Outdoor Skills and Thrills

Outdoor Skills and Thrills will show you exactly why people come from around the world to climb and hike in Northwestern Ontario!

Summer Programs

Since the mid 1980’s, the Thunder Bay region has become known as one of Canada’s premier rock climbing venues and is visited every year by climbers from all over the world! Their focus is to help you accomplish the goals of your outing safely while learning any skills required to confidently experience the magic of rock climbing. Is climbing not your thing? No problem, they also offer private and public hiking adventures to epic destinations as well throughout the season! Incredible climbing destinations throughout the region include, Thunder Bay, Shuniah, Pass Lake, Dorion, Red Rock, Nipigon, Orient Bay, Kama Bay and more!

The rock climbing adventures and courses are designed to suit all ability levels and interests. They work closely with you to determine the dates that best meets your needs and experience level! Their focus is to help you accomplish the goals of your outing safely while learning and experiencing the magic of Northwestern Ontario rock climbing. You may want to just try rock climbing for the first time, or perhaps you have some experience but want to get out and learn more? Feel like going out for a day and really pushing your limits? Or maybe you’d like to make it an event with friends, co-workers, or loved ones? Whatever it may be, they will help make that a reality!

Winter Programs

Outdoor Skills and Thrills ice climbing adventures and courses are designed to suit all ability levels and interests. They work closely with you to determine the dates that best meets your needs and experience level! Their focus is to help you accomplish the goals of your outing safely while learning and experiencing the magic of Northwestern Ontario ice climbing. You may want to just try ice climbing for the first time, or perhaps you have some experience but want to get out and learn more? Feel like going out for a day and really pushing your limits? Or maybe you’d like to make it an event with friends, co-workers, or loved ones? Whatever it may be, they will help make that a reality!

If you are a beginner to ice climbing, they will start you off with the basics and work your way up from there. The full day experience is a really fun and exciting adventure where you get to learn how to use your crampons and ice axes to effectively climb ice. You’ll also learn a variety  of ice climbing techniques in detail, making sure that you’re confident and comfortable on your very first ice adventure! All the technical equipment like a harness, boots, crampons, helmet, and ice axes are included.

Owner and Lead Guide Aric Fishman has been instructing and guiding professionally in Canada for well over 20 years and is a very experienced, highly skilled Climbing guide and Wilderness Survival instructor. He founded Outdoor Skills and Thrills in Thunder Bay, Ontario as a way to provide adventure seekers with professional courses that teach safe climbing practices while provide exciting adventures in a thrilling and breathtaking environment. Not only an accomplished climber and guide, Aric is also the author of ‘Thunder Bay Climbing: A Guide to Northwestern Ontario’s Best Kept Secret‘, the latest comprehensive rock climbing guidebook for the region.