"" Climb Arizona! Rock Climbing Instruction - Arizona Climbing and Adventure School





























































We balance adventure with self-confidence training. Learning is multi-faceted – it's about fun, skills and the natural world.

It is a unique opportunity for individuals to experience the spirit and exploration of the Southwest. It is an initiation into the unexpected, a chance to accomplish something very exciting and to discover strengths you never knew you had.

Be ready for anything. Get personally invested. Get excited. Get ready for one of the truly great outdoor experiences of your life!

Since our beginning in 1989, our professional and highly qualified staff have been committed to providing the safest and most comprehensive rock climbing and adventure-based instruction in the Southwest.


Where you had to dig deeply and try so hard you weren't sure you could make it? Where you finished and thought, "Did I really do that? Wow!" Where you could later stand up in front of family, friends, teachers, bosses, or coworkers and know in your heart that you had accomplished something extraordinary?

Come climb a 600-foot vertical rock face, hike into a secluded desert canyon, summit a 12,000 peak, backpack through unknown terrain and live in the wilderness for 3 to 10 days, rappel off a 150-foot cliff, help an exhausted friend across a narrow chasm – journey past the edge of what you thought possible. Get dirty! And maybe, just maybe, astound yourself and others with bravery, perseverance, compassion, and confidence. On real adventures everything is possible.



We at ACAS have the privilege of witnessing how rock climbing impacts and improves people's lives. Just in the course of our one-day Beginner Rock Climbing session, we have seen timid, cautious and even phobic adults and teenagers overcome their fear and reach for the top. There is nothing we know of that boosts self-confidence more than getting one hand-hold higher than you thought you could. It's direct. It's concrete. It's the epitome of achievement, and we see it again and again.

The majority of our staff are certified outdoor guides and have received extensive training from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Outward Bound Wilderness (OBW), American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), Wilderness Medicine Institute (WMI), Climb Smart! and Leave No Trace (LNT). Our guides are also members and partners of the American Alpine Club, American Safe Climbing Association, Access Fund and follow strict procedural guidelines and safety protocols set by these institutes and by the Arizona Climbing and Adventure School (ACAS).
Rock climbing is problem-solving in the vertical world. We see varying degrees of linear thinking skills, pre-planning skills, spatial orientation, impulsivity vs. thoughtfulness, decision-making skills, focus and concentration, frustration, tolerance, self-confidence vs. insecurity, perseverance, introversion vs. extraversion, emotional ability, risk-taking vs. caution, assertiveness, responsiveness to auditory vs. visual instruction, and the list goes on.

But climbers must also commit to their own safety and the safety of others. This interdependence between the climber and the belayer is just one of many metaphorical life-lessons found in climbing. While supporting one another on belay, you learn to support and trust one another in every endeavor. Rock climbing demands concentration and discipline, commitment, internal motivation, personal integrity and responsibility.

We also have REI Member discounts on most of our courses and encourage you to join. Each year, REI donates millions of dollars to support conservation efforts nationwide, and sends scores of volunteers to build trails, clean up beaches, and teach outdoor ethics to kids. Through responsible business practices, REI strives to reduce our environmental footprint.

The Southwest contains many hidden jewels awaiting your adventurous spirit. I hope you will take us up on our invitation to experience rock climbing. But be careful: You might just get addicted to life in the vertical world. Don't say we didn't warn you!



In Arizona, the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World exists among lush desert landscapes, crystal-clear waters and breathtaking mountain peaks. From small communities to one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, Arizona offers travelers unique experiences packed with hospitality, adventure, and stunning sights.

Arizona is purported to have more exposed rock than any other state in the US. We have granite, dacite, basalt, limestone, gneiss, monzonite, welded tuff, and a thousand other kinds of the hard stuff.

From the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff and Paradise Forks in the north, to the crags of Granite Mountain, the Superstitions, Queen Creek and finally south to Mount Lemmon and Cochise Stronghold, we have it all! Cracks of all sizes, wide, thin, edges, pockets, jugs, sport, trad, bouldering, big walls, no approach, big hike...whatever you're psyched about! The one thing we're a little short on in most areas is crowds, but that's a good thing.

We also have the best year 'round climbing possibilities in the country with crags at just about every elevation imaginable. Between that and the large percentage of sunny days, there ain't a whole lot more you could ask for!

Articles and news stories featuring or mentioning the Arizona Climbing and Adventure School have appeared in The Arizona Republic newspaper, New York Times, East Valley Tribune, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Frontdoors magazine, National Geographic Adventure magazine, AAA Highroads magazine, Discovery Channel, FOX network television (Channel 10 - Phoenix) and CBS KPHO television (Channel 5 - Phoenix).