Our friendly, knowledgeable instructors will guide you through your first climbing experience. Get hooked on this fun and challenging sport in a 2.5-hour lesson while learning all the skills needed to pass a top-rope belay test at any facility in the city. The emphasis is on climbing safely while having fun. Prerequisite: none. Includes: certified instructor and all climbing equipment.
 

In this 2.5-hour course, our friendly, knowledgeable instructors will guide you through your first lead climbing experience.
Building on your strong foundation of top-roping climbing and belaying skills, take your climbing to the next level by learning the skills and knowledge required to pass a lead belay test at city gyms.
This is a great introduction to lead climbing indoors or a foundation for taking a full-day course outside. 

Prerequisite: Must have a strong foundation in top-rope climbing and top-rope belay systems, and be comfortable top-rope climbing 5.10- indoors.
It is recomended that have passed a top-rope belay test before taking this course.
If you are unsure if you meet the prerequisites, please contact us at ocprograms@ucalgary.ca prior to registering.
Includes: certified instructor and climbing equipment included (if needed). 

Spend a day with us and get inspired to make rock climbing a lifelong passion. You’ll stay safe as you learn skills under the guidance of our enthusiastic ACMG-certified instructors. Rock climbing is one of the best sports to get fit, get social, and get outside. Using excellent local crags, our instructors will get you climbing confidently with the proper gear. You'll be set on the right route to becoming a rock climber in no time. Prerequisite: none. Includes: guide and climbing equipment.

Do you know the basics of outdoor climbing and want to start leading? Or perhaps you’re already leading indoors? In this 1-day course, our highly-qualified instructors will help you perfect your skills and lead climb with confidence. Learn about guidebook interpretation, route selection and grades, placing protection, clipping and ropework, building belays, climbing movement technique, and rappelling. Prerequisite: Intro to Lead Climbing (indoor) or equivalent experience. Includes: guide and technical climbing equipment (excludes personal climbing equipment).

This 2-day course introduces fundamental skills for trad climbing including equipment options, gear placement, gear anchors, and leading strategies. You'll have the chance to build up to top-roped and supervised leads, and develop the skills to safely lead single-pitch rock climbs of your own. The skills taught in this course carry over into crack, sport, ice, and alpine climbing. Prerequisite: Lead Climbing Intro (outdoor) or equivalent experience. Includes: guide and technical climbing equipment (excludes personal climbing equipment).

Join our ACMG certified guides for a weekend of climbing alpine rock routes in Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park. This lower guest to guide ratio course is suitable for those with some mountaineering and rock climbing experience who want to learn to expand their skills to manage the alpine rock environment. We will solidify skills with a guided ascent of an alpine rock route in Kananaskis Country or Banff Park such as Mt. Lorette or the Fold on Mt. Kidd.

You will learn:
- Scrambling movement skills
- Managing alpine hazards such as loose rock
- Use of the rope to protect 3rd and 4th class terrain
- Use of rock protection
- Anchor building with natural features and rock protection
- Efficient Multi-pitch climbing systems
- Route finding and basic navigation skills
- Emergency procedures

Our 4-day Alpine Ice and Mixed Climbing course will consolidate your rock scrambling and glacier mountaineering skills and teach you techniques to enter the steep terrain of alpine ice and rock in small climbing groups. We will gather for 4 days of skills development and climbing objectives around the Columbia Icefields Centre.

You will learn:
- Crevasse rescue skills, including advanced skills for self rescue and small rope teams
- Alpine hazard assessment and management (rockfall, avalanche, icefall, etc)
- Rock protection techniques and anchor building
- Ice climbing techniques for steeper alpine ice
- Building snow and ice anchors, ice screw placement
- Efficient multi-pitch climbing techniques on snow, ice and rock
- Introduction to basic short-roping techniques
- Navigation techniques

One of our ACMG-certified guides would love to guide up on a mountaineering ascent, or teach you your bucket list of mountaineering skills! Ratios are dependent on objectives, with most glacier mountaineering climbs accomodating a 3:1 guest to guide ratio and technical objectives accomodating a 2:1 or 1:1 ratio. Instructional groups and days at single pitch venues can typically accomodate up to six guests per guide.

Please contact us for a complete quote. Rates begin at $675 per day for one guest, with an additional $55 for each additional guest. Guests will also be responsible for Guide expenses, such as mileage, or for transporting the guide to the program venue. Guests will also be responsible for expenses such as hut and camping fees, guides' food, and backcountry passes for overnight trips. Certain very long objectives completed in a single day may have an additional surcharge applied.

Please contact ocprograms@ucalgary.ca for a detailed quote.

Join us for a fun climbing session, tailored to individuals with physical and/or cognitive disabilities! Our goal is to create a welcoming and positive environment where participants can build their climbing skills and confidence under the guidance of our certified instructors. Through personalized instruction, participants will learn basic climbing techniques and skills that work best for their individual capabilities, ensuring a fulfilling experience for everyone.

All participants must have an aide, family member, or a friend register and attend the lesson with them.
 
The Adaptive Climbing Program by the University of Calgary is a Calgary Adapted Hub Powered by Jumpstart program. The Calgary Adapted Hub is a collective of 12 Calgary-based organizations, including the University of Calgary. The Calgary Adapted Hub is committed to providing quality inclusive and accessible sport and recreation programs for all children in Calgary. To ensure our programs are achieving this goal, our team is evaluating the impact of this program on aspects of health and wellbeing, quality of life, economic impact, and social inclusion. Our study has been approved by the University of Calgary Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (REB18-0292) and Mount Royal University’s Human Research Ethics Board (102684). Once you are registered in the program, a qualified member of the CAH research team will contact you, providing you information about the study so you may make an informed decision about whether you would like to take part in the program evaluation.
If you would like to reach out to the CAH research team please contact Leticia Janzen at cah.research@ucalgary.ca or 403.955.5736.