Intro to Trad Climbing
Intro to Trad Climbing
- February 22
- Cosumnes River Gorge
- $249 per Person
- 4 Students per Instructor
Or call/text us at (916) 299-0711
Unlock access to the most rewarding experiences climbing has to offer!
Begin your trad climbing journey! This course will guide you through the fundamentals of placing gear, building anchors, and leading with confidence on the “sharp end”.
Whether you’re transitioning from sport climbing or are completely new to outdoor climbing, this hands-on experience focuses on skill-building in a supportive environment. With personalized instruction, you’ll gain the knowledge and techniques to safely explore the world of traditional climbing at your own pace.
Who is this course for?
You already lead sport climbs indoors or outdoors and want to make the transition to trad.
You have climbed some trad with a mentor but you want to get some professional instruction.
You’ve taken a trad course before but its been a while or you just want to review the material.
Itinerary
We’ll start off with some discussion about what trad climbing is, how it differs from other forms of climbing, and what we can expect from the day. We’ll discuss some new equipment and terminology before getting some practice with placing trad gear into the rock. After some time with that we’ll move onto the ropes and do some mock trad leads while backed up with a top rope. You’ll get feedback on your placements and perhaps even take some small falls on them. We’ll wrap up with some basic 3 and 4-point traditional anchor-building considerations before calling it a day.
Curriculum
- Trad vs sport considerations
- Trad climbing equipment
- Cam and nut placement basics
- Assessing rock quality
- Where/when to place protection
- Trad anchors
- Incremental falling practice
What's Included?
- Ropes
- Trad Gear (Cams, Nuts, Draws) Bring your own if you have it!
- Anchor Building Material
- Personal Climbing Gear (if requested in advance): Harness, Helmet, Shoes
What to Bring
- Harness, Helmet, Climbing Shoes (let us know if you need to borrow these!)
- Trad rack (not required), alpine + quick draws, locking carabiners, slings/anchor material, belay device, crack gloves.
- Personal food, water, clothing, and backpack for a day outside
Prerequisites
- Lead climbing experience
- Solid lead and top rope belaying skills
- Capable of top roping 5.8 outside
- At least 6 months of climbing experience
*unsure of these prerequisites? Contact Us.
Possible Course Locations
Next Course Details
- February 22
- Cosumnes River Gorge
- $250 per Person
- 4 Students per Instructor
Or call/text us at (916) 299-0711
stoked
Climbers!
EXCELLENT Based on 22 reviews Elias Iristree24 October 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Man oh man, five stars is too low a score! 6/5 I took the Crack Clinic near Moab, and hot damn was it worthwhile. Expectations and hopes were sky high and they were absolutely exceeded. I learned a crap ton, saw incredible sights, and met a super varied and interesting group of folks. Kevin's teaching, knowledge, and stoke were a joy and a privilege to be around. I really couldn't recommend them more!! Fantastic experience A++ The only caveat to be mentioned is that an addiction to crack is no way discouraged. Take that as you will. Adrienne Levoy11 October 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I learned about Erik’s guiding services through the pipeworks gym community and hired him as a guide to take my mom and I on a mother-daughter multi pitch adventure at lovers leap for my mom‘s first multi pitch experience. It was a fantastic day of climbing, we had fun and felt very safe with Erik, as well as learning some new skills. In addition to providing safe belaying and videos and photos to commemorate our trip, Erik taught me some techniques for advancing my skills, gear placement techniques, and just generally provided a fun atmosphere for the day! My mom and I had a blast and I would recommend his services to anyone, beginner through advanced. He’s a very skilled guide and we felt safe in his hands. Brian Kaufman30 September 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I recently completed the two-day Intro to Big Wall course with Vertical Pursuits, and I couldn’t be more impressed. Our instructor, Kevin, went above and beyond by scouting out locations prior to the class to ensure the best possible experience for everyone. The setting was beautiful, and the course was exceptionally well planned and executed. Kevin taught the skills in a clear, understandable way while always prioritizing safety, which made me feel confident throughout the entire experience. If you're looking to learn big wall climbing, I highly recommend Vertical Pursuit. Moses Sedler24 September 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I've attended a one-day intro to multi pitch course bed by Kevin. It was a very informative and enriching day of skill building that Kevin expertly led. Just recently Kevin guided myself and my 14 year old son on a full day single pitch sport climbing experience in the Bowman lake area. Kevin's presence, and knowledge combined for a really fun and rewarding day. I highly recommend Vertical Pursuits courses, and private guided experiences. Nicki H20 September 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had climbed with both Erik and Kevin on several sessions. They are knowledgeable, experienced and have a lot of enthusiasm. Safety of the climbers is their top priority. Even though I consider myself as somewhat of an experienced climber, I always learn new skills and invaluable lessons. I highly recommend them to anyone regardless of their levels to learn and improve climbing skills. Kristina McNaught4 September 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. The trad climbing course was exactly what I was looking for! Kevin kept it to the essential information, answered our slew of questions, and allowed for ample time to climb. Together we analyzed our gear placements, we practiced falling on them, we built anchors. Best of all, he tailored the class to our needs, so we could spend time on the skills we wanted to practice most. Highly recommend. Zhinan C30 August 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I took the Intro to Sport Climbing course with Kevin and would highly recommend it! I found the clinic very helpful for navigating the gym to crag transition. Kevin is excellent both as an instructor and a climber. I received plenty of individual attention and had many opportunities to practice during the class. Kyle Humason12 July 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Kevin is an excellent instructor and certainly a reliable guide. I was impressed by and thankful for his professionalism, candor, decision making, and tact during our three day course. I would tackle any vertical pursuit he offers! Qiaosi Chen3 July 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I have been climbing outside with Erik and Kevin many times. From Mexico, Jusha Tree, to Tahoe. I learned lot of my outdoor climbing through these experiences, and I am able to go out to climb more and harder on my own. It has been very fun, always learning, changlleing, always great adventures climbing with them. Also making a lot of friends along the on way. Hope to see you next time!! 😄 Adam Woffinden24 June 2024Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had a great seminar on multi-pitch climbing technique. Kevin did a great job walking through each step and sharing helpful hints once we got hand-on. Highly recommend to anyone wanting to up-level their skills