multi-day courses
Our multi-day rock climbing courses cover a range of skills for all levels. From Basic & Intermediate climbing to Anchoring, Leading, Self Rescue, Crack Climbing Technique, and Big Wall Seminar, each course provides in-depth instruction and hands-on practice. Perfect for mastering traditional climbing, lead climbing, and advanced aid techniques.
Classes generally meet at 8 a.m. and generally last until approximately 4 p.m.
TWO-DAY BASIC & INTERMEDIATE
Our most popular beginner’s course, this seminar combines Basic Rock Climbing with Intermediate Rock Climbing, allowing you to maximize your learning capacity during one weekend.
TWO-DAY ANCHORING
This two-day course is the next step after the BASIC & INTERMEDIATE and is the perfect course for the experienced indoor gym climber or sport climber who wishes to learn “trad” or traditional climbing. It’s our most comprehensive anchoring course and a prerequisite to our Two-Day Leading class.
This course curriculum is specifically designed to give you the ability to quickly assess your gear placements and anchor systems based on sound principles.
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• Lecture on equipment characteristics and specifications.
• Detailed placement criteria and assessment principles for nuts and camming devices.
• Anchor system evaluation criteria, including the SERENE principle (Strong, Efficient, Redundant, Equalized, and No-Extension).
• Anchor system (both simple and complex) equalization methods using slings and cordelettes for both single pitch and multi-pitch anchors.
• The static rope rigging method for setting up top rope anchors that require extension over the cliff edge.
TWO-DAY LEADING
This two-day class focuses on leading fundamentals. You’ll learn what it takes to become a competent leader: confidence in technique and the ability to place reliable protection and sound anchors. You’ll practice placement and removal of all the various state-of-the-art protection devices, with pointers from your guide, and, under close supervision and toprope protection, you will execute simulated lead climbs. Placing gear on the lead, use of slings to reduce rope drag, proper carabiner clip-ins and alignment, belaying strategies and rope management for multi-pitch climbs, and route-finding skills are among the topics covered.
TWO-DAY CRACK CLIMBING TECHNIQUE
In this two-day class, you will learn the techniques required to climb a wide variety of crack sizes, including thin cracks, hand cracks, off widths, chimneys, dihedrals, and flaring cracks. Your instructor will set up a variety of different crack climbs. The skills covered in the class will include finger locks, ring locks, hand jams, fist jams, hand stacks, arm bars, chicken wings, toe jams, foot jams, heel-toe jams, foot stacks, stemming, laybacking, and advanced crack climbing techniques.
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• Hand-taping methods
• When is it better to jam, and when is it better to layback?
• When is stemming the best option?
• Is it better to jam with thumbs down or thumbs up?
• Should you rest with elbows bent or elbows straight?
• Should you lock off low or high when placing or cleaning protection?
• Mixed crack and face routes.
• How does rock type influence technique? (i.e., granite vs. sandstone vs. basalt, etc.)
• Training tips.
TWO-DAY SELF RESCUE
This class provides you with the essentials to perform basic self-rescue skills for you and your partner. The itinerary includes: friction hitches for slings and cord, improvised rope ascension, backing up rappels with an auto-block knot, how to rescue a fallen climber using an auto-locking (i.e., GriGri) device, lowering system with a redirected auto-locking device, lowering system with a munter hitch backed-up with an auto-block knot, the tandem rappel system, and the basic 3 to 1 “Z” raising system with an auto-locking device.
Day two covers more complex rescue systems that must be accomplished without the aid of an auto-locking (i.e., GriGri) device. The itinerary includes the belay escape, how to rescue a fallen lead climber, rigging a 3 to 1 and 5 to 1 raising system, and lowering systems with a knot pass.
Prerequisite: Climbing Self Rescue or equivalent.
TWO-DAY BIG WALL SEMINAR
Do you dream about someday climbing a big wall? This two-day course teaches the famed “Yosemite Method” of direct aid climbing, Stressing simplicity and safety, we’ll cover various types of direct aid placements, jumarring techniques, leading and cleaning aid pitches, establishing hanging belays, hauling heavy loads, tension traverses, and pendulums. Taught by a veteran Yosemite Big Wall climber, this seminar will save you valuable time, increase your chances of success and reduce the frustration of learning the secrets of big wall climbing.