I recently had the privilege to take Matt, Shan and Isaac rock climbing in Camden, Maine. This experience was their first outdoor climbing adventure after nearly three months of gym climbing at Salt Pump and EVO Rock & Fitness in the Portland, Maine region. It’s easy to see in the video just how much fun they had during our full day together covering movement, technical systems, communication, equipment and risk management.

Suffice to say, these gents have discovered an appetite for outdoor rock climbing and seek further instruction, beyond this outing, so they can become proficient in the skills mentioned above and discover the wild adventure that Maine rock climbing and beyond offers on their own terms.

Here is the roadmap:

Equipment: The basics for every climber

• Helmet

• Harness

• Chalk Bag

• Climbing shoes

• (4-5) pair-shaped locking carabiners

• (4) non-locking carabiners

• Gri-Gri

• Belay/Rappel device

• Auto-block hitch

• (1) 240 cm dyneema sling or similar length 5-6 mm cordelette

• (1) 120 cm dyneema sling

• Nut tool

Additional recommended equipment:

• 35 liter backpack for carrying equipment

• 15-20 liter backpack for multi pitch climbing

• Approach shoes

• Leather gloves for belaying

• Knife

• 1st Aid Kit with athletic tape

• Adjustable wrench for re-tightening bolts

• Guidebook resources for climbing areas

• Minimum one-liter bottle for water

• A small hand bag for carrying food (helps to keep animals away)

• Poo bags

Group Equipment:

• 70 meter rope 9.4-9.6 mm (this is the perfect first rope as it will perform well on lead and top rope)

• 15 quick draws (Rumney sport climbing)

• (4) 60 cm slings with 8 non-locking carabiners

• Full set of stoppers

• Set of cams from 00 micros to #4 Camelot

• Tarp for rope

With the personal and group equipment listed above there is no shortage of rock climbing adventures in Maine. Camden Hills State Park, Acadia National Park, Clifton and Katahdin are Maine’s popular rock climbing destinations that require the aforementioned equipment.

The gents demonstrated proficiency with the following beginner skills:

• proper harness use

• figure-eight retrace knot

• top rope and lead belay

• communication and commands

• basic climbing movements

Next steps are to build proficiency with the following top roping technical skills:

• rope management: coiling, flaking, belay positioning, knots and hitches

• anchor construction: natural anchor types, fixed anchor types and mechanical anchor types

• transitions: personal anchoring systems, lower offs and rappelling

• general cliff-side risk management and risk factors: environment, equipment and human factors

How to acquire those skills:

• Purchase personal and group equipment

• One full day in Camden covering all skills minus mechanical (trad) anchors

• One full day in Acadia covering all skills with an emphasis on trad anchors and belayed rappels

• One half-day assessment in Camden covering all skills with individual recommendations

• Practice skills at home and climbing gym between outdoor sessions

Then what…

Let’s say the assessment goes well, meaning that all technical skills were demonstrated with proficiency. I recommend as many personal days practicing the skills in the same outdoor environments to work on mastering them - at which time I would refer to them as skills. There is a big difference between a technique and a skill. Northern Vertical aims to teach the techniques and help people turn them into skills through high value teaching and learning experiences! Why? Because NV wants its guests to experience the freedom, connection and wild adventure for years to come.

One fun and easy way to practice most of the skills mentioned above is by purchasing and installing a set of Practi Bolts anchor kit in your home. These life like bolted anchors allow climbers to practice most skills in the comfort of their home. Years before this $40 anchor kit was created, I simply constructed my own out of real anchoring hardware so I could practice the skills and much more for one of my guide exams. With all that practice, I was able to ace the exam! This is well worth the money!

Final words…

Working closely with a professional climbing guide with years of experience in the sport helps you arrive at your goals in a safer and more efficient way than the alternative. Find a good guide, learn the basic top roping skills, practice-practice-practice, and get assessed. Connect with like-minded climbers who you trust. Ask yourself, “does this person demonstrate care, safety and support”? Solid partnership is mandatory since there is so much risk to manage. But with risk comes reward, so chose wisely and climb smart.

Hiring your guide for even a couple hours to reassess your skills is high value. The sport of climbing involves such detail in both the macro and micro, so it is easy to forget the small things that could lead to bigger problems down the road. Once your personal and partner’s skills are solid, it’s time to explore and discover new climbing locales. One popular destination that comes to mind is Rumney, NH - the famous east coast sport climbing mecca. With gobs of well bolted, beginner and moderate sport climbs, the transition to leading sport is quite easy, in theory.

And I will be here as your guide!

-RYAN