Team Arete was founded and formed by Head Coach Ahmed Toure and the late, great Peter Schaub in 2016 and is the top youth sport climbing team in the Austin area. Team Arete consistently delivers qualifiers and top finishers at National competitions. Some even compete in the national professional sport climbing circuit.

A-Team is comprised of athletes that are age 13 and up or are in the B, A, or JR USA Climbing age categories. These athletes are encouraged to attend practice 3-4x per week and schedule private lessons with coaches to see faster improvement

B-Team is comprised of athletes that are 12y/o or younger or are in the C or D USA Climbing age categories. These athletes are encouraged to attend practice 2-3x per week and schedule private lessons with coaches to see faster improvement.

Elite Teams are invite only and are reserved for those athletes striving to compete at the highest level and get better every day. Getting an invite to an Elite Team can happen at any time. These athletes must practice 4x per week and are encouraged to climb an additional day on their own or with friends/other teammates.

Team members must pay team dues and hold memberships to the training centers. $210/mo for team dues, and we currently train at ABP while The Workshop is being built.

Team dues and other payments (for things like trips, competitions, etc.) are made through PayPal.

For questions about payment and memberships for our practice locations.

Once onboarded (or if a veteran team member, once payments are updated), team members will be locked into their Team Arete subscriptions for 6 months with a one month trial period, with no exceptions. Essentially, this means that unless there is an extenuating circumstance (major family emergency, moving, major injury, etc...) you will be locked into your Team Due payments for 6 months after your trial. Vacations do not count! We are doing this for two reasons:

Firstly, being on the team is not a flighty decision and we want to make that clear off the bat. Being a member of our team requires commitment and dedication, so we want to make sure that everyone, parents and athletes alike, understand our expectations of what it means to be a member of Team Arete.

Secondly, this allows for more logistical consistency throughout the year for both athletes and coaches. 

Slack is the our team’s communication platform. Any and all announcements regarding the team will be communicated through Slack.

If you’re a member, you should have already received an invite to the Team Arete Slack workspace. If you haven’t, please let us know and we’ll get you set up right away.

Yes, for both athletes and parents. If you’ve just joined and haven’t already, please print these, sign them, and give to a coach at your next practice.

Competing is mandatory on Team Arete, but personal development on and off the wall is our vocation and highest priority. We strongly believe in getting better and measuring progress; making great people first, making great climbers second. No matter what the competition results are, there is so much to learn from having your skills tested.

Sport Climbing and Bouldering are required disciplines for all of our athletes while Speed remains optional, but highly encouraged.

For new members ONLY: Your athlete will not be required to compete in the Bouldering Season this year, due to the timing of the start of the season. However, your athletes will be required to begin preparing to compete in both Bouldering and Sport after this coming Sport Climbing Season.

Nervous about your first competition? Questions about the competition formats? Have an extenuating circumstance (like injury or a family emergency) that will keep your athlete from competing? Let us know.

At least one attendance at a local competition and a top 25 ranking in your gender/category is required to compete at Regionals.

The top ten competitors in each gender/category will receive an invitation from Youth Regional Championships to Youth Divisional Championships.

The top six competitors in each gender/category will receive an invitation from Youth Divisional Championships to Youth National Championships.

• Climbing shoes

• Harness

• Belay device

• Chalk bag & chalk

• Gear bag (keeps things organized, centralized, and easy to recall)

• Competition uniforms (members are required to wear a team uniform logo shirt at all Championship level events. Or, an existing black top without any obvious logos can embroidered with the team logo.

Would you like to set up an appointment for assistance in choosing shoes/harnesses/belay devices? Wondering where to purchase? Any other gear related questions? Let us know.

We’re in Region 51 which includes Texas and Louisiana.

Yes, a “Competitor” level membership with USA Climbing is required and is necessary to have before your athlete’s first competition. You can sign up for that here.

While you’re at it, please familiarize yourself with USA Climbing’s rulebook and member handbook.

Yes! We love to offer these as often as possible. Team Trips are generally outdoor trips that usually involve camping and of course, climbing. These trips vary in duration and can be over a weekend or 2-3 weeks long. Team Training Camps are conducted at gyms all around Texas. These are designed to test and improve competitive performance, develop a better mindset and head-game during competitions, and simulate competitions in a practice setting.

We highly encourage all of our athletes to attend as many trips as they can!