This day-long seminar teaches students with previous outdoor rock climbing experience how to build traditional (trad) climbing anchors with cams, nuts, trees, and boulders. This course is perfect for gym climbers or sport climbers looking to break into trad climbing by top-roping traditional routes in places like Leavenworth, Squamish, Yosemite, and Joshua Tree. The course will take place at the Index Town Walls or another crag within driving distance from Seattle.
Those who do not have previous outdoor rock climbing experience should consider coming on our Intro to Outdoor Rock Climbing trip. Those interested in developing a more advanced skills set should consider combining this course with our trad lead climbing course, multi-pitch course, or alpine climbing course.
Skills covered:
- How to identify routes using a guidebook
- Overview of trad climbing protection and anchor materials
- Understanding strengths and weaknesses of traditional protection
- Placing and removing traditional protection
- Principles of anchor building
- Knots and hitches used for anchor building
- Equalizing 3 and 4 piece anchors
- Building anchors with trees and boulders
- Positioning the masterpoint for top-rope use
Duration
Half dayPassport
Not Required for AmericansMinimum Age
13 years oldActivity
Rock climbing instructionAccommodation
None Provided
- Group climbing equipment
- Guide Services
- Pre-trip Planning Information

- Transportation (We will help arrange carpools or transportation can be provided for extra fees)
- Lunches/Snacks
- Gratuities for Guides