Rock Climbing

Looking to master a specific skill or accomplish a particular goal or maybe you just want the guide to yourself, or on a day of your own choosing. Regardless of the reason or the size of your party, just give us a call at 845-668-2030 to set up a private climbing day tailored to your needs and schedule. Private rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering available 7 days a week. READ MORE…

 Rock Climbing Fast Track is a two-day introduction to rock climbing and is our most popular rock climbing class. This concentrated program takes beginning climbers through the comprehensive progression of our two main courses: Rock Climbing 101 and Rock Climbing 201. After these two days, you will have the knowledge, skills and variety of experience to think and respond to challenges on the cliff as a true climber. It’s a perfect way to cover a lot of vertical ground, and save some money at the same time!
Course topics include (but are not limited to) proper gear selection, common climbing knots, belay technique, body position and footwork, communication and terminology, gaining trust in the climbing system, route selection, decision making on the cliff, making sense of gear and techniques, proper skills application for changing situations, and advice for improving climbing technique and efficiency.READ MORE… 

 If you’ve never rock climbed, or have been climbing indoors at a rock gym, this class is for you. We’ll go over the fundamentals of climbing and focus on giving you the knowledge to become a skilled and confident rock climber. You’ll learn about the relevant equipment, knots and terminology, and then we’ll move right into belaying, body position, footwork and working around the climbing site.
The bulk of the day is spent putting these new skills to use on the cliff, with each climber able to get in a few climbs and descents. You will come away knowing what it is like to be a fully engaged and responsible member of a climbing party, and with a good measure of actual climbing time on the rock. READ MORE… 

 Now that you’ve completed Rock Climbing 101, you’re ready to really put those skills to use on the cliff. We’ll build off your basic climbing knowledge and focus on application: when is it best to use one technique rather than another? Which gear is most appropriate for which situation? Is it best to steer toward the cracks, or stick with the footholds on the face? All these issues can be addressed while getting in some great climbing, and we can add pitches of different character or difficulty as we go, depending upon your needs. READ MORE… 

When it is time to start heading out on your own, you’ll want to hit this course first. We’ll take your knowledge and experience on the rock and fine-tune it to address the myriad issues that come with establishing toprope systems. You’ll learn how to assess a site for climbing and anchoring potential, and how to set anchors at the top and bottom of the crag using a variety of methods and materials. We’ll also cover how to deal with the typical issues that can complicate a day of toproping: difficult cliff-top access, troublesome situations at the edge, awkward descent options, and other potential problems. To cover all topics, this class is best taken over two days. READ MORE…

If you aspire to climb bigger mountains out West or abroad, learning to rope up for and travel over glaciers is essential. You’ll also need to know how to extricate yourself or your partner from a crevasse. Though there are no glaciers in the Northeast, our instructors can teach you all of the latest tricks and techniques for navigating though these hazards. A portion of the day will be spent learning the basics of glacier rigging for different sized rope-teams, as well as equipment options and crevasse rescue systems. We will then set up and practice the demonstrated techniques in the field. We require technical climbing experience or participation in one or more of our mountaineering courses for this hands-on, technical program. This class can be taken in one day or spread out into two days.

Leading a climb from the ground up is an awesome responsibility that is equally rewarding. This intense three-day course will give you the skills and knowledge you’ll need to explore the cliff from the “sharp” end of the rope. We’ll cover a wide variety of topics and introduce a broad selection of scenarios, as leading is a lot more than just going up first and sticking in some gear. You’ll learn about assessing your party in relation to your objectives, route choices and decision-making on the lead, protecting the leader and the seconds, establishing anchors en route, efficient belay-station management, and planning for the descent. Efficiency and error correction play big roles in this course, and the responsibility of the leader lies in not underestimating the commitment being taken on. Before enrolling, participants should have completed the Top Rope Anchor course or similar experience, be comfortable setting up anchors using natural or fixed protection (trees, boulders, bolts) and have experience following and removing gear on traditional climbs. To cover all topics, this class is best taken over three days.

A must for every climber, this course will teach you how to handle all sorts of unanticipated situations on the cliff, using the standard gear you already have on hand. Day one will feature close-to-the-ground practice sessions that will introduce a broad range of tricks and techniques, and day two will present rescue scenarios and problem-solving exercises on the cliff. You’ll learn how to anticipate and ultimately address a wide variety of the unexpected challenges we encounter in the vertical world.

Aid climbing puts us in some of the most spectacular positions imaginable. This course introduces the specialized equipment and teaches the fundamental techniques that allow us to venture beyond the limits of free climbing. We’ll cover climbing on aid – using nuts, pitons, hooks and etriers, as well as techniques for ascending the rope, cleaning pitches on aid, and simple hauling systems. Participants should have significant free-climbing experience, including some leading.