Description
Learn the Fundamentals of Rock Climbing in Cody, Wyoming!
Sport climbing in Shoshone Canyon
Our Intro to Rock Climbing Course in Cody, Wyoming is a great way to learn the fundamentals of rock climbing and explore the amazing rock climbing opportunities right outside Yellowstone National Park!
In this course, our professional guides will teach you the foundations of rock climbing movement, safety systems, and sustainability in a welcoming and supportive manner. 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!
In addition to teaching you new skills, our guides will help you explore some of the world class rock climbing areas near Cody, Wyoming! We teach our Intro to Rock Climbing Courses in several locations in Shoshone Canyon and the North Fork of the Shoshone River between the town of Cody and the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
Why rock climb in Cody with us?
We are the only Cody-based guiding service that guides rock climbing near Cody, Wyoming. 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 and climb in Cody throughout the year, which is a major advantage because they know the places they guide extremely well.
Locations:
Our Intro to Rock Climbing Courses in Cody are available in the following locations near Cody, Wapiti, and Cooke City:
Shoshone Canyon
- 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. Shoshone Canyon features the greatest variety of climbing styles of any climbing area in the region, with world class bouldering, sport climbing, trad climbing, single and multipitch routes with difficulties ranging from beginner to expert. If you’re looking for a wealth of easily accessible climbing, Shoshone Canyon can’t be beat. Some of our favorite areas to climb in the canyon include the Bridge Bands, the Lower Canyon, Cedar Mountain, and the Sphinx.
North Fork of the Shoshone
- 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 with hundreds of free-standing breccia towers that look like they could be in a Dr. Seuss book. Despite their crumbly appearance, many of these towers have very good rock and feature incredibly fun bolted climbs up to 4 pitches in length. If you like adventurous climbing on one-of-a-kind features in a wild and scenic landscape, the North Fork towers are not to be missed! Some of our favorite routes we guide in the North Fork include the Titan, Cinnabear, and Space Bear.
Clarks Fork Valley
- The Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River – The Clarks Fork Valley is home to hundreds of sport and trad climbing routes ranging from single pitch classics to multipitch climbs up to 2000′ in length on high quality granite. This massive trove of rock 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 climb in Wyoming and we love sharing it with our guests in a safe and sustainable manner.
Lessons:
Our Intro to Rock Climbing Course includes 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, and rappelling
- Fundamental rock climbing movement and techniques
- Leave No Trace and “Beyond Leave No Trace” practices
- Lessons on the area’s geology, ecology, archaeology, and history
These hands-on lessons are accompanied by top-rope climbing on routes of your choice.
Course dates and itineraries:
Our Intro to Rock Climbing Courses in Cody are available upon request April – October depending on guide availability. We offer both one day and multiday intro to rock climbing course itineraries
- One 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 5-7 hours but can be customized to fit your schedule. The following is a sample one day itinerary for Cody, Wyoming:
- 8am – Meet at Rawhide Coffee 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 to Cody
- 3pm – Arrive back in Cody
Alternatively, we can start this one day course at 12pm and end at 7pm.
- Multiday Itinerary
Our multiday 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 followind days are focused on applying those skills and climbing more challenging objectives. Your guide will work with you to select appropriate venues for this course.
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.
Our talented team of climbing guides includes some of the most prolific climbers in the region who are at the forefront of climbing development in Wyoming. 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 M11 in difficulty. What’s more, Dane is incredibly personable, patient, professional, and really fun to be around in the mountains.
- Andrew Lamb – Andrew Lamb is rock and ice climbing instructor, experienced alpinist, and competitive ice climber from Worland, WY. Andrew has instructed rock and ice climbing programs in Bozeman since 2022 and has recently relocated to the Cody area. Some of his proudest ascents include the Japanese Couloir on Alaska’s Mt. Barrill, Winter Dance and the Nutcracker in Hyalite Canyon, and significant solos throughout the Greater Yellowstone. He is also a talented competitive dry tooler who competed with the US National Ice Climbing Team. He considers his greatest strength as a guide is his “attitude of positivity and optimism for all the aspects of the mountains, whether that be the hauling, the patience and respect for clients, the teaching of technical skills or the grit needed to work through tough situations environmentally, physically or emotionally.”
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 in Cody, WY? 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!
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