With the rise of climbing gyms and walls in schools and health clubs, more people understand that outdoor rock climbing is a sport, which groups of all sizes and abilities can enjoy together. Youth groups, scouts, bowling teams, or corporate teams can all enjoy a day out on the rock. Make your next outing an adventure everyone will remember.
Thanks for taking our two groups rock climbing this summer. The campers who went had a great time. They said the sessions went well, they learned a lot, and the instructors were very nice and good teachers. I hope we have more groups for you next year.
Mary Stutz- Atlantic Mountain Ranch Director
Group Options and Rates
Option #1) Discover Climbing: This is our most popular and most requested group option. We’ll meet your group up at Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park, suit up with climbing shoes, harness, helmet, and go get our hands on the Granite. We set up enough top ropes to challenge everyone at their own level, and have plenty of staff to keep things safe and fun. We cover just enough climbing info to get people on the rock and back down safely (the staff keeps a watchful eye on everyone). As time allows we teach students to belay and allow them to belay each other. The focus of the course is not so much to make climbers out of the group, but rather provide a memorable adventure that is the high point of any Black Hills trip. Can also be set up at Palisades State Park.
Approx. 4 hours
Cost: $42 plus tax per person
Option #2) Basic Rock: We start by top roping and getting used to climbing and using of all the gear, then move onto having the students belay their guides as they lead climbing routes, and the guides bring their students up the summits to rappel off. This challenges the students to learn a lot in a short period of time such that they can safely achieve the goal of belaying, climbing, summiting and rappelling. A busy day with all gear and equipment provided.
Time: Approx. 6 hours
Cost: $140 plus tax per person
Option #3) Tetons Prep Course: While working with Exum Guides of Jackson, WY, on a day long prep-course designed to get climbers ready for ascending the Grand Teton, we also discovered a great group/team building course. We cover the basics of tying in and belaying with a twist. The long standing tradition of the hip belay will be used to get participants up a 3 pitch route then face their fears of height and exposure by rappelling off the back side. Group members depend on one another to belay each other up the rock under the watchful eyes of the SR staff. The summit is beautiful and exposed enough to keep everyone's attention....in the words of my father on the way up the Grand Teton, "I now understand what you mean by EXPOSURE." Its something you have to experience!
Time: Approx. 5 hours
Cost: $85 plus tax per person
Option #4) Climbing Devils Tower: The Tower is a long term goal for many of our guest. If a group is highly motivated and comes to us with some prior experience we can try to do it in a 2 day course (Students must possess certain skills and physical abilities before we will allow them to attempt). Depending on how we do it, the Tower summit day is 5-7 pitches, and so desire and endurance are critical to success. Obviously the view from the top is wonderful. SR can set up camping at a convenient location very close to the Tower for a very reasonable fee. We may be able to work it out to do both days over at the tower if that is preferred. Day 1) An even more intense version of Basic Rock: We cover all the basis of climbing, rappelling AND introduce multi pitch climbing systems.Day 2) Up early for an Alpine start (as in 1st light, 4am in the summer) from the visitors center near the base of Devils Tower we hike up the base and begin our day. Groups of 2-4 students per guide will leave the ground for a full day of stemming, jamming, hanging out on belay ledges and summiting Devils Tower. Once there, the journey is only half over, as rappelling down beside the route we went up is its own adventure. 4 long raps get us to the ground. Expect to be worn out after this one!
With big groups it is greatly preferred that we split the group into two, and set things up so that they each summit on different days. The logistics will be far easier on everyone, and a higher degree of safety will be maintained. Putting a group of 20 on a busy route such as the Durrance is a real challenge. It can be done, but is not preferred. Definitely an experience everyone will remember!
Time: 2 long days
Cost: Call for options
Option #5) The Cathedral Spires Summits: These beautiful granite spires make up a high point of the Harney Range. 2-3 pitch routes of varying difficulty can offer an exciting way to learn what climbing is all about and have a chance to practice what you learn. The summits offer a unique view of Harney Peak and on a clear day one can see out to the plains and appreciate the sudden and dramatic uplift called the Black Hills. We have several options for climbing up there.
-We could do a long 1 day course.
-Begin with a Discover Climbing Adventure to get our feet on the ground and then come back the next day and head right up, and shoot for 2 summits. A great day and a half.
-Set up a 2 day Devils Tower prep course, and really have enough time to teach the group about rock climbing and allow time to practice what they are learning. This is great adventure climbing and groups bond with the beautiful, rugged, yet fragile area we have to enjoy.
Time: Lots of options
Cost: Varies with activity
Prices based on groups of 12. Prices for smaller or larger groups negotiable.
Courses & Guiding 
