I was climbing with a couple friends a few days ago, and someone mentioned that the game Clue should use a climbing rope instead of that dreary old rope they have been using to murder Mr. Boddy since 1944. That quickly turned dark as we tried to redesign the game as a murder mystery on a mountain using only climbing tools as weapons, climbing themed locations, and famous climbers. Was it Angela Vanwiemeersch with an ice axe in a yurt? You get the point. Well that idea spawned new idea to turn the classic children’s game Chutes and Ladders into a climbing themed game of the same variety.
Did you know that Chutes and Ladders is not only an annoyingly boring game for adults, but it is also a lesson in good manners for kids? Seriously, check out the board sometime, the ladders are located in spots where people are helping one another, and the chutes are located in spots where kids are acting like little assholes… “Oh you want to be like that? Down the chute you go!!!” I think the whole point of the game is to teach kids that helping pays and being a D-bag has repercussions.
Anyway, how cool would it be to teach kids some of the yay’s and nay’s of climbing through a similar game…
I call it Jugs and Whippers!
The rules are simple, roll a dice, move that many spaces. If you land on a jug1 haul, move up, if you land on chossy crimp, then take a whipper2. The first person to top out wins! I’ve listed climbing lessons for the jugs and whippers below.
The Board3:
The Characters:
The Lessons:
Jugs:
1-38 (Fantastic Partner Safety Check!)
6-16 (Great job reading the route!)
9-31 (Excellent clip!)
21-42 (Avoid pump by shaking out, well done!)
28-84 (Chalk up on a rest spot, way to go!)
36-44 (Call out a falling rock, that’s safety in action!)
50-69 (Call out your clip on an overhang, what a champ!)
71-91 (Sharing Beta with a friend, aren’t you just the sweetest peach on the tree!)
80-100 (You brought just the right amount of gear, time to top out!!!)
Whippers:
98-78 (You didn’t bring enough draws…down you go!)
95-75 (There’s a knot in the rope, oops, don’t forget to flake!)
93-73 (Short roped on the dyno, call out those moves youngster4!)
87-25 (CHOSS on the crimp, oh no, where’s your brush?)
65-53 (Missed a clip, it happens!)
64-60 (You pump out early, don’t forget to shake out!)
62-19 (Back clipped, better to be safe than sorry, gotta go fix it!)
49-11 (Z-Clipped, that’s not going to help!)
47-26 (Frustration at the crux, don’t forget climbing is supposed to be fun!)
16-6 (You don’t have your belay device, how are you getting down?)
That’s it, that’s my modified version of chutes and ladders, part educational, part fun. So, the next time you and the family are taking a road trip to the crag, don’t forget to pack the dice, because Jugs and Whippers should be part of every climb!
- Jugs are great climbing holds that often make for a very relaxed climb.
- Whippers are giant falls often taken while trying to ascend a rock face.
- Photo Credit: Derek Galloway
- Do people say “youngster”…I obviously don’t spend much time around youngsters.
thedihedral.com 
Interesting. Not a gaming person. But this intrigued
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Perhaps a trekking version should be in the works! Thanks for the comment Bindu!
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Oops. Trekking person
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Lol I love you version of chutes and ladder. It’s very good to apply some climbing education into it.
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That is such an affirming comment Melanie, thanks for the love!
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So..you should make this game..I know nothing about climbing ..but if I were interested I’d sure get the game. Make it put it in a website ..then contact side hustle school podcast..maybe they would feature it.
Btw
When I saw Jeff goldblumes face I burst out laughing.
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Are you serious? Everything about your comment makes me so happy! I love that you enjoyed the Jeff G face!
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I am serious.. I read the book 100 dollar start up and a guy made a board game for people learning herbs and foraging. The author is the same guy that does the side hustle school podcast. He features side hustle..it’s a great podcast.
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I am going to check it out…thank you for the encouragement!
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I have an addendum..I think the herbal board game I read in Jeff Walkers stuff. His book is called Launch.
Sorry for the mix up in books.
Both are good.
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Please make this a reality. 😀 I’m a sucker for games (and climbing!).
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Do it! What a great idea!
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Jeff Goldblum. Brilliant. I’m sold.
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This is something my 2 “youngsters” could work on together. One is a rock climber and the other is a game nut and currently designing his own game on a 3D printer. They both like to play games. Great idea. It could also be adapted to my recent hike down the Grand Canyon Bright Angel Trail where the bad stuff is left by mules and the good stuff is toilets at 1.5 mile intervals. You could call it Rest Stops and Road Apples. Cheers.
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Rest Stops and Road Apples sounds like a gold mine!!! That is hilarious!
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Though personally not a fan of Mountain climbing, I can see this being a really fun boardgame idea to teach kids about mountain climbing. Great post.
P.S. Also, thank you so much for checking out my post and liking it 🙂
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