Hi, my name is Paulina and I don’t know how to set anchors. After many climbing trips of sheepishly admitting to my friends that I don’t know how to, I decided to change that. Over the weekend, I took an anchors and self-rescue class with SAANO Adventures. Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to head to Cragmont Park in Berkeley, CA.
Max Stewart, the owner and our instructor for the day, greeted us cheerfully despite the gloomy skies and downpour. Then we got to work geeking out and talking about safety, gear and practicing knots, knots, and more knots.
When the skies cleared up, the fun really began. We practiced setting up anchors around natural features and then moved to setting anchors with bolts and nuts and cams. Lastly, we practiced a belay take over and rescuing the climber. Unfortunately, it was getting dark out so I don’t have any photos of this portion.
Due to inclement weather, the class ended up running a little longer than expected. However, it was great fun! Max was super hands on with everyone, and incredibly patient. The class was challenging, thought provoking, and packed with tons and tons of information. I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t spend much time on the self-rescue portion, but I mainly took it for the anchors knowledge. It would be cool if there was a separate class on just rescue though, since we kind of rushed through that last part. Definitely looking forward to going out and practicing everything I’ve learned, and not being a climbing mooch!
If you’re in the Bay Area and you’re looking to learn or brush up on your anchor skills, I highly recommend a trip with SAANO Adventures! This class costs $99 with an option for a $20 ride to and from the crag out of San Francisco. The courses are organized by city and by date.
Check San Francisco activities here! For $10 off a trip or class, book your adventure, and email info@saanoadventures with your e-receipt and my name and email address (hello@stg.littlegrunts.com).
Keep up the great posts!! I’ve enjoyed checking your site on occasion. Thank you!
Was extremely impressed and inspired by Max. He is extremely knowledgable, very passionate, and caring. Took two one-day classes with him this past weekend and learned so much. He stayed an hour and half after class was scheduled to end each day to continue teaching. He could answer almost very question I could think of. He is attentive and goes out of the way to be a great person to learn from. He is very articulate, professional, and patient. He was responsive over email before I took this class. He prepared a detailed outline for both of the classes with a thought out itinerary. He lets students borrow his own gear for the class. Couldn’t conceive of a better teacher. Can’t overstate how pleased I am from Saano Adventures.