Indoor Climbing

Beginner Course

"Learning the ropes" means taking a clear step towards becoming a competent and self-sufficient climber. Literally holding another person's life and well-being in your hands is no time for experimenting and half-hearted learning. Our beginner course is designed to ensure you will be a valuable and trustworthy climbing partner. Rather than trying to cover every aspect of climbing there is, this course focusses on the absolute basics and ensures they are understood and absorbed by you.

Upcoming open sessions:

None at this time

Any pre-requisites?

Ideally you will have climbed before on a taster session or with friends looking after you, but this is not a requirement.

What will you learn?

Looking after yourself and your climbing partners
Appropriate and safe behaviour in a climbing wall
Securing yourself to a rope (tying in)
Securing a climber with a rope (belay)
Basic climbing movement skills
Warming up and cooling down
What to look out for when buying climbing gear

What can you expect?

"Learn the ropes" and become a self-sufficient and competent climber. Master the essentials of climbing etiquette, securing yourself and belaying others in order to pass centre safety tests.

After the usual introductions, safety brief and warm up, the first session will start with your instructor taking you through climbing wall etiquette, the various parts of the wall and how they link together. You will be introduced to the necessary safety equipment and the fundamental links in the climbing "chain of safety".
Usually your instructor will then introduce you to a basic but "bomb proof" method of attaching yourself and others to the rope. Once you are happy attaching yourself you will be shown the basic method of belaying and how to keep yourself and your climber safe.
Throughout the course your instructor will constantly adjust the pace to suit your needs and will emphasise safe practice over elaborate extras. Our aim is to ensure that you leave with a solid understanding of the basics of climbing safety, allowing you to go to any climbing centre and enjoy this amazing sport.

The second session will depend heavily on how much content was covered in the first. Your instructor will usually introduce you to different belay devices and show you the differences of climbing on various wall angles. You will be asked to secure a minor fall at some point during the course to give you an understanding of what a fall actually feels like. At the end of the second session your instructor will give you honest feedback about what level they feel you are at.
Most people completing one of our beginner courses will be able to pass the "safety test" many centres require before allowing new climbers to climb unsupervised.

What do you need to bring?

Standard gym clothing and trainers are fine. Centres we use usually hire out climbing shoes at an additional cost and you may choose to try those out. We supply all essential safety equipment and any additional "shiny" items we may choose to let you try out as part of familiarising yourself with climbing.

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Jargon Buster

What do our difficulty values mean?
	Suitable for beginners with little or no previous knowledge and experience. For walking activities you should be able to walk at a slow to average pace continuously for 30 minutes.
	Suitable for intermediates with basic knowledge and previous experience. Walking participants should be able to walk at an average pace continuously for 1 hour. Climbing participants should be able to pass a belay test and/or demonstrate good bouldering practice.
	Suitable for those competent at and comfortable with the basics of the activity. Walking participants should be able to walk at an average pace and ascent rate continuously for 1 hour. For mountain activities, you should be a little sure-footed and not hugely afraid of heights, as activities may include short sections of exposure and steep ground. Climbing participants should be able to comfortably and competently top-rope grade 5 climbs or boulder the equivalent.
	Suitable for experienced participants with above average fitness and knowledge. Walking participants are expected to be able to walk at an average pace and rate of ascent continuously for 1 hour over broken terrain. For mountain activities you are expected to be sure-footed, have a moderate head for heights and be happy with longer stretches of moderate exposure. Climbing participants are expected to competently lead climb/belay and climb grade 5 indoors (or the equivalent boulder grade).
	Suitable for very experienced participants with high degrees of fitness and above average knowledge of the basics. Walking participants are expected to be able to walk to Naismith's rule (3-4km/hr + 1min/10m ascent) steadily for long periods of time over broken and complex terrain. For mountain activities you are expected to have a good sense of balance, be sure-footed and happy with long stretches of, at times severe, exposure. Participants are expected to show high levels of competence and self-sufficiency in their disciplines.

Our current private course price list:
For the prices listed here, we deliver a private booking just for you, on your chosen date and time. Where practical we will deliver the booking in your chosen location, though any areas outside of our usual operational areas may incur extra travel costs. We will let you know should this be the case. You will receive a full breakdown of costs with your quote.
Scrambling	£180 for the first 2 participants, £45 for each additional participant	A significant portion of the day is spent scrambling in complex, rocky and steep terrain.
Mountain Walk	£180 for the first 4 participants, £45 for each additional participant	Most of the day is spent walking in the mountains, though short sections of scrambling and steep terrain may be encountered.
Hill Walking	£170 for the first 4 participants, £25 for each additional participant	Days involving no possibility of scrambling and encountering rocky or steep terrain.
Lowland Walking	£160 for the first 6 participants, £20 for each additional participant
Beginner Navigation	£390 for the first 4 participants, £75 for each additional participant	2 days learning the fundamentals of navigating with map and compass.
Intermediate Navigation	£410 for the first 4 participants, £100 for each additional participant	2 days intermediate navigation, learning to navigate off path and across open countryside.
Advanced Navigation	£360 for the first 2 participants, £120 for each additional participant	2 day advanced navigation course learning to navigate in mountaineous terrain and remote countryside.