The Art of Offwidth Climbing Clinic with Pamela Shanti Pack

 

We are so pleased to announce that we will be offering “The Art of Offwidth Climbing” clinic with professional climber Pamela Shanti-Pack and her team including Gisely Ferraz, Marcus Garcia, David Katzenmeyer, and others!

 

Come join some of the best off-width climbers in the world for an amazing weekend of offwidth climbing mastery!

 

Photo credit Mile High Media     

 

April 25th – 27th, 2025                                              

Indian Creek, UT

Cost: $1,350        Book The Clinic Now!                                                 

 

The Art of Offwidth Course Description

 

 The Indian Creek Art of Offwidth™ climbing clinic, developed by offwidth expert Pamela Shanti Pack, is 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 this intensive three-day clinic, 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 desert offwidth masterpieces in the world class climbing destination of Indian Creek as you learn techniques and tricks from renowned offwidth masters who have been in the sport for decades and established hundreds of first ascents and world-renowned test-pieces.

The course officially begins Friday at 8am in Indian Creek. Enjoy three full days of climbing with unlimited access to all varieties of big cams, Big Bros and gear. Food and water will not be provided so be sure to bring enough of each for the duration of the clinic as we will be camping in the remote and beautiful Indian Creek area.

Our emphasis throughout the clinic will be 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 skill levels and individual needs. We will cover the following topics:

 

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.

**To avoid an Online Booking fee please Call Us Directly to Book! 435-259-3317  –  We can’t wait to climb with you!!**

 

GUIDES

Pamela Shanti Pack has been seeking out North America’s most challenging inverted and vertical style offwidth climbs since 2008. She was not only the first woman to climb a 5.13 offwidth, but also received the prestigious Golden Piton Award in 2009 for establishing Gabriel in Zion National Park, the first 5.13 offwidth in the world which remains a global test-piece. Subsequently, Pamela has spent the last decade establishing demanding routes, most with crux vertical and invert style offwidth pitches, throughout the American West. Pamela has been teaching  specialty offwidth clinics since 2015.  She has worked with diverse groups, ranging from Kids-at-Risk to Adaptive athletes.

Pamela will be co-instructing with Marcus Garcia and Gisely Ferraz, also known as ‘G’ or @brazilianclimbergirl on social media. Gisely was born in Brazil and naturalized in the USA. She is a mother, Captain of a 27F C&C Sailboat, and IRATA certified. She has been climbing for over 25 years and her experience spans from bouldering to sport to big walls. Her passions are crack climbing and adventure lines. Supporting the community is also one of her main goals after she lost her lover, best friend and climbing partner in a tragic climbing accident. She has received so much love from the climbing community and friends that it has helped fill the emptiness felt after her loss. She feels like she needs to give back to the community who uplifted her. She welcomes stories of love and grief anytime. Together we are stronger!

We will have additional desert offwidth masters working with us in order to maintain a 3:1 ratio. We will also have an AMGA certified Rock Guide from Moab Cliffs and Canyons. The AMGA is the premier U.S. organization and the only internationally-recognized certifying body for Rock, Alpine and Ski Mountaineering guides.


 

 

Cancellation Policy – Please read carefully:

 

A 50% deposit is required to reserve your space in this clinic. The remaining balance is due 14 days before the start of the clinic.

Because a reservation guarantees space in a clinic, we sometimes have to turn others away for those same dates. Thus, our cancellation policy for this clinic is as follows: Cancellations must be made at least 61 days prior to the trip dates in order to receive a full refund of the reservation deposit. If you cancel within 31-60 days of the clinic, it will result in loss of 50% of the deposit. If you cancel within 30 days of the clinic, it will result in loss of the full reservation payment. Please consider purchasing Trip/Vacation Insurance if you have concerns.

WEATHER

The ethic in the desert is not to climb on wet sandstone because it can damage the rock, and the accepted practice is to wait a full day to climb once the rock becomes saturated. We can and will work around non-saturating rain. If you can arrange to stay for one to two days beyond the length of the Clinic, we will climb those one to two days in the event of rain. This event is rain or shine. In the case of rain, we will do our best to find dry rock or we will teach concepts and skills on the ground in addition to going out for an additional day(s) past the clinic dates if weather allows.

 

 

 

 

 

Pamela Shanti Pack’s Sponsors

Throughout the clinic, there will be various products provided from Pamela’s sponsors for guests to keep thanks to Acopa, Trango, Sublime Climbing, Friction Labs, Maxim Ropes, PhysiVantage, First Ascent Coffee, Joshua Tree Skincare and Misty Mountain Harnesses.

 

Book Your Trip Now

 

 

 

 

What People are Saying…

 

The Art of Offwidth clinic was an absolutely amazing experience in so many ways – not all of them as obvious as one might think. Of course the climbing at Indian Creek is out of this world and the instructors took us to some of the best wide cracks in the area, but the quality of the instruction, the sense of camaraderie, and the realization that you’ve just made life-long friends was what really put it over the top for me. Pamela and her crew are not only true masters and professionals at what they do, but they are good and warm people who think, feel, and interact with the group like they’ve known everyone for years. This makes for an experience like no other in terms of integration of climbing passion, fun and laughter on and off the wall, and a strong sense of community that warms my heart even after the clinic is over. ~Justin

 

Thanks so much for taking care of me in my vulnerable moments trying to climb #6s. I’ve been reflecting a lot since I got home on women and how we support each other. You genuinely cared for me and never encouraged feelings of shame ever when I leaned that way myself, thank you my beautiful crusher friend. I didn’t want to cry the last day when you were up on First Blood with me for a small eternity. I couldn’t understand why I cried anyway when I got down, but I think it was really about being able to let my guard down in a way I never usually would; I wasn’t even aware of it! Ha. You’re the best and I’m grateful to you for teaching me real lessons in vulnerability. ~Jess

 

Thanks so much Pam and all of the instructors and help crew that made this magical offwidth clinic adventure an AMAZING experience. I’ll never forget this. ~Celeste

 

Thank you all for helping make this such a powerful experience for us! A huge Thanks to the incredible guides and climbers that assisted in this clinic, you guys are so knowledgeable and did a fantastic job. Thank you Gi especially for your kindness and attention, you are so wonderful! A massive Thanks to Pamela for putting this thing together. It was one of the most impressive climbing experiences I have ever had, and I have had a lot of them!!! You’re an amazing person Pamela. ~Courtney

 

We were not just a disparate group of strangers climbing for a few days; Pam and Gisely very quickly helped us to bond together, creating an emotionally-safe and welcoming space for everyone. I had so much fun camping, hiking and climbing together with this crew! This was the first time in a long time that I felt safe being part of a group, where I could relax and be vulnerable. I felt accepted and loved by the group, and worked hard to return that same energy. Pamela and Gisely, in addition to being world-famous crushers, are amazing people. They each took the time to get to know each of us as individuals, directly spending time with us both on the ground and in the middle of a gnarly offwidth-crux. They both made it a point to get to know each of us, connecting as human beings and climbers, not just as client-and-guide. I grew to more deeply respect Pam and Gisely, for being so vulnerable to share their stories with us, to help create a safe and welcoming space for all us strangers that had just rolled into camp. It was a deep privilege to briefly be a part of this group; it was a once-in-a-lifetime event for me to try hard together at climbing with these awesome people. The joy that I felt in belonging with this stellar group of human beings was exactly in proportion to how damn hard the climbing was. This was recently the last time that I tried something hard for the first time. Even after rambles at Tahquitz and in the Sierra Nevadas, I freely admit that Indian Creek kicked my ass; this was definitely part of the desert magic that I felt blessed with. During particular rough moments, Pamela and Gisely not only provided expert technical instruction, but also provided the personal encouragement and reassurance that we all needed at one moment or another. In addition to the superior instruction that Pamela and Gisley personally provided, they surrounded themselves with an amazing crew of assistant guides. To an individual, all of our instructors were clear experts and are super fun people as individuals. I had a blast as we learned to enjoy the art of suffering in an offwidth. Pamela, Gisely and the whole guiding crew found the perfect area every day. They consistently provided multiple routes for us to work, providing a variety of challenges and different degrees of difficulty for us to work. I always felt physically safe and comfortable taking risks with these amazing climbers watching over us. I will remember this experience for the rest of my life, just like the friendships that we made during these few days. ~Big love to Pamela, Gisely and the whole crew! ~Brian

 

Thank you for everything. This clinic was far and away the best climbing instruction I’ve ever had. You and your crew really CARED that we learn something every day— and I certainly did! THANK YOU!!! ~Rebecca

 

Art of Offwidth was a fantastic clinic! 21 climbs in three days – Tons of new skills learning – How to properly tape for offwidth – Hand stacks, arm bars and chicken wings foot work, leg drive and counter pressure – transitions from technique to technique as the crack changes sizes – pacing and maintaining sustainable output – maintaining calm in the duress of challenge. One of my personal takeaways was the acceptance of capacity. I was able to find my edge with self compassion. I never got frustrated with the learning process. Instead, I engaged each new skill with curiosity so that my NS could adapt to the new challenging skills. I am so excited to progress in this Uber challenging climbing form. Thank you Pamela Shanti Pack for putting together a fun challenging clinic with a wonderful crew of climbers. ~Joseph

 

This was literally a highlight of my life!!! Thank you Pamela, Mike, Matt, David, Jason, Marcus and Gisely for being so generous with your time and knowledge! Thanks to all my participant peers for the same and for bringing the stoke and support! I cannot stop thinking about the chimneys and sticking my arms in every crevice I spot as I trot through Zion.. ~Alexandra

 

I attended the 3-day Art of Offwidth Clinic in Indian Creek with offwidth guru Pamela Shanti Pack this past October. The clinic was the highlight of my climbing season. Besides being some of the best offwidth climbers in the world my instructors were also great coaches. Each day we had numerous climbs set up where we could practice various offwidth crack techniques and get professional coaching in real time. I learned a plethora of tips and tricks during the three-day clinic and I climbed more desert offwidth cracks than I had in my previous 52 years of climbing. Prior to the clinic, I really struggled on offwidths despite devoting a lot of time to trying to climb wide cracks at Vedauwoo. I felt like I had nothing for technique and vertical progress was more a matter of chance considerable grunting rather than technique. Although I may never be the world’s best offwidth climber, I had three intense days to practice the movement and technique necessary to make vertical progress on wide cracks. I can now approach these types of climbs with much more confidence. As Pam promised, I can now bring some “grace to the grovel.” ~Chris

 

Art of off width clinic was full of both incredible climbing and people. I can not wait to make another trip out to Indian Creek. ~John

 

Absolutely phenomenal weekend learning the art of Offwidth in Indian creek UT from the one and long Pamela Shantipack .Thank you again for the amazing clinic. It was transformative! I am so excited to take these new techniques out for a spin on my own, too. It was such a wonderful group of instructors and participants. I am smelling from ear to ear still! I sign up for the next clinic ready, I can’t wait for more OW climbing soon! ~Angie

 

Thank you for one of the best experiences of my life, truly. Your clinic was amazing. Although I’m a total newcomer to cracks, you guys made me feel welcome from the very first moment and you helped me gradated from “OHMYGOD” what do I do with this??!” to “OK, yeah, I can handle this” in only three day. Unbelievable! ~Erin

 

It is hard to explain the chemistry, inspiration, and magic in the air during this clinic. Offwidth is a challenging technique of rock climbing that requires one to have patience and endurance a bit of suffering to be successful. I think it brought together the perfect miss of super instructors with eager to learn students. I am thankful for the primary instructors Pamela, Gisely, and Marcus, at the group of talented supporting instructors Mike, Matt, and David. And of course the photographer who was there to capture the true moments of hard work, happiness and satisfaction. ~Candi

 

Having the clinic in Indian Creek was awesome. Indian Creek is a special place. To be up on those climbs, and to look out over those valleys and vistas, I connected to something deeper than just the rock itself. I can’t quite describe the feeling but, whatever it is, I love it! I would highly recommend this clinic for any climber interested in taking their offwidth/wide crack game to the next level. ~Chris