Intro to Trad Climbing

$249

PER PERSON

4:1

RATIO

Independence in this skill, guaranteed.

upcoming dates

Unlock access to the most rewarding experiences climbing has to offer!

Begin your trad climbing journey! This course will guide you through the fundamentals of placing gear, building anchors, and leading with confidence on the “sharp end”.

Whether you’re transitioning from sport climbing or are completely new to outdoor climbing, this hands-on experience focuses on skill-building in a supportive environment. With personalized instruction, you’ll gain the knowledge and techniques to safely explore the world of traditional climbing at your own pace.

Who is this course for?
You already lead sport climbs indoors or outdoors and want to make the transition to trad.
You have climbed some trad with a mentor but you want to get some professional instruction.
You’ve taken a trad course before but its been a while or you just want to review the material.

Ground School!

Mock leading.

No fun at all.

Mock leading to work on protection strategy.

Tools of the trade.

Trad is Rad!

Itinerary

We’ll start off with some discussion about what trad climbing is, how it differs from other forms of climbing, and what we can expect from the day. We’ll discuss some new equipment and terminology before getting some practice with placing trad gear into the rock. After some time with that we’ll move onto the ropes and do some mock trad leads while backed up with a top rope. You’ll get feedback on your placements and perhaps even take some small falls on them. We’ll wrap up with some basic 3 and 4-point traditional anchor-building considerations before calling it a day.

Curriculum

Trad vs sport considerations
Trad climbing equipment
Cam and nut placement basics
Assessing rock quality
Where/when to place protection
Trad anchors
Incremental falling practice

What's Included?

Ropes
Trad Gear (Cams, Nuts, Draws) Bring your own if you have it!
Anchor Building Material
Personal Climbing Gear (if requested in advance): Harness, Helmet, Shoes

What to Bring

Harness, Helmet, Climbing Shoes (let us know if you need to borrow these!)
Trad rack (not required), alpine + quick draws, locking carabiners, slings/anchor material, belay device, crack gloves.
Personal food, water, clothing, and backpack for a day outside

Prerequisites

Lead climbing experience
Solid lead and top rope belaying skills
Capable of top roping 5.8 outside
At least 6 months of climbing experience

*unsure of these prerequisites? Contact Us.

Possible Course Locations

The Grotto, Sonora

Owens River Gorge

Red Rock, Nevada

Calaveras Dome

Donner Summit

Joshua Tree National Park

Cosumnes River Gorge

Pine Creek Canyon

Lover’s Leap

Sugarloaf

Phantom Spires

Moab, Utah

SEE DATES & BOOK ↓

$249

PER PERSON

4:1

RATIO

Independence in this skill, guaranteed

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stoked

Climbers!

      EXCELLENT  
   Based on 68 reviews 
    
 
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Simone Kirkevold 
 14 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. let me tell you about this one guy erik: PHENOMENAL dude. on his day off, he took time out of his climbing session to help me out with figuring out how to rope-solo, after i (a wee gumby) watched a few youtube videos and figured i should go and try it, and he let me use his gear!!!!!! he made my session so much safer, and also gave insightful comments on why we do things certain ways, and why (what would have been my setup) would bring out the worst in both my safety devices. his encouragement was inspiring, and vibes were through the roof. could not recommend this company enough (and erik)
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Justice Pettigrew 
 14 September 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Erik was a phenomenal guide. He taught me finger lock and jamming techniques and helped me send my first 5.10B! He was so informative and made me feel secure with my gear. I even took my first trad fall with him. Trad climbing had felt a bit like free soloing in the past, like I wasn’t allowed to fall and had to climb well below my limits, but Erik gave me the confidence and knowledge to see what good placements looked like and how to push my limits with trad climbing! I could not recommend Vertical Pursuits enough and look forward to continuing to work with them!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Nat 
 27 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Erik is a great instructor, and I felt like I got more than my money's worth taking his Trad Beyond the Basics course. The description says it'll take you from leading 5.low to 5.high and it actually did!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Jamie Mackie 
 25 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Our experience with Erik was absolutely phenomenal. He met my wife and I at the meet up point with all his gear ready to go. I felt like we learned so much during the time we spent with him. I moved from being very nervous about climbing to feeling comfortable. I don’t feel like I have to ask others to check my work anymore before I feel safe.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Misty Lawrence 
 5 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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!!!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   oliver symonds 
 2 August 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Harvey Clarke 
 20 July 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Shari VanT 
 14 July 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. One of the best, safest, and most fun guides I have climbed with! Highly recommend Vertical Pursuit’s!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Michael Silvester 
 25 June 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Olivia Simon 
 10 June 2026
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 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!

Intro to Trad Climbing