Climbing is a brilliant way to get exercise, develop good balance, movement, problem solve, and switch off from normal life for a few hours or a day.
You don't need to have strong arms to climb. It's your leg muscles which are the powerhouses of the body and these which are the most useful. You'll develop your strength, balance and coordination through climbing.
The aims of the courses are to enable you to independently enjoy climbing as a recreational and sporting activity. So come along to a climbing session to find out what it's all about!
If you would like to discuss this course for friends/family/clubs or societies, please see the Adventures for You page or just get in touch to discuss options and prices
Introduction to Climbing
Where they are run:
Beginner evening indoor courses are run at Energise in York and The Big Depot (formerly The Leeds Wall) in Leeds. There are three evening sessions over three successive weeks.
Courses run from 6:30 - 9:30pm. We rarely use all three hours but I have found it is better to to have flexibility rather than have to end a session in the middle of a topic.
What the Course Involves:
Climbing can be great fun (and totally obsessive depending on how into it you get!) and we aim to give you the confidence to take your climbing as far as you like!
We cover:
Equipment (which can be hired from the centres) and how to put it on. I will provide harnesses but you can wear trainers or hire climbing shoes (£2 per session).
How to tie in with a recognised knot (rethreaded figure of 8)
How to belay (protect your partner)
How to use an autobelay
How to use a bouldering room/centre
Basics of climbing technique
We will not cover lead climbing
You will still need to pass a brief test when you go to any new climbing wall to register as an unsupervised climber. This usually takes 5 minutes and is anything from answering a few questions to demonstrating you can tie in and belay (everyone needs to do this - including me!). It is just part of the Centre's admissions policy to check you can do it.
This is an adult course and under 18s (over 16s) can come so long as their parent / guardian is present (even if not on the course). The instructor:client ratio is 1:6 with a minimum of 2 clients to ensure that everyone gets the most benefit from the course.
You'll get access to some refresher videos and also some reminder sheets you can print off as part of the course. You'll also get a length of rope you can take home for the duration of the course to practice your knots and belay action with!
By the end of the course, you will be able to go to any climbing wall in the UK and go top-rope climbing, bouldering or using the autobelays unsupervised. You'll have met some like-minded people to go and climb with and possibly made new friends!
Tutors:
Fabian will be your tutor and he has a particular passion for teaching. He's taught outdoor skills over the past 20+ years to a range of audiences as well as intro to indoor climbing courses. He also designs, develops and delivers multi-day practical courses on health innovation for universities and the NHS. He's a very experienced tutor and absolutely loves teaching.
Prerequisites
An interest in learning to climb!
Cost:
Beginner courses cost £120 if booking one person for the three sessions (discounts available for booking more than one!) This includes entrance to the climbing centre but not climbing shoe hire (that's optional). You'll also get access to refresher videos, borrow a practice rope and a download reminder sheet!
Images from Past Events
To Book
If you want to chat to me about the course then please feel free to do so - email is a good start as I'm often out and about with limited phone reception. Please see the Frequently Asked Questions too.
To book simply click 'Register Now' and follow the instructions (or on mobile, the link below). You'll get an automated confirmation reply but I'll follow that up when I get back to civilisation to say thanks and with more detail about the event.
Please ensure you've read the booking Terms and Conditions and you are aware of what you need to bring by downloading the gear list.
Book the Beginner Indoor Climbing Course in Leeds - Wednesdays 9th, 16th & 23rd October (1830-2130)
Book the Beginner Indoor Climbing Course in York - Thursdays 10th, 17th & 24th October (1830-2130)
If the dates don't work for you, please send an email telling us your name, preferred weekday evenings, leeds or York, and how many of you there are in your party.