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Click here for courses and climbs 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 Courses vs. Guiding |
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| Climbing Courses | Guided Climbing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Prerequisites:
None 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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Prerequisites:
IOC course (above) or equivalent experience
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| 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.
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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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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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Prerequisites:
IOC course (above) or equivalent experience, and TRS and MCS courses
or equivalent experience (contact Granite Arches). 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
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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| 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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| 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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| 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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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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Granite Arches Climbing Services
Asheville, NC, USA
Chattanooga, TN USA
Johnson City, TN USA
climb@granitearches.com
Phone: (423) 413-1432
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Website copyright
1997-2007 Disclaimer: Rock, snow, and ice climbing and related activities are inherently dangerous. We try to manage the risks of climbing, but no guarantee of safety is provided or implied. You may be injured or killed while climbing.
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