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Bob Gaines, Director |
BOB GAINES is the Director of Vertical
Adventures Rock Climbing School, which he founded in 1983. Bob is an A.M.G.A.
Certified Rock Instructor (since 1995) and is a member of the A.M.G.A.
Instructor team. Bob teaches the A.M.G.A. Single Pitch Instructor Course at
Joshua Tree National Park and is also an examiner for the AMGA Single Pitch
Instructor Assessment. Bob is the author or co-author of 7 books on rock
climbing, including the instructional books
Climbing Anchors,
Climbing Anchors Field Guide, and his most recent book
Toproping, which is the recommended textbook for the AMGA
Single Pitch Instructor Course. His guidebooks include
Rock Climbing Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks, and
Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park.
Bob has pioneered over four hundred new routes at Joshua Tree
National Park, and over 130 first ascents at Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks,
Idyllwild. A former member of Yosemite's search and rescue team, Bob is a
veteran of Yosemite's big walls, with 5 ascents of El Capitan and 6 ascents of
Half Dome to his credit. His rock climbing exploits in Yosemite include the
second free ascent of the Lost Arrow Spire (5.12b) and the first free ascent of
Sentinel Rock's west face (5.12b) via a new route.
Since 1985 Bob has trained diverse groups of Military Special
Forces, including Marines Special Operations Training Group instructors, Delta
Force, and the elite Seal Team 6.
Bob has also worked as a stunt coordinator or rigging
coordinator for over 30 television commercials and numerous motion pictures. He
doubled for Captain Kirk in Star Trek V and was Sylvester Stallone's
climbing instructor for the movie Cliffhanger, in addition to his job as
Chief Safety Officer for the cast and crew of Cliffhanger during filming
on location in the Italian Dolomites.
Bob's recent interview in Climbing Magazine...
See a review of Bob's latest guidebook:
Best Climbs Joshua Tree National Park.
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Erik Kramer-Webb |
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ERIK KRAMER-WEBB has been guiding for Vertical
Adventures since 2001. He began climbing in the Sierra Nevada in 1987 and has
climbed at places such as the North Cascades in Washington, Utah's Indian
Creek, the Red Rocks of Nevada, Smith Rock in Oregon, the Chugach Range in
Alaska, and Squamish Chief in British Columbia. In Yosemite, he has climbed El
Capitan 5 times, including a one-day ascent of the Nose. Erik is a former
instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School, where he taught
mountaineering in the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades. He is known for his
clear and patient teaching style. Erik is an AMGA Certified Rock Instructor.
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Tony Sartin |
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TONY SARTIN'S
background includes exotic locales, from sea cliffs in Thailand to the huge
sandstone spires of Monument Valley, Arizona, and Moab, Utah. His big wall
climbs include Mexico's infamous Trono Blanco and a first ascent on Rainbow
Wall at Red Rocks, Nevada. Tony is regarded as one of Southern California's
strongest and most talented sport climbers, with 5.13 ascents to his credit.
Tony has been guiding professionally since 1997 and is an AMGA Certified Single
Pitch Instructor.
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Peter Croft |
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PETER CROFT is
one of America's foremost rock climbers. His feats in Yosemite are noteworthy
and legendary: in 1986 he climbed two of Yosemite's biggest walls, El Capitan
and Half Dome, in a single day, with John Bachar. In 1992 he climbed El Cap's
Nose Route in 4 hours 20 minutes. Known for his mastery of 5.13 cracks and
marathon solo climbs, Peter is also regarded as a patient teacher. This season
Peter will be hosting several
JOSHUA TREE ROCK CLIMBING
WEEKENDS.
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Tony Grice |
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TONY GRICE is a lifelong outdoorsman who
began serious pursuit of climbing in 1993. His dedication and enthusiasm for
the sport has taken him from the overhangs of New York's Shawangunks to the
sandstone cliffs of Nevada's Red Rocks and the Big Walls of Zion and Yosemite.
His passion lies in teaching safety consciousness in technical rock climbing to
people of all ages and skill levels. He has been teaching professionally since
2002 and is an AMGA Certified Rock Instructor.
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Chris Baumann |
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CHRIS BAUMANN began rock climbing in 1985
and has been a professional rock climbing guide since 2007. Chris is an AMGA
Certified Single Pitch Instructor. Known for his patient teaching style, Chris
especially enjoys introducing novices to the sport of rock climbing. Known for
his mastery of crack climbing techniques, his rock climbs in Yosemite include
Astroman, a 13 pitch 5.11c that is the goal for many crack climbing
aficionados. In the summer months, Chris offers rock climbing instruction and
rock climbing classes in the Lake Tahoe area, where he can be reached at
rockclimbinstone.com. |
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Dave Mayville |
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Dave Mayville
is among that elite group of Joshua Tree rock climbing guides with over 15
seasons of professional guiding experience. Dave specializes in guided climbs,
and is known for his great coaching ability. After assessing your skills, Dave
will take you on a series of routes designed to maximize your skill level.
Here's what one of his clients wrote:
"Thanks for a great day of
climbing in Joshua Tree! Dave was an excellent guide, very safe and patient
with me, as I had very little outdoor experience. I did tons of routes, with
lots of different styles and he gave me some great coaching. Although we only
climbed one day, I feel I've come away with some great strategies to improve my
technique. This was a great intro to Joshua Tree and I look forward to coming
back. Please pass on a big thank you to Dave."
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Guides work as Independent Contractors. It is customary to tip
your guide if you are pleased with their performance. |
