When my partner and I (mid-40s couple from the flat midwest) booked with Front Range Climbing Company, we expected to do some light rock climbing in a lovely natural setting...a nice alternative to the usual walking tours of Colorado's mountain scenery. As total beginners, we knew we'd have to go slow and were mainly concerned with safety. This was also a pretty expensive indulgence for our budget, so we were a bit nervous about getting value for our dollar.
Well, we VASTLY underestimated the professional awesomeness of FRCC and especially of Jeff, our guide and guru.
Here's what DID happen:
1. We made five awesome and very different climbs in our half day trip, with Jeff tailoring the options based on what we wanted to see and do.
2. We felt safe and looked after at all times.
3. We learned how everything worked so we could check our own safety AND carry these new skills into our future climbing.
4. We had more positive energy and encouragement heaped on us by Jeff than we've had since our parents stopped coming to our little league games.
5. We saw things in the hills you can only see when you climb up there.
6. We tested our own limits, but at our own pace.
7. We looked up at people climbing where we had just been and said repeatedly and in awe, "We were up THERE?!"
8. We quite unexpectedly discovered a new activity we will be able to pursue for the rest of our lives.
Here's what did NOT happen:
1. We did not feel pressure to do anything we weren't ready to do. Jeff was always supportive and encouraged every choice we made, whether to go higher or come down or just wait a few minutes if we weren't sure which.
2. We did not have to jump in to the deep end. Jeff helped ease us into our climbing comfort zones (though it was NOT always "comfortable"...I mean, you are WAY up there!)
3. We did not stop grinning, laughing, and joking with Jeff for four solid hours.
Afterward, we agreed: this was the best single vacation activity we'd ever done. Not because it was perfect--it wasn't--but because Jeff and FRCC work very hard to make it be what you need it to be. If you're still reading this, you are exactly the right person to book a climb. Ou advice: pack plenty of water, stretch a little bit before and after you climb, and get ready to smile a lot.