Devils Lake Climbing Guides

What Devils Lake Climbing Guides does

Devils Lake Climbing Guides is a privately-held, founder-owned rock climbing guide service founded in 2012 by Nick Wilkes and headquartered in Baraboo, Wisconsin. The company operates guided outdoor climbing experiences, educational courses, and summer camps exclusively on the quartzite bluffs of Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin's most popular state park, serving climbers of all skill levels from first-time beginners and families to intermediate and advanced trad climbers, as well as organized groups including scout troops, schools, and corporate teams. The service portfolio spans top rope climbing, rappelling, bouldering, talus scrambling, and dedicated programs for teens, women and non-binary climbers, and adaptive climbers, with delivery running seven days a week, weather permitting, from March through November.

The business employs a team of over 30 instructors and staff organized into Lead, Apprentice, Assistant, and Guest Instructor tiers, plus administrative and operations roles, with credentials including AMGA Single Pitch Instructor, Apprentice Rock Guide, and Wilderness First Responder certifications. The company has built a structural partnership with Boulders Climbing Gym in Madison, WI, which functions as a primary recruitment pipeline for instructors and a co-marketing channel for youth programming, and maintains a collaboration with Jon Richard's Vertical Voyages to deliver AMGA certification courses and assessments across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Arkansas. The instructor base is recruited from regional universities (UW-Madison, UW-Stevens Point, Northern Michigan, Oberlin) and the local climbing community.

The revenue model is overwhelmingly service-based, combining guided climbing trips (professional services), multi-day educational courses including AMGA certification, wilderness first responder, anchor building, lead climbing, and self-rescue (professional services), and week-long summer camps for teens, juniors, women, and trad climbing (professional services), with a small adjacent retail stream from an online store selling gear, logowear, and gift cards. Distribution is direct-to-consumer through a company website and phone booking, with no intermediated channels. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, and there is no institutional investment, parent company, or external shareholder structure.

Name

Devils Lake Climbing Guides

Legal name

Devils Lake Climbing Guides

Website

https://devilslakeclimbingguides.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Devils Lake Climbing Guides is a privately-held, founder-owned rock climbing guide service operating at Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin, offering guided trips, certification courses, and summer camps for climbers of all skill levels from beginners to advanced, including families, teens, and women/non-binary affinity groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Adventure Guide Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Rock Climbing, Mountaineering & Via Ferrata Guides (THAAADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climbing & Via Ferrata Guiding / Instruction (THAAALAH), Rock Climbing, Via Ferrata & Mountaineering (THAJABAE)

Keywords

• Rock climbing guides
• Outdoor adventure services
• Climbing instruction courses
• Guided climbing trips
• Wilderness first responder training

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Guided Climbing Trips: Service-based revenue from providing guided rock climbing experiences at Devil's Lake State Park, including top rope climbing, rappelling, bouldering, and talus scrambling for individuals, families, and groups.
2. Educational Courses: Revenue from instructional courses including anchor building, lead climbing, climbing self-rescue, AMGA courses and exams, and wilderness first responder training.
3. Climbing Camps: Week-long and multi-day climbing camp programs for teenagers, women, and traditional climbing enthusiasts during summer months.
4. Retail Store: Gear sales, logowear, and course registration through the company's online store.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Devils Lake Climbing Guides provides guided outdoor rock climbing experiences, instructional courses, and summer camps at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Services include top rope rock climbing, rappelling, bouldering, talus scrambling, and group climbing for scouts, schools, and teams, alongside educational offerings such as anchor building, lead climbing, climbing self-rescue, AMGA instructor training, and wilderness first responder certification. The company operates March through November, weather permitting, with a team of over 30 certified instructors.

Product overview

Devils Lake Climbing Guides is a rock climbing guide service offering guided outdoor climbing experiences and educational courses at Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin. The company provides a portfolio of services organized into three main categories: Guided Climbing Experiences (top rope rock climbing, rappelling, bouldering, talus scrambling, and group climbing for scouts, schools, and teams), Educational Courses (anchor building, lead climbing, self-rescue, wilderness first responder, AMGA instructor training, and canyoneering skills), and Summer Camps (teen climbing camp, junior climbing camp, traditional climbing camp, Camp Quartzite, spring climbing escape, and women's+ climbing weekend). The company operates March through November and serves climbers of all skill levels from beginners to experienced climbers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Top Rope Rock Climbing Guided outdoor top rope rock climbing experiences on the quartzite bluffs of Devils Lake State Park, suitable for beginners to experienced climbers, individuals, families, and groups.
• Rappelling Technical rope-skill experience combining high exposure, balance management, and rappelling instruction on the bluffs of Devils Lake State Park.
• Bouldering Guided rope-less climbing experience solving fun, challenging bouldering problems close to the ground at Devils Lake State Park.
• Talus Scrambling Guided exploration of huge boulder fields at Devil's Lake without ropes or defined routes, focused on traversing and scrambling.
• Group Climbing for Scouts, Schools & Teams Structured group climbing experiences for Scouts, students, and corporate teams to bond, learn, and develop outdoor skills.
• Anchors Course Instructional course teaching participants to build traditional anchors using naturals, cams, and nuts so they can climb independently anywhere.
• Lead Climbing Course Advanced course for experienced anchor setters and sport climbers learning to rack up, strategize, and place gear on lead.
• Climbing Self-Rescue Course Technical self-rescue skills course for rock climbers to handle emergencies in outdoor settings.
• Wilderness First Responder Comprehensive wilderness medicine certification course for outdoor professionals and enthusiasts.
• Warrior's Way Specialized climbing course focused on mental training, fear management, and performance for outdoor climbers.
• AMGA Courses & Exams American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) instructor training courses and Single Pitch Instructor certification exams for aspiring climbing professionals.
• Canyoneering Skills Clinics Technical canyoneering skills instruction for adventure enthusiasts seeking rope and water-based canyon travel experience.
• Junior Climbing Camp Multi-day youth climbing camp for younger students to learn outdoor rock climbing fundamentals.
• Trad Climbing Camp (Tradawan) Week-long traditional climbing camp for climbers developing trad climbing skills at Devils Lake.
• Teen Climbing Camp Week-long outdoor rock climbing summer camp for 7th–12th grade students, running every week of the summer.
• Camp Quartzite Multi-day adult climbing camp experience at Devil's Lake designed for various ability levels.
• Spring Climbing Escape Multi-day spring break climbing camp for outdoor enthusiasts at Devils Lake State Park.
• Women's+ Climbing Weekend Dedicated multi-day climbing weekend for women and non-binary climbers in an inclusive, mentorship-oriented environment.
• Gift Cards Retail gift cards redeemable for guided climbing trips and courses, sold through the company's online store.

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Boulders Climbing GymcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partnership with Boulders Climbing Gym in Madison, Wisconsin. Many instructors are former or current Boulders employees, climbing team members, and routesetters. Joint youth programming including climbing team trips and summer camps. Gateway gym for introducing new climbers to the sport and Devil's Lake.
• Madison Women ClimberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative relationship with Madison Women Climbers affinity group. Instructor Kathryn Bernard serves as co-leader. Focus on building community and creating inclusive climbing spaces for female-identifying climbers in the Madison and Devil's Lake area.
• Devil's Lake State Park / Wisconsin DNRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperating partner within Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin's most popular state park. Guide service operates on state park land and provides climbing education that complements park recreation offerings. Instructor Angie Limbach previously worked seasonal shifts with the Wisconsin DNR.
• Tumbled Rock Brewery & KitchenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Baraboo restaurant partnership. Marked as climber-friendly venue on Devils Lake Climbing Guides area restaurant guide. Featured on website as recommended dining option for climbing clients visiting the area.
• Vertical VoyagescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest instructor Jon Richard founded Vertical Voyages in St. Louis, Missouri, helping gym climbers transition safely and confidently to outdoor climbing. Regular collaboration on Single Pitch Instructor courses and assessments in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Arkansas. Partnership for instructor development and AMGA certification programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acadia Mountain Guides: Maine-based climbing and mountaineering guide service offering rock climbing instruction, courses, and guiding on Acadia and other Northeast crags. Directly comparable as a small, multi-product outdoor climbing school with certified instructors and a course/trip portfolio.
• New River Mountain Guides: West Virginia-based climbing guide service at the New River Gorge offering guided trips, courses, and AMGA-aligned instruction. Comparable as a regionally focused climbing guide service with a similar multi-product model.
• Vertical Voyages: St. Louis-based climbing guide service that helps gym climbers transition to outdoor climbing; partner of DLCG for AMGA SPI courses. Directly comparable as a Midwest climbing guide operator with instructional focus.
• Zion Adventure Company: Zion National Park-based adventure outfitter offering guided climbing, canyoneering, and gear rentals. Comparable as a niche outdoor guide service operating in a defined national/state park geography with a similar guiding and instruction portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• REI Co-op Experiences: Outdoor co-op's guided adventure and instruction division offering outdoor skills classes and guided trips nationwide. Comparable as a broader incumbent in outdoor recreation instruction with some overlapping trip/adventure offerings.
• Jackson Hole Mountain Guides: Wyoming-based climbing, skiing, and mountaineering guide service offering multi-discipline outdoor instruction and guiding. Comparable as a multi-discipline mountain guide operator with rock climbing instruction in its portfolio.
• Colorado Mountain School: Long-established Colorado-based climbing and mountaineering school offering guided trips, courses, and AMGA certifications. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the outdoor climbing instruction category with overlapping certifications and course offerings.
• North Cascades Mountain Guides: Washington-based mountain guide service offering rock climbing, alpine, and ski mountaineering courses. Comparable as a regional mountain guide school with climbing instruction, courses, and certifications.
• Movement Climbing, Yoga & Fitness: Multi-location indoor climbing gym operator that increasingly offers outdoor guide trips and instruction. Comparable as a broader climbing business with overlapping instructional and outdoor offerings.

Others

• Boulders Climbing Gym: Madison, WI indoor climbing gym that is a core partner and pipeline for DLCG. Adjacent as a shared climbing ecosystem player feeding customers and instructors to DLCG rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DevilsLakeClimbingGuides

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Devils Lake Climbing Guides