ROCK CLIMBING INSTRUCTOR

ASSESSMENT

"I have had many assessments over the years, and I can say I have never felt so at ease about being on an assessment, You created a friendly yet professional environment making for a stress free and enjoyable assessment where I learnt a lot."

Steve 2023

Rock Climbing Instructor assessment course

THE

DETAILS

COURSE DATES

2025

19-20 July

27-28 Sept

I can arrange bespoke dates if you are a group of min 4 wishing to do a training course.

COST

£200 per person

(this is a non-residential course)

2 days

Ratio 1:4

HOW TO BOOK

It's simple!

Complete the online booking form and pay a deposit

Make sure you check out the terms and conditions on the Booking Page

Full payment details are on the booking form and you will receive confirmation of your booking, payment received in an auto reply and I will contact you shortly before the course with the final details

WHAT WILL MY

ASSESSMENT LOOK LIKE?

This is a 2-day course spent at different crags each day looking at all aspects of the Mountain Training Syllabus including technical competence, how to keep people safe and your general knowledge about the sport. As with all assessments, they should be an enjoyable experience set in a relaxed atmosphere that allows you to perform at your best and hopefully learn some new skills too!

This is a qualification that allows you to supervise people climbing and abseiling and we will aim to spend each day on a crag and do we what we enjoy doing…..go climbing!

This is a sample programme and is subject to change based on weather.

DAY 01

After discussing the course in detail, we'll visit a single pitch crag and you'll be asked to climb a route at Severe standard and demonstrate a personal abseil. If time allows, you'll be given the opportunity to construct appropriate systems suitable for a group climbing at the crag, whilst all the time considering how best to protect the environment and manage the safety of the group.

DAY 02

Initially on the second day you'll identify how to prepare for the day and then we’ll head off to another crag to continue on a similar theme to the 1st day. At some point we’ll head off to a local wall for some further climbing and an opportunity to demonstrate your group management skills.

Afterwards there will be an individual feedback session discussing your performance over the past 2 days.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS...

DO I NEED PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE?

Yes, you should ensure you comply with the following...

You must have attended a Rock Climbing Instructor (or Single Pitch Award) training course or been granted exemption from training.
You must be familiar with the syllabus.
You must be competently leading Severe grade climbs on outdoor crags with leader-placed protection.
You must have led (and logged) a minimum of 40 graded rock climbs with traditional protection at a variety of venues (of which at least 20 MUST be at Severe grade or above).
You must be proficient in the use of climbing walls and have a minimum of 30 climbing wall leads graded at F4 or above.
You must be proficient in outdoor bolt protected sport climbing and have a minimum of 10 sport climb leads graded at F4 or above.
You must have assisted in the supervision of 20 instructed sessions post training. These sessions should be at a variety of different venues with 10 being on indoor climbing walls and the other 10 on outdoor crags. A session is a half day or evening.
You must hold a current first aid certificate, minimum 16 hours and relevant to your work as a Rock Climbing Instructor.

WHO WILL RUN MY COURSE?

All courses are run by myself, occasionally if I have to use another Instructor then I will inform you of that. I don’t use instructors unknown to me or who aren’t close friends. The small team that I use are equally as qualified, experienced and keen to share their enthusiasm for the mountains in a relaxed and safe manner.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?

As a potential Rock Climbing Instructor you should ensure you are appropriately equipped to spend 2 days climbing, so a rope, harness, climbing rack, helmet and climbing shoes are essential. I will send you a detailed kit list when you confirm your place.

WHERE DO WE MEET?

We will normally meet you in Capel Curig at 0900, we will confirm the time and place when you reserve your place.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

Assessment by an approved Mountain Training provider.

WHAT"S NOT INCLUDED

Accommodation

Food

Personal Insurance

Personal equipment

BOOKING?

You will need to complete a booking form and full payment will need to be made at the time of booking.

WHERE CAN I STAY?

There is a full range of accommodation options in Snowdonia to suit every budget and taste. The ones suggested in FAQ operate independently from Paul Poole Mountaineering.

EXPERIENCE

The period between training and assessment varies in length for each person and is an opportunity to develop your skills, paying particular attention to any weaknesses identified during the training course. So go climbing and use your enthusiasm to hone your skills for as long as you like.. Every opportunity should be taken to practise the skills learned during training.

Before you book onto a Rock Climbing Instructor assessment, make sure you have done the following:

You must have attended a Rock Climbing Instructor (or Single Pitch Award) training course or been granted exemption from training

You must be familiar with the syllabus.

You must be competently leading Severe grade climbs on outdoor crags with leader-placed protection

You must have led a minimum of 40 graded rock climbs with traditional protection at a variety of venues (of which at least 20 MUST be at Severe grade or above)

You must be proficient in the use of climbing walls and have a minimum of 30 climbing wall leads graded at F4 or above

You must be proficient in outdoor bolt protected sport climbing and have a minimum of 10 sport climb leads graded at F4 or above

You must have assisted in the supervision of 20 instructed sessions. These sessions should be at a variety of different venues with 10 being on indoor climbing walls and the other 10 on outdoor crags. A session is a half day or evening. At least five of these sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded on DLOG

You must have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction and included an element of assessment.