Crack Climbing Clinic
Learn the nuances of crack climbing with personalized instruction from our AMGA Rock Guides. Skyward Mountaineering has been helping rock climbers break through climbing barriers and improve their movement techniques since our founding in 1996. The Crack Climbing clinic is a two-day intensive course based in Grand Junction in the heart of Colorado’s stunning red rock desert. Unlike the crowded crags in Moab, this unique course takes place in the secluded sandstone and granite crack climbing haven of the Uncompahgre Plateau.
Rock climbing is a multi-faceted sport with different techniques required for different rock types and features. Unlike face climbing where climbers grasp holds that protrude from the wall, similarly to how a child would climb a tree or how we grab objects in daily life, crack climbing requires climbers to fill the void and create holds inside the cliff in their absence. Our Grand Junction based Crack Climbing course is specifically developed to teach climbers the incremental steps to successfully and efficiently rock climbing cracks of all sizes, from fingers to splitter hands to off-width and chimneys.
Intermediate rock climbing course
Difficulty of routes ranging from 5.9 to 5.12
Previous toprope rock climbing experience required
2 full days (8 hours each)
See open enrollment dates below or choose custom dates
Grand Junction, Colorado
Moab, Utah
Learn how to climb cracks of all sizes
In this hands-on course, you’ll learn fundamental crack climbing techniques such as hand jams, finger locks, fist jams and off-width climbing, as well as body positioning, footwork and strategies for conserving energy. Your guide will also review trad protection and gear placements and anchor construction so you can build your skillset toward leading trad protected cracks. By the end of the clinic, you’ll not only have stronger crack climbing skills but also the confidence to push your climbing goals further - whether that’s tackling desert classics in Indian Creek or long alpine routes with iconic splitter cracks, such as in the Bugaboos or Patagonia.
We predominately offer the Crack Climbing clinic on the sandstone splitters of Escalante Canyon, though private courses are available upon request for groups of 2 or more in venues such as Moab or Indian Creek.
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Throughout our 2-day Crack Climbing clinic we will cover the following skills:
Tape gloves
Foundational crack climbing movement techniques
Learn to jam cracks of all sizes from finger locks, ring locks, hand jams, fist jams, offwidth and chimneys
Learn the nuances of footwork: toe jams, heel-toe cams, calf locks and knee locks
Improve your efficiency on long and sustained crack climbing routes
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Your guide will discuss trip logistics, your goals, learning outcomes and conditions updates in the days prior to the course.
08:00 Meet your guide at the trailhead in Escalante Canyon and hike to the crag
08:30 A full day of rock climbing and instruction set in a beautiful desert canyon with towering sandstone walls. After introductions and goal setting you’ll begin with detail-oriented instruction on crack climbing techniques and practice your skills with personalized on-the-wall instruction and feedback
15:30 We’ll wrap up the climbing and hike out
16:00 Course finishes for the day and we’ll set up a comfortable camp in the canyon
18:00 Everyone will prepare their own dinner and we’ll enjoy climbing stories by the campfire as a group -
07:00 Wake up with the sun and enjoy a hearty breakfast to prepare for another fun day of climbing.Meet your guide at the trailhead in Unaweep Canyon and hike to the crag
08:30 Drive to another trailhead and hike up to the crag for a full day of crack climbing. You’ll hone your skills from the previous day and practice jamming new sizes
15:30 We’ll wrap up the climbing and hike out
16:00 Course is finished, pack up camp and drive home
Frequently asked questions
Below are answers to common questions about Skyward Mountaaineering’s Crack Climbing Clinic in Escalante Canyon:
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Escalante Canyon is very similar to Indian Creek splitters but most of the routes are shorter and have more variation to the sizing so you can practice the gamut of jamming styles. Because crack climbing is such a unique style of rock climbing and highly dependent on having good technique, the grades typically start around 5.10, though Escalante Canyon has a few moderate routes in the 5.8 and 5.9 grades as well, making for a good warm-up and/or confidence boost.
Because our crack climbing course focuses predominately on helping climbers develop good technique, it is common for climbers to “session” a section of a route. This often helps improve movement techniques without burning out your energy and get instant personalized feedback from your guide. It is often possible to have the guide ascend a fixed line adjacent to the route to provide on-route coaching too!
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Yes, crack climbing gloves are a valuable piece of equipment for sustained comfort when hand jamming. We actually wrote a blog post detailing how to make crack climbing gloves and comparing manufactured “hand jammies”. Check it out!
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Yes! Skyward Mountaineering puts a lot of value in working with you to personalize every guided climbing trip and courses are available for open enrollment or on a private basis. A private rock climbing course ensures you receive the highest level of personalization and individual attention. Our private course pricing is the same as a guided booking in that area, so will be based on the number of climbers joining. Get in touch to discuss your ideal dates and venue location.
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We have a detailed equipment list to help you prepare and pack for your trip. If you have questions about any of the gear please let us know, we’re happy to help make recommendations or clarify.
Skyward Mountaineering provides all of the technical group climbing equipment, this includes ropes, anchor material, protection, etc. Many of clients are experienced rock climbers and prefer to use their own equipment, as such we only have a small amount of personal equipment for climbers to use. Please let the admin staff or your guide know ASAP if you expect to borrow personal climbing equipment such as backpacks, harness, helmet, belay device, carabiners, personal tether, etc. We do not have a fleet of rock climbing shoes, so this piece of gear is often not included, but again let us know and we can try our best to help.
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We host the crack climbing courses during the spring and fall, since temperatures are cooler and winter storms are rare. Most of the cliffs in Escalante Canyon face south so they receive plenty of sunshine.
If you’d like to book a private crack climbing course we can adjust the venue based on current conditions.
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With granite in Unaweep Canyon and the south facing aspect getting plenty of sunshine, it’s reasonable to climb right after a rain event (or even after a few hours to let snow melt in the winter). The sandstone climbing areas in Grand Junction often require a 24 hour period to let the rock dry out though as the rock is more porous and fragile.
In the event of rain or snow making climbing in Grand Junction untenable we may have to reschedule. This rescheduling will depend on how much rain occurs, whether the sun comes out, and what the wind speed/direction is. Thankfully, it’s rare that we have to cancel or reschedule a climb due to weather.
Our guides and office staff will work you to coordinate rescheduling, if necessary. For more information on our cancellation policy, please see our terms and conditions and contact us with any other questions.
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If you know what dates you want to sign up for a crack climbing course, you can book your trip directly on our website. If we’re not offering a course during your availability, let us know and we can look at opening up additional dates or helping you set up a private course.
Check out our blog posts on Crack climbing:
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