Courses

Below are course descriptions and schedules. We can always create custom training programs to meet your specific needs, or arrange special course dates to accomodate your group. All courses will be instructed by Craig Luebben.

• Beginning Rock Day
• Rock Climber Primer
• Leading Traditional Routes
• Crack Climbing Weekend
• Sport Climbing
• Big Wall Climbing

Beginning Rock Day

Spend a day on the rocks learning how to climb, belay, and rappel. Learn about climbing gear and efficient movement on rock, and climb some fun routes.

Location and dates: Golden, Colorado, scheduled on demand, June 14

Rock Climber Primer

This 5-day and one evening course gives beginning to intermediate climbers the tools they need to rock climb outdoors. We'll cover essential rock climbing topics with academic, practical, and hands-on instruction. The focus will be on safety and climbing efficiency. The pace and depth of the course will be tailored to the experience level of the climbers.

Day 1 (Sunday evening): slide show, equipment check, climbing knots, leave no trace
Day 2: moving efficiently on rock, belaying, managing a top-rope site, hazard awareness
Day 3: mental control, lead protection, belay anchors, top-rope anchors, station management
Day 4: attitude, climbing, rappelling, rappel backups, rope management, lead climbing
Day 5: safety, bailing off a route, improvised rope ascending, escaping the belay, hauling
Day 6: time management, multi-pitch rock climb, crack and face climbing

Location and dates: Eldorado Canyon, North Table Mountain, and Horsetooth Reservoir, June 8-13, 2003

Leading Traditional Routes

Here we'll spend four days honing the skills required to become an efficient and safe lead climber. Topics include:

• rock climbing anchors
• judging the rock
• choosing and setting the right protection -- fast
• protecting the move and protecting the pitch
• evaluating your protection
• climbing in control
• calm mental state
• lead climbing strategies
• organizing the rack
• building belay anchors
• belay station management
• equalizing anchors
• opposing anchors
• belay techniques
• belay devices
• judgement
• conserving energy
• time planning
• climbing efficiency
• evaluating fixed gear
• bailing off a route that's too hard
• self-rescue
• emergency gear

Day 1: mechanics of leading, lead protection, belay anchors, and belay station management
Day 2: leading demonstration by instructor, climbing safety, and self-rescue techniques
Day 3: the leading head, leading by students (with a top-rope)
Day 4: leading by students (with a top-rope)

Location and dates: Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, May 27-30

Prerequisite: Rock Climber Primer or equivalent experience, Anchor Clinic or equivalent experience, Self-Rescue Clinic Level I recommended. It is possible that a client may actually lead during this course, but the best we can guarantee is leading with a backup top-rope.

Crack Climbing Weekend

Many great traditional rock climbs follow crack systems. You can access an amazing wealth of spectacular climbs by becoming proficient at crack climbing. Cracks can be super fun, too, once you get the hang of them, but make no mistake: a hard crack can be kick-ass brutal. Learn the techniques and tricks for jamming finger cracks, hand cracks, fist cracks, offwidths, and chimneys, and how to climb efficiently and confidently on cracks. You also have the option to learn to protect crack climbs. The weekend will take place at the beautiful Vedauwoo, Wyoming, one of the world's best and most unique granite crack climbing areas.

Location and dates: Vedauwoo, Wyoming, July 19-20, 2003

Sport Climbing

All the skills needed to successfully and safely climb outdoor sport routes will be covered during these two days, plus we'll get to climb a few fun routes. An emphasis will be placed on safety and efficient movement on the rock.
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Day 1: equipment, moving efficiently, belaying, bolts, clipping, leading, rigging to descend
Day 2: the mental game, cleaning the pitch, leading by students (with a toprope)

Location and dates: Golden, Colorado, May 17-18

Big Wall Climbing

Learn and practice all the skills you'll need to climb your first big wall: aid climbing, hauling, jumarring, cleaning pendulums and roofs, managing belay stations, rappelling with a haul bag, time management, food and water preparation, and bivying. We'll cover all this ground in an intensive two days.

Location and dates: Golden, Colorado May 24-25

Prerequisite: Good belaying skills, extensive experience with rock climbing anchors, ability to lead traditional routes up to 5.8