Cody, Wyoming – Trad Climbing Course

Description

Crack climbing in the Clarks Fork Valley northwest of Cody, Wyoming

Learn the Fundamentals of Trad Climbing in Cody, Wyoming!

Our Trad Climbing Course in Cody, Wyoming is a great way to learn the fundamentals of trad climbing systems and crack climbing technique while climbing some of the best granite in the eastern Rocky Mountains!

In this course, our professional guides will teach you the foundations of trad climbing protection, anchor building, belaying, rappelling, and basic self-rescue systems.  You’ll also work on developing your crack climbing techniques including foot, hand, fist, and finger jams. If you want to take your trad climbing to the next level, this is the course for you!

In addition to teaching you new skills, our guides will help you explore some of the world class trad climbing areas near Cody, Wyoming!  We teach our Intro to Trad Climbing Courses in several locations in Shoshone Canyon, the North Fork of the Shoshone River, and the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River.

Why trad climb in Cody with us?

We are currently the only Wyoming based guiding service that guides rock climbing in Cody.  Our rock climbing guides are experienced professionals, talented climbers, and good teachers.  They are also humble, personable, and overall great humans to be around in the mountains.  Our guides are experts at providing safe, supportive, and inclusive climbing experiences for people of all backgrounds and ability levels.  Additionally, our rock climbing guides live in the Cody area and climb there throughout the year, which is a major advantage because they know the places they guide extremely well.

Locations:

• Shoshone Canyon – Shoshone Canyon is conveniently located only 5 minutes from the town of Cody and is home to hundreds of climbing routes on limestone, granite, and sandstone.  The Bridge Bands in Shoshone Canyon are home to dozens of moderate trad climbs in a beautiful setting.  Although the Bridge Bands have become popular for bolted sport climbing, the area was originally developed as a trad climbing crag and contains several moderate crack climbs on bullet-hard dolomite.

• The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River – The Clarks Fork is home to hundreds of trad climbing routes ranging from single pitch splitters to multipitch climbs up to 2000′ in length on high quality granite.  This massive trove of trad climbing is off the beaten path but all the more rewarding given its remote and wild character – and we intend on keeping it that way.  Without a doubt, the Clarks Fork is one of our favorite places to trad climb in Wyoming and we love sharing it with our guests in a safe and sustainable manner.

• The North Fork of the Shoshone River – The North Fork of the Shoshone River near Wapiti, Wyoming is one of the most unique volcanic landscapes in the world. Cracktice Rock is a beautiful, shaded, and easily accessible trad climbing crag located in the scenic North Fork Valley. The area features several moderate splitter cracks in igneous rock up to 35m in height. Cracktice Rock is also located near a multipitch tower climbing area called Whoville, making for a fun combo of climbing splitters and towers.

Dates:

Our Trad Climbing Course in Cody is available upon request April – October.

Lessons:

Our Trad Climbing Course in Cody includes personalized instruction on the following topics and techniques:

• Gearing up for trad climbing
• Objective hazards and risk management
• Foundations of trad climbing safety systems, including protection, anchors, belaying, and self-rescue
• Crack climbing movement and techniques
• Leave No Trace and “Beyond Leave No Trace” practices
• Lessons on each area’s geology, ecology, archaeology, and history

These hands-on lessons are accompanied by top-rope climbing on routes of your choice.

Course options and itineraries:

• 1 Day Itinerary

Our 1 day Trad Climbing Course is a great option if you only have a single day to work on your trad climbing skills but you want to make the most of it!  Your guide will work with you to select an exciting venue that is appropriate for your group size, suits your learning goals, and features fun, high quality climbing in a beautiful setting.  This one day course will typically last 7-8 hours but can be customized to fit your schedule. The following is a sample 1 day Trad Climbing Course itinerary for Cody

• 8am – Meet at Rawhide Coffee Co. for gear check and safety orientation
• Drive to trailhead
• Review goals and hazards
• Hike to crag and gear up
• Crack climbing technique
• Protection lesson
• Anchor building lesson
• Belaying lesson
• Fundamentals of self rescue
• Rappelling lesson
• Environment and history of the area
• 2-3 pm – Hike out and debrief

Alternatively, we can start this one day course at 12pm and end at 6-7pm.

• 2 Day Itinerary

Our 2 day Trad Climbing Course is a great option if you want to take your trad climbing to new heights!   The first day of the course is focused on learning foundational skills (see the sample itinerary above) and the second day is focused on applying those skills and climbing more challenging objectives.  Your guide will work with you to select appropriate venues for this course.  Both days of the course will typically last 6-7 hours but can be customized to fit your schedule. 

Course logistics:

Air transportation: Cody has an airport serviced by United Airlines.  You can also fly into neighboring Billings, Montana (where flights are often cheaper) and rent a car to drive to Cody.

Ground transportation: We do not provide livery services between the meeting place and climbing areas, so you’ll need to have your own ground transportation.

Meeting location:  You will meet your guide at Rawhide Coffee Co. in downtown Cody to start your trip.

Daily schedule:  Depending on the weather and what works best for your schedule, we typically meet between 8-9am, drive to the climbing location, and finish climbing by 2-3pm.  Alternatively we can start at 12-1pm and finish by 6-7pm.

Equipment:  Many climbers choose to bring their own gear, but we can supply you with all of the technical rock climbing equipment you need for this course free of charge.  However we do not provide basic hiking equipment such as backpacks, hiking shoes, or clothing.

Course guides:

Our talented team of Cody-based climbing guides includes some of the most prolific climbers in the region who are at the forefront of rock and ice climbing development in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  Most importantly our guides are skilled teachers who are patient, kind, and helpful to people from all walks of life as they learn new skills.  Their top priority is making you feel safe and supported as you take on a new challenge.  Feel free to request a particular guide for your course.

Dane Steadman is a skilled multi-disciplinary guide with significant accomplishments including the first guided ascents of Pilot Peak and Stinkingwater Peak, guided ascents of Cloud Peak, Gannet Peak, Granite Peak (MT), guided ice climbs in the Cody area up to WI6 in difficulty, and has guided rock climbs across the state of Wyoming up to 5.12 in difficulty.  Dane is also a very driven and talented climber whose main focus is exploratory alpine climbing both in Wyoming and in the greater ranges.  Notable climbs of his include the first ascent of Technicolor Super Dream on Mt. Huntington in Alaska, the first ascent of the North Face of Pik Alpinist in Kyrgyzstan, the second ascent of Titanic on Torre Egger in Patagonia, and several first ascents of hard ice and mixed climbs in the South Fork of the Shoshone River Valley up to WI6+ and M10 in difficulty.  What’s more, Dane is incredibly personable, patient, professional, and really fun to be around in the mountains. 

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Zach Lentsch is an avid climber, guide, and owner of Wyoming Mountain Guides. A Bighorn Basin native, Zach has been exploring wild parts of northern Wyoming for as long as he can remember. In addition to running the business and designing Wyoming Mountain Guides’ suite of climbing programs operating across the state, Zach works extensively in the field and guides a wide range of trips ranging from introductory programs to advanced rock, ice, and alpine trips on challenging terrain. Zach is also a passionate developer of new climbing routes with over 100 first ascents across Wyoming, including the longest ice climb in the state (Ultralight Beam WI3+ 1000m) in the Wind River Mountains, the longest sandstone rock climb in the state (The Fall of Satan 5.10 C3 250m) in the Bighorn Mountains, and a high concentration of rock, ice, and mixed climbs in the Cody area up to 5.12, WI6, and M9 in difficulty.  Zach is an experienced teacher and works hard to integrate as much technical and environmental education into the climbing experience as possible while also prioritizing safety and having a great time together.

Booking and payment:

You can view each of our guide’s availability on the calendar above.  To book your course directly via our website, you need to first select a guide and choose from available dates.  Then to finalize your booking we require a 25% deposit, which is non-refundable.  The remainder is to be paid two weeks before the course and is non-refundable if you cancel within two weeks of the program.  If you do cancel last minute on your own accord and want to transfer your credit to another course or trip, we do charge an additional 30% rescheduling fee.  However in case of bad weather or a medical emergency we will waive the rescheduling fee.

Contact Us:

Interested in taking a Trad Climbing Course in Cody?  Please send us an email with your name, contact info, and a brief description of when and where you’d like to take the course. Feel free to ask us any questions you might have about the course!