Bettie Course: Women’s Outdoor Climbing

This Bettie Course is offered to women and individuals that identify as women through the Rocky Mountain Conservancy in collaboration with KMAC guides, located in Estes Park, CO. This experience is a two-day course that begins with the foundation for rock climbing outdoors, including an orientation to outdoor climbing gear, preparation and packing, and route finding, but builds to a full day of climbing at Lumpy Ridge. The goal is for students to expand upon foundational knowledge of rock climbing and to gain confidence to experience climbing outdoors, as well as build knowledge and skills in climbing ethics and Leave No Trace principles.

Day One will focus on orientation to climbing and gear, preparing for a climbing day-trip and includes an afternoon of climbing at Jurassic Park, which offers hundreds of routes on granite from 5.4 to 5.12 in a gorgeous setting. It requires a 30–45-minute hike.

Day Two builds upon the previous day, with a longer hike out and a full day of climbing at Lumpy Ridge.

We will begin each day at 8:00 am and return to Estes Park around 3:00 pm.

If you have climbed in a gym before and are ready to make a move to climbing outdoors, or are eager to be a more independent or confident climber, this is a perfect course for you! Instruction and guiding are adjusted based on the skills you come with, and each participant will leave feeling individually mentored. Registration fees are $350 for both days and include transportation to the trailheads from downtown Estes Park, RMNP entry fees, and climbing gear as needed (participants may use their own shoes, harness, etc.).

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Questions? Contact us at education@rmconservancy.org or 970-586-3262

Bettie Courses are inspired by the life and work of Beatrice “Bettie” Willard, who was a foundational instructor at the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Field Institute. Her research on alpine tundra ecology has been instrumental to mountain ecology, and her advocacy all throughout the state of Colorado has left a legacy for all women who value land stewardship and conservation. Rocky Mountain Conservancy’s Bettie Courses focus on accessible programs that introduce women and those that identify as women to the outdoors through a variety of programs and topics. Courses emphasize science, ecology, and building the outdoor skills and confidence needed to explore and defend wild places.

These courses are offered through Rocky Mountain Conservancy, where scholarships are provided through the Magnificent Mountain Women Scholarship Fund. For more information about scholarships, please submit an application by completing the form here: https://forms.gle/9pBNUS7g8t48KwJR8