Testimonials for Sport Lead Climbing and Rappelling
"Zen Climb exceeded my expectations with the depth of knowledge and background of the skills learned. I have worked with guides before and Xaio Ping the instructor made the day enjoyable and worked with each client (we had 3 that day) personally and made an effort beyond any other climbing guide I've worked with. Highly recommend if you are in the Toronto area and want to have a sweet day climbing. Xiao Ping and Zen Climb will not disappoint!" -- Joe Vanasco, Babylon, New York, USA (July 5, 2015)
"We had a fun and productive day with Xiaoping. After this course I feel comfortable and confident using lead climbing and rapelling techniques on my upcoming trip to the southwest USA." -- Michelle Gluck, Mississauga, Ontario (June 3, 2014)
"Xiaoping is a natural teacher, who has also worked hard at developing curriculum and method of delivering that is inspiring. He makes you feel good about small accomplishments, so confidence builds." -- Mark Schwarz, Elmira, Ontario (May 20, 2015)
"It was another great course by Xiaoping. We used toprope as a backup, so that I can practice leading comfortably and safely. The course covered the basic of climbing, clipping ,setting up an anchor for fellow climbers, lead belaying(important), communciation between climber and belayer, also practice of falling (important). Definitely worth learning if you are into lead climbing." -- Maiko Nakamura, Mississauga, Ontario (November 21, 2014)
"Amazing course, tons of invaluable information. Xiaoping is professional, clear with instruction and uses solid information to address any questions or concerns. You can't put a price on good, solid instruction and Xiaoping proves this with his aptly priced course." -- Bryan Pomeroy, St. Catherines, Ontario (September 26, 2014)
"I had a wonderful day with Xiaoping at Rattlesnake Point. He addressed all my safety concerns and confusions. He was patient on the wall and helped me understand the process and reasoning behind each sequence when learning to clean routes, set anchors, and stay safe. || Great Areas: Pushed me as far as I was willing and helped me understand 'why' I was doing each step rather than memorizing. Made for a more memorable training experience for the future. || Improvement Areas: Given that there is lots packed in one day, consider an itinerary or outline at the beginning of the day to give a high level overview of what each of the lessons is used for to help the climber put the lessons into perspective and link the lessons together on the wall. Then at the end of the day, an overview to conclude on the learning/safety points. || Great Job! Had a Blast!" -- Christopher Bradbury, Toronto, Ontario (Sept. 14, 2014)
"Great course. Very clear instruction and emphasis of safe practices." -- Colin Byrne, Toronto, Ontario (August 14, 2014)
"Despite the rain coming down, it was a great climbing experience and spirits were high." -- Michael Zulyniak, Milton, Ontario (June 10, 2014)
"The course was very helpful and informative. The instructor taught me and my friend everything we needed to know in order to climb outdoors, from safety to problem solving. Xiaoping was very encouraging and made sure we understood each step. The entire course was a great experience and I would highly recommend it." -- Celine Bautista, Mississauga, Ontario (June 25, 2013)
"I really enjoyed the two courses (Sport Lead Climbing and Rappelling, Top Rope Anchor Setting and Climbing) I took with Zen Climb. Xiaoping is an excellent instructor. He maintains safety as the top priority, ensuring clients learn everything they need to know to stay safe on the mountain. He is very patient and takes the time to review lessons as many times as needed. In particular, I appreciated his concern about "skills fade" among course graduates. He created opportunities for course graduates to get together for outdoor climbing (at no cost). Thanks to Xiaoping, I have increased confidence on the rock and new partners to climb with. -- Gillian Batt, Toronto, Ontario (Oct. 31, 2012)
"After taking this course we climbed at Red River Gorge in Kentucky. We made some good use of our newly learned rappel skills on some of the routes where the rope would have rubbed over rock or the anchors looked scary." -- Victor Machado, Toronto, Ontario (October 13, 2012)
I have been climbing indoors for many years now and really wanted to learn to climb lead and do it outdoors. Zen Climb was an amazing experience and allowed me to do both in one course. My instructor was friendly and fun to climb with, at the same time he taught me the skills I need to be safe and confident on the rock. I recommend this course to anyone looking to get outdoors. -- Andre Bieber, Thunder Bay, Ontario (August 29, 2012)
"We had such a great time learning sport climbing. Our instructor really went above and beyond, including sitting with us at a cafe for an additional half hour after our lesson had ended, simply to discuss climbing gear we were considering purchasing. Zen Climb comes highly recommended!" ---- Raz Peel, Toronto, Ontario (May 2012)
"Saturday, May 14, 2011 I took the outdoor sport lead course from Zen Climb. It was instructed by Xiaoping Li, at Bottle Glass, not far from the lower parking lot of Rattlesnake Point. In spite of rain, we covered all the materials and had opportunity to practice on the wall. For safety reason, a top rope system was set up by the instructor. All the techniques were first demonstrated by the instructor. Then we had the opportunity several times to practice them. Xiaoping's teaching is very methodological. He pays a lot of the attentions to the details, especially the safety issues. The instruction style is excellent, as all the techniques were demonstrated clearly and understandable. While we climbed, the instructor payed a lot of attention to the whole process, corrected mistakes, provided his comments and advices. After the course we came to Tim Hortons and discussed the techniques and safety issues that we learned during the day. After taking this course I am able to start lead climbing outdoor and indoor. I am really happy that I took this course and want to thank Xiaoping Li." -- Vyacheslav Shyshkin, Etobicoke, Ontario (2011)