[tempe8]

At different times, people have posted questions about learning to rock climb / rappel. Well, the Arizona Mountaineering Club has its Fall class starting up next week. This is a great group of professionals to learn the proper (and safe) techniques from:

http://www.azmountaineeringclub.org/main/classes_b.html

[Lizard]

For Tucsonans, excellent instruction can be found through contacting the good folks at Rocks and Ropes gym:

http://www.rocksandropes.com

The following website will also help you to find instructors, as well as climbing partners and info on climbs in Tucson:

http://www.tucsonclimbers.org

[azbackpackr]

I'm taking intermediate indoor rock climbing here in Flagstaff, via NAU, for PES credit. The class is not held on campus, it's at Vertical Relief in Flagstaff. Really good instructors, certified via AMGA. You get about 15 1.5 hour sessions, twice a week for 8 weeks, plus you can climb for free at the gym on the days your class is being held. It's a lot of fun, which is why I am taking it a second semester, bought gear, and am considering joining the gym later this fall. Last semester a lot of us went on an outdoor climb with the instructors, but it was separate from the NAU class (insurance reasons), it was sponsored by the gym. We went to Jack's Canyon. I posted that, and have some photos of it I may post up today, if I have time.

NAU Recreation dept just opened a new climbing wall, I have heard, but I haven't seen it yet. There is an all new recreation center that just opened. NAU Outdoor Recreation also offers some climbing classes, including single-pitch instructor cert class. They use the same instructors as we have at Vertical Relief, and you can get credit for them.

The difference is that with PES classes it's included in your financial aid package. NAU Outdoor Rec classes have to be paid for separately, even though they offer them for credit. (They also offered all the river running classes I took in the spring: white water kayaking, multi-day guiding, rescue, etc. Plus they do WFR, backpacking and a bunch of other stuff. The backpacking is expensive. The river classes were well-priced, I thought. I may take several more of them in the spring.)

http://verticalrelief.com/
http://home.nau.edu/outdoors/trips.asp