A few years ago, David McCarthy was on vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands when he looked out over the rocky islands surrounded by sparkling blue water and realized it would be a great place for rock climbing.
McCarthy founded the South Shore Center for Outdoor Education, which he has since converted into Top Rope, in 1994. Since then, he has taken children and adults rock climbing on the South Shore. In early 2008, he founded USVI Rock Climbing, a separate business in the Virgin Islands, as a way to take people climbing year-round.
Individuals or groups of tourists visiting St. Thomas or St. John can book half-day trips with USVI Rock Climbing directly or through their hotels. Then McCarthy�s crew picks them up in a boat and takes them to offshore rock outcroppings between the two islands.
Using a top-roped anchor, visitors rappel down from heights of 75 feet and then climb back up. Offshore climbing �is a different experience with the water and the waves crashing,� he said.
The level of difficulty is geared toward beginners to intermediates, and McCarthy said he gets many first-timers � though some experienced climbers sign up because of the incredible views. He also has adaptive equipment for climbers with disabilities.
McCarthy said the company takes out about 20 to 30 climbers each month. He is hoping to partner with Royal Caribbean to offer the climbing trips directly to its cruise ship passengers, and eventually he�d like to expand to other islands.
Trips run October through April, and cost from $115 to $135 per person, depending on the number of people in each group.
McCarthy�s two employees manage the business full-time in the Virgin Islands, and the Duxbury resident tries to get there once a month. For the summer, he will stay on the South Shore and take groups climbing through the recreation departments in numerous South Shore towns.
McCarthy closed the nonprofit South Shore Center for Outdoor Education in Rockland two-and-a-half years ago, converting the operations into Top Rope, a for-profit firm. He also eliminated his archery and canoeing programs. He now runs Top Rope out of his home and takes groups climbing in the West Quincy quarry. �Rock climbing has grown pretty much continuously,� he said.