Learning to Climb / Hiring a Guide?

Hey Everyone,

I'm doing a little research on how people learn to climb. I would love to hear from people who have used a guide to learn to climb and those that had a buddy teach them.

- Why did you want to learn to climb outside?
- If you hired a guide where and how did you go about finding one?
- What was the most valuable thing you have learned from guides/friends?

In what cases would you consider hiring a guide and where would you look for one?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

- Joey

I've hired a guide twice in my 9 years of climbing. The first occasion was early on; I was visiting a new area while my wife was on business, I had almost no outdoor experience, and I wanted someone to show me around and get a bunch of climbing in. The second time was shortly after I got into multi-pitch/trad, and I wanted an expert's opinion on my systems and techniques.

That being said, I have learned the most by reading books and via the internet. By far.

- Why did you want to learn to climb outside?
It looked fun and I had always wanted to try it.

- If you hired a guide where and how did you go about finding one?
Internet search, reviews. Same way I might choose a new restaurant to try.

- What was the most valuable thing you have learned from guides/friends?
From a guide, confirmation that it's possible to learn the basics without going through the traditional mentor-ship process. From friends, confirmation that there is no short list of ways to kill yourself while climbing, that this is a risky game, and that very few people know nearly as much as they think so best to always be careful.

JoeyS wrote:Hey Everyone, I'm doing a little research on how people learn to climb. I would love to hear from people who have used a guide to learn to climb and those that had a buddy teach them. - Why did you want to learn to climb outside? - If you hired a guide where and how did you go about finding one? - What was the most valuable thing you have learned from guides/friends? In what cases would you consider hiring a guide and where would you look for one? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Cheers, - Joey

This is a really good article about learning the ways of the high angle.
wildsnow.com/9629/ski-mount…

A lot of people are turned off by professional instruction due to the cost, but there are plenty of grants and scholarships out there.

YOu find guides on the internet these days, that part is quite easy. You also use the inernet to look for reviews, or to ask at places like Mountain Project whether anyone can recommned a guide in your area.

I've used guides for all sorts of things over the years, including climbing, and find that I learn an awful lot in a very short period when I do so. It can be tought to find a buddy to teach you, especially in things like climbing where there are darn few people who do it in the first place. And if you do find someone, they can't climb when you can, or aren't as interested as you are in doing easy routes, or want a partner who can share the tough leads, etc., etc. BUt when people do it for a living, they are generally available when you are willing to pay them, and quite happy to climb at your level since that is what they are getting paid for.

The only downside to climbing with guides, in my experience, is the expense. Other than that, it's great. The good ones have good gear, are well-trained, are likable, and usually work pretty hard to make sure you have a good time.

A guide can be really helpful in an alpine environment as he/she will really know the area (won't get lost, off route, will budget sufficient time to get there & back), will be a much better judge of the weather, basically will be far, far safer than exploring the area on your own.

I started by joining a technical rescue group. After training we climbed. I was instantly hooked, as well as surrounded by climbers. Getting them to take me out was not trivial, I was a 59-year-old female without much to recommend me. About a year later, climbing fairly often by then, I acquired a regular partner who was working on his multi-pitch guiding license and was interested in doing a lot of grade III routes. I was game and learned a lot from him, but I had not hired him.

I would consider hiring a guide for a long and difficult climb in a mountain range I am not familiar with, say Long's Peak, or some such undertaking.

I think one can learn without professional instruction, but if you are going that route, work hard at finding all the basic info, use it diligently, and remain conservative until you are completely sure. I have seen so many blind leading the blind it makes me shudder - belays which would not have caught anyone being the most obvious offender.

I never hired a guide but I did find several mentors to climb with. I'm not a hater of all the gym climbers jumping into climbing outdoors but it shocks me how many do without proper training. I guess the most valuable thing(things) I learned was learning to deal with the "what if" situations. Escaping a belay, proper anchor cleaning, lowering an injured climber that is below you. The list goes on and on. Learning as much as I could on the ground rather than when it hit the fan. Which actually came in handy while leading my first multi pitch and a freak storm came in fast and we had to bale.

- If you hired a guide where and how did you go about finding one?
Google is a good place to search or use this forum to find a guide.
Since you live in Utah, you could consider this company utahmountainadventures.com. You could also look into some of the classes at Momentum climbing gym. They have classes for both indoors and outdoors.

- What was the most valuable thing you have learned from guides/friends?

Initially, how to be safe and not be an idiot. I was lucky to find a group (Hoofers/UW Mad) to learn how to climb many years ago and at the time, the group had a couple of very experienced climbers willing to teach.

If I go back to Europe, I would definitely consider a guide. They know the area and can recommend the best climbs to get on which can save a ton of time.

I had always wanted to climb, but never had a way to get a foot in the door despite living in the middle of some of the best East coast climbing out there. The summer after graduating from high school I found myself with a lot of time a car and a friend who also wanted to give it a go.

I started by reading everything I could get my hands on. Mostly FOH and a Craig Leubben book. Then on a family trip to Zion NP I hired a guide for a few days to see/ practice techniques on real rock with supervision.

I then put together a basic rack and began climbing super easy stuff. About halfway through the summer I was on another family trip without a partner in Acadia. Here I hired a guide for a day to make sure the skills I had developed largely on my own through reading were safe as well as to get a feel for the area.

While it may leave you without the wealth of experience that following a mentor will, learning from a guide will emphasize the safest practices. Additionally both guides that I worked with taught and had me practice self rescue skills (load shifts, hauls, ect.)

While perhaps not the best, and certainly not the cheapest, guiding is an effective way to enter the sport. I wish I had a mentor to follow for a few years, but my schedule and location didn't allow that. While there is an active climbing community around I had no friends in it. With a total of 4-5 days of guiding though I went from 0 (There wasn't even a gym in my area so I really mean nothing) to multi pitch trad in a summer. Further, once you know the basics it's much easier to find climbing partners or mentors for the next level. For instance, because I was competent with rope work some friends of mine were more than happy to take me out and teach me to ice climb.

P.S. I am also curious what this "research" is for.

#1 - The first time I climbed a wall that wasn't at the local rec center(read:crappy) was a multi-pitch in Eldo. I wanted to learn to climb outside because that route was sooooooo much fun, and anything inside didn't hold any real appeal to me after.

#2 - N/A. I've only had a guide while I was river rafting, but that's a different tale.

#3 - I've only climbed outside with one other person, and occasionally his girlfriend. So I guess the most valuable thing I have learned was how to climb. And to look for inspiration on what to climb.

And I would hire a guide for any grade III or higher out of country. Some(or most, don't know yet) Grade IV out of state. And anything of higher grade.

If I were to go to another area for single or shorter multi-pitch climbs I would use a guidebook, MP, a local who wants to climb, or just wing it.

Basically, I would hire a guide when the risk of serious injury or death is through the roof, I don't know the area, and cell phones don't work there.

At the risk of instigating the "standard" you are going to die/this is your life you need to pay well for it discussion (which doesn't progress this discussion)

I will say that at least where I am, guides are prohibitively expensive. . around $250 - 300 per person per day.

yes I know etc..etc.. yada yada..

but that is alot of money for most "normal" people.

That being said, I figured most of the gym/toprope stuff out myself and then hired a guide for one day to teach me how to lead climb/rappel and generally be safe outdoors.

unless I can find a suitable mentor, I will hire a guide again probably for a day multipitching and later down the line trad/anchor building.

I can say that between myself and the people at my level that "figured it themselves" or learned from a friend, I have much better and safer habits and am very happy that I got more of a systematized education as some of the stuff I see makes me cringe and it is just a matter of nobody ever taught them better.

Also first habit tend to stick hard so it is better to learn it correctly the first time or else you will have a long time correcting.

I learned back in college by reading things like John Long's anchor book and lots of practice at mellow trad places like Lover's Leap in Tahoe.

A less expensive option is to join one of the local mountaineering/climbing clubs, meetups or gyms and take their group classes. REI also offers them.