitor and promote best safety practices in climbing, ensuring athletes are always following rules and safety procedures.
- Effectively teach youth lead climbing and belaying, including:
- Ground school and clipping fundamentals
- Optimal clipping stances
- Falling technique and safety
- Belay device management (multiple device types)
- Proper slack management and timing
- Weight differentials, gravity awareness, and soft catches
Non-Coaching Responsibilities
- Ongoing parent communication
- Staff coordination and collaboration
- Collaboration with route-setting staff to support training goals
- Administrative support (RGP experience a plus)
- Assist the Team Director and Head Coach with curriculum development
Additional Opportunities
- Applicants may be considered for additional roles including route setting, youth instructor, adult climbing instructor, guest experience specialist, and/or shift lead.
- Additional roles will increase schedule hours.
- Additional roles are subject to availability and qualifications
Job Requirements
Availability to work during practices on:
- Tuesday and Thursday evenings 4pm to 9pm and
- Saturdays from 9am to 12pm
- and as required for competitions (typically Saturdays).
Currently hold or ability to obtain
- USAC Coach Certification
- SafeSport Certification with demonstrated commitment to SafeSport best practices
- CPR / First Aid Certification
- CWA Climbing Wall Instructor Level 3
- Pass criminal background check
- 3+ years coaching competitive youth climbers
- Prior experience as a USAC competitive climber and/or coach
- Experience coaching athletes at regional and national competition levels
- Strong knowledge of climbing movement and ability to effectively coach athletes at a high level
- Strong understanding of competition strategy, preparation, and execution
- Ability to stand for the duration of coaching practices and competitions (8+ hours)
- Ability to climb 5.12 / V5 or higher
- Ability to top rope and lead belay.
- Ability to walk up and down stairs and over soft/uneven surfaces (e.g., soft padded bouldering flooring) while providing assistance to others.
- Ability to get yourself reliably to Übergrippen Castle Rock and Denver facilities and other competition venues across the Front Range
Technical Skills
- Lead, bouldering, and speed climbing
- Youth-appropriate strength & conditioning
- Mental training and competition mindset development
- Movement analysis and technical refinement
Culture, Values & Coaching Philosophy
Übergrippen’s competitive team is built around long-term athlete development and a strong, values-driven culture. Coaches are expected to model and reinforce our UBER values:
- Unity – teamwork, accountability, trust, collaboration, encouragement, and shared success
- Belief – confidence, effort, mental strength, trust in the process, and support for teammates
- Excellence – daily commitment to improvement, growth mindset, attention to detail, and safety
- Respect – respect for self, teammates, coaches, facility, routines, and goals
We emphasize:
- Athlete-centered coaching
- Inclusivity and positive team culture
- Long-term development over short-term results
- Responsibility, effort, and no complaining
Ubergrippen’s elite youth program offers a highly structured, collaborative coaching environment with small coach-to-athlete ratios, a strong competition focus, and a deeply intentional team culture rooted in shared values, accountability, and excellence.
Part-Time Benefits
- Great work environment: Our staff and members are THE BEST!
- Free Ubergrippen membership with a minimum 8 hours worked per 2-week pay period.
- Opportunities to take free climbing and fitness classes (on a space-available basis) to help you advance your own climbing skills.
- Paid sick leave.
- Advancement opportunities: We try to hire and promote from within when full-time opportunities arise.
- Discounts on retail.
- Access to industry discounts.
- Being part of a great team of coworkers who share a passion for climbing and community and take extreme pride in providing an excellent experience to all our guests!
Compensation
Starting compensation range for this role is $20/hr – $23/hr, depending on past coaching experience.
Company Information
Übergrippen Indoor Climbing Crag is a community focused indoor rock climbing business with facilities located in Castle Rock in the Meadows neighborhood and NE Denver in the Central Park neighborhood. Our goal is to make climbing a party of everyone’s life by providing an exceptional guest experience on every visit. Our staff takes extreme pride in working at ÜG and making it one of the top rock climbing facilities in Colorado. From an maintaining an exceptional facility to making climbing fun and accessible for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Our goal is to make climbing fun and rewarding!
