Outdoor Rock Climbing

Upcoming Courses

Sunday 11/3 - Outdoor Bouldering Day at Black Barn Farm

Courses are a great option for anyone who wants to work on specific skills and meet other climbers. 

Private Guiding is 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 below can be adapted for private guiding any day of the week.

Rock Climbing

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

Gym to Crag

Take your indoor climbing skills outside! This course covers everything you need to know about outdoor climbing and how to transfer indoor climbing skills and systems to the crag. This course is skill development intensive and meant to build confidence and competency for outdoor climbing.

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Season

June-October

Duration

1 Day

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 +

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 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.

Our Climbing Destinations

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.

Mountaineering School FAQ’s

  • Registration in a Petra Cliffs outdoor program/course, private guiding, or other outdoor adventure:

    Includes: Professional rock guide and all technical climbing equipment (harness, helmet, shoes, belay devices, ropes and all other appropriate technical equipment).

    Does not include: Personal gear, food, water and clothing (see equipment list for what to bring), transportation to/from climbing locations.

  • Gratuity for the guides is not included in the booking price. Tipping is an individual decision and you will receive top-notch service regardless, however our guides do accept and appreciate tips (most commonly via cash or venmo). It is customary to tip the guides at the end of the day, and we recommend tipping 10-20% of the trip price which is common in the climbing and skiing industry. Please note that you are under no obligation to tip, but it is highly recommended.

  • For all guiding and courses Petra Cliffs provides the required technical climbing equipment (harness, helmet, shoes, belay devices, ropes and all other appropriate technical equipment). If you have your own gear feel free to bring it!

    All you need to bring is personal gear, food, water, and clothing (see course equipment list).

  • Make sure to read the course description thoroughly, any suggested prerequisites will be clearly listed. If you still have questions you can always email outdoor@petracliffs.com to see if a course would be a good fit.

  • Booking a private guide lets you customize the experience more: you get a say in where you go and what you cover. Private guiding also means there won’t be anyone besides you (and friends/family): you get the guides undivided attention.

    Signing up for a course can be a great way to learn in a small group and meet some new people. Courses are discipline specific and often follow set curriculum.

  • For most programs you will meet your guide at the parking lot for your objective of the day. This means you will need to provide or secure your own transportation to and from the meeting location. The exact meeting location will be provided by your guide prior to your day of guiding. PLEASE NOTE: Petra Cliffs is not able to provide transportation to and from meeting locations.

  • If Petra Cliffs must cancel your program due to current conditions or dangerous weather, we will either (1) pivot to working indoors at Petra Cliffs, (2) reschedule at no additional cost, or (3) refund your payment. Programs will run in most conditions; if needed, programs will alter destinations as some climbing areas stay more protected during inclement weather compared to others. If the weather becomes excessively foul while a program is underway, programs can pivot to moving indoors at Petra Cliffs or working on rope and technique skills under a sheltered outdoor area. There are many options for adapting program itineraries based on the weather while still getting good value from your time and guide.

  • If for any reason you must cancel your registration, you will receive a full refund if cancellation occurs up to two weeks before the program start date. If cancellation occurs less than two weeks before the start of the program, you can either receive a refund for 50% of the payment (minus an administrative fee, if applicable) or reschedule for a different date ($50 reschedule fee). If cancellation occurs less than 48 hours before the start of your program, or if you do not show up on the day of the course, full payment will be forfeited. This cancellation policy is in place to ensure that we can guarantee consistent work and pay for our guides. If you must cancel, please email outdoor@petracliffs.com or call the gym at (802) 657-3872 as soon as possible.