Flash Foxy - Trad Climbing 101 - New Paltz, NY aka "The Gunks"

The Flash Foxy Education Program is presented by Arc'teryx.

This course is run in partnership with Rise Outside.

Flash Foxy Education courses are only open to women and genderqueer climbers. All courses will be taught by women and genderqueer instructors.

CLIMBER REQUIREMENTS:

Must know how to belay someone on top rope. Participants have top-roped a minimum of ten climbs on at least three separate occasions (indoor or outdoors). Experience sport climbing (indoors or outdoors) and/or following trad climbs is helpful but not required.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Flash Foxy’s Trad Climbing 101 course equips climbers with the skills they need to explore the adventurous practice and spirit of traditional climbing whether you're new to the craft or trying to refine the skills you already have. We’ll cover the essentials like learning how to place stoppers and cams, and we’ll also have candid conversations about risk and how to manage it when the variables start to add up. We'll practice lead belay techniques on tube-style and assisted breaking belay devices, and finish up with the basics of building and cleaning anchors on bolts. Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

• Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, cams and stoppers, and belay/rappel devices.
• Experience and participate in common practices, including stretching, warming up, reading a route, and working a route.
• Practice (mock) belaying a lead climber with an assisted-braking device, including setting up to belay, managing the rope, taking and giving slack, and lowering a climber.
• Practice (mock) leading up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through, placing and clipping gear, finding and maintaining stances, managing the rope, and doing system checks with their belayer.
• Practice building and cleaning common single pitch anchors, including via lowering + rappelling.
• Be knowledgeable about trad climbing jargon.
• Connect with other climbers interested in trad climbing.

INSTRUCTORS:

Hann Smiley (they/them) & Lizzy Redlich (she/they)

COST:

We are thrilled to be able to offer a sliding scale of $50-$400 for our two-day clinics thanks to Arc’teryx, our Education Partner. If $50 is cost prohibitive, you are invited to apply for a full scholarship by clicking here.

See below for a loose guideline to help you decide where you might fall on the sliding-scale!

REFUND POLICY

• 30 Days or More Prior to Program > Reschedule or Refund (minus admin fee)
• Less Than 30 Days Prior to Program > NO REFUNDS. Reschedule (plus admin fee)
• Less Than 7 Days Prior to Program > NO REFUNDS. NO RESCHEDULES.

For information on our refund policy, please check our Education FAQs.