Climbing Courses

13th April 2012

Climbing courses like people come in all shapes and sizes. As a Mountain Leader Training Board approved provider I can run the Single Pitch Award (SPA) the Climbing Wall Award (CWA) and the Climbing Wall Lead Award (CWLA). These courses are for climbers that want to teach climbing, outside and indoors. As a keen climber and a holder of the Mountain Instructor Award I also run numerous other climbing courses. One of the most popular is a first outdoor day for those that have started their climbing experience indoors. I get a lot of pleasure in taking someone outside for the first time. Everything feels so different but in a good way.

I can run these for any number of people between 1 and 6. Another popular climbing course is Learn to Lead Sport Climbing. This is a natural progression for climbers leading indoors but need to know the difference between indoors and outside. One of the main differences is how you get down from a sport climb outside. Inside you just clip into the lower-off and your friend lowers you but outside it not quite so easy. Trad climbing and Learn to Lead Trad can often be a follow up to Learn to Lead Sport. This course is best run over 2 days and at 2 different cliffs. I try when possible to use 2 different rock types as well. The way you place protection and move can be very different between a natural limestone cliff in The Forest of Dean and a gritstone crag in The Peak District.

I always enjoy taking clients on multi-pitch climbs and this is a great way to understand climbing. At the top of each pitch we have to build belays and as we gain height the exposure increases taking you into a different world. At the top of the climb you may be able to walk off but often the only way off is to abseil down and I set this up so you are both safe and in control.