Flash Foxy Education Program
presented by Arc’teryx
Our goal is to provide accessible, standardized learning opportunities for climbers to learn from accredited AMGA-certified instructors, centering the experience of women and genderqueer folks, and creating a program that responds to the unique needs of all marginalized genders. In order to stand by our commitment to making education accessible, all Flash Foxy Education Courses are offered on a sliding scale. Additionally, full scholarships are available for most courses. This program is possible thanks to generous support from our presenting sponsor, Arc’teryx.
At this time, our education courses are only open to participants who identify as women or genderqueer climbers. Select programs may be open to allies and will be specifically noted.
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Provides resources and opportunities for folks in our community to attend and participate and/or teach at our events and education programs.
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What kinds of courses does Flash Foxy Education offer? So many! Check them out via the button below. Note: not all courses currently available.
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Got questions? Maybe we have the answer! If you don’t find the answer here, email us at education@flashfoxy.com.
Upcoming Courses
presented by Arc’teryx
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7/25: Intro to Outdoor Climbing (Seattle, WA) with Out in the Wild
7/26: Trad Mentorship (Seattle, WA) with Out in the Wild
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8/8: Intro to Outdoor Climbing (Boulder, CO) with Smile Mountain Guides
8/8-8/9: Trad Climbing 101 (Seattle, WA) with Out in the Wild
8/22-8/23: Multi-Pitch 101 (Boulder, CO) with Smile Mountain Guides
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9/5: Intro to Outdoor Climbing (Devils Lake, WI) with Devils Lake Climbing Guides
9/19: Rescue Skills 101 (Devils Lake, WI) with Devils Lake Climbing Guides
9/26-27: Multi-Pitch 101 (Smith Rock, OR) with Out in the Wild
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10/17: Rescue Skills 101 (Red River Gorge, KY) with Rise Outside
10/18: Trad Mentorship (Red River Gorge, KY) with Rise Outside
10/24-10/25: Multi-Pitch 101 (New Paltz, NY) with Rise Outside
10/30-11/1: Intro to Crack Climbing (Indian Creek, UT) with Smile Mountain Guides
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11/7: Trad Mentorship (New Paltz, NY) with Rise Outside
11/12-11/15: Deaf Affinity AMGA SPI Course with Sportrock Climbing Guides
*Please note schedule is always subject to change. All events are rain or shine. Lodging is not included.
COST Flash Foxy Education courses are offered on a sliding-scale starting at $50.
Full scholarships are available for most courses.
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Thanks to our generous sponsor Arc’teryx, all Flash Foxy Education Courses are offered on a sliding-scale! To ensure our programs are financially accessible, full scholarships are also available for most courses.
It’s up to you how much you pay, but here are some things you can keep in mind when deciding what price is best for you.
The average cost of a 2-day guided course is about $350.
The average cost of a 1-day guided course is about $200.
All the tuition payments go right back into this program so that we can run more courses and provided more full scholarships!
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Here’s a loose guideline to help you decide where you might fall on the sliding-scale:
It can be hard to pay rent and cover other basic necessities > Apply for a scholarship!
I can pay for basic necessities, but I do not have extra income for things like a climbing gym membership > Apply for a scholarship!
I can pay for basic necessities and some luxury items like a climbing gym membership > $50-$100
I am able to afford or save up for occasional weekend trips and the costs associated with that (rental car, park fees, owning gear, etc) > $100-$200
I can afford regular weekend trips and the costs associated with that (rental car, park fees, owning gear, etc) > $200-$300
I am financially comfortable and able to help support scholarships for future course participants > $300-$400
*Please also consider that income is not the same as wealth. Income is the amount of money you make. Wealth is passed down from generation to generation and usually takes the form of inheritances, land ownership, and/or earning power. We ask that you take into account not only your income but also your wealth when choosing your price point within our sliding scale.
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Trad Mentorship course is for climbers who are familiar with the technical skills required for placing traditional climbing gear and want to practice essential skills like lead climbing and anchor building/cleaning in a low-risk mock setting. Instructors will provide live feedback on gear placements, belay techniques, rope management, rappelling and anchor building/cleaning. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and build community with other trad climbers!
This is a skills intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors. Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!
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Experience placing traditional climbing gear, such as Flash Foxy's Trad Climbing 101, is required. Must know how to belay someone lead climbing. Participants must have some experience lead climbing (indoor or outdoors). Must be able to comfortably top rope 5.9 indoors or 5.6 at the course venue.
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Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, dynamic climbing rope and static lines, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, cams and stoppers, assisted and non-assisted belay/rappel devices, and friction cords.
Practice building common single pitch anchors on bolts and with traditional protection.
Practice building not-so-common single pitch anchors with terrain features.
Be proficient cleaning anchors via lowering + rappelling,.
Practice (mock) belaying a lead climber with an assisted-braking device, including setting up to belay, managing the rope, taking and giving slack, catching falls, and lowering a climber.
Practice (mock) leading up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through, placing and clipping gear, finding and maintaining stances, managing the rope, falling, and doing system checks with their belayer.
Be knowledgeable about anchoring (“rigging”) and trad climbing jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in trad climbing.
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Sof Petros, Chloe Goyal
Intro to Outdoor Climbing
DATES: August 8
LOCATION: Boulder, CO (Golden)
in partnership with Smile Mountain Guides
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy's Intro to Outdoor Climbing course is great for everyone from first-timers to experienced indoor climbers who want to try top roping outdoors. Top roping is one of the most accessible forms of climbing, and this course will give you all the tools you need to get started or build on the knowledge you already have. We’ll cover basic outdoors skills, technical systems, and provide tips and tricks to help you have the best outdoor climbing experience possible.
This program focuses on providing students with maximum active climbing time with minimal ground-school instruction.
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None, beginners welcome!
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Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, carabiners, and belay devices.
Experience and participate in common practices, including stretching, warming up, reading a route, and working a route.
Be proficient climbing up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through and doing system checks with their belayer.
Practice and receive coaching on basic and intermediate climbing movement.
Be knowledgeable about top roping jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in top roping.
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Sadie Sullivan & Nathan Schumacher
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*This is a 2-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Trad Climbing 101 course equips climbers with the skills they need to explore the adventurous practice and spirit of traditional climbing whether you're new to the craft or trying to refine the skills you already have. We’ll cover the essentials like learning how to place stoppers and cams, and we’ll also have candid conversations about risk and how to manage it when the variables start to add up. We'll practice lead belay techniques on tube-style and assisted breaking belay devices, and finish up with the basics of building and cleaning anchors on bolts.
You will have the opportunity to (mock) lead traditional climbing routes; however, most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!
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Must know how to belay someone on top rope. Participants have top-roped a minimum of ten climbs on at least three separate occasions (indoor or outdoors). Experience sport climbing (indoors or outdoors) and/or following trad climbs is helpful but not required.
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Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, cams and stoppers, and belay/rappel devices.
Experience and participate in common practices, including stretching, warming up, reading a route, and working a route.
Practice (mock) belaying a lead climber with an assisted-braking device, including setting up to belay, managing the rope, taking and giving slack, and lowering a climber.
Practice (mock) leading up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through, placing and clipping gear, finding and maintaining stances, managing the rope, and doing system checks with their belayer.
Practice building and cleaning common single pitch anchors, including via lowering + rappelling.
Be knowledgeable about trad climbing jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in trad climbing.
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Bennett Rahn & Colleen Roberts
Multi-pitch 101
DATES: August 22-23
LOCATION: Boulder, CO (Golden)
in partnership with Smile Mountain Guides
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*This is a 2-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Multi-pitch 101 course equips climbers with the know-how to climb and descend from routes longer than one rope-length. This course covers essentials like building multi-pitch anchors, taking the roles of leader and follower, rappelling from a multi-pitch route, staying safe and organized during transitions at anchors, and solving basic problems on routes. Our instructors will provide low-risk environments for practice and review the skills you need to continue your practice after the course. We’ll also discuss navigation, what to bring, and how to plan for your adventures. This is a skills-intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors.
Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared with comfortable but capable shoes!
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Must know how to belay someone lead climbing. Some experience lead climbing (sport or trad) is required. Participants have led a minimum of 5 climbs (sport or trad). Must be able to comfortably top rope 5.9 indoors or 5.6 at the course venue.
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Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, assisted and non-assisted belay/rappel devices, and friction cords.
Practice building common multi-pitch anchors on bolts and with natural features.
Understand techniques to add safety for both a leader and a follower in multi-pitch terrain.
Be proficient in belaying a follower from an anchor at the top of a pitch using a variety of belay devices.
Practice (mock) leading and following a multi-pitch route, including clipping gear, managing the rope, building anchors, securing oneself to anchors, belaying a follower, cleaning gear from a pitch, and communicating as a team.
Practice multi-pitch transitions when alternating leaders and when leading in blocks (same leader on consecutive pitches).
Practice transitions from climbing to rappelling, as well as transitions for multiple rappels in a row.
Be proficient in rappelling using an extended belay device and third hand.
Be knowledgeable about route planning, navigation, and what to bring on multi-pitch outings.
Connect with other climbers interested in multi-pitch climbing.
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Sadie Sullivan & Nathan Schumacher
Intro to Outdoor Climbing
DATES: September 5
LOCATION: Devils Lake, WI
in partnership with Devils Lake Climbing Guides
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy's Intro to Outdoor Climbing course is great for everyone from first-timers to experienced indoor climbers who want to try top roping outdoors. Top roping is one of the most accessible forms of climbing, and this course will give you all the tools you need to get started or build on the knowledge you already have. We’ll cover basic outdoors skills, technical systems, and provide tips and tricks to help you have the best outdoor climbing experience possible.
This program focuses on providing students with maximum active climbing time with minimal ground-school instruction.
-
None, beginners welcome!
-
Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, carabiners, and belay devices.
Experience and participate in common practices, including stretching, warming up, reading a route, and working a route.
Be proficient climbing up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through and doing system checks with their belayer.
Practice and receive coaching on basic and intermediate climbing movement.
Be knowledgeable about top roping jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in top roping.
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Ivy Leung & Ariahna Johnson
Rescue Skills 101
DATES: September 19
LOCATION: Devils Lake, WI
in partnership with Devils Lake Climbing Guides
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Rescue Skills 101 course helps you prepare for those inevitable mishaps at the crag, and how to extricate you and your climbing partners from them so you don’t have to call for a rescue. We’ll cover basic methods of ascending a rope to help a climber, assisting a climber through a crux, taking over a belay from someone else, and simple rappel techniques. We'll use scenarios to explore improvised solutions and best practices, instead of just teaching a few cookie-cutter drills that might not apply in the real world, and you’ll leave with a solid set of tools to handle most situations that could happen at a crag.
This is a skills intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors. Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!
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Must know how to belay someone on top rope. Some experience top rope climbing, indoors or outdoors is required.
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Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, and belay devices, and friction cords.
Practice basic rescue skills when belaying from below, including belay takeovers, ascending (including improvised tools), assisting a stuck climber, and lowering with another climber in the system, with coaching and feedback from instructors.
Practice rescue skills when belaying from above, including assisting and hauling a stuck climber.
Be proficient at descending and rappelling in the single pitch setting.
Be knowledgeable about rescue jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in single pitch climbing.
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Matt Moy & Michal Watson
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*This is a 2-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Multi-pitch 101 course equips climbers with the know-how to climb and descend from routes longer than one rope-length. This course covers essentials like building multi-pitch anchors, taking the roles of leader and follower, rappelling from a multi-pitch route, staying safe and organized during transitions at anchors, and solving basic problems on routes. Our instructors will provide low-risk environments for practice and review the skills you need to continue your practice after the course. We’ll also discuss navigation, what to bring, and how to plan for your adventures. This is a skills-intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors.
Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared with comfortable but capable shoes!
-
Must know how to belay someone lead climbing. Some experience lead climbing (sport or trad) is required. Participants have led a minimum of 5 climbs (sport or trad). Must be able to comfortably top rope 5.9 indoors or 5.6 at the course venue.
-
Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, assisted and non-assisted belay/rappel devices, and friction cords.
Practice building common multi-pitch anchors on bolts and with natural features.
Understand techniques to add safety for both a leader and a follower in multi-pitch terrain.
Be proficient in belaying a follower from an anchor at the top of a pitch using a variety of belay devices.
Practice (mock) leading and following a multi-pitch route, including clipping gear, managing the rope, building anchors, securing oneself to anchors, belaying a follower, cleaning gear from a pitch, and communicating as a team.
Practice multi-pitch transitions when alternating leaders and when leading in blocks (same leader on consecutive pitches).
Practice transitions from climbing to rappelling, as well as transitions for multiple rappels in a row.
Be proficient in rappelling using an extended belay device and third hand.
Be knowledgeable about route planning, navigation, and what to bring on multi-pitch outings.
Connect with other climbers interested in multi-pitch climbing.
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Rosa Padilla & Samie Hohl
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Rescue Skills 101 course helps you prepare for those inevitable mishaps at the crag, and how to extricate you and your climbing partners from them so you don’t have to call for a rescue. We’ll cover basic methods of ascending a rope to help a climber, assisting a climber through a crux, taking over a belay from someone else, and simple rappel techniques. We'll use scenarios to explore improvised solutions and best practices, instead of just teaching a few cookie-cutter drills that might not apply in the real world, and you’ll leave with a solid set of tools to handle most situations that could happen at a crag.
This is a skills intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors. Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!
-
Must know how to belay someone on top rope. Some experience top rope climbing, indoors or outdoors is required.
-
Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, and belay devices, and friction cords.
Practice basic rescue skills when belaying from below, including belay takeovers, ascending (including improvised tools), assisting a stuck climber, and lowering with another climber in the system, with coaching and feedback from instructors.
Practice rescue skills when belaying from above, including assisting and hauling a stuck climber.
Be proficient at descending and rappelling in the single pitch setting.
Be knowledgeable about rescue jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in single pitch climbing.
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Cat Runner & Genevive Walker
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Trad Mentorship course is for climbers who are familiar with the technical skills required for placing traditional climbing gear and want to practice essential skills like lead climbing and anchor building/cleaning in a low-risk mock setting. Instructors will provide live feedback on gear placements, belay techniques, rope management, rappelling and anchor building/cleaning. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and build community with other trad climbers!
This is a skills intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors. Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!
-
Experience placing traditional climbing gear, such as Flash Foxy's Trad Climbing 101, is required. Must know how to belay someone lead climbing. Participants must have some experience lead climbing (indoor or outdoors). Must be able to comfortably top rope 5.9 indoors or 5.6 at the course venue.
-
Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, dynamic climbing rope and static lines, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, cams and stoppers, assisted and non-assisted belay/rappel devices, and friction cords.
Practice building common single pitch anchors on bolts and with traditional protection.
Practice building not-so-common single pitch anchors with terrain features.
Be proficient cleaning anchors via lowering + rappelling,.
Practice (mock) belaying a lead climber with an assisted-braking device, including setting up to belay, managing the rope, taking and giving slack, catching falls, and lowering a climber.
Practice (mock) leading up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through, placing and clipping gear, finding and maintaining stances, managing the rope, falling, and doing system checks with their belayer.
Be knowledgeable about anchoring (“rigging”) and trad climbing jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in trad climbing.
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Cat Runner & Genevive Walker
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*This is a 2-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Multi-pitch 101 course equips climbers with the know-how to climb and descend from routes longer than one rope-length. This course covers essentials like building multi-pitch anchors, taking the roles of leader and follower, rappelling from a multi-pitch route, staying safe and organized during transitions at anchors, and solving basic problems on routes. Our instructors will provide low-risk environments for practice and review the skills you need to continue your practice after the course. We’ll also discuss navigation, what to bring, and how to plan for your adventures. This is a skills-intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors.
Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared with comfortable but capable shoes!
-
Must know how to belay someone lead climbing. Some experience lead climbing (sport or trad) is required. Participants have led a minimum of 5 climbs (sport or trad). Must be able to comfortably top rope 5.9 indoors or 5.6 at the course venue.
-
Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, climbing rope, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, assisted and non-assisted belay/rappel devices, and friction cords.
Practice building common multi-pitch anchors on bolts and with natural features.
Understand techniques to add safety for both a leader and a follower in multi-pitch terrain.
Be proficient in belaying a follower from an anchor at the top of a pitch using a variety of belay devices.
Practice (mock) leading and following a multi-pitch route, including clipping gear, managing the rope, building anchors, securing oneself to anchors, belaying a follower, cleaning gear from a pitch, and communicating as a team.
Practice multi-pitch transitions when alternating leaders and when leading in blocks (same leader on consecutive pitches).
Practice transitions from climbing to rappelling, as well as transitions for multiple rappels in a row.
Be proficient in rappelling using an extended belay device and third hand.
Be knowledgeable about route planning, navigation, and what to bring on multi-pitch outings.
Connect with other climbers interested in multi-pitch climbing.
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Hann Smiley & Athe Torri Cervantes
Intro to Crack Climbing
DATES: October 31- November 1
LOCATION: Indian Creek, UT
in partnership with Smile Mountain Guides
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*This is a 2-day course.
This course equips climbers with the fundamental movement techniques for crack climbing from thin to wide sizes. This course covers essentials like, warming up, taping, body positioning, jamming, friction, rock assessment, and route reading. Our instructors will provide low-risk environments for practicing and to review the skills you will need to continue climbing in different cracks. We’ll also discuss the desert environment and how to plan for your adventures with a leave-no-trace mindset.
This is a climbing-intensive course. All of our course time will be spent either climbing or belaying at a single pitch crag. Come prepared to choose your challenge and support others!
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Must know how to belay someone on top rope. Some experience top rope climbing, indoors or outdoors is required.
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Have a working knowledge of crack climbing.
Understand size of cracks, correlation to physical anatomy and sizes for gear.
Practice efficiency with jamming thin to wide cracks.
Improve footwork, body positioning, and energy management.
Learn resting, sequencing and transitions.
Connect with other climbers interested in crack climbing.
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Meg Nickman & Jess Worley
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*This is a 1-day course.
Flash Foxy’s Trad Mentorship course is for climbers who are familiar with the technical skills required for placing traditional climbing gear and want to practice essential skills like lead climbing and anchor building/cleaning in a low-risk mock setting. Instructors will provide live feedback on gear placements, belay techniques, rope management, rappelling and anchor building/cleaning. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and build community with other trad climbers!
This is a skills intensive course, and we’ll focus on learning fundamentals on the ground, then practicing those skills in a low-risk vertical setting with review and feedback from our instructors. Most of our course time will be spent working on skills with very little rock climbing, so come prepared to spend time hanging in your harness!
-
Experience placing traditional climbing gear, such as Flash Foxy's Trad Climbing 101, is required. Must know how to belay someone lead climbing. Participants must have some experience lead climbing (indoor or outdoors). Must be able to comfortably top rope 5.9 indoors or 5.6 at the course venue.
-
Have a working knowledge of key equipment, including climbing shoes, harnesses, helmets, chalk, dynamic climbing rope and static lines, slings/cordelette, carabiners, quickdraws and alpine draws, cams and stoppers, assisted and non-assisted belay/rappel devices, and friction cords.
Practice building common single pitch anchors on bolts and with traditional protection.
Practice building not-so-common single pitch anchors with terrain features.
Be proficient cleaning anchors via lowering + rappelling,.
Practice (mock) belaying a lead climber with an assisted-braking device, including setting up to belay, managing the rope, taking and giving slack, catching falls, and lowering a climber.
Practice (mock) leading up and lowering down a route, including tying-in with the figure eight follow-through, placing and clipping gear, finding and maintaining stances, managing the rope, falling, and doing system checks with their belayer.
Be knowledgeable about anchoring (“rigging”) and trad climbing jargon.
Connect with other climbers interested in trad climbing.
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Hann Smiley & Carol Garfinkle
*Scroll through the calendar to see both upcoming and past programs!
*Wondering what course is right for you? Check out our Guide to Courses!
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