Questions?  Contact the 2012 Climb School Director:
Rick Light at (505) 412-3976, or  lamclimbingschool@gmail.com

 This schedule is a work in progress and may be updated continually - last updated on 2/28/2012

Important Notes: 

• While classroom time is nominally 2 hours, the room is booked for longer to allow for set-up and take-down of tables and additional discussion time.  Please plan to arrive early to help set up and stay a few minutes afterwards to help take down the chairs.  The class will start promptly at 6:30pm, please arrive with enough time to be ready to start at 6:30.  You may bring a snack and water to the class, but please do not bring your dinner to eat during class.
   
• Classroom is the Main Auditorium at the Crossroads Bible Church, 97 East Road, Los Alamos.
   
• Alternate Classroom is the Main Hall of the Church of Christ, 2323 Diamond Drive, Los Alamos.  (This classroom will be used only on April 10^th.)
   
• For the White Rock Canyon outdoor sessions (Potrillo Cliffs, The Playground, Gallows Edge) we will meet at the Smith's parking lot in White Rock at 8:40am, arrange carpooling, and depart by 8:50am at the latest.  For The Y (not the YMCA!) we will meet at the Smith's parking lot in Los Alamos (south end, nearest Trinity), same times.
   
• All classes, indoor and outside, will begin on time.  Please arrive early.
   
• Two textbooks will be used in this course, Mountaineering Freedom of the Hills, and Rock Climbing Anchors. The cost of the 2 books is included in the course registration fee.  Students are expected to read the chapters referenced for each lecture prior to that class.
   
• The Climbing School is composed of 6 sections, the first section is the basic school, the other sections are specialty courses that are optional to students of the school, but free to them if they choose to attend them. Students must however 'preregister' with the Climbing School Director.

All but section 1 are taught as separate self-contained courses composed of an evening session followed by one or two outdoor sessions on weekend days.  Dates for the specialty course sections are as follows:

• Introduction to Class 3 Scrambling – March 20^th & 24^th  (the week before regular climbing school begins) – Instructor: Tom Claus
• Snow and Glacier Mountaineering Basics – May 10^th & 12^th – Instructors: Ash Campbell and Rick Light
• Really Understanding Rock Climbing Anchors – June 21^st & 23 ^rd – Instructor: Chuck Calef
   
• Introduction to Rock Climbing Leading – July 19^th & 21^st & 28^th – Instructor: Zack Baker
• Introduction to Canyoneering – August 9^th & 11^th – followed by a trip to Zion National Park in September – Instructors: Dan Creveling and Rick Light
   

The Introduction to Rock Climbing Schedule

Schedule in Detail

March 27,  Tuesday, 6:30pm to 9:00pm, Classroom session #1, Auditorium, Crossroads Church

• Introduction (30 min) – Climbing Safely  Instructor: Rick Light

     o Welcome
     o Student introductions
     o Dialog on individual goals, class goals, expectations and what to expect
     o Overview of required gear (harness, carabiner, and belay device)
     o Hand out textbooks
     o Check out shoes/helmets
     o Safety and climbing

• Lecture 1 (30 min) - Types of climbing overview and how to safely hike to crags  Instructor: Zack Baker
   
  • Brief overview of top-roping, sport climbing, and lead climbing
  • Introduction to class 3 scrambling

• Lecture 2 (60 min) - Knots I:  Basic and essential climbing knots - (Chapter 9, FotH)  Instructor: Jim Straight

• Hand out knot practice rope, prussic cord, webbing
• The basic safety system, basic rope handling
• The figure eight knot, tying in
• Bowline and figure eight on a bight

April 3,  Tuesday, 6:30pm to 9:00pm, Classroom session #2, Auditorium, Crossroads Church

• Distribute YMCA waivers, collect YMCA waivers--no helmet waivers, students will wear helmets.
• Lecture 3 (60 min) - Belaying and basics of working with the rope - (Chapter 10, FotH)  Instructors: Sylvan Argo and Erica Becker from the YMCA
  • How belays are used in climbing
  • Belay techniques and devices
  • Communication
• Lecture 4 (60 min) - Anchors - (Chapters 10 & 13, FotH; Chapter 1, RCA)  Instructor:  Dave Dogruel
  • Nuts, camming devices, natural anchors
  • Redundancy, equalization, non-extension
  • Anchors for top-roping and rappelling

April 5,  Thursday, 6:00 to 9:30 PM, Los Alamos YMCA

• Safety briefing
• Climbing communication and signals
• Intro to belaying, lowering, top-rope techniques
• Practice top-roping

April 7,  Saturday 9:00 to 1:00, Outdoor Session #1, Potrillo Cliffs

• Safety briefing
• Setting up a top-rope and anchor
• Practice building anchors
• Belaying, lowering, top-rope technique, communication review
• Intro to placing protection for anchors, cleaning pro
• Rock climbing

April 10,  Tuesday,  6:30pm to 9:00pm, Classroom session #3, Main Hall, Church of Christ

• Lecture 5 (45 min) - Knots II - (Chapter 10, FotH)  Instructor: Kei Davis
  • More knot tying--water knot, clove hitch, prussic, butterfly, muntner hitch
• Lecture 6 (45 min) - Rock climbing technique - (Chapter 12, FotH)  Instructor: Peter McLachlan
  • Body position, using your center, proper use of hands and feet
  • Face climbing, crack climbing, other climbing
  • Techniques, style and ethics
• Lecture 7 (30 min) - Top Rope Lowering and Rappelling - (Chapter 11, FotH)  Instructor: Rick Light
  • Lowering for the belayer
  • Lowering for the climber
  • Rappel technique
  • Lowering and rappelling communication
  • Tying two ropes together for rappelling

April 14,  Saturday 9:00-1:00, Outdoor Session #2, The Playground

• Safety briefing
• Setting up a rappel anchor
• Communication review
• Practice rappelling
• Rock climbing (if time permits)

April 17,  Tuesday, 6:30pm to 9:00pm, Classroom session #4, Auditorium, Crossroads Church

• Lecture 8 (60 min) - Belaying the leader and seconding - (Chapters 10 & 14, FotH)  Instructors: Ethan Coon and Christa Brelsford
  • Roles
  • Communication
  • Rope management
  • Catching leader falls
  • Cleaning protection
  • Gear racking
• Lecture 9 (55 min) - Sport and Trad Leading - (Chapter 14 , FotH)  Instructors: Ethan Coon and Christa Brelsford
  • Description
  • Mental aspect of leading
  • Sport vs Trad anchors
  • Cleaning sport anchors
• Lecture 10 (5 min) - Catching leader falls - Instructor:  Rick Light
  • Upcoming catching leader falls practice
  • Briefing on the Ludwig device

April 21,  Saturday 9:00 to 1:00, Outdoor Session #3, The Y

• Safety briefing
• Ludwig practice exercise - Catching simulated leader falls
• Practice setting rappel and top rope anchors
• Rappelling practice
• Placing pro, pro anchors, cleaning pro
• Leading demonstration (if time permits)
• Rock climbing

April 24,  Tuesday, 6:30pm to 9:00pm, Classroom session #5, Auditorium, Crossroads Church

• Lecture 11 (90-120 min) – Course Summary and General Q & A Session - Instructor:  Rick Light
  • Being prepared
  • Thinking clearly
  • Staying safe

• Lecture 12 (15 min) – Upcoming specialty course overview - Instructor:  Rick Light
  • Dates, structure, and content of courses
• Lecture 13 (15 min) - Graduation Climb Briefing - Instructor:  Rick Light
  • Overview of the graduation climb
  • Safety briefing

April 28,  Saturday, 9:00 to 1:00, Outdoor Session #4, Gallows Edge

• Safety briefing
• Sport climbing & clipping bolts correctly
• Sport leading demonstration
• Falling demonstration
• Belaying a leader
• Seconding
• Cleaning sport anchors
• Top-roping

May 1,  Tuesday, 5pm to dark, Outdoor practice climbing, Gallows Edge

May 5,  Saturday,  All day!  Graduation Climb, Location TBD

• Depart Los Alamos 7:30am
• Depart NNMC in Espanola 8:00am
• Arrive climbing area 9:00am-9:15am
• All day easy, fun, multi-pitch, single-pitch, and top-rope climbing
• Food, drink, social time afterwards!
• Dinner at Gabriel’s restaurant 8:30pm

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