Great experience, the instruction felt personal, and time on the rocks was maximized. Shoutout to the incredible instructors, Shankar, Carissa and Taylor; they were relaxed, down to earth and cool. They were thorough with safety and technique, and I felt confident with the basic knowledge I left with.
My son and I did an introductory climbing day a couple of years ago with Sylvan Rocks. That day made my son fall in love with climbing. Last week, we returned for a three-day climbing session, and it was even better than the first. Our guide Shankar gave us three amazing days that culminated in my son's ascent of Spires 2 and 3 of the Cathedral Spires in Custer State Park. He was patient, good-humored, and laser-focused on safety while dealing both with my beginner's mistakes, and with my son's need for technical training. While he pushed me to stretch my limits, there was never any point at which I felt it was inappropriate. And, we got to the top of the "Aquarium." On top of all that, Shankar's just a really cool guy. I feel that we got more than our money's worth out of this experience, and we will be back to climb again with Sylvan Rocks.
My 8 year old daughter and I had never been climbing before and we’re looking for a fun challenge. I was a little apprehensive about this because I wanted to help my daughter overcome her fear of heights and also have a good time. The whole experience was first class from start to finish. Jeff, the co-owner, was friendly, easy to get ahold of, patiently answered my many questions, and was even flexible with a last minute schedule change. He was also great with kids! Ryan and Chris were our guides over two days and both went above and beyond to make sure we had a good experience. Every step of the way, they thoroughly followed safety precautions which made our first time climbing much more enjoyable. They also were great with kids and pleasant to work with. It was rewarding as a parent to see our child build confidence! All in all, our first experience was excellent and my daughter and I have now found a new hobby we can enjoy together. I would highly recommend Sylvan Rocks Climbing to any parent looking to enjoy the outdoors with their kids or anyone looking for a new challenge. Thank you Sylvan for a great time!
