Rock Climbing Camp

Embark on your first climbing trip with our 5 day rock climbing camp for 14 – 17 year olds. You’ll develop your outdoor climbing skills, meet other climbers and surround yourself with all things climbing for a full week. That’s what climbing trips are for, after all!

Climbing Camp – Course overview

Climbing by day, camping by night, it’s part of the climbing lifestyle. Our 5 day rock climbing camp for 14 – 17 year olds provides an immersive introduction to the climbing trip experience in a world-class climbing destination, all under the supervision of an experienced and qualified instructor.

During the day you’ll visit some of the Peak District’s world-renowned crags where we’ll cover the basics before covering skills that will prepare you for climbing independently, such as placing gear and building anchors. You will also sample different rock types, boulder on gritstone and build on your technique and movements skills through varied activities and challenges. We may also explore other rope and rope related adventures, like abseiling and weaseling.

After a day of climbing you’ll return to camp at North Lees. Here you’ll learn essential skills for camping independently so that you can enjoy more trips in the future, including cooking your own meals on a camping stove. When that’s done we play rope tricks and learn cool climbing tips until the sun goes down…

Join us for 5 memorable days of vertical challenges, fun and adventures!

What will I learn ?

The course covers essential skills for rock climbing safely and responsibly outdoors, such as belaying and tying knots. If you feel comfortable, we’ll also pave the way for learning to lead climb by looking at placing protection and building anchors. We’ll also tackle outdoor bouldering safety skills and the different equipment you can use as a climber.

You’ll also work on movement skills, technique and tactics like route-reading. In the Peak District we’re lucky to have both limestone and gritstone, so you’ll be able to explore how different rock types affect how you climb.

In the evenings we’ll look at how to safely use a stove, different meals you can cook on it, and the practicalities of camping out in the countryside during a trip.

Climbing is all about camaraderie, supporting your peers and working together to solve problems. After a week with your fellow climbers, we’re sure you’ll forge long-lasting friendships, and find climbing partners for future excursions!

Climbing Camp – Course Format

The course timetable will be flexible according to the weather, but it might look like this…

Day 1: Meet at North Lees campsite to establish our basecamp and get the lay of the land. Once we have got to know one another we’ll head out bouldering to practice movement skills before returning for your first night under the stars.

Day 2: Wake up feeling fresh, eat breakfast and head out to the crag. On day 2 we’ll revise your basic safety skills, focusing on belaying, knots and climbing calls. Over the course of the day we’ll think about building confidence in these skills and begin to experiment with gear placements to create anchors.

Day 3: After 2 days of climbing you may be feeling a bit tired. A morning of abseiling at Miller’s Dale will wake you up ready for an afternoon of climbing on the limestone.

Day 4: As the end of the trip looms it’s time to get in those last holiday sends. Let’s put together those movement and safety skills for a great day out at the crag. If we haven’t touched it already we will have a look at building anchors at the top of climbs and maybe ghost roping (the first step towards making a lead).

Day 5: The dreaded final morning where you have to take down your tent and work out just how to put it back in its bag (don’t worry, we have some handy tips!) To console us of this trauma, we’ll head out to the crag for one last session before returning to North Lees for pickup.