Appalachian Mountain Institute offers several courses for those interested in learning the skills necessary for a safe and exciting climbing adventure.  If you want beginning rock climbing instruction, anchor building, trad leading (traditional leading) skills, or want to learn multipitch climbing, AMI will have a course for you.

Course Format

All courses provide low student: instructor ratios for more personal instruction, but at a reduced cost compared to private instruction.  Each participant will receive materials to take home and review to enhance the experience and to facilitate use in your future climbing experiences.  AMI recommends that each participant bring and use his or her personal equipment during the climbing course, however, equipment will be available for use if needed.

Course Offerings

Scroll down to see the listing of our courses.  Each course is listed with a brief description.  Click on the photo or the link to learn more about each one.  Our course start with a rock intro and progress through advance courses on leading, multipitch and rescue.

Rock Intro: Beginner Rock Climbing Course

The one day Appalachian Mountain Institute Intro to Rock Climbing Course focuses on the skills needed by beginning rock climbers who want to get off to a great start and have a fun.

Intermediate Rock Climbing Course

The Intermediate Rock Climbing Course is a two day class designed to prepare you for following pitches, moving more efficiently, and be more competent with ropes rescue skills.  You will benefit from an enhanced efficiency when climbing, be able clean sport or tradition route and be a solid climbing partner.

Advance Rock: Traditional Leading Course

The Advanced Rock Course is for those who have who are ready for the fun and excitement of  lead traditional rock climbs.  Lead climbing takes a deeper understand of technical skills, prepare yourself by taking the AMI Advanced Rock Course.

Expert Rock: Multipitch Climbing Course

This course takes off from the AMI Advanced Rock Course and teaches one how to safely set up belays for multipitch climbs, manage belay stances, make efficient transitions and get back down efficiently.

Self Rescue Course:  Rescue 1 and Rescue 2

Rescue 1 This one day course provides you with all the necessary skills needed to deal with the most common rescue situations in a single pitch setting.  You will learn skills such as how to go hands free while belaying, escape the belay and ascend to an injured climber.

Rescue 2 This one day course provides you with all the necessary skills needed to deal with the most common rescue situations while climbing in multipitch terrain.  You will learn how to rescue the second and how to descend with an injured climber.

Top Rope Climbing Course

This one day course will get you prepared to have fun top rope climbing outdoors.  This course is a good way to make the transition from climbing in the gym to climbing outside. The focus of the course constructing anchors for top roping, in a safer and more efficient way.  You will also benefit from learning how to assess and determine the best options for setting up climbs.

AMI Anchoring Seminar

This course is for climbers who want to develop the ability to place protection for leading, setting up anchors and rigging top rope anchors.  This intensive clinic will focus on placing various types’ protection devices and rigging for traditional leading anchors.

Aid Climbing Course

AMI offers two climbing courses, a one day primer for introduction to aid climbing and the two day full course that covers the additional topics of hauling and living on the wall.  Both of these courses are taught near Asheville or Brevard, North Carolina.

Courses instruct on what climbing gear to use and basic safety skills to advance topic such as which climbing shoe to use, to multipitch rescue.  No matter what level you are AMI has a climbing course for you.  The courses are taught in Brevard NC and Kentucky at the Red River Gorge.

Private Instruction

Some individuals learn best with one on one instruction.  If you are interested in private instruction, all of the courses can be instructed privately by arrangement.  See each course description for information.  All private rates are $250 per day for individual instruction.

Course Dates

See the course calendar for specific dates