Outdoor Rock Climbing

Upcoming Rock Climbing Courses

Rock Climbing Courses are a great option for anyone who wants to work on specific skills and meet other climbers. Please contact us if you are looking for something specific that you do not see listed.

Hiring a Private Rock Climbing Guide can be fully customized to help you meet your climbing goals, develop technical skills, or explore a new area. Any of the courses listed below can be adapted for private climbing guiding any day of the week.

Rock Climbing Courses

Two climbers climbing next to each other two rock climbing routes.

Intro to Outdoor Rock Climbing

This course is the perfect way to explore the sport of outdoor rock climbing. Join us to learn about basic climbing techniques, outdoor climbing equipment & systems, and the joy of being out on the rock. This course is great for total beginners as well as folks who have been climbing before and want to reinforce the fundamentals.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

Group Size

1-6

Skill Level

Beginner

A person wearing a helmet and climbing gear ascending a tall rock face with safety ropes, surrounded by trees and a clear blue sky.

Outdoor Sport Climbing

Take your indoor climbing skills outside! Everything you need to know about transferring indoor climbing skills and systems to the crag: these courses are skill-development intensive and aim to build confidence and competency for outdoor climbing.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1-2 Days

Group Size

1-6

Skill Level

Beginner

Rock climber in a pink shirt smiling while standing at the top of a rock route next to a trad anchor.

Women’s & Femme’s Rock Climbing

We offer courses specifically for women and femme folks who are interested in exploring rock climbing and building climbing skills in a safe and low-pressure environment. These courses have a small guide-to-participant ratio and a focus on having fun and building confidence.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

Group Size

1-6

Skill Level

Beginner +

Rock climber in the distance reaching up with an orange rope in the foreground.

Queer Rock Climbing

Courses and climbing days with the goal of creating affinity spaces for queer climbers and the climbing-curious! Join us for a day of climbing, community, and queer joy. We promote an encouraging, supportive, and no-pressure environment to push yourself, try something new, and have fun.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

Group Size

1-4

Skill Level

Beginner +

Rock climber in a purple jacket leaning back on an orange rope and giving a thumbs up.

Rock Climbing Fundamentals

Build strong foundations for your outdoor climbing. These core skills are essential to outdoor climbing and our courses provide personalized instruction, hands-on practice, and next steps for your skill development.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

Group Size

1-6

Skill Level

Intermediate +

Rock climber smiling up at the camera from halfway up a diagonal crack climbing route.

Advanced Climbing Skills Courses

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Season

June-October

Duration

1-2 Days

Group Size

1-4

Skill Level

Intermediate +

Rock climber in blue shorts halfway up a climbing route.

Climb a Classic Route

Enjoy a day on one of New England’s most classic routes! Our Climb-a-Classic outings include small guide-to-participant ratios, personalized instruction to meet your goals, and some of the most stunning climbing in the Northeast. Don’t see the classic route you’ve been eyeing? Book a private guide!

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

Group Size

1-2

Skill Level

Intermediate +

Climber in a blue shirt and brown pants ascends a large rock overhang in a wooded area.

Outdoor Bouldering

Discover the intricacies and excitement of outdoor bouldering including gear, safety, and climbing technique. Our bouldering courses will give you a grand tour of some of Vermont’s most classic bouldering destinations including Smuggler’s Notch and Bolton VT.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

Group Size

1-6

Skill Level

Beginner +

Private Rock Climbing Guiding

Two rock climbers attached to an orange rope stand together at the top of a rock climb.

Personalized Guiding

We offer fully customized one-on-one guiding to help you meet your climbing goals, develop technical skills, or explore a new area. Any of the courses listed above can be adapted for private guiding.

Two climbers smile up at the camera while climbing together on a route.

Family Rock Climbing

Experience the joy of outdoor rock climbing with the whole family! This is a perfect way to get outside and try something new, overcome challenges together, and create lasting memories.

Eight people wear climbing helmets and sit together smiling at the camera at the top of a climbing cliff.

Group Rock Climbing

If you want to add climbing or other outdoor adventures to your offerings Petra Cliffs can help! We offer group climbing to camps, school and youth groups, non-profit organizations, and more.


Popular Rock Climbing Destinations

A person rock climbing a steep outdoor cliff, wearing a helmet, long-sleeve shirt, and climbing gear, with trees and autumn foliage in the background.

Mount Crushmore, Bolton Dome. Photo Captured by Antim Constantinescu, Petra Cliffs Guide.

Bolton, VT

Our local crags provide an incredible playground and ideal outdoor classroom. Located within a 45min drive from the Petra Cliffs Climbing Center in Burlington, Vermont’s schist cliffs boast a wide range of climbing styles and grades. Classic areas include:

Bolton Dome: A more recently developed mecca of climbs ranging from easy to challenging all concentrated on the face of a striking dome in the heart of Bolton VT. Perfect for trying outdoor climbing for the first time, getting into multi-pitch climbing, or trying hard on a variety of styles.

Lower West Bolton: Beautiful climbing tucked into the woods in Bolton VT. Engaging routes and cliff-top access make this a great place to develop skills and enjoy the views.

Upper West Bolton: A high concentration of quality climbs at the top of Bolton Notch. Crack climbing and face climbing, sport and trad; Upper West has it all, plus stunning views of Camel’s Hump and Mansfield.

Rock climber in a green helmet follows a green rope along a climbing route.

Smuggler’s Notch, VT

Looking to take your skills into some multi-pitch terrain? Consider climbing in one of Vermont's most scenic State Parks, Smugglers' Notch! Smuggs is full of rock climbs and lacks the crowds you bump into at more popular crags. You will spend the day learning the language of easy transitions and fast and efficient techniques for multi-pitch climbing. Come get a couple hundred feet off the deck with us and enjoy some of the stellar classic routes of the Notch!

Classics include the 4-pitch Quartz Crack (5.9), the 5-pitch Diagonal (5.9+), the 2-pitch Big Daddy Arete (5.10a) and the 3-pitch sport mixed route Better Living Through Chemistry (5.9+)

Pink climbing rope extends up to a distant climber on a crack climbing route.

Adirondacks, NY

The Adirondack Park is roughly the size of New Hampshire and offers a lifetime of rock climbing ascents. Join Petra Cliffs Certified NY guides as they take you on a tour of New York's finest rock. Short approaches and more rock per-square foot than almost anywhere in the northeast, means more time on the rock and less bushwacking, allowing you to log more vertical. Let our guides show you their favorite places to climb in the northeast!

Classic areas include: Poko Moonshine, Silver Lake, Spiders Web, Beer Walls, Wallface, Hurricane Crag, Chapel Pond, Upper Washbowls

Rock climber in an orange shirt looks down at the camera while climbing a layered rock cliff.

White Mountains, NH

Cannon Cliff: Located just over the border in New Hampshire and only a 2 hour drive from Burlington, Cannon offers some of the longest climbs anywhere on the East and is sure to give you that 'Alpine' feel. There are several long moderate climbs up this immense and complex wall. Classics include: The Whitney Gilman Ridge (5.7), Moby Grape (5.8), Union Jack (5.9).

Cathedral Ledge: In North Conway NH Cathedral has a long history of climbing and is littered with classic climbs at every grade. Home to great quality granite, Cathedral Ledge has something for everyone. Classics Include: Upper Refuse (5.5), Thin Air (5.6), Black Lung (5.8), Book of Solemnity (5.10a)

Rumney: One of the premier sport climbing destinations in the country with numerous crags on the side of Rattlesnake Mountain above Rumney, NH. Rumney offers quality climbs at all grades. From 5.3 to 5.15a, anyone can find a challenging and engaging route.

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