How much experience is required?

It is important to have a solid foundation of outdoor climbing skills before joining this course. Experience with gear placement, anchor building and following leads are all prerequisites. Please contact us if you would like more information on the suitability of this course.

I am an experienced rock climber but I do not have a harness or helmet with me. Do you have this available to rent?

While owning your own gear is always the best option, Alpenglow provides rental gear at no additional cost. Equipment availability varies and is on a first come first serve basis. Please contact the office to inquire about borrowing gear!

What is your local adventures cancellation policy?

Please click here to review our domestic cancellation policy

What safety standards do you have?

At Alpenglow, we have only the highest standards of safety and guide qualifications. All of our rock climbing trips are led by AMGA certified SPI’s (single pitch instructors), certified rock instructors or certified rock guides. Our guides have extensive experience and knowledge with technical climbing equipment and risk management to ensure a safe day in the mountains! Furthermore, every Alpenglow program is supervised by an internationally licensed mountain guide (IFMGA/UIAGM). Alpenglow Expeditions is the only guide service in the region with such high standards, your family’s safety is our our top priority.

Do I need to bring a lunch?

Yes, you should bring a sack lunch and water bottle for this course.

What is the typical group size for this climbing course?

Group sizes can vary depending on the course, however our maximum ratio of clients to guides is 4:1.

Where can I purchase trip insurance?

We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance to protect your activity purchase against unforeseeable circumstances. We recommend Spot as a provider of trip insurance. Spot is a 3rd party provider and is not affiliated with Alpenglow Expeditions – please refer to the Spot website or contact Spot directly for all terms and conditions.

Learn To Lead Climb

$329Per Person

Introductory Full Day, 8 Hours Lake Tahoe, CA

Learn to Lead Climb with our certified rock guides in Lake Tahoe. Learning to safely lead is a milestone as a climber, and doing so with the instruction of a professional guide will allow you to learn the correct way the first time. This one-day Lead Climbing course provides the perfect foundation to begin leading pitches anywhere in the world. This course requires a three-person minimum. You’re one day away from being a lead climber!

June 6

Inquire

Private Rock Climbing Intro

Tahoe Lead Climbing Course Overview

Once you have become familiar and comfortable with gear placement and anchor building, and possess a solid foundation of top rope climbing, the next big step is to start lead climbing.

While leading, you will find yourself without the safety of a top rope, and so it is of paramount importance to keep a high margin of safety when learning to lead climb. The best way to do so is with the help of a professional guide. Learning to lead will propel you through your entire climbing career, and grasping the correct techniques the first time will ensure you start off on the right track. To begin, all leads will be done as a “mock lead” with the added safety of a top rope to create a safe environment to dial the technical skills and movement of lead climbing.

In this course you will learn:

How to lead belay
How to place gear while on lead
How to safely take lead falls
How to communicate while lead climbing

THE ALPENGLOW DIFFERENCE

As a Tahoe-based guide company with countless expeditions to high-altitude peaks around the world over the last 15 years, we bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our beloved “home mountain”. Our teaching and guiding philosophy has been honed from the flanks of the Himalayan giants to the technical peaks of Peru, and we are beyond excited to be able to bring our program to this fantastic mountain. In addition to our international expedition roots, we are accredited by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), being one of the very few guide services in the region to hold such a high standard. Each of our guides is trained by the AMGA in the terrain in which they operate, and the program is supervised by internationally licensed IFMGA mountain guides. This high standard, along with our many years of experience, translates to a fantastic mountain adventure!

Alpenglow Expeditions operates under special use permit with the Tahoe, Eldorado, Inyo, Humboldt-Toiyable and Shasta-Trinity National Forests. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Preparation

Technical

Climbers must have basic rock climbing experience including belaying, rappelling, and use of top rope systems. This course is designed for people who know how to set up top-rope anchors, a general knowledge of how to place trad gear, and have previous trad climbing experience as a follower.

Fitness

Climbers must be in good overall physical shape able to be active outside for many hours.

8:30am: Meet & Greet
Meet and greet, introductions, goals of the day.
8:45 – 12pm: Morning Skills Session
Begin by reviewing gear and anchor techniques in various settings. After review, we move onto the main lesson of lead climbing.
12 – 12:30pm: Lunch
Quick break for lunch and taking in the views.
12:30 – 3:30pm: Afternoon Skills Session
Continue building on skills that were learned during the morning session.

Alpenglow’s California Guides

Our Tahoe Rock Climbing Guides.

Meet who you will be learning to climb from in Lake Tahoe.

FAQ’s

Questions about learning to lead climb.

: It is important to have a solid foundation of outdoor climbing skills before joining this course. Experience with gear placement, anchor building and following leads are all prerequisites. Please contact us if you would like more information on the suitability of this course.
: While owning your own gear is always the best option, Alpenglow provides rental gear at no additional cost. Equipment availability varies and is on a first come first serve basis. Please contact the office to inquire about borrowing gear!
: Please click here to review our domestic cancellation policy
: At Alpenglow, we have only the highest standards of safety and guide qualifications. All of our rock climbing trips are led by AMGA certified SPI’s (single pitch instructors), certified rock instructors or certified rock guides. Our guides have extensive experience and knowledge with technical climbing equipment and risk management to ensure a safe day in the mountains! Furthermore, every Alpenglow program is supervised by an internationally licensed mountain guide (IFMGA/UIAGM). Alpenglow Expeditions is the only guide service in the region with such high standards, your family’s safety is our our top priority.
: Yes, you should bring a sack lunch and water bottle for this course.
: Group sizes can vary depending on the course, however our maximum ratio of clients to guides is 4:1.
: We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance to protect your activity purchase against unforeseeable circumstances. We recommend Spot as a provider of trip insurance. Spot is a 3rd party provider and is not affiliated with Alpenglow Expeditions – please refer to the Spot website or contact Spot directly for all terms and conditions.

Equipment

Here’s what you’ll need for our Lead Climbing Course.

Download Equipment Link

Select a category

Hat
Bring your favorite baseball hat for shelter from the sun. No white under the brim – the reflection off of it from the sun is blinding.
Recommended: Alpenglow Hat
Sunglasses
Must have dark lenses. Minimal light should come in below, above, or around the sides of the lenses.“Wrap” style is best. Ventilation is important and a retainer strap is very useful (Chums or Croakies).
Recommended: Vuarnet Ice Rounds
Approach Shoes
Recommended: La Sportiva TX4
Climbing Shoes
Recommended: La Sportiva TC Pro
Lightweight Top
Ultra-light base layer that effectively wicks moisture away from your body and is breathable. Quick-dry is important as well. One light-colored shirt is recommended for extremely sunny days.
Recommended Men’s: Black Diamond Lightwire Short Sleeve
Recommended Women’s: Black Diamond Lightwire Short Sleeve
Sun Hoodie
Lightweight, long-sleeve sun hoody that is great for protecting from the sun.
Recommended Men’s: Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody
Recommended Women’s: Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody
Hiking Pant
Lightweight, durable, quick-drying hiking pant that will be your day-to-day pant during the expedition
Men’s Recommended: Black Diamond Technician Alpine Pant
Women’s Recommended: Black Diamond Technician Alpine Pant
Small Backpack
Recommended: Black Diamond Speed 30 Pack
Two 1L Nalgene Bottles
Two 1 Liter Wide Mouth Nalgene bottles.
Recommended: Nalgene 1 L wide mouth
Climbing Harness
Rock climbing harness that has gear loops, adjustable leg loops and waist belts. We recommend a harness that does not require the belt loop to be “double backed”.
Recommended: Black Diamond Zone Harness
Technical Kit
While the technical equipment needed for a specific objective and season varies, this basic kit is a great baseline. Your guide will bring gear for you to use during your course, but participants are encouraged to bring some or all of this if you own it or are interested in purchasing it.
1 Cordalette (6mm x 5m/16.4′)
4 locking carabiners
2 non-locking carabiners
1 double-length Dyneema sling
Small prusik loop (6mm x 112cm/44″)
Auto-blocking belay device (eg. ATC guide)
Micro Traxion or similar
Helmet
An easily adjustable lightweight helmet that fits with hat and Balaclava. Make sure this is a climbing-specific helmet. *Climbing helmets are also available to rent (for our introductory climbing courses) at no charge from Alpenglow Expeditions on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Recommended: Black Diamond Vapor Helmet

Testimonials

Alpenglow was an amazing company to work with
Alpenglow was an amazing company to work with from booking to the actual rock climbing lesson. We purchased the half-day lesson on Donner Summit, and were blown away with the knowledge of our guide, Pete. Climbing can be an intimidating sport for people to try, but Pete’s positive and playful personality made the day very enjoyable. I highly recommend this company for anyone looking for a fun and challenging adventure to do solo, with friends or with your family!
Natalie S.