Mountain Biking in Big Bear

The annual mountain biking trip to Big Bear is always popular -- so popular that this year we moved it earlier in the season in the hopes of getting two trips in before the snow falls.  The trip attracts a wide range of skill levels, from beginning bikers to more experienced cyclists capable of tricks.  We split up into two groups when we arrived, and spent the day hurtling down the mountain only to ride the ski lift back up for another run.  Though pretty much everyone wiped out at some point (Vicente looked like a coal miner covered in soot after crashing into a patch of dark sand), we kept getting back up for more.  A true testament to the grit (and grime) of Webb students.  

 Vicente shows off.

 Claire on what would become a particularly steep course that had me walking my bike.  She stayed on.

 James on one of the well-groomed trails

 Terence -- what goes up...

Devin on the ridge

 Stir catches a lift

Joe

 Vicente

Rachel and Christie at the school van.  This particular location is nice because you can stop at the van between runs and get some lunch. 

 Kevin

One many of the trails, there are options to the side that make life a little more interesting.  Stir almost always took them.

Vicente

Big Bear Lake on Dwellable

Rock Climbing at Big Bear

The rock-climbing after-school activity has spawned serious interest in outdoor climbing, with several budding enthusiasts emerging from the student body. Under the expert guidance of Mr. Harris, the group traveled to Big Bear on Sunday for a full day of climbing.  Abby even did some lead climbing for the first time, setting rope for the rest of the group. Below you'll see pictures of students developing some serious skills, learning to trust each other, and building their own confidence as they do it.

 Jack

 Abby navigating a technical climb up the crevice

 Anthony nears the top

 Christie in perfect form -- leg pointed left, reaching right

 Almost there Dolly

 Joe

 Mr. Harris sets the climb.

 Ms. Blomberg

Mountain Biking at Big Bear

Mountain biking is one thing. Taking a lift to the top of the mountain and then endlessly flying down, so that your arms rattle and your fingers hurt from squeezing your breaks so hard -- that's another. Two vanloads full of Webb students and bikes made the trip to Big Bear on Sunday for a day of adrenaline-filled descents. We also got to soak up some fall colors, as the trees have started changing at elevation. If you can judge the amount of fun had by the number of minor injuries accrued, consider it a blast.

Top row: Ryan, Claire, Devin. Bottom: Stir, Adam, Cole, Johnathan, Jake, Sidney, Ms. Kapp, Terence.

Ryan tests his mettle early in the day.

Adam and Cole power by stunning views to neighboring ridges.

Stir, Johnathan and Jake snake through the ridge trail.

Expert rider and mechanic Ms. Kapp fixes a broken chain...

...while Ryan enjoys the view...

...and everyone else sees how many people can stand on one rock.

Adam and Claire about to enter the single-track Plantation Trail.

Sidney makes waves. Or ripples, at least.

This tree was so magnificent, I made everyone pose by it. Needless to say, they were thrilled with my efforts to stop their ride.

Terence and Devin navigate a muddy section of trail.

Claire doesn't seem to care what the trail is like -- she just keeps going and going and going...

This is Stirling catching some serious air. Sorry about the picture quality -- it's a still shot from a movie we took with his helmet cam.

Sidney, Devin, Adam, Johnathan, and Ryan show off the results of their fight with the mountain. Though they battled bravely, the mountain typically wins these sorts of encounters.

WSC Freshmen Retreat

To start every year, each class at Webb takes a 3-day retreat, the main purpose of which is to build community within the class. The freshmen retreat is particularly important since everyone in the class is new. This year, the 9th grade boys traveled to Hanna Flat campground at Big Bear Lake, where they spent some time rock climbing at Castle Rock, swimming in the lake, and hiking in the hills around the campground. They were also led in community-building exercises by several student leaders, including members of the Honor Committee, a Prefect, and an International Student Liaison. The faculty on the trip were impressed by both the inspiring leadership of the older students, and also by the behavior of the freshmen class as a whole. From their pervasive positive outlook and their overwhelming support for one another, to their ability to engage in long activities without cell phones (!) and their sense of adventure, this year's freshmen class showed an astounding cohesiveness that bodes well for the next four years.

Student leaders engage the class in a discussion of honor, character, and Webb culture.

Following their talk, the student leaders led the freshmen in team-building activities such as this one, where the freshmen had to cross an area using as few of their feet as possible.

Solutions became more and more creative as restrictions increased.

Here, the boys try to traverse the area by stepping on the feet of a few human bridges.

The rare double piggyback.

And the classic hopping double wheelbarrow.

This activity involved transferring students from one side of the web to the other without touching the strands.

In this activity, the freshmen attempt to line up in birthday order without talking and without falling off the log.

The next day, we headed to Castle Rock, where Dave from Hangar 18 instructed the students about tying in to the belay.

Jonathan was a superstar belayer, standing in the heat for several hours belaying his classmates. If climbing is about trust, consider it earned. You can see the climber high up on the rock.

Marcos navigates the crux of this 5.9 route.

When they weren't climbing, the freshmen scrambled around the area, making it to the top of Castle Rock, which afforded views down to Big Bear Lake.

That night, the whole class gathered on a perfect outcropping to process the day. We then settled in for the sunset, a time of reflection for bonds built and the year to come.