What To Give For A Present - Hmmm?

Give a gift that opens the door to inspiration, perspiration, exploration, excitement, self-confidence, adventure, fun and learning!

Want something different, special and unusual to give for the holidays or a birthday - then our Arizona Climbing and Adventure School Gift Certificate might be what you are looking for!

We offer gift certificates for all our courses whether it be rock climbing, outdoor adventures or workshops.

SPECIAL OFFER
Order two or more gift certificates and get $20 OFF!

Click on the Gift Certificate below to purchase or call us to order.

We at ACAS have the privilege of witnessing how rock climbing impacts and improves people's lives. Just in the course of our one-day Beginner Rock Climbing session, we have seen timid, cautious and even phobic adults and teenagers overcome their fear and reach for the top. There is nothing we know of that boosts self-confidence more than getting one hand-hold higher than you thought you could. It's direct. It's concrete. It's the epitome of achievement, and we see it again and again.

Rock climbing is problem-solving in the vertical world. We see varying degrees of linear thinking skills, pre-planning skills, spatial orientation, impulsivity vs. thoughtfulness, decision-making skills, focus and concentration, frustration, tolerance, self-confidence vs. insecurity, perseverance, introversion vs. extraversion, emotional ability, risk-taking vs. caution, assertiveness, responsiveness to auditory vs. visual instruction, and the list goes on.

But climbers must also commit to their own safety and the safety of others. This interdependence between the climber and the belayer is just one of many metaphorical life-lessons found in climbing. While supporting one another on belay, you learn to support and trust one another in every endeavor. Rock climbing demands concentration and discipline, commitment, internal motivation, personal integrity and responsibility.

We also have REI Member discounts on most of our courses and encourage you to join. Each year, REI donates millions of dollars to support conservation efforts nationwide, and sends scores of volunteers to build trails, clean up beaches, and teach outdoor ethics to kids. Through responsible business practices, REI strives to reduce our environmental footprint.

The Southwest contains many hidden jewels awaiting your adventurous spirit. I hope you will take us up on our invitation to experience rock climbing. But be careful: You might just get addicted to life in the vertical world. Don't say we didn't warn you!


Along with adventure will come challenges.
Indeed, the very purpose of ACAS is to help you find untapped resources within you; to let you discover that you have the ability to do more than you thought you could.

The number one concern our students have before coming is "not being able to meet the physical challenges of the course." We address that concern by encouraging a noncompetitive and nonevaluative learning environment. You set your own goals for the course. And you are the sole judge of your success. Upon completing the course, better that 95% of our students felt they benefited greatly from the experience.

Our Course's Focus On:
• Transcending self-imposed limitations
• Self-knowledge
• Tenacity
• Physical fitness
• Teamwork and Responsibility
• Promote skill mastery
• Leadership skills
• Self-Reliance

Each course has a set curriculum; depending on which course you enrolled in, expect to camp, hike, make challenging decisions, rock climb and rappel off vertical faces; but don't expect your course to happen in any routine way or on any particular schedule. The itinerary, the route, the staff and the weather will all work together to make your course unique and challenging.

Our courses are a blend of theory and practice. We utilize a variety of time tested teaching principles from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the Outward Bound Wilderness School (OBW), Project Adventure (PA) and Paul Stoltz's Adversity Quotient. It is through this blend that adventure learning begins to take form and meaning - there is a reason for activity; there are connections between the adventure and our personal lives. Helping you make these connections is our greatest challenge.

Each course offers you the opportunity to "live the model" - a chance to risk, to trust, to try and to learn. Our courses and workshops are designed to allow you to learn by doing. You will be asked to be an active participant, to experience adventure based programming firsthand.

And found in the midst of all this learning is fun! It is our belief that when work and learning are fun, creativity, productivity and achievement peak. When what we are doing challenges and engages us, then the learning is making an impact. You will find that our courses and workshops can leave a lasting impression on you.

Expect your course to be dramatic, exciting, educational and fun, but be prepared for it to be even more. Your ACAS experience is still ahead of you. The itinerary has yet to be finalized; you and the uncontrollable forces of nature are about to write the story.