3 days Climbing Course

DAY 1: The first-day climbing starts with an explanation of the materials and the techniques. You learn about the use of basic materials such as the rope, the carabiners, and the harness. The safety information they should contain and how long you can use them.

After this basic information and warming-up, we start climbing.
We start with easy routes on top rope while the guide is belaying, before you begin the route we check your harness and you learn the first technique: the 8 knot. We explain the importance of the partner check and what you should check.

After this, we bring this information into practical situations. We climb several routes adapting to your progress. During climbing, we give you tips and instructions to improve your climbing technique and body use.

During this day, you also get the first information about belaying but we will improve this during the next few days.

DAY 2: On the way to the climbing area, the guide gives you more information about the environment during the climbing activities. The rock type, information about the vegetation and the different sectors and levels we have in the area.

After warming-up, we start with a quick repeat of some of the important information on day 1 before we go climbing.

During the second day, the focus lays on belaying. You learn how to use the gri-gri and practice the belaying on top rope and lead climbing. If there is more than one climber we start belaying each other under the supervision of the guide. Day 2 is also the biggest climbing day. If the guide feels you are ready, we improve a little bit the level of the routes, of course, you’re never obligated to climb anything if you don’t feel comfortable.

During the climbing, we practice techniques we learned on day 1. We do the 8 knot, check the harnesses, and each other during the partner check. Also, we keep giving tips about how to use your body and different holds to improve your climbing technique.

Depending on your progress we start giving some information about the lead climbing.

Day 3: The third day we learn how to lead climb a route. Because leading is especially for beginning climbers a very psychological way of climbing, we practice this in several steps and easy routes to optimize your learning process and confidence.

We start with an easy route on a positive wall to warm-up and practice this route for lead climbing. This way, we try to reduce the psychological factor.

After the warm-up, we explain how to use the quickdraws. The first step is clipping the quickdraw into the bolt. We practice this technique by climbing the route on toprope while unclipping the quickdraws and clipping them back while going down.

The next step is how to clip the rope into the other end of the quickdraw. After we explain and show the technique, you can try to lead the first route.

We leave the first 2-3 quickdraws on the wall so the climbers are on toprope in the first part of the route. This way you learn how to lead in a 100 % save the situation.

After practicing lead climbing on the easy route, we (depending on the progress and preference of the climber) improve slowly the level of the routes.

The last technique we learn in the climbing course is how to pass the rope through the anchor when there is no carabiner on top. We practice this first on the ground, simulating the situation before we try it on the top of the route.

When we practice this technique, the guide goes up first and the climber after. This way, they’re together on the top of the route while the climber does the technique. The guide can check everything to make sure the situation is perfectly safe. 

CONCLUSIONS: After the three days you will have learned the techniques and knowledge necessary to climb on your own and you will be ready to climb to the top. But it is very important to keep practicing shortly after this course to make sure you don’t forget the techniques. Always be aware of the importance of safety techniques and checking each other constantly during climbing activities.