EMS Climbing School & Technical Gear Shop

The place is amazing. I was hesitant about rock climbing but decided to give it a try. Too bad that as soon as I started the lady instructor (Patti) became a little rude and impatient while giving me instructions. I was very disappointed and uncomfortable, not a good experience.

Wonderful experience. We did a 3 day private rock climbing with guide Patti. (2:1). Was everything we could have hoped for and more. We were two slightly different strength levels and Patti focused on our needs independently and still guided us together on many pitches each day. We would definitely go again and recommend EMS (private lessons-didn’t experience the group class) for anyone seeking to learn/​improve outdoor rock climbing.

I just got back from a self rescue class with Eric at EMS and it was an excellent experience! I can’t stress enough to everyone that if you climb, you NEED to take this class! You may think you know how to get out of a situation but you would be surprised how much knowledge it takes to rescue yourself or your partner. Eric was an excellent instructor and walked us through the basics right on up to us going through a real life rescue scenario. Two thumbs up! Thanks guys!

I think the average rating here is simply because if our guide. The day was nice. The trails and cliffs were beautiful. Our group was three, very fit people. EMS had plenty of necessary equipment ready to go. No bathrooms easily accessible at EMS base which was unfortunate. Guide was nice but not phenomenal. Too much talking and not enough climbing. Was a little rude when some in our group struggled to make for difficult moves. Wasn’t always with us/​talked to others a little too often considering what we paid for private climbing lessons. I don’t think I’d necessarily come back here. It was fun to learn to climb, but I think we would’ve had a better time going through another school.

Took a two day trad class that was solid. A great mix of hands on rock and gear, asking questions etc. Carolyn is super duper knowledgeable. With her, nothing is wrong, there are just better ways to do something. She is super patient and kind. I felt the class was real thorough.

I just finished a Learn to Lead class with Carolyn– it was spot-​on! Safety was properly honored. Carolyn was highly professional, responsive, and thorough. I would highly recommend her and this course as a great way to get you crushing the Gunks! A+++

These guys are the bomb!

With a background in education and having taken numerous outdoor based education courses including mountaineering, rock climbing, wilderness medicine and ice climbing I feel that I can offer an honest and insightful look into EMS’s climbing school in New Paltz, NY. First off I took the 3 day intro to leading (traditional climbing)
with a small group of 3 students to 1 guide.
I made my reservation online and quickly got a reservation confirmation in my email inbox complete with a paired down pack list. It said that bringing gear was optional but I was glad that I brought my own rack to play with. There was one follow up generic email before the class asking if I had any last minute questions but no actual schedule of what to expect, especially with regard to the weather.
With rain for the first day of the class we spent our first half of our day inside and surprisingly in the café next door. I was surprised that EMS didn’t actually have a classroom and presumed/​would suggest that it would, outfitted with a chalkboard, video and possibly a couple of bolts to build cordelletes and lengths of line available to tie knots with. Nevertheless we followed a helpful list prepared by the owner of the shop that outlined the skills we should know or should continue to work on in the coming days of the class. After lunch we proceeded outside to actually practice placing protection.
This was the most helpful as we were able to place and then solicit feedback from our obviously knowledgable guide. The good thing was we kept doing and doing it and gained solid practice.
The following day the rain held off and we spent the morning and the rest of the next two days were spent practicing placing pro on the ground and eventually working our way up to «mock leading» on top rope where we also discussed rope management, belaying seconds, rappelling, and belay escape.
The main reason that I gave this class 3 stars is that despite some standardization of skills with a written curriculum I felt that the class didn’t follow as organized a progression of building skills as maybe I had hoped. I understand that instruction in the outdoors has to be fluid and adjust to the skills of the group and weather etc, I just wished that there was a clearer plan to be followed with a better infrastructure ie classroom to back it up.
All that said, the Guide, Jason was friendly, professional and very knowledgable. He offered great feedback and did a great job of keeping us all engaged and who can complain about climbing in the Gunks.
Also for those who have gotten this far if you end up taking this class you automatically get charged for a 3 day pass around $ 50. You can opt for a year long membership at around $ 90 and I reccomend that you do this.

EMS offers a great selection of outdoor activities. I just took their Winter Climb 101 and had a great time. Jason, the guide, was pretty knowledgable on the techniques and provided good tips on how to get through the harder parts. The group rates are pretty good, if you go solo it’s $ 150 a person for a climbing to guide ratio of 4:1.
I’ll give their outdoor rock climbing classes a try once the season starts up.