Guided Rappelling

No experience, no worries! If you have a heart for outdoor adventure, we can’t wait to work with you. Our patient, knowledgeable instructors enjoy taking folks out for their first or thousandth time.

It is actually not uncommon for folks to have a fear of heights and still want to rappel. Our thorough and patient instructors will work

with you on your private rappel trip. Most rappel trips start at the top of the cliff and work through trusting the equipment on solid

ground before progressing through the next actionable steps to get you over the edge and down to the ground in style.

We’d love to! Whether you are wanting a more in depth understanding of rappelling itself or you are trying to prepare for a specific goal,

we would be more than happy to help. We can cover complicated natural anchors involving trees or rock as well as numerous knots, including the figure 8, bowline, BHK, clove

hitch, munter hitch, and more. We can also include various rappelling techniques including extended rappels, and focus on preparation and self-rescue.

We do not have a height or weight restriction. However, participants must have a properly fitted harness and helmet. Our harnesses fit a 24 inch waist up to a 54 inch waist.

There is NO AGE RESTRICTION for our guided trips, however, we recommend ages 6 or older!

• Participants 9 and under get a $20 youth discount.

• Participants 14 and under need to have an adult (18+) present at

all times during the trip.

• If the adult is not participating, then the adult will not have to pay,

however they will need to aid the instructor throughout the day,

resulting in needing to wear/use protective climbing or rappelling

equipment.

For the majority of our rappelling trips we will actually be rappelling on our own 12 acres of private property surrounded by the Daniel

Boone National Forest. From the check in office, it is about a 10 minute hike to get to the top of the cliffline. Although a short hike, it is strenuous. Be prepared by having sturdy hiking shoes. Once at the top you will descend the cliff face via rope and other

specialized rappelling equipment. You will hike back up for each time you want to rappel.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL OF OUR ACTIVITIES

We do not staff for walk-ins and therefore the likelihood of you being able to participate as a walk-in is slim. Understand that your reservation affects our availability and our crew member's schedule. Reservations allow us to plan accordingly and best serve all of our clients and crew.

Make a reservation here on our website!

If you would like more help or if you have any special request, concern, or you are not seeing the availability that you desire, simply give us a call and our reservation specialists (who are often our instructors as well) would be more than happy to help you!

Yes! We simply need your contact info and also your card info to make a reservation. However, YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED ANYTHING at the time of booking. You will pay in full during the check-in process before your trip on your reservation date.

As soon as you have a date in mind, make a reservation! There are no cancellation or rescheduling fees and you don’t have to pay anything in advance. At a minimum, our guideline would be to reserve 2 weeks in advance, however if we can take last minute reservations, we will! Note that most of our online booking closes at 4 pm the day before. If you want availability for the DAY OF, you must call. We take reservations up to 1 year in advance. Some weekends fill up 2-3 months in advance.

If there are 4 or fewer in your group and you are simply looking for an experiential day, a half day is generally plenty of time. If you are trying to gain a more in depth understanding of rappelling that will involve learning more than the normal safety briefing then a full day may be a better option.

We are OPEN RAIN OR SHINE! Weather is unpredictable, but generally speaking, the actual weather is not as bad as predicted and clients typically have a great time even if the weather is not ideal.

With all that said, you need to understand that we do not climb or rappel during thunderstorms. Once again, weather is unpredictable, but generally speaking, Red River Gorge thunderstorms pass through in 30-45 minutes. It is at the instructor’s discretion as to when activities will resume but this will not be before 30 minutes from the last incident of lightning or thunder.

Check-in is 10 minutes prior to your reserved time.

You will meet at our office:

Southeast Mountain Guides

1617 KY-11 Campton, KY 41301

Have a change? No worries! We are reasonable people, serving reasonable people.

We do not have any cancellation fees, etc. It's simple: if you participate, you pay. Keep in mind that any change in your plans (even if by 1 person or 10 minutes) affects our instructors and other clients. Therefore, if you have ANY changes, no matter how insignificant, we ask that you let us know as soon as you can.

We do not charge for your canceled activity, nor do we have any cancellation fees. We are reasonable people, serving reasonable people. We understand that plans change, so if you have ANY changes to your plans, just let us know ASAP!

Changes to your plans do affect our crew and other client reservations. Keep in mind that we are OPEN RAIN OR SHINE!

If you cancel, you will not be guaranteed any prior pricing, discounts, or special rates.

If Southeast Mountain Guides needs to cancel your reservation, we reserve the right to decide if a refund or prorated amount is issued to you. We will not be responsible for any other incurred losses, such as other cancellation fees from travel plans, etc. You will receive an email notification of your cancellation. Thanks!

Generally speaking, climbing involves starting at the base of a cliff and climbing by way of physical strength and technique while always protected by climbing equipment of coure. You will be using the natural features of the rock to navigate to the top of the route which can be a set of anchors at a midpoint on the cliff or submitting at the top of the cliff. Getting back down from the climb depends on the location of the climb and the type of climbing, but most commonly in our areas on our guided trips, you will be lowered, which is essentially rappelling, however your belayer controls the descent and not you.

Whereas, in rappelling you will typically start at the top of the cliff often arriving by hiking to the top. Once properly attached to rappelling equipment which includes an anchor and a rope, you can then descend the cliff face by sitting back in your harness and rappelling down a rope. You will control the speed of the descent with proper rappelling devices.

We do! You can book a full day of guided climbing and rappelling. This day is up to 8 hours and will have both activities. You can start with either climbing or rappelling and you can spend as long as you would like on either activity as long as it is at least 2 hours.

You bring the stoke, and we will provide the rest! Except for tennis shoes or hiking boots, you will need to bring those! All necessary climbing equipment is provided. We do not provide food/snacks/ drinks, but there are snacks and drinks available for purchase on-site.

You MUST bring closed toe/closed heel shoes and clothing that is comfortable and appropriate for the weather. Additionally, we recommend bringing a small day pack with personal items, food, snacks and water.

You can! Our instructor will need to inspect equipment before use. But typically, as long as it is approved rappelling equipment and all soft goods (such as a harness) are 7 years of age or less, you can use them. With that said, we do provide all necessary rappelling equipment, so if you do not have anything or if you don’t want to bring your own, that is fine by us!

Please inform us of any medical conditions or concerns that will affect the trip. Bring any personal items and medications that you need and ideally in a small backpack or fanny pack so you can have everything on your person even while climbing the course. Our instructors have basic medical training such as Wilderness First Aid, CPR, and/or Wilderness First Responder.

Our activities are NOT recommended for anyone that has a serious health or medical concern.

Our activities are also not recommended during any term of pregnancy.

Spectators are more than welcome at our facility! There are observation decks and picnic tables on our property. Sightseers are welcome anytime during normal business hours. If you wish to walk up to the cliffline where the climbers start or end their climb a helmet must be worn and a waiver signed.

We highly encourage you to leave your pet at home. However, if you are going to bring a dog with you, know that dogs must be with their owner at all times, on a leash at all times, and silent so as not to interfere with safety or experiences. Also note that the hike to the top of the rappel sites can be strenuous, so make certain your pet is surefooted.