The ArT of Offwidth Clinics

FALL 2025 joshua tree, ca OCT 31-NOV 2nd and NoveMBEr 7-9th

NEW Summer 2026 itatiaia national park, brazil, august contact me for more info and to register

FALL 2025 “Art of Offwidth” CLINICS Joshua Tree, CA Hosted by Athena Rock CLImbing

Cost: $1535 (INCLUDES INDOOR Lodging)

October 31–2nd & November 7–9th

✨ ALL genders welcome!

Clinic includes:

THREE days of climbing and instruction

☕ Breakfast, coffee and crag snacks

🦋 Hands on instruction from professional climber Pamela Shanti Pack who created the Art of Offwidth curriculum and professional climber and mentor Marcus Garcia.

✅ Learn wide crack climbing techniques from hand stacks to inverts!

✅ Climb on Joshua Tree’s most classic offwidths!

✅ Practice placing gear and learn tricks for leading wide cracks!

✅ Leave feeling more confident in your wide crack climbing abilities!

🔗 Spaces are limited. CONTACT ATHENA GUIDES at 301-978-6772 or athenaclimbing@gmail.com TO REGISTER

Overview

The  Art of Offwidth™ climbing clinics, developed by offwidth expert, prolific first ascentionist and professional climber Pamela Shanti Pack, are a great way to get into offwidth climbing and/or improve your offwidth skills. Offwidth cracks are too narrow to fit your whole body into and too wide to use standard crack climbing techniques. In these intensive three-day clinics, we will provide you with the necessary skill set to climb challenging offwidths from Utah to Yosemite. Our clinic will give you the chance to climb dozens of offwidth masterpieces in world class climbing destinations such as Joshua Tree, CA and Indian Creek, UT as you learn techniques and tricks from offwidth masters who have been in the sport for decades and established hundreds of first ascents and world-renowned test-pieces.

Our emphasis throughout the clinics is learning through climbing after we demonstrate appropriate techniques. Over the course of the three day clinic we will break down into small groups based on individual needs.

What It Includes

  • 3 Nights LODGING

  • 3 FULL days of Guided Rock Climbing

  • Specialized Instruction at a 3:1 ratio

  • BREAKFAST, Coffee and snacks

 We will provide a personal list of items and equipment that you need for your course

Key Concepts

  • Making tape gloves

  • Managing pain and protecting your body on offwidths

  • Pacing yourself, resting stances and moving efficiently

  • Managing fear and improving your mental game

  • Training for offwidths

  • Reading routes and evaluating hazards

Offwidth Techniques

  • Beginning to advanced offwidth techniques

  • Hand Stacks: Butterfly stacks, hand-fist stacks, fist-fist stacks

  • Upper body offwidth techniques: Arm-bars, chicken wings, elbow locks

  • Lower body offwidth techniques: Heel-toes, leg locks, calf-locks, knee locks

  • Chimneying and sidewinding

  • Introduction to Inverts

Gear Placement and Leading

  • Tips and techniques for leading and following offwidths

  • Gear placement and removal

  • Bumping cams

  • Navigating around big pro

  • Gear tagging techniques

  • Communication between the leader and belayer

  • Rope and gear management techniques

  • Miscellaneous offwidth tricks

Prerequisites

You must be proficient with basic knots, climbing commands and have experience belaying. The Art of Offwidth clinic is intended for climbers who at a minimum can follow 5.9 traditional climbs or 5.10 sport. Although only a basic fitness level is required, the more prepared you are, the more pitches you will be able to climb. We will provide you with training guidelines and suggestions before the clinic to help you prepare.

Weather

INDIAN CREEK CLINICS: The ethic in the desert is not to climb on wet sandstone because it damages the rock. The accepted practice is to wait a full day to climb once the rock becomes saturated. Please understand that it is indeed possible to get washed out by rain. We can and will work around sprinkles and non-saturating rain, so be sure to bring a rain jacket. No matter what month the clinic takes place, you will need clothing and sleeping layers for temperatures from extremely hot to extremely cold: check the weather in the days before you travel and pack for every possibility. We have experienced temperatures as low as 10 degrees in October and as hot as 90 degrees. If you can arrange to stay for one day beyond the length of the Clinic, we will climb Monday in the event of saturating rain

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