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Rock Climbing
Instruction and Guiding: Granite
Arches offers professional rock climbing guiding and instruction year-round
in the mountains of North
Carolina, Tennessee, and
Georgia at locations
such as Looking
Glass Rock,
Table Rock, Moore's
Wall, Linville Gorge ,
Shortoff
Mountain, Whitesides,
Tennessee Wall,
and Mount Yonah. Granite Arches offers
private guided instruction only, so you or your group will not be with
any other climbers. Our focus
is to help you efficiently reach your
climbing goals, while developing superior risk management awareness and
technical skill proficiency.
Courses vs. Guiding
Granite Arches offers a full progression of instructional
courses. In addition, we also offer guided climbing days with
relatively less instruction. Experienced and beginner climbers alike
can decide whether they prefer formal instructional courses, or less
formalized climbing days where the focus is on a particular climbing
goal. In reality, however, the two options often blend together: guided climbs
may involve some instruction as needed, and intermediate
and advanced courses often involve the ascent of
multi-pitch climbing routes.
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| Climbing
Courses |
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Guided Climbing |
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Intro
to Outdoor Rock Climbing (IOC) |
Prerequisites:
None
Description:
The
content of this guided instruction is designed to teach beginner
climbers the basics of rock climbing in the outdoor environment:
movement on rock, knots, belay and rappel techniques. Families and groups welcome.
Suggested
course
length: 1-2 days (long courses more thorough)
Note: Our courses involve
private guiding ONLY. Private instruction means that you learn
faster, and that each course can be custom-tailored to your abilities,
skill, and experience. Course content is fluid; if
you are proficient in the material of one course's content, we will move on to more advanced material during your
course.
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Intro to Outdoor Climbing Course
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Toprope
Setup and Anchor Analysis (TRS) |
Prerequisites:
IOC course (above) or equivalent experience
Description:
Climbing
anchors are the basis of the safety system in roped climbing. For
climbers preparing to climb on their own outdoors, this course
material is a must. This course
will cover how to analyze existing
anchors, and to build your own top-rope anchors using an array of natural single-point
anchors. We will discuss single-point natural anchor integrity
(analyzing trees and rocks), capturing methods, complex riggings
(magic "x", cordellette and webbolette tie-offs, serial
setups), anchor improvisation, "ERNEST" anchor
evaluation, redundant extenders, edge safety systems, and perhaps the basics of
gear
placement. Rope management will also begin to be addressed
more aggressively.
Suggested course
length: 2-3 days (longer
courses more thorough)
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Toprope Setup Class
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Lead Climbing I (LC
I) |
Lead Climbing/Artificial
Protection:
Prerequisites:
Introduction to Outdoor Climbing (IOC) course (above) or equivalent experience, and
the Toprope Setup (TRS) course or equivalent experience.
Description: This course is a must
for the aspiring sport or trad leader. This
course will give you a broad introduction to the basic considerations of
lead climbing and give you the tools to effectively manage the risks of
basic lead climbing. We will start with
artificial anchor theory (expansion forces, wedges and mechanical
advantages, camming theory and angles, etc), and then discuss the
issues involved in their utilization (rock quality, integrity,
joining single-point anchors, opposition, over/undercamming,
vectors, etc)
and finally cover their application in a lead climbing system (gear
selection/placement, single-point anchor riggings, rope drag, "z"
and reverse clips, zipper effects, directional anchors, protecting traverses,
etc). Tips on reading routes and selecting a
rack are covered. Some important tips for lead climbing psychology are
also addressed. The course makes extensive use of mock leads, and
participants can expect to make important strides in their own knowledge
and performance of lead climbing.
The instruction will culminate with mock leads where
the client "leads" a suitable rock climb with a slingshot
top-rope support. Afterwards, the single point anchors and
their riggings are reviewed and discussed.
Suggested
course length: 2-3 days
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Lead Climbing I Course (LC I)
Karen has just led the climb, built the anchor, and belayed the guide to
her . . . all on toprope. A great way to learn the basics or the
advanced concepts of leading.
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| Lead Climbing II
(LC II) |
Lead Climbing/Artificial
Protection:
Prerequisites:
Lead Climbing (LC I) or equivalent experience.
Description: This
course is for intermediate and experienced climbers seeking to check
their safety systems, update and further their knowledge and
risk-management skills, and increase their lead climbing
prowess. The course introduces and reinforces wide-ranging
awareness of advanced risk assessment and management relating to lead
climbing including reading rock curvature ('zipper-prone' route
features), controlling rope travel & isolation (rope protection),
vector dynamics of gear rigging, multi-directional anchors as URPs,
dedicated anti-zipper directional protection, exploiting camming angles
via micro features on rock, etc.
The instruction can include challenging mock leads on
terrain that lends itself to complex rope travel and drag issues, and/or
dangerous vector dynamics that must be actively managed, and/or complex
anchor selection issues. Afterwards, the single point anchors and
their riggings are reviewed and discussed, as well as the choice of
anchor location, aspect, and rigging. Suggested
course length: 2 days
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Lead Climbing II Class: This route was selected for a mock lead
for the
student because of its complex curvature
that requires consideration of
vector dynamics
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Multi-Pitch
Climbing (MPC) |
Prerequisites:
IOC course (above) and LC course or equivalent experience.
Description:
Multi-pitch climbing involves
team-work between climbers and demands a certain level of background
knowledge. This course will give the client a firm grounding in
the theory and practice of multi-pitch rock climbing including
multi-pitch methods, rope management on multi-pitch climbs, gear removal
and stowage, anchor removal and stowage, micro-macro route-finding,
anchor location selection, non-verbal communication,
retreating/rappelling, and multi-pitch climbing experience.
Suggested
course length: 2 days
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Self-Rescue (SR)
I and II |
Prerequisites:
IOC course (above) or equivalent experience, and TRS and MCS courses
or equivalent experience (contact Granite Arches).
Description:
The class is in two parts, consisting of Basic (I) and Advanced
(II) material. What do you do if your partner
can't follow a pitch of the climb you are doing? What if you
can't follow another climber? What if your
partner falls and is hurt while leading, but can't be lowered to the
ground? This course will give you answers to these and other
questions through a theoretical and practical approach to
self-rescue.
Basic Self-Rescue
The class will progress logically from learning
individual skill components, understanding each skills' utility, and then
applying new skills properly in novel situations.
This is a hands-on course. You will
not be lectured to endlessly, but instead asked to demonstrate the
application of relevant skills. Skills covered will be
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when and how to escape belays from
above and below |
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when and how to use 3, 5, and 7:1
hauling systems |
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when and how to lower using various
systems including knot passes |
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when and how to use second and leader
rescue skills |
Advanced Self-Rescue For the climber that possesses the rescue
skills requisite to basic self-rescue (above), this course will provide
a chance to integrate the planning and execution of rescues in various
common situations. Emphasis will be placed on situation analysis
leading to an efficient rescue plan, as well as the execution of rescue
techniques.
Schedule: The course is
a two day course that is offered privately. An equipment
list will be provided upon deposit.
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Rescue Anchor at "Baseline"
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Guiding
Skills Course (GSC) |
Prerequisites:
IOC, TRS, MPC, and LC I & II or equivalent experience.
Description:
This course is for aspiring guides or climbers who
want to learn to be better, more knowledgeable climbers. Guiding skills
are different from the recreational climber's skill set. This
course will cover different climbing systems ("caterpillar,"
tandem climbing, and multi- climber/single rope arrangements); guiding
anchors; direct, indirect and redirected belays and their usage; anchor
selection and station management; major climbing transitions; lowering
and rappelling systems (multi, tandem, stacked, solo, etc); objective
hazard analysis, client care, and other topics.
Suggested
course length: 2-3 days
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Guide Training: Mock leading on multi-pitch
terrain.
A lot of work, but worth it!
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Beginning/Novice
Climbs |
| Beginning
climbs usually range in difficulty from 5.5 to 5.8, and take place
utilizing a top-rope setup within 50 feet of the ground. Using
this technique, the client can easily receive instruction and can return
to the ground at any time. Popular areas for this level of climbing are
the south face of Looking Glass Rock and Cedar Rock NC, Mount Yonah in
Georgia, and Pigeon Mountain and other crags near Chattanooga, TN.
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Climbing at Looking Glass
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Intermediate Climbs |
| Intermediate
guided climbs usually range in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.9, and take
place utilizing a top-belay setup or multi-pitch techniques. Top
belay setups require that the client be proficient at belaying technique
and general climbing knowledge. The client belays the guide to the
top of the cliff, and then joins the guide at the top where he/she is
again under direct guide supervision. Multi-pitch climbing
involves more advanced understanding of roped climbing systems, as the client
will be required to be alone at a belay station while the guide climbs
to the next belay station. Further, the client is required to exit
the belay station and "clean" the station by bringing along
all of the guides equipment used to construct the belay. Popular areas for this level of climbing are available throughout
North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. Prominent
areas include Tallulah Gorge, Georgia, and Looking Glass Rock and Table
Rock, North Carolina. Routes may include Gemini Cracks, or Second
Coming at Looking Glass Rock. Second day of intermediate
guiding may include ascents of The Nose or Rat's Butt at
Looking Glass Rock.
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Climbing Dinkus Dog at Looking Glass
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Advanced Climbs |
Advanced guided climbs usually range in difficulty from
5.8 to 5.11 and beyond, and usually involve multi-pitch
techniques. Multi-pitch techniques are required to cover the large
amount of climbing associated with advanced climbing objectives.
The client will be required to be alone at a belay station while the
guide climbs to the next belay station. Further, the client is
required to exit the belay station and "clean" the station by
bringing along all of the guides equipment used to construct the
belay. In addition, efficiency of climbing systems and
communications are important on longer climbs. Guide and client
will discuss advanced topics such as rope management, descent systems,
anchor placement and station management, etc.
Popular areas for this level of climbing are
available throughout North Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, and
Georgia. Prominent areas include Tallulah Gorge, Georgia, and
Looking Glass Rock, Whitesides Mountain, and Linville Gorge in
North Carolina. Routes may include Dinkus Dog, Pat Ewing,
T&B, The Odyssey, or The Womb at Looking Glass or the Original Route on
Whitesides Mountain.
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Multi-pitch Climbing on Whitesides Mtn.
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