Climbing School - Graduates' fun day

The end of Climbing School has left a hole to fill: what’s next? With the help of our instructors I got a few ideas on some good places outside the White Rock area, where students can improve their skills, learn more about leading, and enjoy the great vertical outdoors.

The first of these trips will be at Las Conchas.

This trip is only for this year's Climbing School Graduates, as well as recent graduates. If you graduated within the past few years, and you didn't get much of a chance to practice - now is the time!

I'm looking for volunteer leaders. Experieced leaders, who would like to help graduates learn to sport lead, please contact Norbert. I hope to have one leader available for every two graduates.

Meeting details:

• Crag Info: http://mountainproject.com/v/las-conchas/105845941
• Parking at the trailhead is limited so please carpool. Meet at Sullivan Field parking lot across from the High School at 8:30am.
• We’ll start at Gateway Rock, which gets the morning sun, and then we'll migrate to other areas such as Cattle Call Wall and Chilly WIlly Wall.

What to Bring:

• Basics including helmet, water, food, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, first aid kit, tape, extra clothing…
• Your usual climbing gear for top-rope climbing
• A double-legth sling and/or "personal anchor" for belaying and for setting a top-rope anchor
• Optional: About 6 Quickdraws
• Optional: Climbing Rope with rope a bag
• Optional: Small cam for building belay anchor at the base of the crag

About Las Conchas Sport Climbing

• The two main areas are within 2 minutes walk from the parking area on flat ground
• All the routes are single-pitch bolted routes, with double-anchors at the top
• Most routes range from 5.6 to 5.9. There are a few 5.10 and 5.11 possibilities
• The base of the crags have grass and dirt, with few natural anchors like boulders and trees. For belaying a leader, place a nut or cam on the wall for an upwards pull.
• Most top achors are either chain links or quick links - which means you should install two locking carabiners if you want to set a top-rope

If you don't own all the equipment yet, don't worry. I'll ensure that there will be enough ropes and quickdraws to go around. Still, I hope we don't have to bring Club Gear at this event, so consider investing in a rope and a few draws. Side note: REI has a sale on from May 17 to 27. They have climbing gear on sale, including a Bluewater 10.2mm 60m non-dry climbing rope on sale for $145, which is a good choice for top-roping and sport climbing. mountaingear.com also has lots of gear on sale too.
 
Also, I will have a first aid kit available, although it's wise to always keep a small first aid kit in the bottom of your pack.
 
When you sign-up for this trip, please indicate if you have any of the optional items.
 
We hope to see you out there. I'll organize more events like this in June, at places like El Rito, Tres Piedras and more.