About Petra Cliffs

Focuses on climbing and mountain-related education and recreation, accessible to all ages and abilities. We seek to offer premium instruction and services through experience-based education,
Uncompromising attention to safety, customer satisfaction, community, growth with empowered employees, all in a
No-pressure atmosphere for families and friends to gather for challenge and fun.

Anti-Discrimination Policy:

We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and we are committed to maintaining a climbing community free from harassment and discrimination in any form. Our policy prohibits harassment and discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. Petra Cliffs will take prompt and effective steps to end any reported harassment and prevent its recurrence including removing participants from programs and/or the Climbing Center.

Gender Neutral Restroom Policy: Inclusive & Non-Discriminatory

Petra Cliffs is committed to having safe and accessible public restroom facilities. We recommend that individuals make choices about restroom usage based on their own level of comfort and their gender identity or expression. Unfortunately, we do not have single-stall restrooms at this time; however, we expect all Patrons to be respectful toward one another. Petra Cliffs prohibits and will not tolerate harassment and discrimination against any person because of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Petra Cliffs will take prompt and effective steps to end any reported harassment and prevent its recurrence.

Is This Clinic / Program For Me? :

"Women's & Femme's Clinic"

These terms can mean many things to different people, and thus we do not want to exclude anyone who may be unsure of whether they "fit" the label. Rather, we would like to offer space specifically for folks who may identify with or are exploring their identity. This includes female or femme, non-binary, trans, and cis-gender (a person whose gender aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth) folks.

Land Acknowledgement

We collectively acknowledge that Petra Cliffs, and the immediate areas in which we operate and recreate outdoors, are located on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. Petra Cliffs resides on land that was cared for and called home by the Abenaki people and the Wabanaki Confederacy; before them, other Native peoples from time immemorial. This land holds great historical, spiritual, and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations and peoples of this region. We recognize and continually support and advocate for the sovereignty of the Native nations in this territory and beyond. By offering this land acknowledgment, we affirm tribal sovereignty and will work to hold Petra Cliffs accountable to American Indian peoples and nations.

April 6, 2012

Steve and Andrea Charest purchased Petra Cliffs Climbing Center & Mountaineering School.  Petra Cliffs was built in 2000 after moving from the Burlington Rock Gym with original owner Chip Schlegel.  In March of 2005, Mike Anderson purchased Petra Cliffs from Chip.  Steve and Andrea have had the honor of working with both Chip and Mike, and still carry pieces of their legacies on their continued journey.

Steve Charest

began working with Petra Cliffs in December 2001 as an intern through Johnson State College.  He was only going to stay for one year...
As Head Guide, Steve has grown the Outdoor Programs from a few outings per season to abundant work with many of the local colleges, climbers looking to improve their skills (including the development of a ski mountaineering trip to Valdez, Alaska), and beginners seeking out new challenges and landscapes. Steve has improved the level of professionalism at Petra Cliffs by requiring all indoor instructors and outdoor guides to become AMGA certified in the level at which they instruct, and to continue their own professional development. Steve is an AMGA Certified Rock Guide, Certified Ski Guide and Aspirant IFMGA Guide.  He is very active with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) and is a Level 1 and 2 Instructor.  View Steve's full resume.

Andrea Charest

began working part-time at Petra Cliffs in May 2002 after being a regular climbing customer while attending UVM.  Birthday party crew, SumMAT Camp leader, teambuilding facilitator, Climbing Team coach, indoor instructor, SumMAT Camp Director, and outdoor guide... Andrea loves having worked with every facet of Petra Cliffs.  She is proud to have grown a successful summer camp, to have a thriving climbing community, and to have met so many amazing employees & customers throughout two decades at Petra Cliffs. View Andrea's resume.

We look forward to working with you in our beautiful state of Vermont, throughout the Northeast, and in the mountains across the world!

Petra Cliffs has been a fixture in the Burlington, Vermont community since its foundation in 2000. Through Petra Cliffs, we have a hunger to provide greater meaning to people's lives: climbing, adventure, recreation and education have reached over a half million people in Vermont, the Northeast, nationwide, and globally. As a sport that is accessible to all ages and abilities, Petra Cliffs provides a lifestyle as much as a physical challenge and a community as much as a gym. 

A 2019 American Alpine Club State of Climbing Report sheds light on a rapidly growing sport, contributing over $12 billion to the US economy. In the modern era of climbing, and as we have seen the sport's debut in the 2020 Olympics, Petra Cliffs is excited to grow its resources and continue to provide the best in instruction, education, climbing resources, health, wellness, and programming to our community and far beyond.

Petra Cliffs is underway with plans to build a ground up, modern climbing gym and community facility just a few hundred feet away from its current location, abutting City Market's South End store. In February 2019 the parcel of land at 75 Briggs Street was purchased with help of our investors, and we are keeping the offering open for additional capital towards the building construction and climbing walls. Help us cross the finish line for this Burlington fixture to continue to serve its community, which reaches far beyond the walls!

Update: March 20, 2024

Our Zoning Permit with the City of Burlington was re-approved on March 19. Over the past several months, our project team has been redesigning some aspects of the building including an improved front entryway, gender neutral bathrooms, some tweaks for an improved climbing wall design, and a new mechanical system.

Last month, we had a test well drilled to explore the potential for a geothermal heating & cooling system. Our engineers were confident we would find enough water to make an open-loop system possible, but unfortunately, after drilling to 500 feet (!), only 15 gpm was found (we would need 50-70 gpm). We have pivoted a closed-loop geothermal system, which carries more complexity and cost to design, but with the addition of a rooftop solar array, should get us to net zero. We are committed to having clean, renewable, sustainable energy in this new community facility. 

We're looking toward late summer/early fall to be putting that golden shovel in the ground. We will be opening another round of investment opportunity. Whether you are passionate about climbing, BTV, supporting youth, mental health, renewable energy, or real estate in Burlington, investment into this project will have long-lasting, positive impacts in our community and beyond. Stay posted! 

Andrea & Steve Charest