Guiding Policies
Deposits/Payments

All guiding reservations must be made via phone (initial contact may be made by e-mail). When making a reservation a deposit is required to officially complete the reservation. The deposit amount for all Private Guiding bookings is $100 and for all Group bookings is $200. The balance due is payable upon arrival. We accept cash, checks made out to Rock and River as well as most major credit cards. When trying to book a reservation we recommend calling between 7:30 and 9:00 in the morning and between 6:00 and 8:00 in the evening. In the event that the answering machine is reached, messages are checked frequently and calls returned promptly…
Cancellations/Refunds
Because our guides are professionals, this is their job and they depend upon it. When a booking is made they give up other opportunities. With this in mind we’ve implemented a cancellation/refund policy that we believe is fair and simple:
- All clients making cancellations more than 30 days in advance of their guided date will receive a full refund of their deposit or credit towards a future date (their choice).
- All clients making cancellations between 14 and 30 days in advance of their guided date will be given a full credit of their deposit towards a future guiding date (must be used within 1 year).
- All clients making cancellations between 48 hours and 14 days in advance of their guided date will forfeit their deposit.
- No shows or cancellations made less than 48 hours in advance of their guided date will be charged the full guiding fee owed unless we can re-book the date with another client.
- In the case where a day is cancelled due to inclement weather (our decision), the day can be rescheduled or a refund issued (your choice).
- In the case where a portion of the day is cancelled due to weather, the guiding fee will be reduced proportionally.
Client requirements
All guided clients will be required to sign a release of liability waiver and medical form prior to participation. Individuals under the age of 18 must receive parental consent before registering (a waiver and medical form must be filled out and can be downloaded from this site). Although we make every possible effort to assure the safety of our clients, it must be understood that due to the environs in which these pursuits take place, high adventure activities involve risk and are inherently dangerous relative to other recreational outlets. We urge individuals to strongly consider these facts when deciding whether or not to engage in these activities.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, in fact most clients stay in the area and meet their guide either here at our lodge or somewhere pre-arranged in town.
Believe me, just about everyone that’s normal is afraid of heights, and believe it or not, climbing’s not about strength but footwork and balance. We love working with beginners/families and get people from all walks of life, ages and abilities. Our philosophy is to start out on low angled slab climbs reducing fearful exposure so that confidence can be gained and skill development can take place.
We’re glad you asked that! We’ve had over 25,000 clients pass through our doors and the worst things we can remember are a couple of bruised egos…
Yes, yes, yes! We know the peaks extremely well and absolutely love being in the mountains! We’ve helped dozens of individuals finish their 46 and find that to be tremendously rewarding…
Probably our philosophy would jump to our minds first. We care about the area and the service we provide. We want the client to enjoy the activity, love the Adirondacks and begin a lifetime association with both! On a more specific note, we’ve guided the most clients in the region, have the oldest, most experienced staff in the region and offer the most amenities to our clients within the region (lodging, camping, rock wall, ice park etc.).
We goofed! We no longer guide on rivers, but the name was established back when we did, and besides, we feel it’s rather catchy…