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Rock Climbing 101-Intro to Outdoor Rock Climbing

December 4, 2023 by

Intro to Outdoor Rock Climbing is hands down our most popular course! This two-day group course is designed for people wanting to learn the foundational skills necessary to begin climbing outdoors by themselves. It is the ideal course for those looking to go from “gym to crag.”

We cover everything from outdoor climbing movement and correct belay techniques to top rope set ups and anchors to climbing equipment selection, use, and storage. This course is also a great foundation for participants who wish to move onto our more in-depth Rock Climbing 201.

The course will be based at our headquarters in Brevard, NC (unless otherwise arranged). Our courses are taught by professional, credentialed instructors who hold AMGA certification. These instructors have worked as a team to create and continually improve our course curriculum to ensure you will be gaining the most up-to-date information out there. Our goal is to empower you with the skills and knowledge to become an independent climber.

Topics Covered:

  • Knots and rope work skills
  • Belaying, both top rope and lead
  • Communication and terminology
  • Climbing equipment. Showing you what you need, what you don’t need as well as storage and correct use
  • Anchor anatomy (no gear placements, see Rock Climbing 201 Course for advanced anchors with cams, stoppers, etc.)
  • Understanding guide books, climbing ‘topos’ and deciphering climbing grades
  • Climbing history, ethics and, Leave No Trace wilderness skills
  • Debunking common climbing myths
  • Lots of climbing!

For additional details and prices, see the full course listing here.

Rock Climbing 201-Rock Climbing Anchors and Gear Placement

December 4, 2023 by

This two-day group course is ideal for climbers wanting to learn about rock climbing anchors and gear placement. Students will learn to build a variety of anchors from simple two bolt setups to more complex anchors using natural and artificial components. A significant part of the course will be devoted to learning to place and clean gear like cams, nuts, and tricams.

The course will be based from our headquarters in Brevard, NC (unless otherwise arranged) and is taught by professional, credentialed instructors who hold AMGA Certification. These instructors have worked as a team to create and continually improve our course curriculum to ensure you will be gaining the most up to date information out there. Our goal is to empower you with the skills and knowledge to become an independent climber.

“I started doing courses and private guiding with you guys one year ago. I had never climbed anything outside in my life. Now, I lead multipitch rock and ice, and I take my friends climbing too” – John Wallis

Topics Covered:

  • Building anchors using natural and artificial components
  • Following trad lead pitches, gear removal, racking, communication
  • Climbing equipment showing you what you need, what you don’t need as well as looking at storage and proper use
  • Climbing history and ethics, Leave No Trace wilderness skills
  • Debunking common myths in climbing and climbing equipment
  • Lots of climbing!

 

For more information and pricing see the full course description here.

Rock Climbing 201-Rock Climbing Anchors and Gear Placement

June 7, 2023 by

This two-day group course is ideal for climbers wanting to learn about rock climbing anchors and gear placement. Students will learn to build a variety of anchors from simple two bolt setups to more complex anchors using natural and artificial components. A significant part of the course will be devoted to learning to place and clean gear like cams, nuts, and tricams.

The course will be based from our headquarters in Brevard, NC (unless otherwise arranged) and is taught by professional, credentialed instructors who hold AMGA Certification. These instructors have worked as a team to create and continually improve our course curriculum to ensure you will be gaining the most up to date information out there. Our goal is to empower you with the skills and knowledge to become an independent climber.

“I started doing courses and private guiding with you guys one year ago. I had never climbed anything outside in my life. Now, I lead multipitch rock and ice, and I take my friends climbing too” – John Wallis

Topics Covered:

  • Building anchors using natural and artificial components
  • Following trad lead pitches, gear removal, racking, communication
  • Climbing equipment showing you what you need, what you don’t need as well as looking at storage and proper use
  • Climbing history and ethics, Leave No Trace wilderness skills
  • Debunking common myths in climbing and climbing equipment
  • Lots of climbing!

 

For more information and pricing see the full course description here.

Rock Climbing 402 – Rock Climbing Self Rescue

June 7, 2023 by

The Rock Climbing Self Rescue Course teaches skills every climber who ties into a rope should know: basic competency in risk management, problem avoidance, and self rescue skills. This course emphasizes reducing the risks in the first place to reduce the chance of ever having to use the rescue skills you will learn in the course.

We will teach you the most efficient systems and won’t flood you with over-complicated, useless systems. All these skills are useful in everyday climbing, and it’s amazing how much speed and efficiency is gained from having these skills “dialed.” Self rescue is a topic that all climbers should be skilled in for themselves and the people they climb with.

Topics Covered:

Day One

  • Planning, preparation, equipment, and communication
  • Problem avoidance: reducing the risks in the first place
  • Basic rescue knots, hitches, and tie offs
  • Load transfers, the building blocks for all rope rescue techniques
  • Raising systems 101: a detailed look at the basic physics behind raising systems, mechanical advantage raises, and assisted raises (2:1, 3:1, 3:1 assisted, 5:1, and 6:1)
  • Rescuing and assisting the second: raises, lowers and counterbalanced lowers
  • Ascending a fixed and counterbalanced rope
  • Correct techniques for using plaquette devices in climbing and self rescue applications (ATC Guide/Reverso)

Day Two

  • Rescuing the injured leader in the single and multi-pitch environment
  • Weighted transitions (rappelling multiple pitches with an unconscious climber)
  • Counterbalanced and tandem rappels
  • Effective knot passes on rappels and lowers

Course Prerequisites:

Applicants must have the following experience:

  • Can top rope 5.6 climbs comfortably
  • Have experience rappelling
  • Can tie basic knots such as Figure Eight, Clove Hitch, Münter Hitch, and various friction hitches
  • Have experience placing artificial gear and building anchors for top roping

Climbers who have already taken our self rescue training or mastered the basics elsewhere can also join day two of this program as ongoing education for $200 (when space available). Climbers who elect to take just day two of the program for ongoing education must be able to effectively perform all of the course pre-requisites above and can perform the following:

  • Lock off an aperture type belay device
  • Complete a basic load transfer
  • Ascend a fixed line without the use of mechanical devices
  • Create a basic 3:1 raise using an assisted braking device (GriGri/Cinch) or plaquette device (ATC Guide/Reverso)
  • Release a loaded plaquette device (ATC Guide/Reverso)

For more details, see the complete course listing here.

Rock Climbing 301: Single Pitch Lead Climbing

April 13, 2022 by

 

This two-day group course is for individuals with some climbing background who now wish to get out by themselves and learn to lead climb! This course will focus on effective techniques for leading ‘traditional’ (placing gear) and ‘sport’ (bolted) climbs in a single pitch setting. The course will look at climbing efficiently, gear placements, and anchor building with lots of climbing and one-on-one coaching throughout from your instructor.

We start with an in-depth review of gear placements and climbing equipment, then move on to ‘mock leading’ (leading with a top rope) with the instructor alongside to coach. By the end of this intensive course, you will have lead traditional climbs while the instructor ascends alongside looking at each placement you make. This course is the perfect next step for the top rope climber who wants to start leading trad and sport climbs by themselves!

“I started doing courses and private guiding with you guys one year ago. I had never climbed anything outside in my life. Now, I lead multipitch rock and ice, and I take my friends climbing too” – John Wallis

Topics Covered:

  • Lead climbing strategies and techniques for climbing confidently
  • Equipment selection and racking considerations
  • Ropework: clean, efficient systems
  • Detailed look at gear placements including cams, stoppers, and tricams,
  • Review of climbing anchors
  • Evaluating fixed gear
  • Review of understanding guidebooks, reading topos, and choosing appropriate climbs
  • Common myths and truths about climbing equipment

For more information, see the full course description here.

Rock Climbing 401 – Multi-pitch Lead Climbing

April 13, 2022 by

The two-day Multi-pitch Lead Climbing Course is aimed at any climber who is currently climbing multi-pitch and wants to refine their skills or a climber leading single pitch climbs who wants to step into the world of multi-pitch climbing. The course looks at the skills taught to guides and covers a myriad of techniques aimed at making you a more efficient and more competent multi-pitch climber. The course will also get some great climbs in too!

 

  • The key skill: TRANSITIONS, moving from leader to belaying the second and back to leader (or swapping leads) quickly
  • Guide book/topo interpretation and route finding skills
  • Anchor considerations in multi-pitch terrain
  • Belay station management, considerations and tricks to speed things up
  • Belaying options: plates, locking devices and hitches. Redirects, direct and indirect belays
  • Rope management and working with the single rope
  • Dealing with terrain problems such as traverses, roofs, arêtes, climbing and protecting these features for the leader and second
  • Climbing equipment selection: the climbing rack and extra equipment that should be carried on a multi-pitch climb
  • Multi-pitch rappelling considerations

For additional details and pricing see full course listing here.