Ice climbing Instruction

Introductory level classes are provided in the Colorado Front Range. Although Alpine Ice in Colorado is avaliable all year round, waterfall ice season starts from Mid-December and continues till the end of March. Most waterfalls are thickest around Late-Februray-Mid March. Lessons cover the following:

1. Introduction to ice-gear: leashed vs leashless tools, different types of ice-protection, screamers etc

2. Basic French Technique for low angle-ice

3. Efficient movement on vertical ice

4. Placing protection

No prior climbing experience is neccesary but if you already know how to belay and are familiar with rock-climbing, we can spend more time focusing on climbing ice than learning knots, belaying etc.

Equipment provided for use during course:

Rope, crampons. helmets, ice-tools, ice-screws, harness, boots, carabiners.

Rates:

1-Day of intro-level ice-climbing $100/person ($75 for every additional person) R

Traditional (Trad) Rock climbing Instruction

Introductory level classes are provided in the Colorado Front Range. These classes are offered all year round (as long as you're willing to learn on rock covered with snow). Lessons cover the following:

1. Introduction to rock-gear: harness, belay device, rock shoes, ropes, carabiners, and rock protection

2. Basic belay techniques using an ATC

3. Efficient movement on rock

4. Placing protection

No prior climbing experience is neccesary

Equipment provided for use during course:

Rope, helmets, rock-protection, harness, carabiners, slings and coredelettes.

Rates:

1-Day of intro-level rock-climbing $75/person ($50 for every additional person)

NOTE: No climbing lessons are provided in climbing gyms. Mark Twight explains this brilliantly: There is nothing wrong with the gym: its principles and product simply don't coincide with our beliefs. In the gym risk has been sterilized by legal liability. When climbers -- whose only experience is in such an environment -- graduate to the crag they think it normal to apply maximum technology in order to minimize risk. But in nature there are no crash pads, no lines above which one is forbidden to climb without a rope, no colored tape indicating which holds to use, and points of protection do not naturally sprout from the cliff every six feet. In the gym a climber expects to confront a minimal amount of fear -- enough to be titillated -- and to have that anxiety managed by others. Accustomed to the niceties of the dojo, this climber may -- consciously or not -- expect a similar experience outdoors, and such may only be orchestrated by "managing" a naturally occurring challenge.

Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue

This is an intense two-day course that is meant to train mountaineers, mountain researchers, trekkers and skiers in glacier travel and c revasse rescue.

Day 1

45 minute indoor clinic on glacier hazards, introduction to gear and equipment, rope ascension using the Texas Prussik System outdoors.

Day 2

Self arrest (holding a victim's fall), placing snow and ice protection, making anchors, rescue systems.

Equipment provided for use during course:

Rope, crampons. helmets, ice-tools, ice-screws, harness, boots, carabiners, prussiks, snow protection, ascending devices.

Rates:

$150/person for two days ($100 every additional person)