The Climbing Life Guides — Attraction in Joshua Tree

Tyler was amazing! (I had to say that right off the bat bc it's so true!) Nick and I have been climbing in a gym for a little under two months but wanted to transition to outdoor climbing. We decided to get a guide while we were at Joshua Tree because, well, it's freakin' JTree. We met up with Tyler this past Monday for a 4hr session. (I wish we had done longer!!!) And we haven't been able to stop discussing our experience or how awesome Tyler was since then.

Tyler is fantastic. He is super knowledgeable and really encouraging. He took us over to the Hidden Valley area for two routes and a crash course in anchoring. We had fun the whole time. I learned so much from technique, to gear, to history of climbing. He really knows his stuff and is passionate about it. His enthusiasm is contagious.

He also brought a camera to take pictures for us which is so cool. And he gave us his contact info in case we ever had questions, which is super rad. You can tell how much joy he gets from climbing and that he wants that for you. All three of us were nothing but smiles the whole time. Even when I got tired at the end he continued to mentor and encourage.

One of my favorite things was how he let us figure out our own way up each route and only when we were stuck did he point out holds. Sometimes we would try something and it wouldn't work so he'd show us a better way. But he always let us try first. I really liked that. I left the day feeling super pumped about climbing and wishing that Tyler lived by us so he could continue to guide us as we progress on this outdoor climbing adventure.

I'd also like to note that Nelson, the owner, was amazing in terms of getting us booked with Tyler. He emailed us and took the time to find out what experience we were looking for and what our background was so that they could tailor everything to us.

I definitely recommend this company. Get Tyler as a guide! I'm already planning when I can come back to tackle more! Thank you for the...

You might wonder why everyone who is reviewing Nelson is giving him 5 stars...you may also be wondering where the other reviews are, the ones with less than 5 stars. I hope you will believe me when I say that the reason they are not here is because he deserves 5 stars for his amazing work and personality that can match any climber. Nelson is a highly qualified climbing guide who can inspire anyone to climb. He exudes confidence and always keeps safety as the highest priority.

I hired Nelson for a 3-day private lead climbing course for my 18 year-old son and me. Nelson started out with the basics and my son and I were both leading by the third day. Nelson also spent a couple of hours on the most amazing fall-training that I have seen. Now, I am not fearful about falling, but rather am confidant in the skills necessary to fall safely. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but its true. My son and I learned to lead climb, belay safely and fall safely.

While we had climbing experience prior to our lessons, I also had the pleasure of watching Nelson teach beginners at the New Year's yoga, acro-yoga and climbing retreat led by earthplayretreats. Nelson was an excellent teacher and taught many of the yogis how to climb for the first time. He was able to communicate the necessary skills effectively and inspired everyone to get on the rocks, as well as challenge and enjoy themselves.

I would highly recommend Nelson for your climbing needs. His equipment is all top notch and he is a highly skilled instructor with safety as his top priority. Oh yeah...he is also...

The guides were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The adventure began with choosing the appropriate gear and a general background discussion to explain our on again off again rock climbing experience. We then drove to the Joshua Tree National park where the guide sowed his permit and annual pass to gain entry to the park. It was a holiday weekend so busy at the entryway but we stopped at an area that was not crowded. We were taken to the Dairy Queen rock climbing area.

Guide and owner, Nelson Day, set the top rope for us on 2 seperate routes in the same area. He was able to assess very quickly our different climbing levels and teach us various technical skills and techniques.

What I liked most about the staff at Climbing Life Guides is that they established that this was a "judgement free zone" and that they very nicely encouraged me to go up a route that was challenging for me and verbally directed me the entire way. I climbed my first 5.10a!

Every moment of my experience with The Climbing Life Guides, I felt safe, had fun, could ask questions and thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience from start to finish!!

When I go back to Joshua Tree, I will again use the Climbing Life Guides for all future trips and recommend them to my...