Welcome to the Excursion Club rock climbing page! We have training opportunities at least twice a week and usually go climbing outdoors at least several times per year. We also take trips out to Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, Yosemite, and other semi-local climbing destinations several times per quarter.

The staples of the climbing group are the weekly training sessions at the UCSB MAC wall. Every week we also make an excursion down to Vertical Heaven. Vertical Heaven is an indoor climbing gym down in Ventura. It is $5 to get in and is open to people of all skill levels. Contact Paige & Caitlin if you are interested. These are also good opportunites for meeting other climbers, or recruiting interest in a trip.

We have climbers of all levels in the Excursion Club - from serious local hardmen to people who have never climbed outdoors. The club has a supply of shoes, harnesses, helmets, and ropes to lend to those who don't yet have their own.

In addition to traditional rock climbing, we also lead trips for those interested in ice climbing. The most popular spot is June Lake because the ski/snowboard trips already have a cabin rented, and nothing is better after a hard day of climbing than relaxing with your friends.

"Climbing is the lazy man's way to enlightenment. It forces you to pay attention, because if you don't, you won't succeed, which is minor — or you may get hurt, which is major. Instead of years of meditation, you have this activity that forces you to relax and monitor your breathing and tread that line between living and dying. When you climb, you always are confronted with the edge. Hey, if it was just like climbing a ladder, we all would have quit a long time ago." -Duncan Ferguson



Do you ever feel like rock climbing without using all those extra ropes and gear for protection, yet feel sketchy about free climbing? Are you looking for a style of climbing more spontaneous, faster paced, and move specific? If so, then bouldering offers an alternative that caters to your need. While similar to rock climbing, a high-density foam pad is used for catching falls instead of ropes attached to cams or anchors, allowing you to focus more on the climb itself than clipping in ropes and gear. The routes are also much shorter compared to sport climbing with more emphasis on specific climbing moves.

Around Santa Barbara, the two most popular bouldering spots are the Lizard’s Mouth and the Brick Yard, both of which are located off highway 154 within half an hour drive, making them ideal for half-day trips. We usually go out once a week to either one of the two locations mentioned or other lesser known spots.