Winter/Spring 2025
Joshua Tree Women’s Climbing Series
Are you a female climber in Southern California who wants to become a competent outdoor climber while building community with other women? Join me for a women’s climbing series in Joshua Tree! During each session, we’ll meet for a full day of climbing once a week for three weeks, learning new skills and putting them into practice. Sign up for Session One to learn outdoor climbing fundamentals, Session Two to start taking the lead, or BOTH sessions to jumpstart your outdoor climbing!
Session One: Outdoor Climbing Fundamentals
Dates: February 16th, February 23rd, and March 2nd
Learn: Lead belaying, knots and hitches, anchor building, cleaning anchors, rappelling, and crack climbing and slab technique
Cost: $495 with a 5:1 max climber to guide ratio
Session Two: Learn to Lead
Dates: April 20th, April 27th, and May 3rd
Learn: Trad gear placement, natural anchors, trad anchors, lead climbing strategy, mock leads, multi-pitch systems
Cost: $615 with a 3:1 max climber to guide ratio
Who is this for?
Local-ish Climbers: This series is designed specifically for those who call Joshua Tree a “local-ish” crag because we’ll meet weekly for three weeks in a row. If Joshua Tree is a reasonable single-day or overnight trip for you, and you want to meet other climbers in the region, this may be the perfect fit!
Women*: All-women’s groups can help provide a supportive, non-judgmental environment for participants to push themselves and learn new skills! All questions are good questions in this space.
*Includes cis and trans women. Non-binary folks who feel comfortable in a space that centers women are welcome to join. Instructor at this time is a cis-woman.
What’s Included?
All ropes, anchoring material, and traditional gear
Climbing helmet, harness, and shoes included upon request
3 full days of instruction per session
One evening zoom session to meet the group and set goals
10% off two additional days of private guiding
Climber Prerequisites
We’ll be building skills to take your indoor climbing outdoors over the course of the multi-week program. To make the most of the new skills, it’s helpful to come with some climbing experience. If you regularly top-rope, lead climb, or boulder inside, this series can help you get outdoors!
Session One: Climbers should be able to top-rope belay and climb 5.8 indoors without falling or taking.
Session Two: Climbers should complete session one or have equivalent skills. Completing an indoor lead test is also recommended but not required.
What’s Not Included?
National Parks Pass
Lunch, snacks, and personal gear like a day pack, layers, water-bottles, etc…
Camping or lodging
Transportation
Curriculum Details
Session One: Outdoor Climbing Fundamentals
Week One: We’ll start by learning essential knots and hitches, reviewing belay skills, and getting a feel for Joshua Tree’s funky granite climbing.
Week Two: Building on week one, we’ll learn how to rappel, set up different types of anchors, and how to clean two-bolt top-rope anchors.
Week Three: During our final week, you’ll learn how to set up top-rope anchors from above, using bolts or natural anchors like boulders or threads. You’ll also learn how to protect yourself near the cliff’s edge.
During each week we’ll also do plenty of ROCK CLIMBING!!!
Session Two: Learn to Lead
Week One: We’ll start with a thorough introduction to traditional gear, including nuts, cams, and natural protection. Students will get feedback on gear placements, practice building anchors, and perform mock leads.
Week Two: We’ll continue mock leading, receiving tons of feedback on lead strategy, gear placements, rope management, and more! We’ll also practice a variety of crack and slab climbing techniques.
Week Three: Depending on comfort and skill, students will have opportunities to try a live traditional lead with instructor supervision and support.
Why Sign Up for a Multi-Week Series?
I’ve taught enough weekend climbing courses to know that it takes more than two days to solidify new skills. This series will introduce concepts in bite-sized chunks, rather than hitting you with a fire-hose of information. Each week, we’ll review skills and add new ones on top of that foundation. With more sessions over a longer period of time, you’ll gain more confidence and competence as an outdoor climber.
The two sessions in the series are meant to build on each other. You can take them both together, just take the first one, or sign up for the second session on its own if you have the requisite skills. There’s a break in between the two sessions to give you time to practice. With its varied and complex terrain, Joshua Tree makes an amazing classroom. If you can set up top-ropes or lead climbs here, you can do it almost anywhere else!
Contact me to sign up!
Fill out the form below for more information or to sign up for the women’s climbing series. I’ll reach out to determine which session is a good fit and to send registration information. I can’t wait to climb with you!