This 10 day camp is highly individualized for the climber with prior experience who is looking to progress onto more challenging terrain and learn advanced technical climbing skills. This camp will travel to New England's most spectacular terrain to climb such renown classics as Whitney-Gilman, Moby Grape, Pinnacle Buttress and the Armadillo. We will climb many traditional routes between 5.6 and 5.10 in difficulty. The alpine natuture of many of the areas requires more efficient movement skills and a higher degree of fitness. The lead guide for this trip will be school owner Jon Tierney, an internationally licensed IFMGA mountain and/or a senior guide staff with appropriate certifications and experience. Campers will have the opportunity to climb with multiple guides on routes of varying difficulty as desired. Daily skill clinics will focus on topics of interest to campers. This course is about having fun while climbing great routes and learning.
We recommend that campers entering this program have completed RockPro 2 or have equivalent skills. Campers should be capable of climbing at least 5.7. Qualified campers will be given opportunities to lead climbs although lead climbing ability is not a prerequisite. Campers seeking to learn to lead should enroll in RockPro III (sport climbing focus) or RockPro IV (trad climbing focus). Camp is limited to 3-4 campers per guide and an interview is required prior to registration.
Skills covered
- Artificial gear and natural anchor construction
- Multiple belay and rappel alternatives
- Self rescue skills for top rope and multi-pitch terrain
- Route selection and route finding
- Multi-pitch stance management and transitions
- Efficient movement skills
Sample Itinerary:
Each day will focus on a primary climbing objective and a skill objective.
Day 1: Climbers meet in Bar Harbor, ME and spend the day reviewing skills at Otter Cliff. This is the time to get to know each other, brush up on fundamental belaying, rappelling and climbing skills.
Day 2 - 3: Focus on short multi-pitch routes on the South Wall of Champlain Mountain. Emphasis on efficient movement and rope management in multi-pitch environment.
Day 4 - 8: These are the longest and biggest climbing days of the course with opportunities to climb some of New Englands most classic routes such as the Whitney Gilman Ridge, Moby Grape, and Vertigo on Cannon Cliff in Franconia Notch, NH and Pinnacle Buttress on Mount Washington. Spend the first couple days warming on moderate length routes at Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges.
Day 9 - 10: Head North to Katahdin to climb more classics on Katahdin - New England's premier alpine area. Fine tune route finding and efficiency on Hanta Yo, Pamola IV, The Armadillo Buttress or the Flatiron.
