Aid Climbing at Looking Glass

Aid climbing is the typical method for ascending the larger walls and overnight climbs up shear rock.  Aid Climbing is an exciting challenge that is filled with exposure and breathtaking views.  One can learn aid climbing while taking the Appalachian Mountain Institute Aid Climbing Courses.  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.

What is Aid Climbing?

Aid is generally refers to situations when one uses the protection to ascend the rock rather than physically climbing the rock.  A climber using aid creates a string of placement for his or her path up the rock.  Movement up is made possible with a set of aiders or webbing ladders.  A1 climbing is typically on reliable gear that free climbers would use as protection from a fall.  As the climbing becomes more challenging, individual placements become more challenging.  One will become acutely aware of the subtle weakness of the rock, placing tricky protection and your comfort level.

Benefits of Learning Aid Climbing

Invisible Airways

Even if you do not plan on climbing Half Dome, you will benefit from knowing how to aid climb.  Aid can be used when you get to a short section of a climb that you cannot free climb.  Aid climbing is also much more technical.  You will become better at placing gear, understanding what will hold, rope systems, and organization by spending some time in the aiders.  It can also be a lot of fun.

Course Options

2 day Aid Course

The two day aid course covers the full array of skills needed to climb a wall.  This course will delve into a range of topics from equipment, leading and cleaning to living on the wall.

• What equipment do I need?
• How do I ascend a fixed rope and clean?
• Leading systems: What is a two aider system and a three aider system?
• What is a piton?
• How do I place tricky aid placements?
• How do I pack and haul my equipment and food?
• What is a portaledge and do you really sleep on it?

Logistics

Tuition:           Private course $380

$190 each for 2 to 3 people: Maximum 3 people

Dates:  By arrangement Available year round

Location:  Looking Glass or Lake Lure area, North Carolina.

1 day Aid Climbing Course

The one day Aid Climbing Course focuses on the process of leading and cleaning a pitch.

Equipment

One will learn what gear you need to aid climb, such as daisies, aiders and ascenders.  Additionally you’ll get to use a variety of types of equipment so you can make educated choices about purchasing equipment, what works for you and what doesn’t.

Leading

You’ll have fun learning the process for leading a pitch.  Proper aiding involves a sequence of maneuvers to reduce the risk of shock load on the system.  Are you using the most reliable method?  How do you improvise aid climb?  What if you come across a situation where you can’t free the pitch, but don’t have your aid equipment.  You’ll gain some experience with this to prepare you for the situation.

Cleaning

Cleaning an Aid Pitch

Ascending a line can be a fun experience or dangerous if you don’t do it correctly.  Gain experience ascending a fixed line so you can enjoy cleaning an aid pitch and not worry about it.  You learn a variety of methods for different situations.

Benefits

• What equipment works for you
• How to improvise aid
• Leading pitches with a reliable sequence
• How to ascend ropes for cleaning and jugging
• How to lower out from pendulums and traverses
• Confidence while aiding.

Logistics

Tuition:           $190 private course

$95 per person for 2-3 people: Maximum 3 people

Dates:             By arrangement

Available year round

Location:  Looking Glass or Lake Lure area.

Download PDF of:  Bigwall Info Packet