Intro to Rock Climbing at Smith Rock (full waitlist open)

Smith Rock Sport Climbing Weekend (Weather Dependent)

This is a great weekend for recent Climb School graduates or anyone who has little or no experience climbing at Smith Rock. Our focus will be on building confidence and developing the skills needed to climb safely and efficiently in a sport climbing environment.

During the weekend, we'll cover:

• Sport climbing fundamentals
• Top-rope climbing
• Inspecting and building top-rope anchors
• Cleaning sport anchors (both lowering and rappelling)
• Belaying with a standard tube-style device (ATC or similar)
• Belaying with a GriGri

If I haven't climbed with you before, please send your climbing résumé to

noel.tavan@gmail.com.

Priority will be given to:

• SAC Organizers/Assistants/Helpers/li>

• SAC members in good standing
• SAC Climb School graduates
• Folks who have attended Alpine Academy clinics
• Climbers who are lead belay certified at a local gym (PRG, Movement, etc.)

Weekend Plan

Saturday: We'll primarily focus on setting up top ropes, reviewing anchor systems, and practicing fundamental skills.

Sunday: We'll explore different climbing areas and plan to do more sport climbing, including lead climbing where appropriate. Depending on the group's experience, interest, and size, we may also have the opportunity to do some multi-pitch climbing.

Meeting Details

We'll meet at 8:00 AM on Saturday at the north end of the Smith Rock parking area. Smith Rock is often very busy on weekends, so please be prepared to be flexible with route selections and climbing locations.

Camping

The plan is to camp at Skull Hollow Campground on Saturday night. You're also welcome to camp there on Friday night if you're arriving early, and if possible, reserve additional campsites for the group.

If Skull Hollow is full, we'll likely stay at Haystack Campground. Skull Hollow is only a short drive from Smith Rock and is a great campground. I'll try to arrive on Friday to reserve campsites. Please let me know if you plan to camp so I can try to reserve enough space if sites are available.

If the campground fills up, there is plenty of nearby BLM land where we can find a primitive campsite for the group.

Required Gear

• Helmet
• Harness
• Rock shoes
• Belay device (ATC or similar, or GriGri) and one locking carabiner
• Personal Anchor System (PAS), slings, or prusik cords
• Two additional non-locking carabiners

If you need to borrow any gear, please let me know ahead of time so we can make arrangements.

Note: This event is weather dependent and may be modified or postponed if conditions are unsafe.