The KMAC Rock Camps are designed to make the connection and to bridge between indoor and outdoor climbing. 

Throughout the year we get calls and emails from parents asking about the same thing:
'My son/daughter has been climbing indoors and is doing quite well.  They are interested in outdoor instruction.  I want to make sure they can do it and do it safely.  What do you have for that?'

I’ve included an excerpt of one of my email responses below:

“The climbing camps are very well suited for students like your daughter who have climbed indoors and want to take those skills outside.  All of the climbing at Kmac is done outside on real rock. Having a very low student to guide ratio (sometimes as low a 2: 1) we are able to work closely with each student and tailor the course for each group.  Every day, students go to a different rock site.   

We immerse them in the climbing experience. They learn how to climb cracks, faces, overhangs, and other disciplines including “sport” climbing. Evenings are used for slide shows, reviewing video, reading about climbing, and working with gear in the rocks at camp.  

There is multi pitch climbing as well which requires belay stance changes and other advanced skills.  We gear the camp directly to each participant’s skill level.  There are usually 6 -8 students in each camp.  The kmac guides are all “climbers” with varying degrees of climbing experience. Just as important as their focus on safety is their ability to work with young people.”  -Harry Kent, Director, Kent Mountain Adventure Center

Our climbing camps are based around traditional climbing ethics and principles.  We are not about “bells and whistles”.  We are strictly about learning to rock climb safely and having fun while doing it.  

The Art of Rock Climbing
For over 30 years I have shared my passion and deep love for this sport with countless people of all ages.  Since KMAC’s inception in 1987 I have always tried to pass my approach to climbing on to my clients and to the kmac guides.  We have maintained that commitment of deeply shared ethical values and guidelines in teaching and guiding young students as they enter the vertical world.

Over the years I have seen the sport of rock climbing undergo many changes.  Advances in equipment continue to keep our sport moving forward allowing climbers to test their limits ever so much further.  This is vital and necessary as our sport evolves.  However I have often seen the “Bells and Whistles” approach distract students from being able to simply and in some cases even safely climb.  With all of these changes in the sport we must never loose touch with why we started to rock climb in the first place.  We must never loose the deep, personal satisfactions that our sport has and continues to give us. 

I realized many years ago that a day spent climbing outside whether it is at a local crag or in the mountains was a lot more than moving your hands and feet and trying to find holds.  It’s about the people we are with, the relationships that develop, and the camaraderie of being linked to a rope, and going through a shared experience that demands absolute trust and 100 percent “presence”.  The more I climb, the more I realize it’s as much about the relationships between the climbers as it is about climbing. 

 At Kent Mountain Adventure Center we do not “water down” the climbing experience. We focus on the art of climbing from every angle.   From placing protection perfectly, to proper foot and hand techniques, to talking and sharing and building new relationships.  Climbing is more than just a sport.  It reflects on an approach to life that is meaningful and important. 

Please call or email us with all of your questions.