Intro to Rock Climbing Courses

Description

Try your hand at rock climbing with Wyoming Mountain Guides

Want to Learn the Basics of Rock Climbing in Wyoming?

Our Intro to Rock Climbing Courses are perfect if you’re looking for an accessible way to try your hand at rock climbing and explore the vertical wonders of Wyoming.  Our guides teach the foundations of rock climbing safety and sustainability in a welcoming and supportive manner and facilitate a fun and rewarding first time climbing experience.  We believe that rock climbing is a unique, challenging, and rewarding activity that should be inclusive of people from all walks of life, so our intro courses are available to people of all backgrounds and ability levels!

Locations:

We offer Intro to Rock Climbing Courses in the following world class climbing areas in Wyoming:

Cody, Wyoming – Intro to Rock Climbing Course

Vedauwoo, WY – Intro to Rock Climbing Course

Ten Sleep, WY – Intro to Rock Climbing Course

Eastern Bighorn Mountains, WY – Intro to Rock Climbing Course

Fremont Canyon, WY – Intro to Rock Climbing Course

Snowy Range, WY – Intro to Rock Climbing Course

Dates:

Our Intro to Rock Climbing Courses are available upon request in most locations May – October.

Lessons:

Our Intro to Rock Climbing courses include personalized instruction on the following topics and techniques:

• Gearing up for rock climbing
• Objective hazards and risk management
• Foundations of top-rope climbing safety systems, including knots, belaying, cleaning, and/or rappelling
• Fundamental rock 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 Intro to Rock Climbing Course is a great option if you only have a single day to climb 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 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 one day itinerary:

• 8am – Meet at designated area for gear check and safety orientation.
• 8:15am – Drive to climbing area
• 9am – Arrive at climbing area and start hiking to the crag
• 9:30am – Learn tie-in knots as guide sets up top ropes
• 9:45am – Learn safety checks and communication for rock climbing
• 10-11am – Top rope climbing accompanied by footwork and body movement lessons
• 11am-12pm – Top rope climbing accompanied by fundamental top-rope belaying lesson
• 12-12:30pm – Lunch break
• 12:30-2pm – Rappelling lesson
• 2pm – Hike out and debrief
• 2:30pm – Start driving back
• 3pm – Arrive back in town

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

• 2 Day Itinerary

Our 2 day Intro to Rock Climbing Course is a great option if you want to push yourself 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 a more challenging objective.  Your guide will work with you to select appropriate venues for this course.  Both days of the course will typically last 7-8 hours but can be customized to fit your schedule.  

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 – 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. 

Zach Lentsch – 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 an Intro to Rock Climbing course?  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!