Clinics at VE- Bloomington
Join us in these unique clinics where topics include everything from learning basic skills, to identifying challenges, to other skills such as climbing photography. Our clinics take a deep dive in to specific content and work collaboratively with our local community. We are constantly adding new clinics, so continue to check this calendar to stay up-to-date! Suggestions are welcome, we'd love to hear from you!
Assisted Braking Belay Devices like the Grigri and the Megajul offer an added margin of safety and convenience to the user. In this clinic, we will practice feeding slack and lead belaying effectively with assisted braking devices.
Looking to take your climbing outdoors? In this clinic, we will discuss and practice skills necessary for making the transition from indoor lead climbing to outdoor sport climbing. Participants will learn about ethical and access concerns for outdoor climbing, practice using the gear necessary to climb outside, and learn and apply the skills necessary to establish and clean sport climbing anchors.
We all know the butt shot: Low-angle, low-quality, and low-excitement. In this clinic, we will explore tactics for taking higher-quality climbing photos. We will cover both photographic technique like framing, shutter speed, and exposure, as well as climbing-specific techniques for attaining the best possible angle to shoot from. This clinic is appropriate for both smart phone photography and dedicated cameras.
In this clinic, we will cover basic climbing techniques to help you progress towards more advanced climbing. This clinic will focus on basic footwork, usage of different types of holds, and strategies for reading routes and sequences. This clinic will be held in the bouldering area, but the skills learned can easily be applied to roped climbing.
Wondering what the wall full of weird holds in the training room is for? The spray wall is a potent tool for building strength, power, and technique to take your training to the next level. In this clinic, we will discuss how to use the spray wall, including climbing and setting problems on the Stokt app and using endurance circuits. We will talk about incorporating the spray wall into your training schedule, and also talk about other training boards like the Moon Board and Tension Board.
Crack Climbing 101 Clinic will teach you the basics of how to get your body parts stuck in a crack intentionally. Participants will learn and practice various hand- and foot-jamming techniques on our natural wall and learn tactics for improving their crack climbing
Hangboards and campus boards can be powerful tools for training finger strength and contact power. They can also, when used incorrectly, be an easy way to get injured. In this clinic, we will discuss who should be using these tools, how to use them, and how to build a training plan around them.
You’ve learned the basics of lead climbing and lead belaying, but there’s so much more to learn! In this clinic, we will cover advanced topics in lead climbing and lead belaying, including fear of falling and falling technique, soft catches and advanced catching technique, Gri-Gri and assisted braking device belaying, and belaying an out-of-sight climber. This clinic will take your lead climbing and belaying to the next level!
Working on routes at the limits of your ability is always going to be hard, but attacking your project with smart tactics can make the job easier. In this clinic, participants will learn tactics and steps for breaking down difficult routes, from the first stages of trying moves and working out crux sequences, through building links and memorizing beta, and on to the final stages of redpoint attempts. Don’t know what any of the previous terms mean? This may be the clinic for you!
The climb isn't over until you're back on the ground. In this clinic, you'll learn and practice rappeling, including setting up and extending the rappel and backing up the rappel device. Participants must be top belay qualified to participate in this clinic.