BLOOMINGTON - Jordan Clay likes hanging out with his kids, Ellen, 17; James, 13; and 12-year-old Joseph.

Sometimes, they hang out on the side of a Colorado peak 14,000 feet high.

They weren't quite that high during a family trip last fall to Italy. Dad estimated they were about 1,000 feet above the ground when they climbed in the Piedmont Alps.

Millicent, 8, and Eva, 6, are too young to join the others - yet.

And, their mom, Clare?

"My wife tries to avoid it," joked Jordan Clay, a lawyer at State Farm Insurance Cos. who's been climbing since he was a boy growing up in Utah.

Among his adventures, the GO! section featured a story last year on his ascent of Mount Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America. He previously climbed Pico de Orizaba, the tallest peak in Mexico, and Chimborazo in Ecuador, which is taller than Mount McKinley.

Even though the older Clay kids are growing up on the plains of Illinois, they had a chance to learn climbing basics at Upper Limits, an indoor climbing facility in Bloomington. The walls are fitted with grips for hands and feet and climbers are safely secured.

Bouldering is another popular climbing sport that's a perfect way to introduce kids to climbing, said Jordan Clay. Climbers practice technical skills by scaling big rocks yet stay close to the ground.

In 2003, the Clay children tried the real thing. They climbed a peak in Colorado with their dad. But the route was more like a high-altitude hike, more mountaineering than technical climbing.

That was not the case in the Italian Alps, where the climb required technical skill. But risks were limited by the "via ferrata." Roughly translated as "the iron way" or "the iron road," the via ferrata consists of smaller, isolated routes first joined together during World War I with fixed cables, ladders and bridges to move soldiers through the mountains.

The via ferrata was mostly abandoned after World War II. But sport climbers adopted it and made it safe to use again. The result is a series of longer mountain routes accessible to people with different climbing skills.

Bolts secure the cables to the rock face at intervals along the way. Climbers are attached to the cable with safety ropes called "screamers" that have clips at both ends. Climbers move along secured to the cable. When they reach a bolt, they attach the second clip to the cable on the other side of the bolt before releasing the one that held them safely to that point. That way, they leap-frog over the bolts and move along the cables without fear of falling.

"They are becoming increasingly popular, particularly in France, where people wait in long lines on weekends to use them," Clay said. "Even these routes are quite exciting, allowing beginners to access difficult rock with limited risk.

"Some are fairly children/beginner friendly. They can be in the heights without the danger. It gives them the real opportunity to see what a really fun sport climbing is in those high areas where they would never be able to go without that kind of protection. … It gives them the chance to climb, but they are completely secured."

Limited risk doesn't mean no risk. Concentration and attention to detail become important when your life depends on them. Fatigue can lead to mistakes.

"When you are climbing an hour, you can get mesmerized, but you have to remember to always be clipped," Jordan Clay said.

Climbing in the Alps during autumn also brings the possibility that weather will turn sour. On the recent trip, a cold rain fell and made the rock slick while Joseph was in a hard section of the route.

But methodical, careful movements while safely clipped to the cable got him through while he got a glimpse of the type of challenges he might face on future, less supported climbs.

"He handled it really well," his father said. "He never had any slips or falls."

Despite publicity about climbers who died on several peaks last year, Jordan Clay also knows the odds are on the side of the climbers.

"I feel bad about the people who had the trouble on Mount Hood. They went into a situation where they chose to increase their risks, a winter climb on a tough route. I feel bad, but they chose to take the risk. You can pursue this sport and statistically your risks are bigger driving to the mountain than when you are on the mountain."

The Clay kids view climbing as cross-training for their No. 1 sport - cross-country running. Ellen runs for University High School. Joseph and James were both on the Bloomington Junior High School cross-country team.

"I really like it (mountain climbing)," said Ellen, a top student.

"Just before I do it, I feel a lot of nervousness, but once I start, I feel good about it," she said. "Your arms get a pretty good work out. And, as long as I have something holding me up, I'm OK with it."

"I like it. It's lots of fun," agreed James, who earned a berth on the all-state cross-country team. "It's pretty fun to get the feel of butterflies in your stomach, the vertigo. I like the physical aspect of it, getting a good workout."

"I like the thrill of it," added Joseph, who also likes the fact he's doing something most other kids his age don't do.

He admitted there's some fear at first. But, once he starts, concentration takes over, and anxiety disappears.

"I usually get too busy," he said.

All three mentioned the fact that climbing gives them the chance to have quality time with their father. Mountains have no Internet, TV or telephones to serve as distractions.

Dad sees value in the important lessons learned on the side of a mountain.

"You are out in beautiful places away from the clutter of your regular life," he said. "There is a certain thrill. But it's something where you have such a defined purpose, a clear goal, an allegorical goal of climbing for the top while overcoming difficulties. Sometimes with climbing, it's a test of your body and mind; it's a test to see how far you can go and see what you can accomplish.

"It teaches you to get along and work with others like a team, to be concerned about everybody reaching the objective and not be concerned about only you touching the peak. There's delayed gratification. You learn to forego immediate pleasure so you can accomplish something else. … Ultimately, it becomes a very spiritual experience," he said.

Still, mom isn't buying the total program when it comes to the children. Jordan Clay wants to take the family to scale Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa.

"But there's one major blockage to that adventure, and she's sitting next to me," he said, laughing.