Guided Big Wall

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Or call/text us at (916) 299-0711

Spend the night on the side of a cliff!

Imagine greeting the sunrise from a cliffside perch, coffee in hand, as dawn light fills the sky and stretches across the landscape below.

Our Guided Big Wall adventures are available at iconic locations like Calaveras Dome, with options on routes like Sands of Time and Wall of the Worlds. We also guide overnight trips on Utah’s famed formations, including the Finger of Fate on the Titan, Castleton Tower, and more. Each journey is uniquely crafted to match the experience you’re looking for. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to learn Big Wall climbing techniques like aid climbing and rope ascension, or simply enjoy a night on the wall with fun, free climbing up to 5.9.

Ready to have your mind blown? Reach out, and together we’ll design a Guided Big Wall that’s as unique as you are.

Calaveras Dome

Calaveras Dome is a hidden gem in the Sierra backcountry, offering climbers an unforgettable experience on nearly 2,000 feet of perfect granite. The area boasts striking splitter cracks, smooth slabs with ample knobs, and dikes that stretch for hundreds of feet. Despite its grandeur, Calaveras Dome remains off the beaten path, with secluded camping nearby, providing a serene escape reminiscent of Yosemite in the 1960s.

Overnight Routes:

  • Sands of Time (5.9), Calaveras Dome
  • Wall of the Worlds (5.10c), Calaveras Dome

Sample Itinerary:

Day 0: Arrive in the evening, meet your guide and prepare/pack equipment for the climb.

Day 1: Hike up to the dome with all your gear and climb a handful of pitches up to your home for the night, a comfortable ledge hundreds of feet off the ground. You’ll arrive at the ledge with plenty of time to enjoy your evening meal and watch the sun go down.

Day 2: Depending on what type of experience you’ve planned with us you may continue climbing to the top of the dome or begin your descent after a nice morning watching the swifts dance and dive through the air while sipping a cup of coffee. You’ll make a series of rappels to the ground and hike back to the cars feeling full of life!

Moab, Utah is a climber’s playground, surrounded by a landscape like no other—towering sandstone cliffs, sheer walls, and iconic desert towers that have captivated climbers for decades. The area’s red rock walls and sweeping desert views create an unforgettable backdrop, especially at sunrise and sunset when the cliffs blaze with color. 

Overnight Ascent Routes:

  • The Finger of Fate, The Titan (5.8, C2+, 900ft)
  • North Chimney, Castelton Tower (5.9+, 500ft)
  • Pillar of Insanity, Long Canyon (C1, 400ft)

Sample Itinerary:

The Titan
Day 1 | Prep Day: Climbing the Titan is no small feat and requires aid climbing skills such as rope ascension. You will spend a day learning these skills and packing your equipment for your ascent.
Day 2: You will hike your equipment into the tower and climb a handful of pitches to your bivy site for the night, a precarious perch in a Martian landscape. You will sleep in a portaledge after a long day.
Day 3: You will finish your ascent of the tower with a few more pitches of climbing before rappelling back to your bivy equipment and continuing your descent and egress to the cars. These are some big days and you’ve earned that sense of accomplishment!

Castleton Tower
Day 1: You’ll meet your guide in the morning and prepare your equipment for the ascent before hiking up to the tower and climbing a high-quality, classic free-climb to the summit where you will spend the night.
Day 2: You’ll watch the sunrise and enjoy your morning in a magical place before rappelling down the sheer North Face and hiking down to the vehicles.

Pillar of Insanity
This route is often climbed when sharing leads as part of private big-wall training.
Day 1 | Skills Day: This will be a full day of skills training and preparation for your ascent beginning on Day 2. Depending on your goals you may learn to lead aid pitches so that you can do so on the wall.
Day 2: You’ll finish up any training from Day 1 and then head up the cliff aid climbing and ascending every pitch to the spacious bivy ledge where you will watch the desert go to sleep.
Day 3: You’ll climb the last pitch to the rim after enjoying your morning on the ledge and then begin your descent rappelling down the route you climbed. Your new skills will serve you well for you own big wall climbing adventures!

We can offer this style of outing at many of our other locations including at much smaller venues that require less experience and preparation to enjoy an overnight climb. These locations include; El Potrero Chico Mexico, Pine Creek Canyon, Donner Summit, and more!

Just contact us and we’ll be able to determine the best choice for what you are seeking!

Or call/text us at (916) 299-0711

stoked

Climbers!

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Misty Lawrence profile picture
Misty Lawrence
5 August 2026
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I had taken an intro to trad clinic through another company fairly recently, so I was apprehensive about taking another intro to trad course, but I was still hesitant to lead trad after the first course and a friend recommended Erik so I decided to go for it. I’m super stoked I did! The class was small, only 3 of us, so the course felt very tailor fit to our needs. Erik has a fantastic positive vibe, he’s incredibly supportive, and his instruction was very clear and easy to understand. After a bit of informative ground school much of the course was spent on the wall learning gear placement with his close guidance. By the end of the course all 3 of us led 5.6 and 5.7 routes. I have so much more confidence leading trad now, I highly recommend Vertical Pursuits!!!
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oliver symonds
2 August 2026
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We scheduled an intro to trad course to learn the basics and get familiar with the techniques. Even before the day of the course, Kevin and Erik were super helpful with recommendations and ensuring the day would be dialed in for us. On the day of the course, Erik was an excellent guide covering the basics and quickly getting us on the wall. My son was excitedly putting up trad leads well before the end of the day. It was great having a high level of instruction and mentorship, while feeling less like a guide and more like a coach. We'll be back for sure.
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Harvey Clarke profile picture
Harvey Clarke
20 July 2026
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Erik is a fantastic guide - he made trad climbing and multipitch super accessible for a full group of 4 climbers at once. Highly recommend these guys!
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Shari VanT
14 July 2026
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One of the best, safest, and most fun guides I have climbed with! Highly recommend Vertical Pursuit’s!
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Michael Silvester profile picture
Michael Silvester
25 June 2026
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Erik is an outstanding teacher, guide, and all around great guy! I spent the day with him and one other student at School Rock on Donner Summit taking the Intro to Multipitch course and it was stellar! He has a great teaching style—knowledgeable, patient, and easy to learn from. He broke down complex systems into simple, understandable steps and made sure we felt comfortable asking questions along the way. What really stood out was how invested he was in helping us learn and build confidence. His experience and expertise were obvious, but he never made anything feel intimidating. By the end of the day, I felt much more confident with multi-pitch climbing systems and techniques. If you’re looking for a guide who is professional, approachable, has done laps on El Cap (including The Nose!) and genuinely passionate about teaching, I highly recommend Erik and Vertical Pursuits.
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Olivia Simon profile picture
Olivia Simon
10 June 2026
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I had a fantastic experience learning from Kevin at the Intro to Sport Climbing class. He is an amazing teacher - super kind and never made me feel dumb for asking really basic questions. The format of the class is awesome. You get time on the ground to learn skills and then get to apply them on the wall. Everything feels super safe and thoughtful. I learned a ton and think it's an insane value for the price. It's a whole day of instruction with no more than 4 people in the course, but my course only had 2 so that meant even more time on the wall and extra mentoring. Also, the communication with the Vertical Pursuits team was top notch. Kevin was kind enough to chat with me on the phone before I took the class to answer my questions and make sure the class would be a good fit. He was great about communicating location and timing the day of. And, he followed up after class with an email of everything we talked about + videos and resources for review. If you're on the fence, take the course! It's a great opportunity to learn from real pros and up your knowledge safely!
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Ethan F profile picture
Ethan F
31 March 2026
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Kevin brought me and a buddy out to sport climb for the first time, and it was a great time. He's a great mentor who's friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to answer all your stupid questions. He went above and beyond to be helpful, and offered resources even after our day of climbing. Highly recommend!
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Tim Blair profile picture
Tim Blair
30 March 2026
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Kevin was an awesome teacher and guide. Classes feel more personal because of the limited number of people. We took the trad class, learned how to place gear effectively, then put it to the test the same day. I felt incredibly safe and confident in my and Kevin’s abilities. Thank you for a great climbing day!
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Phoenix Morrow profile picture
Phoenix Morrow
30 March 2026
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Awesome time learning the basics of Trad climbing with Kevin. The small group helped me and my partner feel like we were able to ask all the questions we needed, and we were able to receive constructive feedback. The guides are very knowledgeable. Highly recommend.
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Melisa Hickman profile picture
Melisa Hickman
19 March 2026
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Vertical Pursuits is AWESOME!! I had a trad lesson with Kevin at Sugarloaf. Kevin was extremely safe, thorough, and encouraging. We had just the right balance of ground school and climbing. Before my day with Kevin I was afraid to try anything harder than a 5.7 crack and he helped me to bust right through that fear with his calm, reassuring guidance. I had the best day with him and I feel totally ready to push through my plateau.

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Kevin Heinrich

I grew up mostly in the North Eastern US but began traveling and climbing after high school and never looked back. I’ve been lucky to climb in over 10 countries and have done many first ascents on 3 continents. Now I mostly travel in my janky van in the Great American West with occasional trips abroad. I’m surprised to say I’ve been guiding for nearly a decade on rock, ice, mountains, and skis but now mostly focus on delivering highly personalized and precise rock climbing instruction.

It would be fun to list more accomplishments but I truly don’t think that’s what climbing is about. My goal is to be a damn good teacher of the skills people need to prepare for and take on some of the biggest challenges of their lives; not so they can brag about it on Instagram or in a website About page :), but so they learn about themselves, the people around them, and the world we live in.

I’m an AMGA Certified Rock Guide and have some expensive other bits of paper too. I pride myself in thinking hard about the skills I teach and how best to present them to you in a way that’s clear, concise, actionable, and appropriate for your skill level. Above all else I care. I care about you as a human being and hope we can get outside and learn from each other soon!

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Personal Climbing Resume