I think the Trad Camp was easily
the most valuable and most effective climbin training I have attended (so far).
The class truly taught Skills that apply to real life climbing situations and
offered practice that was relevant, effective, and allowed me to push my edges
in a safe and controlled environment.
Thank you for creating the class, for
your very thoughtful choice of the New River Gorge as the venue and your
thoughtful evaluation of my skills and thoughtful choice of the climbs you chose
to have me work on. Also thank you for for spending time with the class
outside of the rock, and for your openness and the ease I felt in talking to
you. --Todd S. Berkley, CA
Trad Camp Grad John Farrell on the summit of Ancient Arts, Moab UT
When I signed up for this class, I thought my trad climbing was really good. The main thing I wanted to take away from the class was gaining confidence on falling on my gear. Prior to the class I had taken the Espresso Lessons clinic at my local rock gym which really helped me with my mental aspect for sport climbing. It removed my fear of falling, but only if I was clipping bolts, not on gear I placed. I knew this was seriously limiting my trad ability to go out and enjoy more routes without being terrified to death of a fall consequence.
After the first day of class I was completely demoralized on my gear placements. The next day I saw drastic improvements on my placement from the previous day and the crack climbing techniques started paying off too. The third day saw even more dramatic improvement that the second day! After the third day, I was falling on my gear with confidence and placing gear that fully trust now. I learned a bunch of neat tricks and tips about anchors, planning my climb, and how to manage the mental aspect of climbing.
The personalized attention that was given to me was outstanding. All criticism was very constructive and extremely positive. When talking about the gear I placed on the route I was shown photos of my placement, and then photos of how it could have been better. This was very visual and really hit home with me. I can't wait to go out and practice my new found skills! --John Farrell, Phoenix AZ
Elaina and Jay, Thanks for great learning experience Saturday. You guys went out of your way to teach me the skills I need to lead my family on our canyoneering trek in Utah. Your love for the sport and dedication to customer service are top notch! Elaina, I had no doubt in my mind I came to the right folks when you told me you contacted Shane at Climb-Utah.com to get the details on my adventure and then tailored my learning experience with Jay. Jason and I had a great day with Jay and hope to return soon to learn and experience more.
Regards, Kip Davis
Uclimbers 2010
"Thanks again for doing the UClimb. Although I have climbed for many years
inside and a little outside this event increased my confidence in myself on rock
twofold. You don't have to be a beginner to get a lot out of this weekend. I
also want to mention the friendliness and professionalism of Elaina and the guys
from the New River Mountain Guides. As you know Dave and I stayed over an extra
day to take a Sport Climbing class with Mike and we had a blast! He is a great
instructor."
Mark, Participant Mountain Gear's UClimb June 2010
Learn to Trad Climb
Last Friday, my climbing partner and I had a guided day of climbing with Kirk.
It was awesome and I learned a ton! I just wanted to thank Kirk for being such a
great, knowledgeable and laid-back teacher. If you could pass on my thanks to
him, I'd appreciate it. Can't wait to get back out
there!
Cheers, Hallie
Thanks so much for everything you taught me. It was a great experience and has
definitely had a major impact on me. I learned a lot about placing gear, which
was my biggest goal, but I learned a lot more about areas of my climbing that
I've been neglecting, including my breathing and mental focus.
Mark--April 2010 Trad Camp Graduate
I
wanted to say thanks for hosting the trad camp, I learned so much and gained so
much confidence in my abilities (thanks to placing bomber+ gear, ahem 2.5
tri-cam). I finally feel that I’m ready to do some real trad leading! Having systems I can apply to every climb will definitely
help with focus and calming the nerves.Thanks
again!
Wanda--Sept 08 Trad Camp Graduate
I came into the weekend never having placed a single piece of gear and came out
with the confidence in not only placing gear but falling on it. I cannot begin to
tell you how much of a difference this made in building my confidence in taking
the sharp end on trad routes and the excitement I now have for exploring another
realm of climbing.
Bang--Sept 08 Trad Camp Graduate
Michael Manni
The Sport Camp was a blast. I have learned so much in such a short period of
time. I've made two visits to my gym since I've been home and I can already see
an improvement and newfound confidence in my climbing abilities. I am committing
to every move without any fear of falling as long as I'm not in a no fall zone.
Missy and I have also become better coaches to each other by stopping the use of
lines like 'You can do it' or 'You got it.' Now we coach each other by making
sure we breath and telling each other to commit to the moves. Another phrase we
frequently use is 'If you're resting, rest; if you're climbing, climb.' Thanks
for schooling me.
Michael Manni--Sport Camp June 2008 Graduate
Julius the Tradmaster
Hi Warriors, Thank you very much for a wonderful weekend. Only after getting home last night did the extent of my wounds and sore muscles finally set in.
As I sit in the office this AM (listening to "The Warrior"), I wish I were back at the New River climbing.
Besides the excellent instructional experience, I really enjoyed the friendship and comraderie. I feel like I have gained 5 new friends. I can't wait to climb with you guys again.
--Julius Pham aka The Tradmaster, April 2008 Graduate
Narramore Family Trip with Steve and Vince
Elaina, Steve & Vince,
We received the photo CD today. Thank you so much for sending it. We had a great time on our vacation and the kids are still talking about how much fun they had. If we come back, we will definitely climb with you!
Thanks again,
The Narramore's
Elon University Rockin it!
Elaina,
We would like to properly thank each of our climbing guides over the past two weeks. Thank you for an awesome experience.
Andrea West
Elon University
Facilitator, Adventures in Leadership
Ladianne Mandel
Thanks so very much to you and Mike
for all of your help during the course of the weekend! Your guidance was
delivered in the most encouraging manner, and you both had so many valuable
things to offer each of us!
It’s funny - -after that first day,
I thought “gosh…I’m among so many strong climbers, and I have SO very far to
go!” By the end of the last day I thought, “what a beautiful path I’m on…and
look….there are other people on their own beautiful paths
too!”
Ladianne Mandel--Oct 2007 Trad Camp Graduate
This course has not only improved my skill level
physical performance but more importantly my mental awareness of surroundings
and assessing fall risk. I’ve learned and extended beyond what I had perceived
as my limits.-Jeanie, July 2007 Graduate
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