Six structured ways onto the wall — from a single intro session through a full lead clinic. Everything is taught by working coaches who set routes here and climb outside on the weekends. Come in raw; leave with a system.
Four ninety-minute Saturdays. Day one is movement, footwork, falling safely. Day two reads the wall — color tags, route flow, body position. Day three is your first project. Day four ties it together with a partner climb and goal-setting for what comes next.
Required to top-rope. A two-hour session covers harness fit, knot work (figure-eight follow-through, stopper), the GriGri, brake-hand discipline, soft catches, and a written plus practical check. Pass and you're cleared for the rest of your climbing life here.
A full Saturday — 9A to 5P. Morning is rope management, lead falls (yes, on real lead), clipping technique, and run-out reading. Afternoon is supervised lead burns on five graded routes. Pass the practical and you're cleared to lead and to belay lead at the gym.
Six Wednesday evenings dedicated to body position. Heel hooks, toe hooks, drop-knees, gaston, dynos, compression. Each session pairs a movement clinic with structured wall time. Filmed on a phone so you can see your own beta. Plateau-breaker for V3–V6 climbers.
Saturday mornings. Three age groups — Sprouts (6–8), Climbers (9–12), Teens (13–17). Three coaches, max ten per group. Drop-off welcome. Curriculum runs in eight-week cycles; first hour is technique games, second is open climbing on a coach-curated set.
Once a quarter — Saturday at the gym, Sunday at the crag. We run sport-climbing-outdoors basics: gear check, anchor cleaning, rappel, multi-pitch fundamentals, real-world risk. Bring lead cert; we provide the rope, draws, and the chalk you forget.
Belay certification is the gate. Pass it once, you're certified for life at Vertica. The class covers everything — harness, knot, device, fall — through a written portion and a practical check on a real route. We run it twice a week and we run it small (six max).
Failed first time? Re-take is free. Most climbers pass; the ones that don't usually need a second go on the GriGri brake-hand discipline.
Fit a harness, tie a figure-eight follow-through with a stopper, tie a clove for anchor work. Twenty minutes.
GriGri loaded. Lower with control, brake-hand never leaves rope, soft catch on a 30 lb dummy. Forty minutes.
You belay your partner up a 5.8, lower clean, switch. Coach calls beta. Forty-five minutes.
Written quiz, practical sign-off, your card and a bay-side photo for the wall. Fifteen minutes. Done.
Sprouts · 6–8Climb-and-play hour. Coach IK leads. We use color games, animal-walks across the slab, and a structured top-rope rotation. No cell phones for the kids; harness check at every turn.
Climbers · 9–12Movement comes online. Footwork drills, route-reading, fall practice, body tension. Coach KP leads. Most kids in this group will project a V3 by the end of an eight-week cycle. Optional comp prep.
Teens · 13–17Coach RM leads. Strength work on the campus board, hangboard intro, real lead-climbing intro. Pipeline into the Vertica youth team for kids who want to compete; not required for the rest.
No. Day pass and any track include shoes + chalk. By month two most climbers buy their own shoes — we have a pro shop and we'll fit you. Harness rentals are free with belay-cert and lead clinic.
Yes. The intro track assumes nothing. We've started climbers in their sixties and we've started kids in second grade. Pace is yours; coaches scale every move. The first wall in the gym is a 5.5 with the easiest grip you'll ever pull.
It varies. A consistent climber (twice-weekly) will see V3 in two months and V4 by month four or five. We don't sell promises. We do build a roadmap with you in week three of the intro program.
Yes — day pass works without any class. The intro program is optional but most new climbers find it pays for itself in confidence. If you've climbed elsewhere, just tell the desk; we'll skip the orientation if you've got it.
Yes. Monthly unlimited: 10% off all clinics and tracks. Annual: 15% off, plus belay certification is free. Family unlimited includes the Saturday kids program at no additional cost (one slot per child).
You don't need a plan to start. Buy a day pass and ask the desk for the orientation; if you decide to take a track, we credit the day pass within seven days. We've onboarded a thousand climbers like this.
/ Need it explained? Walk in any day, ask for a coach. We'll walk you through what's on the wall, how the grades work, and what to start with — no charge, no pressure. (555) 220-4108 · hello@yourbusiness.com