Rock Climbing Guides and Classes at Joshua Tree Since 1983
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40 Years of Teaching Experience

Rock Climbing Instruction at Joshua Tree

Since 1983, Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL has been Joshua Tree’s rock climbing school leader, setting the standard of professionalism for rock climbing classes with our low student-to-instructor ratios, state-of-the-art course curriculums, excellent safety record, and exceptional rock climbing guides.

Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL was honored to be ranked as the #1 rock climbing school in America by Outside Magazine in their list of America’s top adventure schools.

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Recommended Books

Toproping Book Cover
Toproping

If you’re new to climbing or have climbed at the gym and want to transition to outdoor climbing, Toproping: Rock Climbing for the Outdoor Beginner includes everything to get you started, including knots, belaying, climbing signals, climbing technique, and more.

How To Rock Climb Book Cover
How to Rock Climb

Comprehensive in scope, How to Rock Climb is a great reference book with all the fundamentals, knots, systems, and techniques for rock climbing. Includes chapters on face climbing, crack climbing, anchoring, belaying, toproping, leading, and multi-pitch climbing.

Rock Climbing The Art Of Safe Ascent Book Cover
Rock Climbing: The Art of Safe Ascent

Another comprehensive book with chapters on both sport and trad climbing, anchors, belaying, multi-pitch, and risk management.

Advanced Rock Climbing Book Cover
Advanced Rock Climbing

A must-have book for serious climbers, with detailed chapters on face climbing, crack climbing (written by renowned crack climber Peter Croft), anchor systems, multi-pitch, aid climbing, self-rescue techniques, and more.

Climbing Anchors Book Cover
Climbing Anchors

A comprehensive book detailing gear placement, anchor systems and rigging, toprope anchors, and belay anchors for single and multi-pitch climbing.

Climbing Anchors Field Guide Book Cover
Climbing Anchors Field Guide

A companion book to Climbing Anchors and a handy reference book to take into the field, with key acronyms and safety checklists for assessing nuts, cams, and anchor systems.

Rappelling Book Cover
Rappelling

Everything you’ll want to know about rappelling, including rappel anchors, methods, and techniques.

Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park

A guide to over 250 of Joshua Tree’s very best routes. Includes detailed maps of all the main climbing areas. A great book to get you oriented to Joshua Tree’s vast landscape of rock formations.

PETER CROFT

Peter

PETER CROFT is one of America’s foremost rock climbers. His feats in Yosemite are noteworthy and legendary: in 1986, he climbed two of Yosemite’s biggest walls, El Capitan and Half Dome, in a single day, with John Bachar. In 1992, he climbed El Cap’s Nose Route in 4 hours and 20 minutes. Known for his mastery of 5.13 cracks, marathon solo climbs, and High Sierra first ascents, Peter is also regarded as a patient teacher and talented writer. His latest book is The Trad Climber’s Bible, which he co-authored with John Long. This season, Peter will be hosting several JOSHUA TREE ROCK CLIMBING WEEKENDS.

Peter’s Bio on Wikipedia.

JARAD STILES

JARAD STILES is a Lake Tahoe, CA, native. He is an AMGA-Certified Rock Guide. Jarad’s guiding background includes several seasons at Joshua Tree National Park and eight summer seasons at Donner Summit. Jarad’s rock climbing foundation was built in Yosemite with numerous big wall climbs, including multiple ascents of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Leaning Tower. His passion for alpine rock climbing led him to Sierra classics, from Clyde Minaret to the Incredible Hulk and the East Face of Mt. Whitney. Jarad’s love for wild places inspires his passion for teaching others. He’s known for his patience, understanding, and compassion, giving aspiring rock climbers the confidence to explore their limits.

CHRIS BAUMANN

Chris

CHRIS BAUMANN began rock climbing in 1985 and has been a professional rock climbing guide since 2007. Chris is an AMGA-Certified Single Pitch Instructor. Known for his patient teaching style, Chris especially enjoys introducing novices to the sport of rock climbing. Known for his mastery of crack climbing techniques, his rock climbs in Yosemite include Astroman, a 13-pitch, 5.11c that is the goal for many crack climbing aficionados, and a one-day ascent of the Nose Route on El Capitan. In the summer months, Chris offers rock climbing instruction and rock climbing classes in the Lake Tahoe area, where he can be reached at instonerockclimbing.com.

Tony Startin

Tony

TONY SARTIN’s background includes exotic locales, from sea cliffs in Thailand to the huge sandstone spires of Monument Valley, AZ, and Moab, UT. His big wall climbs include Mexico’s infamous Trono Blanco and a first ascent on Rainbow Wall at Red Rocks, NV. Tony is regarded as one of Southern California’s strongest and most talented sports climbers, with 5.13 ascents to his credit. Tony has been guiding professionally since 1997.

BOB GAINES

Bob Gaines

BOB GAINES is the Director of Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL, which he founded in 1983. Bob is an AMGA (American Mountain Guides Association)-Certified Rock Instructor (since 1995). Bob is the co-author of Rock Climbing: The AMGA Single Pitch Manual, the textbook for the AMGA’s Single Pitch Instructor program. Bob is also the author of the rock climbing instructional textbooks Rock Climbing for the Outdoor Beginner, Rappelling, and Advanced Rock Climbing. He is one of the country’s leading experts on rock climbing anchors and rigging and the co-author of Climbing Anchors, How to Rock Climb, and Rock Climbing: The Art of Safe Ascent.

Bob’s latest rock climbing guidebooks are Best Climbs Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks and Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park.

Bob began rock climbing at Joshua Tree in the 1970s. Since then, he has pioneered over 500 new routes at Joshua Tree National Park and over 130 first ascents at Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks, Idyllwild. A former member of Yosemite’s search and rescue team, Bob is a veteran of Yosemite’s big walls, with five ascents of El Capitan to his credit.

Since 1985, Bob has worked extensively training a diverse group of military special forces, including Marines Special Operations Training Group Instructors and the elite SEAL Team 6.

Bob has worked as a climbing stunt coordinator or rigging coordinator on over 40 television commercials. He doubled for Capt. Kirk in Star Trek V (when Capt. Kirk attempts to free solo El Capitan) and was Sylvester Stallone’s climbing instructor for the movie Cliffhanger, in addition to his job as Chief Safety Officer for the cast and crew of Cliffhanger during filming on location in the Italian Dolomites.

Travel + Leisure magazine, in their “Great Places to Climb” feature article, rated Bob Gaines as a “top guide” for the Joshua Tree National Park.

Rock Climbing Instruction at Joshua Tree

Since 1983, Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL has been Joshua Tree’s rock climbing school leader, setting the standard of professionalism for rock climbing classes with our low student-to-instructor ratios, state-of-the-art course curriculums, excellent safety record, and exceptional rock climbing guides.

Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL was honored to be ranked as the #1 rock climbing school in America by Outside Magazine in their list of America’s top adventure schools.

From September through May, our rock climbing classes and guided climbs are held at Joshua Tree National Park, located in the high desert north of Palm Springs. One of America’s most popular rock climbing areas with over 9,000 routes to choose from, Joshua Tree has ideal weather for rock climbing in the fall and spring and is the best site in the country for rock climbing during the winter season. Summer temperatures are generally too hot for rock climbing at Joshua Tree.

Our rock climbing classes and guided rock climbing have enabled many to attain goals they never thought possible. For small private groups and families with children, we offer special discounted group rates.

If you’ve never done any rock climbing, Joshua Tree is the ideal place to learn to safely climb outdoors.

If you’re a gym climber who has yet to climb outside, I invite you to experience the joy and exhilaration of outdoor rock climbing at Joshua Tree.

Vertical Adventures also offers guided climbs of Tahquitz Rock in Idyllwild, which at 1,000 feet high is Southern California’s tallest rock formation and one of the best rocks in the country for traditional, multi-pitch rock climbing.

With over 9,000 rock climbing routes, Joshua Tree National Park rock climbing combines easy access for rock climbing classes plus great variety, providing the perfect venue for a rock climbing class or guided rock climbing.

Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL Director Bob Gaines is an American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA)-Certified Rock Instructor. Bob is the co-author of Rock Climbing: The AMGA Single Pitch Manual, the textbook for the AMGA’s single pitch instructor program.

Bob has been a Joshua Tree rock climbing guide and instructor since 1983 when he founded Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL at Joshua Tree. Travel + Leisure magazine, in their “Great Places to Climb” feature article, rated Bob Gaines as a “top guide” for Joshua Tree National Park.

Vertical Adventures’ Joshua Tree rock climbing school program includes one-day rock climbing classes, multi-day rock climbing courses up to 5 days in duration, group rock climbing instruction, guided rock climbing, private instruction, and rock climbing guides for Joshua Tree.

Our Joshua Tree rock climbing season for our regularly scheduled group rock climbing classes and guided climbs is from September through May. Vertical Adventures’ Joshua Tree rock climbing school program operates under commercial use permit at Joshua Tree National Park.

Vertical Adventures ROCK CLIMBING SCHOOL Director Bob Gaines is the author of Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park, featuring a selection of the finest routes in Joshua Tree National Park.