Rock Skills Learn to Lead Trad
Mountain Training Rock Skills courses provide a progressive introduction to the basic skills and techniques of rock climbing, which will help you stay safe, enjoy climbing to the full and provide the foundation required for participation and development of your own rock climbing activities.
A Learn to Lead Trad Climbs course is all about learning trad climbing skills including how to place protection, build belays
and move in an assured manner on rock.
Climbing Experience Required
Essential
Have belayed on at least 20 occasions;
AND
Have seconded a minimum of 20 outdoor rock climbs at Very Difficult (VDiff) or above;
OR
Have led 20 sport climbs (indoors or outdoors).
Desirable
Completion of Rock Skills Intermediate and/or Rock Skills Learn to Lead Sport Climbs course.
During this two-day course we'll cover the following:
- Background and Planning. Selecting suitable venues and routes, how to use guidebooks and mobile devices to find crags and routes, crag etiquette, the importance of the climbing partnership and the work of the mountaineering councils.
- Climbing Skills. Safe and assured movement when leading climbs and optimising natural rests for placing gear.
- Equipment. Ropes and technical equipment for lead climbing, contents of a lead rack and how to carry it, selection and function of gear.
- Technical Skills. Selection and placement of suitable gear to protect leader and second, choosing anchors, effective ropework, attaching to multiple anchors, belaying, holding leader and second falls in a controlled environment.
- Environmental Knowledge. The impact of climbers at the crag, ethics and environmental considerations for climbers.
- Hazards and Emergency Procedures. Identifying hazards, decision making and managing risk, understanding common injuries, what to do in the event of an incident, managing common problems, how to get help and learning how Mountain Rescue works.
And by the end of this two-day Learn to Lead Trad course you can expect to:
- Have covered the course content in a safe and enjoyable outdoor environment and classroom-style setting;
- Have climbed outside for a good proportion of each day on an appropriate crag; and
- Be in a stronger position to lead trad routes on rock, using appropriate techniques and safe practice.
Course Dates and Locations for 2024
All of our Rock Skills Learn to Lead Trad courses are based in the Lake District. We meet for a chat over coffee and a short indoor session at Keswick Climbing Wall near Castlerigg Stone Circle, Keswick, before heading out to a suitable crag for the day. The crags we choose will depend on the weather a fair bit, but we could go into Borrowdale, Thirlmere,the Eden Valley, or the Northern Fells. There's loads of great venues to choose from in this area.
July 8th - 9th 2 places available
September 4th - 5th 2 places available
Course Fee
2-day course - £240 per person (2 people minimum, 3 maximum)
Our Rock Skills Learn to Lead Trad courses are two-days long. We start with a short indoor session at the Keswick Climbing Wall near Castlerigg Stone Circle just outside of Keswick, then spend the rest of the course at suitable outside crag locations.
How to Book
Our Rock Skills course are for adults only.
To book a place on a Rock Skills Learn to Lead Trad course, or to discuss any rock climbing course with us, contact us by email, through our contact form or call now on 07498 058912.
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