Fantastic day in the backcountry with Scott! Extremely knowledgeable of the area. Scenery was spectacular and skiing was a blast! Felt very safe in variable conditions. Will definitely be going back. read more

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What an amazing experience for our level 1 AIARE class! My 15 year old son and I took this last weekend and could not be happier. Aidan Goldie our instructor was a complete rockstar! He's super experienced in backcountry skiing and educating and he's a high school science teacher so he really did a great job of presenting the material in an easy to understand and absorb manner. We absolutely loved the course and feel much more comfortable in planning and exciting our next back country adventure. Great job Apex! We will refer you and we will be back! read more

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Scott, Chris and Jack are the most amazing guides! They are knowledgeable, patient and really made our ice climbing experience extra memorable. We had such an epic adventure ice climbing then glissading. Our group would highly recommend Apex Mountain School. read more

Our group had a blast hiking, ice climbing, and glissading this past weekend! Our guides, Scott, Chris, and Jack were extremely safety-oriented, which helped even our most apprehensive climbers feel secure and confident ascending a beautiful frozen waterfall. read more

The instructors were knowledgeable and engaging in the coursework creating a phenomenal experience. No questions were off boundaries. Josh, my instructor, was a great teacher when it came to taking his experience as an expert in the backcountry and teaching a novice when in the field. Highly recommend. read more

What a great experience! I have always been interested in going ice climbing and apex mountain school did a perfect job facilitating my first climb. I regularly boulder and have top roped, but was new to all the other aspects of ice climbing. My guide, Erik, did a masterful job of teaching me the fundamentals. He was incredibly patient, relaxed, professional and experienced. I was somewhat surprised at how tiring this mode of climbing can be. I only managed about 5-6 ascents in the span of 6 hours and had to take breaks on over half of those for a 50-75 foot route. The ice was in great condition though, and it was an experience well worth the money! read more

Apex Mountain School - Rock Climbing Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Worth every penny. Scott at Apex Mountain School goes above and beyond to deliver a very well thought out learning experience while keeping things light and fun. Would recommend the AIARE Level 1 course to anyone interested in learning more about exploring in the back country. Insider tip: Ask Scott about his love for skiing with dogs read more

Apex Mountain School - Buckeye - Rock Climbing Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Went on a half day rock climbing trip with Scott at Red Cliff. The climbing area has beautiful views! Scott was a great guide with tons of knowledge and the perfect demeanor. Our group had 2 beginner adults and 2 beginner kids (6 & 10) plus one semi-experienced climber. Scott was so great with the kids. He helped the new climbers feel comfortable on the rock and worked with them through their anxiety. He made sure we tried to maximize our time and was very conscious of all the needs of our entire group. Very professional and safe. If you're reading this far, book the trip! read more

Apex Mountain School - Views - Rock Climbing Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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Amazing group that safely teaches you the ins and outs of avalanche safety and rescue. The combination of field days and classroom session was a great blend of teaching styles. Would definitely recommend the combo program for anyone to get into back country skiing. read more

Yes. I recommend highly. I called to ask a simple question in regards to avalanche training, but had about a 20 minute conversation. The owner Scott, took the time to consult me on an array of questions I had in regards to all sorts of professional mountain recreation. To put it plainly, He saved me hours of research time. Additionally, he was funny and very professional. I've heard good things about Apex, but he sealed the deal. I look forward to training with Apex. read more

BACKGROUND: Wilderness First Responder. Advanced Wilderness Life Support Instructor. Multiple medical and non med certifications. Steep earth rescue, mountain medicine, cold weather medicine. Prior military with combat deployment. There is a distinct difference between being talented and experienced in a particular subject, and being able to teach that subject. My experience at Apex Mountain School demonstrates that while their instructor cadre is without doubt talented and experienced in avalanche and backcountry travel, a large number of them are absolutely atrocious instructors. - LACK OF ORGANIZATION. Instructors were unsure of who was presenting what powerpoint, to the point where they were discussing and flip flopping who was going to go next. Worse yet, one instructor clearly hadn't read the powerpoint he was presenting on, as each slide was as much of a surprise to him as it was to us. - LACK OF FOCUS. Multiple references were made about "shredding gnar pow" and "mad pow disease", which the not-very-cheap avalanche course we paid for seemed to only get in the way of. The head instructor repeatedly asked if students wanted to "get some lines in", which was clearly at the opportunity-time-cost of our education. A lift ticket costs $85 bucks kids, if you want to hit the slopes, this is an extremely expensive and wasteful way to do that. - LACK OF SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. Often would be caught rambling to himself and telling "I'm really cool" stories, delaying timeline objectives. His departure and return timelines would read, verbatim: "We'll leave by 9:10 for sure. If not that, then 9:15. Definitely by 9:30. But definitely no later than 10:00.". We ultimately made it back to return our rental gear with only 15 minutes to spare, and this is while we insisted on leaving early and the head instructor telling us "it's cool man, they'll wait for you", demonstrating a lack of respect for a rental shop staff's time as well. This whole debacle is almost a lesson in itself in poor trip planning and lack of coordination resulting in potential danger and threat to safety. - LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM. The head instructor, while very nice, easy-going, and experienced, had painfully low teaching energy, could not read the non verbal cues in the room, and functionally muttered to himself as he went through websites and pit digging. Looking around, nearly everyone was eyes on the ground and spacing out. He would make and ask loaded statements and questions ("Isn't this the best course you've ever taken?" or alternatively "If this is a huge waste of your time please raise your hand."), which any novice instructor will tell you completely negates the grounds for any live-feedback or constructive criticism. We switched instructors on one of the last days, who was a godsend and a purposefully engaged, focused, and dedicated teacher. He actually took us through a snowpit and some actual snow science while the other half of the group "shredded pow". Avalanche education is not cheap, and there are a ton of options out here in Colorado. Don't let the pretty website fool you. Pick another company that is dedicated and focused on the students' education and not on their own skiing trip. One guy seemingly loved our main instructor, but other than him, after discussing w/ some of my classmates - we all felt that this course was significantly below minimal expectations. Unprofessional, poorly coordinated, expensive, and minimal learning from an education standpoint. An embarrassing demonstration in how to be really experienced in a complicated topic but have no idea how to properly teach it. read more

Had a really amazing experience with Apex Mountain school taking my AIRE1 certification. I came in having done some background research and had a lot of questions I wanted to ask from the reading I had done. Jill and Mike covered most of it in the class on the first day and had the patience to answer all of my technical questions, even if outside of the scope of the class. In the field, my group was with Jill and she took us through the gamut of observations, pointing out how to identify avalanche problems in the field and taking us through risk analysis in order to make the best navigational decisions. On the second field day, Jill took us through an in depth analysis of a snow pit and was able to answer any questions I had at length and, again, was very patient with the group until we all understood each concept thoroughly. Will be choosing Apex for my future buddy rescue and AIRE2 courses. read more

This review is about nine months belated, but I committed to myself that I'd share praise for Scott so others can find his outfit and I'm getting around to it before a year's elapsed! I was on vacation with my parents (who are both over the age of 60 and are both hale and hearty, thankfully!) in the Avon area. While they're in sound shape to go on moderate hikes (say, to and from Hanging Lake), they're not exactly rarin' to go white water rafting or on comparable adventurous outings. Enter: Apex Mountain School. I'd done some digging on various outdoor rock climbing guides and had found a handful that looked promising. I'll admit that Apex wasn't the first one that I reached out to, mostly on account of pricing. However, the other guiding company (the name eludes me now) that I contacted first didn't get back to me in time and it turns out that their guide was unavailable anyhow. By whatever whimsy of the universe, I lucked into speaking with Scott at Apex Mountain School and I'm so much better off for it! Initially, I'd booked Scott's company for a morning of outdoor climbing. What started off as just a request for a guided excursion ended up being a morning-long private lesson on/introduction to trad climbing with Scott, the entrepreneur/owner himself. Scott was extremely generous with his time and knowledge and I couldn't have asked for a more memorable and worthwhile experience. After meeting up at their offices, we departed for a nearby private crag (it was once on public land, but was later purchased by an individual. Scott's company has sole guiding privileges to the climbs there. Ask him about the story on how that came about -- it's worth a listen). I'd only expected to lead a couple of climbs, but I ended up getting a private trad climbing class! For the uninitiated, this entails placing protection/gear into cracks in rock faces to prevent falls if you slip on a climb. Error may result in injury or death. I've always been intimidated by this style of climbing -- as a result, I've only ever sport climbed outdoors. Under Scott's excellent tutelage, not only did I get an opportunity to follow and learn from him how to place gear, but he empowered me to practice placing my own gear (with backups for safety) and gave me valuable coaching and feedback. I walked away from the experience feeling much more knowledgeable about outdoor climbing as well as being more open to tagging along with other climber friends who prefer to trad climb. Since much of the outdoor climbing close to my home (in NYC) is trad, this opens up a wealth of opportunity for future outdoor climbing experiences. You want to know the best rock to climb on in the world? Ask Scott. You want some honest feedback and advice on how not to die while climbing? Ask Scott. You want to hang out with a legit chill dude? Ask Scott. You couldn't be in better hands if you're looking to get on some vertical rock in Colorado. read more

The entire experience was literally life changing for me as an avid skier. I will never look at mountains the same... This should be a mandatory course for anyone even considering back country skiing. The knowledge and focus of the teachers, the variety of material and the hands on one on one teaching both in the class room & the back country was life changing. I am now officially a "snow geek" & will embark on the next chapter of my ski life with a new pair of glasses. I cannot recommend this course strongly enough. This was one of the best weekends of my 30+ skiing career. Avalanches are killers and what I learned will not only extend my life but quite possibly save someone else's. read more

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Scott and the entire team were very welcoming and inviting. The class day was super in depth and covered a lot of good topics and decision making in an easy to follow and engage way! The field days with Kerry were even better and he taught us so much about terrain traps and how to read extended column tests and even demonstrated a rich block in one of the days. I would absolutely reccomend to anyone serious about backcountry travel or needing a refresher in safety read more

Apex Mountain School - Kerry demonstrating the rich block test - Rock Climbing Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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Scott refuses to refund me after cancelling my class due to covid. Said he cant refund me because his school doesnt have funds to pay me back. Waiting almost 60 days for a refund. Dont use! read more

Apex Mountain School - Rock Climbing Near Me - Vail, Colorado

Mike and Anthony were excellent instructors, I have taken my Rescue and AIARE 1 with Apex and they have knocked it out of the park both times. read more

My fiancé and I have been climbing in gyms for about 6 months now. On our last trip to CO we decided to try climbing outdoors for the first time. We looked around at different guides/companies, BUT a few people we spoke to recommended APEX--we thought we would give it a try. We ended up booking a 4-hour climb in Red Cliff and it was a perfect day. 3 main reasons I would recommend these guys to anyone as well as I plan on using them again next time I visit CO! 1) Scott the director of APEX was our guide. He took our climb request not only last minute, but spent four hours of his birthday teaching us how to climb! DEDICATION to what he LOVES doing! 2) With over 20 years of climbing experience, we learned so much from Scott--truly lucky to get to spend a few hours with him. 3) Apex guides are all certified climbing instructors and are super patient with you and incredibly encouraging! I wish all their reviews showed up, these guys deserve all the good things said about them. We plan to do the flat irons next year outside of Boulder! Thanks again Scott! read more

Apex Mountain School - Great day of climbing red cliff with Scott from Apex! Amazing day! - Rock Climbing Near Me - Vail, Colorado

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Two friends and I took AIARE Level 1 with Apex Mountain School a few weeks ago. What a great learning experience. Scott and his team were super informative and really honed in on how and where to avoid Avalanche terrain. We spent a day in class learning about avalanche types and conditions. The 2nd day we prepared and practiced beacon resue really working on our skills in the event that we were caught in an avalanche. The third day we planned a route using the available avalanche reports to stay out of harm's way. We executed the route dug two different types of pits to look at the snowpack layers. After it was all said and done we got to ride a nice line!!! Scott and team (Apex) were beyond knowledgeable and they have a real knack for teaching the material. They actually care and want their students to travel wisely if not safely in the backcountry while avoiding avalanche terrain. I'll definitely take another class with APEX in the future. read more

Eric was amazing! He was patient and positive for our group that included 4 people in their late 40s and a 12 year old. We followed him to the bottom of the trail (15 min drive), then hiked through an Aspen forest to the main area (10 minutes). There were 3 climbs- a 5.5, 5.7 and 5.8. Some of us had no experience and he made us so comfortable! Most of us were able to complete all 3 thanks to his supportive guidance. 1 recommendation, bring a lot of water and snacks. read more

I had a GREAT experience with Apex Mountain School- I took an Avalanche Rescue Course with John- he was super knowledgeable and really cool. Then I took a Private Guided Backcountry tour with Scott. He was awesome, super friendly , and taught me a lot! If you're looking to learn or improve your AT skills- This place is AMAZING! read more

I took the rescue course and highly recommend apex for any avalanche training you are looking for. Mike was an incredible guide. Very knowledgeable, clear, and helpful! Great company and experience! read more

This was our first experience climbing outside of a gym and we had a GREAT experience! We took our our 8 and 11 year old and Eric was so patient and encouraging- they both made it to the top and we're proud of themselves. We felt safe and confident with him and I would highly recommend the experience. Scott was helpful in getting us situated as we were worried about the weather and we're glad we made it out and so grateful to Eric for being a wonderful instructor. We hope to a future visit when we head out to Vail again in the future! read more

Awesome class at Apex. The teachers Scott and Toni were very informative, with a very in depth curriculum. Scott is very good at teaching with the Socratic method, getting his students to answer their own questions by steering them in the right direction. They provide you with the AIARE handbook as well so you can continue to train and refresh yourself before you decide to take the level two and the avalanche rescue course. Both Toni and Scott were also very patient with the class and really got us engaged in group learning and team building. In the end the class was better than I expected. 5 stars! read more

Great team who met all our rappelling desires and accommodated our last minute booking! Highly recommend!!

I have never used yelp in my life, but my experience with Apex Mountain School has warranted me to download the app. Although at first glance this may seem like a well run and friendly business to connect people to the outdoors, the company is actually quite the opposite. For starters, they over charge for courses that I could find cheaper elsewhere. Furthermore, the customer service is horrendous due to the employees lack of basic human social skills. And if this is not enough, they do not provide their costumers with any refunds for valid cancellation reasons. So, to conclude, I hate to see a company like this tarnish the reputation of other great outdoors companies in Colorado. Do not give Apex Mountain School your business. read more

When looking to get off the resort trails and into the backcountry, we compared a few options for a guide service, but found Apex Mountain School to be the leader in the space. From the very beginning, conversations with the Apex team were always clear in objective and confidence boosting with their expertise not only in the sport but also the locations. Our objective was to get the experience of being in the backcountry while learning how to do it safely. Our guide Joseph (highly recommend him), did a great job of assessing our abilities and aligning those with a really great skin track ascent as well as great powder runs down. Throughout the day he would provide us insights into what things to be mindful of when in the backcountry: planning your trip, navigation, avalanche assessment, skin and skiing technique and more. The entire experience was perfectly matched to push our abilities in every aspect without overwhelming. Joseph's background and personality really shined through when coaching us through different scenarios, giving us the confidence and knowledge to achieve our goals. Some of the best skiing we have ever done thanks to Joseph's meticulous snow condition assessments and planning. Would highly recommend working with the team at Apex to plan your next backcountry trip. Looking forward to coming back to Apex for future ski trips and ice climbing. read more

Had a great class and learned a lot that I can take w/ me into the backcountry!

It was our first time climbing outdoors and Apex was recommended by a few folks and specifically our concierge at beaver creek. We were able to book pretty last minute and Scott was our guide. He was so incredibly patient, took the time to explain the reason for each step and or procedure down to safety precautions. I was so impressed with his professionalism and his demeanor that we definitely plan to come back and schedule a much longer trip with Apex. Safety and great service with a smile was exactly what I was looking for and Apex delivered that! We will be back!!! read more

My nine year old daughter and I take a daughter and daddy only trip every year. This year she wanted to go rock climbing, zip lining, and white water rafting. We settled on coming to Vail, Colorado. After researching various companies, we chose Apex as our rock climbing guide. We had one guide for the two of us, Nick, very hard worker. Apex's safety and equipment appeared great. I got four climbs in and my daughter six. She was able to summit on her last attempt. We still had an hour and a half of climbing left, but chose to call it a day on a high note. All in all a great experience, which built tons of self confidence for my daughter, and would not hesitate to recommend or do again. read more

I just completed an AIARE Level 1 with Apex, I highly recommend them to others. All of the guides & instructors are fun, knowledgeable, and facilitate a great atmosphere for learning. Nothing but good times with Apex, I'm excited to explore other courses they offer. read more

My wife and I had the pleasure of doing our AIARE Level 1 with Apex this last weekend, and I can't say enough good things about the course and the instructors. Zach and Stew were extremely knowledgeable in the classroom and had a lot of wisdom to share while keeping the vibe fun. Mike was our field instructor, and he made the field days both fun and informative for our entire party, which was composed of people at all skill levels. These guys do a great job know knowing when to be light hearted, and when it's time to get down to business. Avalanche education isn't something to take lightly, so we appreciated how seriously they took the topic, making sure everyone was engaged and all questions were answered. Well worth every penny. We will definitely be back for our Avy 2 and other courses with Apex! read more

We had a horrible experience with the unprofessional manner of the company. Save your time and money and go elsewhere..horrible customer service read more

Thank you Apex Mountain School for another great ice climbing trip. I appreciate the great service and attention to detail. I highly recommend Apex to anybody that is heading to Vail and is looking for adventure with experienced and helpful guides. This was my second time training with Tom and I will be back for rock climbing in the summer. Andy B read more

I recently took the AIARE Level 1 Backcountry Training with Apex and my experience was great. Scott and the other staff are incredibly knowledgeable on the subject matter and have years of first hand experience to relate and speak informatively on backcountry travel. I felt that the course itself covered everything a Level 1 class should and felt it was a very thorough introduction to avalanche training and snow science. The class was not only a wealth of valuable information, but also really fun! I highly recommend any training with Apex as I'm sure it won't disappoint. read more

I had a great and professional experience with Apex Mountain Guides. I highly recommend them!

Apex Mountain School did a phenomenal job in introducing me to skiing in the backcountry. I got hands-on experience using my beacon, probe and shovel, reading terrain and observing snow. Thanks! read more

Took the AIARE level 1 course with Scott and Jill and they were the best!! I feel much more knowledgeable about backcountry now thanks to them! They were experienced, knowledgeable, and engaging. I highly recommend this course. read more

We were in Vail for the week, and I wanted to find an activity to do with my four kids. The youngest one (age 7) was either too young, too light, or too short for most of the other outdoor activities in the mountain area. But Scott at Apex told me they've taken 3 year olds rock climbing before. The guide met us at our hotel in the morning, but since we had too many people to fit into his car, we followed him in our car. The climbing site was about 25 minutes away. We were there for about three hours. My kids had a BLAST...they loved it! They're all gymnasts, so they have the upper body strength and flexibility to rock climb (although I'm sure anyone can do it!). The three older ones made it all the way to the top, which was about 90 feet up. They each got at least two, if not three, climbs in. Scott was great with the kids, and mindful of our safety. The morning excursion was great...until the end when Scott handed us the credit card receipt to sign. I knew it was $118 per person, but he also wanted to charge us $85 for my husband (who tagged along to take pictures only, but didn't climb). If we had known there was a charge for him to tag along, my husband wouldn't have gone...especially for $85! That is a total of $675 for my family to climb! Not only that, but for $118, I only got one climb. They should have had a second guide so that we weren't sitting around for so long between climbs. Anyways, I disputed my husband's charge. All-in-all, it was a great outing. Very memorable. read more

Just completed the AIARE Level 1 course. Had a great experience, learned a lot from Zach, and really enjoyed the 3 days. Was very pleased I went with Apex! read more