Author: Tiana

Summary and reflections:

“Safety first, climbing second” – I first heard this phrase on the course and it nicely encapsulates the essence of the training led by Harry (shoutout to Ali and Chuck for the assist!) on the June weekend meet at Wye Valley.

For a long-time indoor climber getting her first taste of topping real rocks, this training meet was the holistic experience one needed to begin their venture into the realm of outdoor climbing safely and with confidence.

The first day of training was largely spent on learning the ropes (overused pun intended) of trad climbing including:
⦁ getting a feel for the rocks by climbing some easy routes,
⦁ belaying from the top,
⦁ learning to abseil/rappel, and
⦁ practicing placing gear in cracks

All this training set me up and spring-boarded me straight into multi-pitch climbing (two 60-80m routes!) as a second on Sunday alongside Anne and Damien in the lead, something that I was not expecting to do before the meet but felt confident enough to attempt with the skills I’d picked up by the end of Saturday and with experienced partners.

What a weekend!

Detailed report:

Friday
Most people arrived at the campsite in the evening and set up tents.

Saturday
The day started out with Harry (alongside his trusty helpers Ali and Chuck) leading the training crew down to Wintour’s Leap after a quick briefing at the campsite and some tricky navigation.

In parallel, the more experienced climbers headed to Quarry Rock for a spot of sport climbing.

At training, 3 top-roping stations were set up along the rocks for the training crew to warm up and get comfortable with the feel of the limestone rocks. Everyone had a go at each of the 3 routes and were encouraged to challenge themselves by making their climbs/taking routes more difficult than the last.

Whilst some climbed, others learnt to belay from the top with the trainers giving tips on how to do it safely for both the belayer and climber.

Once everyone had a go at learning both safe climbing and belaying techniques, the group moved on to learning how to set up a rappel and had a couple of goes rappelling down the crag.

The training ended with a chill session of learning to place all sorts of gear into different sized cracks/holes at the bottom of the crag. It’s not training without some questionable placements, but this was the perfect time to test that out safely with the experienced!

Hot pizza, cider and a block of salted caramel brownie (or bbq burgers and steaks) at the campsite have never tasted so good after a long day of climbing and a steep/tricky approach back.

Sunday
Well-rested and fed, the group started the day at 9, heading back down to Wintour’s Leap and splitting up in groups of 3’s to begin their multi-pitch climbs. One route took a good first half of the day with some who hadn’t had enough of the high, continuing onto their second routes after a quick lunch break to refuel.

Everyone started trailing off by the afternoon with the last few leaving around 5-6 in the evening, getting home in time for their presumably slightly less exciting Monday that awaits them but with an adventure story to tell.

Editor: Thank you so much to Harry for running the training along with Ali and Chuck for assisting, and Christine for organising the meet. Tiana, the report is wonderful.