The Youth Ready to Rock Trad climbing course is designed to help young climbers (11-17 year olds) make their first moves onto rock by having a fun day out, as well as covering the use of some key skills and equipment, for both the participant and the parent/carer. Trad climbing is the most popular style of climbing on British crags.

What is trad climbing?

Trad climbing involves placing removable pieces of climbing gear into the rock in order to protect the climber in case of a fall. This type of climbing is what is predominantly practiced on British crags. Find out more about trad climbing in our article Getting started: Trad climbing.

What do the courses cover? 

The courses are designed to give you a good taster to climbing outside and may cover topics such as:

• Types of trad climbing equipment
• Placing good protection
• Building good belays
• Guidebooks
• Differences between the wall and the crag
• Seconding and leading issues

Please note that the course content will be adapted to match the ability of the paticipants on each course, with instructors teaching techniques appropriate to the age and experience of attending young people.

Parent/Carers want to know more?

READ: The Parent's Guide to Climbing, Walking, and Mountaineering

Who is it for?

The Youth Ready to Rock Trad climbing course is ideal for young climbers, between 11 and 17 year old, who are confident in leading routes on indoor climbing walls. Young climbers who may have had the odd taster of climbing outdoors and who wish to gain further knowledge and skills. You should already know how to put on a harness, tie in to a rope, and belay. This is a good precursor for anyone contemplating further training; such as a Rock Skills course.

This course is aimed at Young People involved in Trad Climbing. More Ready to Rock courses, catering for more people, can be found below:

Youth Ready to Rock Sport Climbing Course

Women's Ready to Rock Course

Ready to Rock Course

Who will be instructing?

Course instructors are highly experienced and qualified climbers and are members of the AMI (Association of Mountaineering Instructors). The name and contact details of the instructor delivering the course can be found in the information below. 

Cost

Courses cost £75 per person, with a discounted rate of £67.50 per person for BMC Members. We are currently running courses with a maximum of 5 young people per course. 

The BMC have funding available for young people experiencing difficulties in accessing this course, provided by the Lee Bower Fund, please contact Alex West for more information and details to access funding.

Lee was introduced to climbing in the Peak District by a school teacher, Tony Boreham. It was a real revelation for him and became a lifelong passion. Unfortunately, his plans for a long and happy retirement on the crags were cut short by cancer on 12 February, aged 59.

He said he wanted any donations to help some youngsters, who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford it, to taste the adventure of outdoor climbing.

So please use this money, raised from his family and friends, and organised by his climbing mates, to help as many young people as possible gain a grounding in the skills, safety techniques and appreciation of trad climbing.

Duration

The course will run from 10.00am until 5.oopm. 

Parent/Carer Supervision

Participants are required to remain under the supervision of a parent or guardian over the age of 18. The supervisor must be willing and able to approach the crag with the group which may involve uneven and steep ground.

What do you need to bring?

• Climbing shoes
• Harness
• Helmet
• Belay Device
• Rope and any trad equipment (if you have them)
• Lunch and warm clothing
• Suncream!

Booking

You can contact your local course provider for any local information using thier email address below.

We run courses throughout Spring, Summer and Autumn. You can find a list of dates, venues and instructors below. Simply head over to our booking site, create an account, and purchase your course here.

Venues, Dates & Instructors

South Wales 

Dates to be confirmed soon

Contact Tom Partridge:

Email - tompartridge@gmail.com

Wesbite - http://www.tom-partridge.co.uk

Northumberland

Monday 8th April 2024

Monday 27th May 2024

Monday 10th October 2024

Contact Tom Hopper:

Email - info@climbgb.com

Website - www.climbgb.com 

North Wales

Sunday 31st March 2024

Saturday 4th May 2024

Monday 27th May 2024

Contact Kath James:

Email - info@mountain-expertise.co.uk

Peak District

Dates to be confirmed soon

Contact Martina Spisiakova:

Email - m_spisiakova@yahoo.co.uk

For any dates above; head over to our booking site, create an account, and confirm your place here.

Youth Outdoor Climbing Courses

Whether you want to make the leap from indoor climbing into Sport or Trad climbing outdoors, we run many courses across the country and throughout the year that are specially for 11-17 year olds.

BOOK: Youth Trad Climbing Course

BOOK: Youth Sport Climbing Course

Subsidised Youth Course Places

There are a large number of free places on courses for families who may struggle to afford it. Any families who live in rented accommodation and who receive income support or universal credit may contact the instructor of a course or Alex West for a place.

U27 Membership 

From just £1.77 a month it's never been easier to join and support our work: 

JOIN TODAY: BMC Under 27 Membership

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