First Ascent Mountain School

I took a group of 6 others for a Rock Climbing bachelor party with FAMS and it was a blast! None of us had any rock climbing experience, some of us were of...slightly...larger builds but all of us made it to the top of a sufficiently challenging Garden of the Gods summit. They came prepared with all sizes for all the gear we needed and even helped us to get a parking spot in a crowded lot. The team was a blast to chat with, they were extremely talented, and gave clear instructions so that we could all make it up safely. One of our bachelors actually got delayed and ended up getting into Denver that morning and they were willing to wait 3 hours past our initial start time to make sure everyone got to participate in the awesomeness that is Colorado's Garden of the Gods. I can't wait to come back and do some more climbing!

I went climbing with John McDonough in October of 2017. In January of 2018, he charged my credit card three more times. I contacted him immediately, and he apologized, telling me that my credit card had been linked to another person's reservation. He promised me that everything would be refunded. He lied. I contacted him again after a few days and he told me again that everything had been refunded. It wasn't. Despite repeated attempts to call and email Jon, he never again responded to me and never issued a refund. All his negative reviews say that he has done the exact same thing to other people. He has been reported on Better Business Bureau website with similar reviews. Do not give this dishonest human your business.

Booked the wrong tour on October 26th. Finally got in touch with them. They said that they would gladly refund my money for 2 tours since we didn't take the tour through the park. It's now November 5th. Still no refund. They will not answer the phone or return any of my messages and emails. I thought they were honest people. Careful what tour u book. They do not go up pikes peak. He said they get that a lot. Thanks for the help First Ascent Mountain School. I would of took the tour if I knew I wasn't going to get my money back.

My boyfriend and I used a Groupon and climbed in the Garden of the Gods. Luke R. was our guide and was the perfect balance of laid back, encouraging and safety minded. He gave enough guidance to get us (mostly the boyfriend) to the top, while still making us think and work our way up the rock. Having only climbed indoors, this was a perfect introduction to outdoor top rope climbing. I felt very safe, especially after dislocating my shoulder (twice!! while roped in!!) and was never pushed beyond my limits. My boyfriend, who is experienced in outdoor climbing, enjoyed being exposed to something more slabby and, despite having experience, still learned and gained even more confidence in his ability to climb. I would certainly recommend this company to both beginner and experienced climbers - it was a lot of fun despite my own challenges, and the varying ability of each of us as climbers.

It seems money and refund issues is a problem with these people -- based on the reviews I've read. I'm running into the same problems where I was promised a refund by John but they've never come through. I've left voicemails, sent emails, and once in a while I've gotten through to someone. They promise a refund, said they processed it and wondered why it didn't go through but they'll try again, and other excuses. I'm so frustrated and disgusted with these people! I couldn't imagine trusting them with something as precarious as rock climbing. Don't do business with these people.

Had a great first climbing experience today with John at Cheyenne Cañon. We were supposed to go to Garden of the Gods, but the amount of rain during the past few days kept us from doing that. John offered to reschedule, but when we said we were leaving town tomorrow, he took us to Cheyenne Cañon instead. John was super nice--very patient and helpful. He was encouraging but didn't pressure us to do anything we were uncomfortable with. We felt very safe and confident in John's abilities and experience. I'd really recommend a climbing trip with John to any new climber who wants to try it out. We had a great time and definitely felt we got a great value off this Living Social deal.

Girlfriend and i took the advanced class with John. Class was wonderful! Instruction was very tailored to our needs. Spent most of morning setting anchors in red rock canyon open space. Beautiful place for instruction. Recommend bring plenty of water. Climbed some in afternoon. Slab rock WAY different from arkansas climbing.Highly recommend!

My girlfriend and I climbed with First Ascent at Garden of the Gods about a week ago. We were out there on vacation and saw a deal with them on Living Social, and decided to give it a shot. It was the first time I had ever been to Colorado and the first time I had ever been climbing outside of a gym. I was apprehensive going into it, but to be quite honest the entire experience was incredible, from the scenery to the fact that we somehow lucked out and had virtually the entire park to ourselves. John, the company owner, was very helpful and made us feel safe and secure the whole way through. I could not have asked for a better end to the vacation. Next time I am back in Colorado--whenever that may be--I will be going back to First Ascent and Garden of the Gods.

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY!!!! I was charged twice for my outing with them and cannot get them to refund me for the overcharge. I have called them several times and they do not ever answer the phone. I have left numerous voicemails and have NEVER received a call back. I disputed the charge with my credit card and First Ascent denies the dispute. Terrible! This company does not reply to emails either. Please do not waste your money with this company. Awful customer service! Stay far away from First Ascent Mountain School.

Fraudulently charged our credit card $428 over the course of a few month 16 times for a total of $6848. This was in addition to the legitimate charge for our day of climbing. Most importantly, even after speaking to the owner, John McDonough, who made it sound like an accident of his system and apologized, and sending him copies of the charges, he made NO effort whatsoever to return the fraudulent charges. Since this seems to be a pattern with others as well, it seems these fraudulent charges may be a more regular source of income than the actual climbing business. If you decide to use this service be prepared to watch your credit card statements for at least a year. When I called Stripe, First Ascent's credit card processing company, an agent called me back asking details, and in a frustrated tone mumbled about First Ascent's "poor business practices," and were obviously tired of dealing with the problems of First Ascent. I had gone to paperless credit card statements and did not check my statements for a few months but had it on autopay before I caught the charges. There are other options in Colorado Springs who won'tl steal from you.