Melbourne Climbing School Logo

For an adventure like no other!

ACIA-certified Multi-Pitch Guide and Climbing Instructor

We are all about rock climbing in the outdoors on the amazing, world class rock which just happens to exist right here in Victoria.

We aim to share climbing with everybody, so read on if you:

  • Have never climbed before and want to give it a go
  • Are a team or a family looking to try climbing in the outdoors for the first time
  • Have already climbed indoors a few times and want to see what the outdoors has to offer
  • Have climbed indoors a lot of times and want to find qualified instruction for the outdoors
  • Are already climbing outdoors and want to develop your skills further
  • Are an expert already and want to find the next step

MCS offers courses and opportunities to get YOU into the outdoors safely!

Some words from a few of our happy customers:

Thanks Aaron, I had an awesome weekend learning to climb outdoors, being taught so much and really enjoying it. Aaron isn’t just super experienced and knowledgeable but he’s great to talk to and has such great teaching methods.
I seriously do recommend him if your wanting to transition outside as he’s a phenomenal teacher and I really do hope to come back out again sometime.
Ethan Zelenjak, via email

Aaron is an extremely friendly and accommodating teacher as well as a knowledgeable climber. Aaron knows the area well, takes brilliant photos and teaches using practical methods rather than overloading on theory. Would recommend to anyone looking to learn to climb or anything more advanced 🙂

Luke Edelston, via Google

We had an amazing experience doing a 2 day course with Aaron, which included way more than quality and professional instruction. Aaron was able to manage our groups varying levels of skill, apprehension and enthusiasm without us feeling like we were being managed. Aaron has a relaxed and flexible approach to teaching with safety as the key focus. We learnt so much in our 2 days and had some amazing experiences, Aaron didn’t just pass on his knowledge of trad climb, but also his love for it. I would highly recommend Melbourne Climbing School.

Tia Wishart, via Facebook

Brilliant day out with Aaron for my husband’s birthday, challenging and pushed us but definitely worthwhile. Our first time climbing on real rock and Aaron made it a lot of fun, highly recommended.

Alex Mullarky, via Google

Couple of friends and I had an great experience with Aaron up at Mt Arapiles last week. Aaron was experience, knowledgeable and flexibility were helpful throughout the two days in learning how to trad climb. We as a group had an amazing time and will definitely be coming back to learn more!

Jacob Cincotta, via Facebook

Had such an amazing time on the essential rescue course. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to expand their climbing knowledge even if you are an experienced climber.

Aaron is very knowledgeable and a great teacher. He is patient and has a great passion for teaching others how to be safe. The course covers many techniques which build on one another both in complexity and difficulty. This course has made me more confident on the rock and given me the skills to intelligently think my way out of a bad situation.

If you are looking for a guide who will challenge you, not hold your hand and let you really learn by ‘doing’ rather than watching then Aaron is your man!!

Dylan Gilmore, via Google

If you are a complete novice, passionate enthusiast or experienced “29+” climber I can not recommend Aaron Lowndes enough! It is so refreshing to meet someone as skilled and humble as this man. His climbing ability, knowledge and generosity to share both made for an unbeatable 4 days! I’m a PT and understand the importance of investing in skills and great instruction and I couldn’t be prouder to have Aaron as my climb guide and mentor. I have just completed both the trad single pitch course and the essential rescue skills and covered more than I could have imagined. I am now confident and competent to lead climb, belay and assist. This will be invaluable for climbs to come. Everyone has an obligation to climb safe and seriously this is money well spent! I’ll be back for sure with a few more challenging projects to complete. Thanks so much for everything Aaron- you have a gift for climbing and a greater gift for sharing it with people! #melbourneclimbingschool #xlpt #xlptfitfam #projects #arapiles #climbguide101 #theboss

An intense day packed full of fun and exciting moments, will definitely come back again : )

Cheng Huang, via Google

Thank you so much Aaron for an amazing weekend! I’ve only got 6 months of experience of climbing under my belt but having someone as experienced and cool as we did showing us the ropes made me feel like i could actually climb the daunting cliffs. I was a little more fearful than the rest of the group and Aaron was incredibly reassuring and supportive. Couldn’t have asked for a better guide. If you’re thinking of heading out climbing then Aaron is the man to make your experience a 10/10!

Sean Connolly, via Facebook

Absolutely superb teacher.

Highly experienced, knowledgeable and a strong focus on safety at all times.

Learnt a lot and looking forward to taking what I learnt outdoors in my next course through Melbourne Climbing School.
Highly recommended…..5 stars 
Jacquelie Dawes, via Email

This was such a great learning experience. Aaron is warm and very professional with a lot of experience and knowledge behind him so I felt safe, comfortable and excited. He picked climbs that were the perfect level according to our abilities with the right amount of challenges that were overcome with his coaching.

I highly recommend this- the feeling of accomplishment aligned with the serenity of a beautiful view once you’ve conquered the climb is a worthwhile experience.

Tata Iskandar, via Google

Took a three day course with Aaron and had a brilliant time from start to finish. He is an all round good guy, but more importantly a very patient and respectful teacher, who guided us on some great beginner climbs for a party of three that had little to no experience on actual rock.

Aaron was always attentive to our safety, and I gelled with his teaching style, which was not attempting to micromanage us in any way. We were all put into a challenging environment, where we were given enough space to have a go at problem solving for ourselves. This meant that when we were climbing we got the opportunity to have a go at figuring out what to do on a route, make mistakes, which were then discussed afterwards to constructively critique our gear placements, etc. We learned a lot in the three days, and it was very enjoyable.

Very good value for the quality of tuition and guiding! I am already looking at taking other courses with Melbourne Climbing School, so that has to be a good endorsement as well 🙂

Petey Mason, via Google

Aaron is an extremely friendly and accommodating teacher as well as a knowledgeable climber. Aaron knows the area well, takes brilliant photos and teaches using practical methods rather than overloading on theory. Would recommend to anyone looking to learn to climb or anything more advanced 🙂

Luke Edelston, via Google

Aaron method of teaching is flawless. He showed us concisely how it was all done, let us made mistakes and told us after so we could learn from it, took his time when we had questions as we’re learning. Thank you for passing your knowledge and little tricks when we’re out there. Learned a lot and had such a thrill on that lead 13!

Bianca Spring, via Facebook

Excellent place to start outdoor climbing – 100% beginner friendly! I’ve been indoor climbing for only a few times and started outdoor climbing with Aaron. He is very nice and patient, knowledgeable and professional. I appreciate his attitude that he tries to make people enjoy climbing rather than pushing them far out of comfort zone. That makes me enjoy my 2-day Intro to Outdoor Climbing course so much:) Aaron gave heaps of handy tips on safety skills, working through all the details from setting anchors to abseiling down. It was such a fun experience. Definitely worth learning with Aaron!

Yao-Li Wang, via Facebook

We went outdoor rock climbing at the Cathedral Range with Aaron. I have to say one of my best outdoor experiences.

Aaron was such a friendly and professional guide. We were filled with fun & laugh. The successful trip conducted with delicious BBQ at the mountain base. We invited Aaron to stay further with us for dinner to end up the amazing adventure as a team. I love it to bits and will definitely come back one day!

Jun Vo, via Google

My kids and I have climbed a few times with Aaron.   He was great with the kids, making them feel safe and happy.   Aaron’s manner is calm and confident, he’s very knowledgeable, resourceful and patient and well able to explain technical info in an easy to understand way.   Would definitely recommend his services as a climbing guide and instructor. 5 stars

Jen Findlow, via email

Was a great experience and learnt so much from only 2 days. Definitely get plenty of experience and feel safe the entire time.

Chrissy Mourani, via Google