Rock Climbing Tips

Recently Carmen, one of our readers, left a post on the Nature For Kids Forum wanting rock climbing tips for young kids. Here’s what she wrote…

“I just took my kids rock climbing “on the ropes” for the first time. They did great getting up, but were very uncomfortable getting down and I was totally unsuccessful at getting them to rappel. Any advice on teaching this to kids ages 3-5?”

This is a great question Carmen! We had the same problem with our own kids. Preparing a new climber for what to do after they’ve made it to the top of a climb is important and often overlooked. The truth is most people are more afraid of coming down than going up.  After trial and error we now have a safe and easy to understand 5 step system for descending the rock after a climb. We use this system quite often when taking other small children and even adults on climbing trips.

5 Step System For Descending The Rock

Step #1

Before the climber even leaves the ground have them sit in their harness while the belayer holds their weight with the belay device. That way the climber gets used to the feeling of relying on the belayer and hanging from the rope.

Step #2

Have the climber climb up about 3 feet off the ground and once again sit in their harness.  Tell them to put their feet on the rock wall, level with their bum. Then have them open their legs wide like they’re riding a horse. This will give them a good foundation. Have them bend their knees and put their hands out in front of them. Once they’re comfortable with that have them push off the rock and do little hops.  

Now they’re ready to climb. If you forget to do this prior to them climbing you may be spending a lot of time trying to coax them down. Prepare them before hand. It’s not fair for a new climber to be nervous and unknowing at the very top of a climb.

Step #3

Once the climber has reached the top of their climb and they’re ready to come down tighten up the belay some more and tell them to sit in the harness once again just like when they were down on the ground.

Step #4

After they’ve unclung from the rock with a death grip tell them to get into their horse riding position (feet spread wide, level with bum, knees bent) gradually lower them down as they push off from the rock doing little hops.

Step #5

Encourage the climber to have hands out and ready to push off from the rock, in case they begin to roll from one side or the other. More often than not a new climber will feel more comfortable hanging onto the rope. This is okay, but be careful of small overhangs or other outcroppings that climbers can bonk their heads on.

Overall, getting a new climber used to being next to the rock, hanging in their harness and protecting themselves at the same time is the key. If these rock climbing tips aren’t enough and the new climber needs further assurance, explain to them about the climbing equipment they’re using, the anchors, back ups and why they all work so well. 

 

If you have any further rock climbing tips for Carmen and other readers please leave a comment on this post. Also, dont forget to check out the Nature For Kids Forum every once in a while. It’s starting to become a great resource for everything concerning the outdoors! If you found this post helpful you might also want to check out the Rock Climbing Toddler and Rock Climbing With Kids posts.

rock climbing, nature, kids, climber, climbing, climbing equipment

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