Southeast Mountain Guides

This was my third Via Ferrata and I had a blast! But it was the first one where the guide did not go with us so I was a little apprehensive starting out but as soon as I got comfortable, I was good to go. It helped that I was with a group. There are six courses - two easy (ha no!), one intermediate, two advanced, and one extreme and you can do them in any order you want or even repeat courses. You can also come back down in between courses for snacks, drinks, to use the restroom, or just take a break. I was able to complete the two easy, one intermediate, and one advanced in about two hours. My husband chose not to do this (he does not like heights) but took awesome photos. It would be great if Southeast Guides had a photographer as I'm sure people would want photos of this awesome experience. All safety equipment is provided but I would recommend gloves - I used paddling gloves which worked fine if you don't have climbing gloves

Highly recommend this experience! I've been three times with different friends each time and they love it!! The guides are great and you'll have an amazing time.

I had an extra day after a week of work in Lexington. I was hoping to learn to climb but they were booked. Nichole recommend the Via Ferrata. I checked out some of the reviews and it seemed ok, so I gave it a try. I must admit, while it was beautiful, I was a bit underwhelmed and thought It would be a breeze (boy was I wrong!) Upon arrival the staff was friendly and detailed the safety and orientation class. The course is self paced and separated into 6 legs. 1-3 being the easiest and then the skill level gradually increasing on legs 4-6. The staff recommended 6-8 hours for novice folks. It provides the opportunity for groups to exit at the end of various legs to come down a rest. I must admit that with the adrenaline of being on the mountain coupled with the upper body strength required, it is a good workout. The great thing is it is set up for all skill levels, but it will get parts of the body working. I was told that most first time visitors will only do 1-3. I breezed through 1-3 but got to leg 4 and had to come down. The transition from 3 to 4 was a challenge with a small backpack and I needed some water. I after a short break, I headed back up to tackle the rest of the course. I was able to do the entire course, but I promise there were times that I wanted to exit.This was a great time and well worth the it. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was the highlight of my visit to Red River Gorge.

Customer service 5 starsKnowledge 5 starsSafety 5 starsEven with my 7 year old and my partner with limited knowledge my instructor was super helpful with teaching us and being patientThis was an incredible experience

I one hundred percent recommend. Staff were super professional, David and Jerick both were really great to work with. If your looking for climbing for beginners this is it.

My wife and I had a fantastic experience with Southeast this past week. We both have some experience with indoor climbing, but are novices when it comes to outdoor. We booked a 1/2 day guided climb and had a wonderful time from start to finish. Connor was our guide - he was extremely knowledgeable about the area, suggested a beautiful spot for us to climb and provided us with climbs that were challenging, but not overwhelming - he seemed to figure out our climbing strengths quickly into the day. Not only is Connor a great climbing guide, he was super interesting to talk with and wore his mask every second of the day. My wife and I specifically picked Southeast based on positive reviews plus a very thorough overview of COVID safety protocols on their website. The communication leading up to our session was great and we received a current status of the COVID protocols the day before arriving. The facility itself was spotless... and I should mention it again that Connor wore his mask every second of our session. We would highly recommend Southeast to anyone interested in checking out some amazing climbing while spending time in the Red.

We had a trip planned for about a month, but due to last minute changes we needed a guide last minute. Unfortunately it was busy season and so last minute everyone my husband called was booked the whole weekend. Southeast also said they were booked but would check around and see if getting a guide was possible. They got back to us at the end of the day and were able to get a guide for the next day. We booked a half day guide with Travis the next day. This was our first time sport climbing outside so having a guide go over everything with us was a must, I mean our lives are at stake! We were so grateful that they were able to find a guide available to work with us!We arrived and everyone was very friendly. Travis really worked with us to understand what we were wanting to get out of our experience and help make sure we understood everything we needed to know to have a fun and safe weekend. He gave us a bunch of tips and was super helpful. Thank you Southeast and Travis for saving our weekend and making it a success! If you are looking for a guide, I would definitely recommend them!

It was our first time doing a via ferrata. Matt was incredibly helpful. He kept us safe and encouraged us to face our fear of heights! We all had a great time and am looking forward to our next visit!

My knees are still shaking and we left about 1 hour ago. We signed up for the beginning climbing experience, the Via Ferrata. What a great experience! Staff was super helpful and encouraging! We didn't know what to expect with the set up. The property is all at one location. You park and there is an office to check in and get your safety briefing. They teach you how to use the gear. The climbing areas/mountain is in a "C" formation the office is in the middle. When you for a day pass, you could climb one section or stay all day. It's up to you. The property is stunning. There are 6 different sections to climb, each becoming more difficult. They first have you practice on a practice area that is low to the ground. At this point, you are free to start the sections as you please. Once you start a section, you must complete it. Each section is designed so you could continue on or put your feet on the ground and take a breather. You can do each section as many times as you want. You are free to take a break, bring snacks or picnic lunch. There are picnic tables. When you actually climb, you are without an instructor. Instructors constantly monitor the climbing. They have megaphones and yell encouragement. They are prepared to rescue you if you fall. In case you "freeze up" while climbing, they said most people can me talked through their fears. Lots of the climbing is horizontal in nature. For gear, they provide helmets and harness. You can purchase gloves for $5. My family went without gloves and wore sneakers. This is a controlled climbing experience. That being said, there are many points that are high up. You have to navigate around some pretty challenging areas and get a bit uncomfortable, stretch far, grip some rock and hope you don't fall. Some days, there can be wet sections. This activity does take strength and definitely not for people who are fearful of climbing a ladder. There were sections I was terrified and my son pointed out that my legs were shaking. Ya, I can feel them! My husband slipped and scraped up his leg. My knee is sore from slamming it into rock, not sure when. I was probably holding on for dear life. My family completed sections 1-3. I would start with section 2. It's easier than 1. On sections 1-3, I can confirm there are spots where you can relax, take in the breathtaking views and get your heart rate back down or calm yourself down, if needed. Other things to consider. Make sure to bring water, sunscreen and maybe a change of underpants (depending on your fear of heights).

Went today with CV, he was patient, knowledgeable and encouraging. We had an awesome time!