Intensive Crack Climbing Clinic | 10/7-10/8
*In collaboration with Erik Griffith of Vertical Pursuits*
If you’re ready to take your crack climbing to the next level then you’ve got to come join us in Indian Creek! This weekend will be jam-packed with crack climbing of all different sizes and configurations. With a tight 3:1 ratio limit, you will get tons of personalized coaching with plenty of flexibility to meet your individual needs!
We will be camping together in the heart of Indian Creek, immersing ourselves in the desert landscape while sharing stories around the fire. Tents, dinner, and refreshments are provided.
While this will be a weekend focused on jamming and trad climbing skills I hope that the beauty of this place and time shared with new friends will leave a lasting impression that goes beyond climbing. I love this place, I’m sure you will too.
- Campsite and tents to sleep in (including 10/6 and 10/8!)
- All ropes, cams, and technical equipment
- Non-stop stoke and instruction from an AMGA Certified Rock Guide and hardcore crack climbers! (Learn more about me and Erik)
- Dinner and drinks on Saturday night (please bring your own dinner if staying other nights)
- Simple Breakfast of oatmeal, bagels, and coffee
- Cooking Supplies if you’d like to make your own breakfast
- Refrigerated Storage for your breakfast and lunch foods
- All photos taken during the trip! Including top-down photos from a fixed line.
Not Included:
- Airfare
- Lodging outside 10/6-10/8
- Local travel/car rental
- Lunch food or snacks
- Travel/Trip Cancellation Insurance (recommended)
- Anything on the What to Bring tab
- Harness
- Helmet
- Crack Climbing Shoes (an aggressive shoe will be really painful, contact me with questions!)
- Assisted Braking Belay Device (GriGri, Jul, etc)
- Crack Gloves (or Tape)
- Chalk Bag
- Belay Gloves (optional)
- Backpack (>30 liters)
- Sleeping Bag and Pad
- Headlamp
- Toiletries + Medications
- Water Bottle
- Mug/Thermos for Coffee/Tea
- Warm Hat
- Sun Glasses
- Sun Shirt
- Sun Hat
- Thin Pants for climbing
- Solid Shoes for approaches
- Warm Puffy Jacket
- Long Underwear (nights can be cold!)
- Rain Coat
- Dinner on Saturday will be provided. If you are coming out Friday night or staying Sunday night please bring food.
- Oats, bagels, and coffee will be available but if you’d like to cook yourself something else you’re welcome to use our stoves and cooking supplies.
- Please bring your own lunch food.
This clinic is for beginner and experienced outdoor crack climbers (~5.11) but is not recommended for brand-new climbers.
Here are some prerequisites:
- Top-Roping 5.9 outside or 5.10 in the gym.
- Competent top rope belay skills.
- Fitness for some steep approaches and long days at the crag.
- Experience cleaning anchors preferred!
**We highly recommend insuring your travel arrangements!**
Moab is the adventure hub for South East Utah and the last civilized stop before heading toward Indian Creek which is about an hour south of town.
Moab does have a nearby airport (Canyonlands Regional) that can be convenient and offers car rental. This is about 20 minutes from Moab and 1hr 20min from Indian Creek.
Another option that’s often more economical is to fly into Grand Junction, Colorado which is 1hr 45mins from Moab and 2hrs 45mins from Indian Creek.
You could also look at Salt Lake City which is a 4-hour drive to Moab.
We’ll do our best to try to coordinate travel times among participants to reduce the number of vehicles we are renting/driving around!
Weather (PLEASE READ):
We cannot control the weather. The soft sandstone of Moab/Indian Creek is very fragile after becoming saturated with rain. It is standard practice for climbers to wait 24 hours to climb after the rock becomes saturated. We will do our best to work around the weather and small, non-saturating sprinkles. There is a TON to learn that doesn’t require us to be out damaging the rock. Please understand that we are at nature’s whim.
Cancellation:
If you cancel more than 30 days from the start of the trip you will receive a full refund minus a 20% deposit.
If you cancel within 30 days of the trip you will not receive a refund. If you are able to find someone to fill your spot you may receive a refund.
If we cancel the trip (due to serious illness or extreme weather) you will receive a full refund for the cost of the trip, however, I cannot refund travel costs (flights, car rental, etc.) so please strongly consider travel insurance.
Contact Me for more information or click the button to make your booking!
Cost: $600
Intro to Big Wall Climbing | 10/14-10/15
**SOLD OUT**
Learn the skills you need to tackle overnight big wall climbs!
This weekend is for experienced multi-pitch trad climbers to get hands-on, expert instruction on all the fundamental aspects of big wall climbing: aid leading, ascending a rope, hauling, and planning.
You can’t learn everything about big walling in a weekend (perhaps a lifetime) but you will be ready to start up Grade V walls on your own and start learning by doing!
[All photos from actual clinics!]
4:1 ratio maximum | 2 participant minimum
- All ropes, haul bag, portaledge, and anchor equipment.
- Non-stop stoke and instruction from me; an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, big wall first ascensionist, soloist, and speed climber.
- All photos taken during the trip! Including top-down photos from a fixed-line.
Not Included:
- Airfare
- Lodging
- Local travel/car rental
- Food or Snacks
- Travel/Trip Cancellation Insurance (recommended)
- Anything on the What to Bring tab
- Helmet
- Harness
- Shoes for aiding (anything works really, stiffer approach shoes ideal)
- Free shoes (good to have in the car!)
- Handful of lockers (bigwalling EATS lockers)
- Belay Devices (GriGri style and ATC style)
- Anchor/rescue material (ie cordalette or quad length sling)
- Daisy chains
- Ascenders
- Microtraxion or similar
- Fifi hook (optional)
- Ladders
- Gloves
- Double rack of cams (no bigger than #3)
- 30+ liter backpack
- Sun Glasses
- Sun Shirt
- Sun Hat
- Thin Pants for climbing
- Solid Shoes for the approach
- Warm Puffy Jacket
- Rain Coat
- Please bring your own lunch food.
This clinic is valuable to those new to big wall climbing as well as those who have practiced some of the skills before. In order to make the most of our time together please consider these prerequisites:
- Multi-pitch climbing experience
- Trad climbing experience
- Lead climbing experience
- Climbing 5.9 outside or 5.10 in the gym.
- Fitness for some steep approaches and long days at the crag.
**We highly recommend insuring your travel arrangements!**
Moab is the adventure hub for South East Utah and has all the amenities you’ll need.
For lodging, I recommend camping at one of the below campgrounds that will be close to our climbing venue:
Moab has plenty of Hotels and Motels to choose from as well which will all be ~30 minutes from the climbing.
Moab does have a nearby airport (Canyonlands Regional) that can be convenient and offers car rental. This is about 20 minutes from Moab.
Another option that’s often more economical is to fly into Grand Junction, Colorado which is 1hr 45mins from Moab.
You could also look at Salt Lake City which is a 4-hour drive to Moab.
We’ll do our best to try to coordinate travel times among participants to reduce the number of vehicles we are renting/driving around!
2 Participant Minimum: Clinics are priced relatively cheaply with the assumption that more than one person will attend. In the event that you are the only person that signs up, I will either refund you or we can arrange private instruction!
Weather (PLEASE READ):
We cannot control the weather. The soft sandstone of Moab is very fragile after becoming saturated with rain. It is standard practice for climbers to wait 24 hours to climb after the rock becomes saturated. We will do our best to work around the weather and small, non-saturating sprinkles. Big wall climbing has so many technical rope skills that can be practiced without damaging the rock so rain isn’t too big of a concern; however, we are at nature’s whim.
Cancellation:
If you cancel more than 30 days from the start of the trip you will receive a full refund minus a 20% deposit.
If you cancel within 30 days of the trip you will not receive a refund. If you are able to find someone to fill your spot you may receive a refund.
If I cancel the trip (due to serious illness or extreme weather) you will receive a full refund for the cost of the trip, however, I cannot refund travel costs (flights, car rental, etc.) so please strongly consider travel insurance.
Contact Me for more information or click the button to make your booking!
Cost: $500
Accelerated Self Rescue Course | 10/21-10/22
If you climb in a multi-pitch environment you NEED a toolbox of self-rescue skills. Period.
How would you rescue your partner if they were unresponsive after a leader fall and past the halfway mark on the rope? A rock fall damages your only rope and incapacitates your follower, how do you descend multiple rope lengths? Can you talk yourself through these (basic) self-rescue scenarios? Think you could do it for real with whatever happens to be on your harness? Would you bet your life on it?
Hold. Lift. Lower. With a couple of powerful tools for each of these simple actions, you can create versatile and creative solutions to any of the infinite situations you may find yourself in the vertical world. I’ll teach you the tools and how to break down the problems, you’ll work out the solutions and put them into practice with real loads, on a real cliff. The scenarios will be increasingly complex and constantly changing. See the curriculum tab for more details.
I’ve priced this clinic cheaper than any other I could find on the internet because I feel responsible to get this information out there. It’s time to get serious about self-rescue.
4:1 ratio maximum | 2 participant minimum
Learning the below tools is the easy part. The focus of this clinic is to learn to apply them in hands on scenarios in order to effectively rescue unconscious leaders or followers and to get them to the ground from multipitch heights.
All skills will be improvised which is to say we will not be using specific rescue gear such as pulleys, rope clamps, etc.
- Hauling
- Block and Tackle
- Load Transfers
- Lowers
- Ascending a Rope
- Belay Escapes
- Passing Knots (on rappel, ascent, lower, haul)
- Pick-Offs
- Tandem and Counterbalance Rappel
- Hitches
- Load Releasable Systems
- Ropes.
- Non-stop stoke and instruction from me; an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, big wall first ascensionist, soloist, and speed climber.
- All photos taken during the trip! Including top-down photos from a fixed line!
Not Included:
- Airfare
- Lodging
- Local travel/car rental
- Food or Snacks
- Travel/Trip Cancellation Insurance (recommended)
- Anything on the What to Bring tab
- Helmet
- Harness
- Handful of lockers
- Belay Devices (GriGri style and ATC style)
- Anchor/rescue material (ie cordalette or quad length sling)
- Prussik cord
- A few alpine draws.
- Gloves
- Double(ish) rack of cams
- 30+ liter backpack
- Sun Glasses
- Sun Shirt
- Sun Hat
- Thin Pants for climbing
- Solid Shoes for the approach
- Warm Puffy Jacket
- Rain Coat
- Please bring your own lunch food.
In order to make the most of our time together please observe these prerequisites:
- Multi-pitch climbing experience
- Trad climbing experience
- Anchor building skills
- Fitness for some steep approaches and long days at the crag.
**We highly recommend insuring your travel arrangements!**
Moab is the adventure hub for South East Utah and has all the amenities you’ll need.
For lodging, I recommend camping at one of the below campgrounds that will be close to our climbing venue:
Moab has plenty of Hotels and Motels to choose from as well which will all be ~30 minutes from the climbing.
Moab does have a nearby airport (Canyonlands Regional) that can be convenient and offers car rental. This is about 20 minutes from Moab.
Another option that’s often more economical is to fly into Grand Junction, Colorado which is 1hr 45mins from Moab.
You could also look at Salt Lake City which is a 4-hour drive to Moab.
2 Participant Minimum: Clinics are priced relatively cheaply with the assumption that more than one person will attend. In the event that you are the only person that signs up, I will either refund you or we can arrange private instruction!
Weather (PLEASE READ):
We cannot control the weather. The soft sandstone of Moab is very fragile after becoming saturated with rain. It is standard practice for climbers to wait 24 hours to climb after the rock becomes saturated. We will do our best to work around the weather and small, non-saturating sprinkles. The nature of this clinic allows it to be held even in pretty wet weather.
Cancellation:
If you cancel more than 30 days from the start of the trip you will receive a full refund minus a 20% deposit.
If you cancel within 30 days of the trip you will not receive a refund. If you are able to find someone to fill your spot you may receive a refund.
If I cancel the trip (due to serious illness or extreme weather) you will receive a full refund for the cost of the trip, however, I cannot refund travel costs (flights, car rental, etc.) so please strongly consider travel insurance.
Contact Me for more information or click the button to make your booking!
Cost: $350
Guided Tower Climbing!
The red desert surrounding Moab is peppered with iconic sandstone towers and you can climb them!
There are a variety of options from first ever multi-pitch climbs to multiday big wall ascents. Check out the photos and options in the tabs below and contact me to make discuss dates!
Ancient Art is an incredibly unique corkscrew of mud in the Fisher Towers and you can stand on top of it! Only a few pitches of climbing grants you jaw-dropping exposure in an out-of-this-world environment!
Route: Stolen Chimney
Difficulty: 5.8 A0, suitable for an adventurous beginner or experienced climber
Length: A 1ish mile relatively flat approach to a 4 pitch climb, this outing can take 4-7 hours depending on how busy the route is.
Location: Located in the Fisher Towers 30 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $350 | Two People $250 Per Person
In my opinion, Castleton is THE most iconic desert tower sporting multiple fantastic routes.
Routes: Kor-Ingalls (5.9+) | North Chimney (5.9) | North Face (5.11)
Length: This is a full, 8-hour day starting with a 1.5 mile, +1300ft hike to the base of the tower. Followed by 4 pitches of challenging crack climbing to an incredible summit. Suitable for those with some crack experience and the fitness for a full day.
Location: Castle Valley, 30 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $400 | Two People $300 Per Person
The Titan is the tallest freestanding tower in North America. A coveted feather in the cap of any climber, this is not a beginner trip.
Route: The Finger of Fate (5.8, C2+, 8 pitches, 900ft)
Length: While this route can be done in a big day (I actually did a solo speed ascent in 4 hours 48 minutes!) it is most memorably climbed as an overnight ascent. A 2.5 mile, +1000 ft approach leads us to the base of the route and will likely take us 2 hours with relatively heavy loads. We’ll climb roughly 5 pitches on the first day before setting up for an incredible night. We will climb the remaining pitches the following day and make a series of rappels back to the ground before hiking out to the cars.
Location: Fisher Towers. 30 minutes from Moab
Please contact me for more details and pricing for this once-in-a-lifetime unique experience.
**We highly recommend insuring your travel arrangements!**
Moab is the adventure hub for South East Utah and has all the amenities you’ll need.
For lodging, I recommend camping at one of the below campgrounds that will be close to our climbing venue:
For Ancient Art and The Titan – Fisher Towers Campground
For Castleton Tower – Castleton Tower Preserve and Campground
Moab has plenty of Hotels and Motels to choose from as well which will all be ~30 minutes from the climbing.
Moab does have a nearby airport (Canyonlands Regional) that can be convenient and offers car rental. This is about 20 minutes from Moab.
Another option that’s often more economical is to fly into Grand Junction, Colorado which is 1hr 45mins from Moab.
You could also look at Salt Lake City which is a 4 hour drive to Moab.
Weather (PLEASE READ):
We cannot control the weather. The soft sandstone of Moab is very fragile after becoming saturated with rain. It is standard practice for climbers to wait 24 hours to climb after the rock becomes saturated. We will do our best to work around the weather and small, non-saturating sprinkles. We reschedule or refund any trips that get rained out. Please understand that we are at nature’s whim.
Cancellation:
If you cancel more than 30 days from the start of the trip you will receive a full refund minus a 20% deposit.
If you cancel within 30 days of the trip you will not receive a refund. If you are able to find someone to fill your spot you may receive a refund.
If I cancel the trip (due to serious illness or extreme weather) you will receive a full refund for the cost of the trip, however, I cannot refund travel costs (flights, car rental, etc.) so please strongly consider travel insurance.
