Crevasse rescue practice, North Cascades National Park, WA
Technical Skills
"A day with a guide is akin to a year of trial and error."
Let us help you take your skills to the next level and teach you how to be more skilled and self efficient. In addition to your day with us climbing, here are skills we can offer in your day to make you a more proficient climber.
Intro to Climbing
Intermediate Skills
Top Rope Setups
Gear placement and Anchor Building
Lead Climbing - Rock
Lead Climbing -Ice
Self Rescue
Big Wall/Aid Climbing
Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue
Skills are available for rock or ice.
All programs are offered in the Gunks or Catskills unless otherwise specified or requested.
We provide loan of all basic technical equipment if needed - helmet, harness, and rock shoes - and the daily park passes required unless otherwise specified. Specialty equipment such as rock protection, big wall gear, etc, is not provided unless specified. Please refer to the program specific email for details on what to bring.
Introduction to Climbing
Have you recently started rock climbing, or never climbed before? Let us introduce it to you with all the basics you should be familiar with.
We will cover: equipment, climbing techniques, safety checks, commands, knots, belaying, rappelling and other skills needed to give you a good foundation for rock climbing.
Intermediate Skills
For climbers who have some previous experience and want to take it to a higher level, we'll show you more skills to climb more efficiently such as; improved climbing techniques, seconding a lead, knots for anchoring, basic rope management, rappelling with a back up, and provide you with as much rock climbing as possible
Top Rope Setups
For climbers who are interested in getting out on your own top-roping, we can offer skills to allow you to build natural and/or bolted top ropes. We like to offer the skills over a minimum of two or more days (they do not need to be consecutive). An example itinerary is:
Day 1 : anchor selection with trees, boulders, and/or bolts, anchor building, tether lines, and basic belaying skill review
Day 2 : review and more practice of anchor building, rappelling off the anchor, ground management, belay skills.
Gear Placement and Anchor Building
If you want to expand on your top roping skills to use gear anchors, or if you are looking to start lead climbing and want to be more familiar with gear placement and/or gear anchor building skills we can help. We’ll cover: passive and active gear placements, multiple gear equalization, building gear anchors with a cordelette and quad, expand on knots. and more.
Lead Climbing - ROCK
For experienced climbers looking to get out on the sharp end and start leading rock or ice, we can help get you skilled. We’ll cover: gear placement, extension, and anchor building; methods of belaying and lowering off the anchor; mock leads, rappelling safety tips, stance management, route finding and more.
Keep in mind leading requires a large skill set and that it takes time to learn. You will not be ready to lead after one day.
Self Rescue
Self rescue skills are essential for all climbers, not just leaders. They are also not a play-by-play of what to do when a situation arises. Rather, they are skills you should know to first prevent situations from arising, and secondly, if something unexpectedly does occur, having proficient knowledge of the tools to correct it based on your resources and situation.
There are many possibilities, here’s a select list of skills: Belaying methods; Knots & hitches; .Friction hitches; Hauling systems; Lowering methods; Knot pass; Rappelling methods - for yourself, with an inured partner, etc.; Ascending; and provide you with as much time as possible on the rock practicing the skills and in scenarios.
Big Wall/Aid Climbing
Big Wall skills open the doors to more climbing adventures from Yosemite to Zion and beyond..
There are a lot of options and we can tailor the day as needed. Topics we’ll cover can be: More involved gear placement; Anchor organization; Movement; Ascending; Hauling; Rappelling with a haul bag; How to set up a portaledge - optional bivy on the portaledge is possible; and provide you with as much time as possible on the rock practicing the skills.
Lead Climbing -ICE
For experienced ice climbers looking to get out on the sharp end and start leading ice, we can help get you skilled. We’ll cover: ice screw placement, anchor building; methods of belaying, mock leads, rappelling safety tips, stance management, route finding and more.
Keep in mind leading requires a large skill set and that it takes time to learn. You will not be ready to lead after one day.
Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue
Looking to climb Mount Rainier, a peak in the Cascades, Denali or in other glaciated areas? Brush up on your glacier travel skills. We'll cover methods for tying-in, glacial travel, hauling systems and crevasse rescue skills.