Whether you’ve never climbed before, or you’re an experienced gym climber looking to make the transition to outdoor cragging, the Introductory Rock Climbing course is the perfect place to start your climbing apprenticeship. All necessary technical equipment is provided by Synnott Mountain Guides at no additional cost; you just need to come dressed appropriately for the weather (including sneakers or approach shoes) and bring along a day pack, some water, a trail lunch, and some sunscreen and bug repellent. You’ll definitely want a camera, too.

This course is available as a private, pre-existing group, or via our Flexible Booking option (we’ll try to match you with other climbers).

  • Choose whether this is a private (1 person) or an existing group. Prices are per person per day.
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  • Online booking is available 2 days from today (please call or email to inquire about earlier dates; we can often accommodate last minute requests). If you are booking for multiple days, this will be your starting date.
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  • We'll be in touch to work out specific details, but please briefly describe your outdoor background (relative to the course or guiding objective) and goals.
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    Online Bookings
    Online bookings are subject to guide availability and other factors such as weather and climbing conditions. After receiving your online booking, we will get back to you within 1 business day via phone or email to confirm your booking. In the event that we cannot accommodate your booking, you have the option of having your payment refunded or applied to a future booking.

    Payment
    SMG accepts credit cards, PayPal, checks, and cash. Payment is due in full 7 days before a booking (or at time of booking confirmation when a course/trip is less than 7 days away). An exception is made for payment by check or cash...in these cases, payment is due in full at or before the course/trip.

    Cancellations
    If you have to cancel your booking, please give us as much notice as possible. If you cancel 30+ days before the booking, we’ll apply the deposit/payment towards another booking at a later date or you can request a refund. If you cancel from 14-29 days before the booking, we’ll apply the deposit/payment towards another booking at a later date. If you cancel 13 days or sooner from the booking, for any reason, the deposit/payment is forfeited.

    Weather & Winter
    Winter courses/trips are rain or shine. If SMG cancels a booking due to weather, we will reschedule you for an alternate date of your choice.

  • Total

Pay a 50% Deposit

Course Information

We’ll meet at the Synnott Mountain Guides office at Ragged Mountain Equipment in Intervale, New Hampshire at 8am. After getting outfitted with rock shoes, chalk bags, harnesses, belay devices and helmets, we’ll head right out to the cliff. Once there, we’ll introduce you to some fundamental climbing concepts, including how to tie in, how to belay, and how to perform our routine safety checks. Then, we’ll practice smearing, edging and other foot techniques, as well as some basic finger and hand jamming in cracks.

After practicing some of these basic techniques in the morning, we break for a quick lunch, then get right to the climbing. Depending on a number of variables (your prior experience, weather conditions, other parties, etc.), we may either work on a number of different toprope climbs, or head for one of the multi-pitch routes. With so many cliffs to choose from in Mt. Washington Valley, each course is different from the last one, and is tailored to the climbers enrolled on that day.

This course can be taken as one, two, three, or even five days. On multi-day courses, subsequent days will be spent tackling longer and slightly more difficult climbs. You might spend time on a classic route at Cathedral Ledge, such as Upper Refuse (4 pitches, 5.5), Thin Air (4 pitches, 5.6), Funhouse (3 pitches, 5.7), or Bombardment (2 pitches, 5.8). We can also explore some of the long, sweeping routes at Whitehorse Ledge, like Standard Route (6 pitches, 5.7), and Beginners Route (5 pitches, 5.7), both of which offer upwards of 800 feet of climbing. As you progress as a climber we’ll introduce new and more challenging techniques, while always keeping it informative, fun and engaging.

Mountains, Cliffs, & Routes

  • Cathedral Ledge
  • Whitehorse Ledge
  • Humphrey’s Ledge
  • Square Ledge

For multi-day courses, we can also explore other cliffs in the White Mountains.

Difficulty

Beginner

Length

One or Multiple Days

Season

Spring to Fall

Inquire

Have a question about Introductory Rock Climbing?