Itinerary

3-Day Intro to Rock Climbing Course Itinerary

Day 1: Foundations & Movement

We’ll kick things off at 8:00 AM with a thorough gear check at a spot near the trailhead—this is our chance to make sure everything’s dialed before we start climbing. Then we’ll crack open the guidebook and work together to navigate to our climbing area. Once we’re settled in at the crag, we’ll dive into the day’s objectives, which will include:

• Introduction to outdoor climbing equipment, including traditional gear (cams, nuts, etc.)
• Overview of climbing guidebooks and apps: how to read, interpret, and use them at the crag
• Tying common climbing knots and hitches
• Rope management and belay systems, including lead belaying
• Crag etiquette and communication
• Intro to slab, crack, and face climbing techniques

Once we’ve wrapped up the day’s instruction, we’ll regroup to debrief and discuss plans for the next day’s climbing objectives. After that, team members are free to head back to their lodging of choice for a well-earned evening of rest.

Day 2: Anchors & Systems

We’ll meet at 8:00 AM at a new trailhead, where students will take the lead navigating to our climbing area for the day. From there, we’ll dig into a full lineup of skills and topics, including:

• Belaying and rappelling: practice and refinement
• Evaluating top rope sites for safety and accessibility
• Anchor building fundamentals:
  – Constructing risk-aware anchors using pre-established bolts
  – Intro to traditional gear placements and how they’re used in anchor building
• Practice building simple top rope anchors using both bolts and trad gear
• Continued climbing technique development on a variety of terrain

Once we’ve wrapped up the day’s instruction, we’ll regroup to debrief and discuss plans for the next day’s climbing objectives. After that, team members are free to head back to their lodging of choice for a well-earned evening of rest.

Day 3: Skills Application & Cleaning Routes

We’ll meet at 8:00 AM at the trailhead and start the day by cracking open the guidebook to plan our approach. Once we’re at the crag and settled in, we’ll dive into the day’s objectives, which will include:

• Cleaning a top rope anchor: step-by-step instruction and hands-on practice
• More practice with gear placements and anchor construction using trad gear
• Climbing on routes to integrate movement skills and technical systems
• Crag stewardship: Leave No Trace, managing group impact

At the end of the clinic, we’ll take time to answer any remaining questions and talk through personalized next steps to help you continue progressing as an outdoor climber.