Indoor Climbing Assistant
The Indoor Climbing Assistant is a nationally recognised qualification for people interested in supporting qualified instructors with climbing sessions on purpose-built artificial walls and boulders.
This is a one day combined training and assessment course.
Who is it for?
Anyone interested in assisting with core tasks during a climbing session.
It is aimed at parents, youth workers, young leaders and teachers who would like to take a more active role in climbing sessions. The minimum age for this course is 16, so it is a good starting point for young leaders who would like to undertake their Climbing Wall Instructor in the future.
As an Indoor Climbing Assistant you will not be qualified to manage groups independently (for that, see Climbing Wall Instructor or Bouldering Wall Instructor).
Indoor Climbing Assistant Course Overview
The course will look at the following:
- The specifics of the climbing wall environment
- Equipment use and checks
- Warming up and cooling down
- Bouldering safe practice
- Roped climbing safe practice
- Movement coaching
- Teaching belaying
- How to structure a session
You will find more information on the scope of the course in the candidate handbook here.
Indoor Climbing Assistant Course Format
This is a practical course and we’ll spend a lot of time in the climbing wall.
The course begins at 10am with introductions (us, you, the award) and a discussion about your roles and responsibilities as an Indoor Climbing Assistant. From here we’ll head out into the climbing wall to explore safe use, etiquette and other users. Next we’ll cover equipment, including when to use what, checking climbing kit and how to correctly size it to an individual.
After the basics, it’s time to get into the format of running a climbing session, from warm ups through to bouldering, roped climbing and supervising novice belayers.
Towards the end of the day, we’ll look ahead to how you can progress from the award. Before you leave we’ll have individual debriefs where you can ask questions or discuss any points with your trainer.
You will be ready to depart at 17:00.
Course Details
- Location: Sheffield
- Cost: £105
- Duration: 1 day
- Ratio: 1:6
- Level: Instructor
More Information
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Course Dates
The Indoor Climbing Assistant course is offered as a bespoke course (minimum of two people) at indoor climbing walls.
Please contact the office to book a course.
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Bespoke Dates and Locations
If there are two or more of you that would like an Indoor Climbing Assistant course, or you would like some different dates or a different location please contact the office and we will arrange something to suit your diary.
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Meeting Point
We regularly run Indoor Climbing Assistant courses at both of the major climbing walls in Sheffield and also in Nottingham, Leeds, Stockport and Manchester. Â For bespoke courses just let us know where works best for you.
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Equipment Required
In addition to your normal climbing clothing, you will need to bring your personal climbing equipment and food for the day. A full equipment checklist together with a lot of useful links, recommended reading and other useful information is included in the Indoor Climbing Assistant course joining instructions.
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Recommended Reading
We give some suggestions below, but more detailed suggestions together with a host of helpful links and videos are contained in our Climbing Wall Instructor Instructor Training Joining Instructions
The Indoor Climbing Assistant handbook contains all the details of the syllabus and the remit of the award.
The official handbook of Mountain Training’s climbing schemes is:
Rock Climbing essential skills & techniques. Libby Peter.The BMC have a range of useful articles and a dedicated video site BMC TV covering a range of climbing issues.
Mountain Training also have a YouTube channel which is here.
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Eligibility
You must be registered on the Indoor Climbing Assistant scheme before attending this course. This costs £26 and can be completed online at:
https://www.mountain-training.org/qualifications/climbing/indoor-climbing-assistantYou must be at least 16 years old.
You must have experience in the basic skills (belaying, harness fitting, tying on).
You must have an up to date logbook (preferably DLOG*) with evidence of:
- 5 indoor climbing sessions. (There is no personal climbing requirement, you can just belay, but it is useful to have experience of climbing.)
- Belayed on a minimum of 5 indoor climbing sessions.
*Some answers to frequently asked DLOG questions can be found on the Mountain Training website here.
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Accommodation Options
The Indoor Climbing Assistant course is non-residential to allow you to select between a thermarest or 5 star hotel as you require. There is lots of accommodation in the Sheffield area to suit a range of budgets.
Gallery
FAQs
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What is an Indoor Climbing Assistant ?An Indoor Climbing Assistant is a qualified individual who supports certified instructors in delivering climbing or bouldering sessions on artificial walls, but is not qualified to lead groups independently.
The role is focused on assisting with core tasks like equipment fitting, belaying, and supervision, and is ideal for parents, teachers, and young leaders who want to support climbing sessions in a more active role.Â
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How do I book Indoor Climbing Assistant?
The best way to book your Indoor Climbing Assistant course is via this webpage. For a scheduled course, choose the date from the options on the above and then submit your booking and pay the deposit.
For bespoke Indoor Climbing Assistant courses get in touch first so we can check diaries and if required give you a quote. Get in touch by either calling the office on 01142 631 155 or emailing us.
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Does the course include accommodation ?
Not usually! We prefer to let you choose where you will be most comfortable whilst on a Indoor Climbing Assistant course. This may be in a tent or in a luxury hotel.
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Children, Parking, Dogs, COVID and everything else...
You will find all of the most frequently asked questions and their answers on our FAQ webpage.
