Learn to Lead: Traditional Climbing
Location
Franconia, New Hampshire
Group Size
Max 6 people
Duration
7 hours
Difficulty
Easy, Intermediate
Looking to get into traditional climbing, or want a guide to check out your systems, this course is for you. Learn to place traditional gear, build anchors, transitions to lower/rappel, lead belay and more. Must have own rack to lead. Mock leading only on borrowed gear. All leads are done will guides discression.
What's included
Technical Equipment.
MMG provides all the technical equipment and know how.
Rock Climbing Shoes, Rock Climbing Harness, Rock Climbing Helmet
Don't own your own gear? No problem, we have a variety of sizes available for you to use during your trip.
Backpacks and other items
If you need a backpack for the day or some other items, we may be able to help fill in the gaps
What's Not Provided?
Transportation, Lunch, Personal Clothing,
Traditional Racks
For participants to lead live, they must have brought their own rack. Mock leading only on borrowed gear for the day.
Mooney Mountain Guides LLC
Mooney Mountain Guides LLC goal is to provide the highest quality guided experience to our guests on guided climbs, lessons, and courses. It is the continuous effort of all MMG guides to not only guide the climb, but also create a personalized experience for each guest, each day based on guest goals. MMG guides will practice safe climbing techniques, teach up to date information, follow Leave No Trace principles and treat our guests and other climbers with the highest degree of personal respect.
In addition to the service provided, MMG’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for our guests by being at the leading edge of industry development and professionalism. This includes in-house training, guide mentorship, and personal professional development. Guides who pursue personal growth are rewarded with increased benefits and compensations. This commitment to industry leading guide training sets us apart from other guide services. Being a pitch above the rest our guests will come to expect the highest degree of professionalism and care and as a result choose to climb with MMG over other guide services.
The Guides
Where you'll meet
The details
What to bring
Mooney Mountain Guides Rock Climbing Equipment List
To ensure an awesome experience with your MMG guide, it is important to arrive well prepared for our day in the mountains. The equipment list provided here might be a useful tool in preparing for our day. Remember luck favors the prepared. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call or email.
ESSENTIAL:
- Weather appropriate clothing (see bottom of the list for a full checklist)
- Headlamp for multi-pitch venues that may require early starts/late finishes
- Snacks, a sandwich, leftover pizza, snickers, gels, cheese, salami, fruit
- Liquids to drink in a wide mouth bottle
- Sunglasses
- Back Pack 20-30 Liters (MMG can Provide)
- If you have your own rope, and quick draws - Bring Them!
PROVIDED:
- Rock Climbing Shoes. (If you have your own MMG recommends something comfortable and stiff for longer routes. Many of our guests come to us with down turned sport climbing shoes ideal for gym/sport climbing. These tend to be painful on slab/crack climbs, and can ruin a day on a long classic route. I use LaSportiva TC Pro’s
- Harness with belay loop, and gear loops.
- Climbing Helmet
- Belay device like a Reverso or ATC Guide, that has high friction with locking carabineer.
- Locking carabineers
CLOTHING: (check the forecast!!)
T-Shirt: There’s no way around it. You will sweat. Wear fabrics that wick moisture away from your skin. Unlike cotton that gets wet and stays wet, wicking fabrics help you regulate your core temperature and avoid overheating or chilling. Depending on Venue this can be very important. I often wear cotton at Rumney, but on Cannon or Mt. Washington I tent to go synthetic.
Mid Layer: Mid-layers add mild insulation to help retain heat that your body creates, and are worn between the base layer and insulation if needed. Examples of over base layers are Patagonia #3 or any lightweight wool shirt. Light-weight fleece or heavy-weight EMS® Techwick®. Power-Stretch and micro-fleece are ideal materials for this layer. I prefer the Patagonia R1 hoodie.
Wind Layer (Top Only): These are thin, generally nylon layers that are light and easily compressible. Many fit into their own zip pocket. I generally use them to block the sun or keep the chill off when the wind picks up mid route. I have shivered through plenty of routes on Cannon in Mid August when its 90F in Boston. I use the Patagonia Houdini.
Un-insulated Waterproof & Breathable Shell (Top & Bottom): For Rainy Days. Patagonia H2No series are great.
Belay jacket: ‘Over-it-All’ Hooded Down or Prima-Loft Jacket: For Spring, Fall or higher altitude objectives a synthetic or down coat that fits over all your other layers can be a life saver. I have had many versions and it very rarely leaves my side.
Belay Gloves: Leather works best for me, however, there are many out there. Best practice is to belay and rappel with gloves on. They may also help on cold approaches/descents. If we are going to be climbing in snowy places, put SnowSeal (beeswax waterproofing) on them.
Sun Hat/Glasses: The sun is intense. Keep it out of your eyes with a hat and shades. The hat also helps hide helmet head.
Good Socks: Keep your feet healthy. I like wool in New England/Cascades/Tetons/RMNP and Cotton in the Desert.
*Backpacks for day trips: 20-30 liters will be fine. Please make sure it fits you harness, helmet, shoes, food, water, layers. No need for Ice Axe Loop attachments if your not in a snowy place.
Rock Climbing Shoes: Please take this advice. Don’t listen to the salesperson if they are telling you to size your rock shoes smaller than your street shoes. First, leather shoes stretch and synthetic shoes don’t. Second, forget about the size printed on the shoe. It really doesn’t mean that much, especially if you are making comparisons between brands. Choose a shoe that has no extra room at the toes when you don’t have socks on. This is very tight compared to your running shoes. Extra material at the toe will totally stink when your trying to climb. Your toes should not be curled. If you are planning on doing long routes (anything other than steep sport climbing) choose a comfortable stiff shoe. I use the LaSportiva TC Pro.
Buff: For the sun, hair, or bugs, these things are awesome.
Lunch: Fuel your body. In the mountains, lunch starts when breakfast ends and ends when dinner starts. In other words, we eat all day. A typical climber or skier will consume about 3,500 calories during the course of a day. Pack foods that don’t freeze hard, cover all the food groups and are easy to eat. Pre-make peanut butter sandwiches, or bring last night’s pizza, and those oh-so delicious candy bars. I typically eat a lot of fruit.
Liquids: Wide-mouth water bottles are recommended for winter. 2 liters is a minimum to keep us hydrated during the day. Please, do not use store your water bottles on the outside of your pack, you will loose them.
Optional Items
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations made more than 7 (30 for profeconal courses & destinations) days prior to your scheduled trip can be rescheduled or refunded minus a 5% booking fee. Cancellations made within 7 (30 for profecional courses & destinations) days of your scheduled trip can be rescheduled or you may choose to receive a 50% refund of the full days fee. Cancellations within 24 hours (7 days for profecional courses & destinations) of your scheduled trip will not be refunded. Weather related cancellations will be handled on a case by case basis; however, we are more than happy to reschedule if the forecast is looking grim.
Things happen, we recommend trip insurance to protect your investment: www.tripinsurance.com
Our precautions for COVID-19
What you can expect from us:
Please review this in advance of your trip. We realize it's a bit lengthy—but it is very important!
Cancelation: Mooney Mountain Guides, its guides, and employees reserve the right to cancel or postpone any guided day, trip, or course due to concerns over Infectious Communicable Transmissible Diseases or any undue risk perceived to be caused by a lack of participation in this Code of Responsibility. Guests, or anyone participating in a guided day, trip or course has the right to cancel or postpone due to concerns over Infectious Communicable Transmissible Diseases or any undue risk perceived to be caused by a lack of participation in this Code of Responsibility. Education: MMG Guides will abide by all Federal, State, National Forest and Health Authorities guidance, rules and recommendations. MMG will stay up to date on Federal, State and Health Authority recommendations and amend the policies and procedures as appropriate. We ask you to do the same. MMG will train the Guides in understanding symptoms, routes of transmission and appropriate hygiene and sanitation issues regarding infectious diseases such as COVID-19. We ask that you familiarize yourself with all information regarding COVID-19 from the CDC.
Travel: MMG Guides will travel to the venue alone and follow state rules regarding travel. We ask you to travel to venues alone or only with members of the same household. We also ask you to abide by state rules regarding travel.
Health Screening: MMG Guides will complete a Health Screening questionnaire and take their temperature regularly including on the morning of your trip. If a guide is symptomatic or has a known exposure to infectious disease, that guide will cancel the trip and attempt to reschedule. We ask you to complete a Health Screening questionnaire several times leading up to and including on the day of the trip. We also expect you to take your temperature on the morning of the trip. If you have any symptoms or suspected exposure to COVID-19 or other infectious disease, we will reschedule your trip. If that is not possible, we will issue a refund.
Personal Hygiene: MMG Guides will bring and utilize hand washing/hand sanitizer to use regularly throughout the day and especially around handling equipment. We ask you to bring hand sanitizer with you and use it regularly throughout the day.
Social Distancing: MMG Guides will practice, promote and require 6’ of physical distancing between all people and with other groups. If this is not possible due to crowds, the Guide will attempt to find another location nearby where physical distancing can be maintained. We expect you to practice physical distancing of 6’ with all other people present, unless from the same household.
Face Covering/Masks: MMG Guides will use a face covering when in circumstances where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as at anchor stances on multi-pitch climbs. We ask you to provide and use a face covering whenever physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Nutrition & Hydration: MMG Guides will bring their own food and water and will not share with guests, except in the case of emergency. We ask that you bring all your own food and water for the day and not share with others.
First Aid: We will provide first aid to the level of training that we are certified (Wilderness First Responder or higher) and in adherence to the evolving recommendations from health authorities regarding patient interactions in our current COVID-19 environment. If a Guide becomes ill during the day, the guide will terminate the trip and send all guests home. We ask you to notify us immediately if you become ill during the day. We will ask you to leave or evacuate as necessary.
Equipment/gear: MMG Guides will use gear that has either been disinfected or quarantined per manufacturer guidelines. We ask that you provide your own climbing harness, helmet and shoes if possible. If not, MMG will provide disinfected/quarantined gear for you to use.
Post Trip Communication: If your guide becomes ill during the 14 days after your trip MMG will notify you of a potential exposure. MMG will also notify health authorities as needed for contact tracing. We ask you to notify MMG if you become ill within 14 days of your trip so that we may notify other guests of a possible exposure. We will not give your name to other guests.
