INDOOR ROCK CLIMBING, BOULDERING AND ABSEILING

Climbing is an exhilarating sport which is open to all abilities and fitness levels; whether you are just starting out and want a taster session to give it a try under the reassuringly watchful eye of a qualified instructor, or are an experienced climber looking to improve the efficiency of your movement to enable you to tackle harder routes, we can tailor the session to meet your needs.

Climbing indoors

Climbing indoors is an excellent and vastly popular sport in its own right or can often be used as a stepping stone for those who wish to climb outside. We would highly recommend climbing indoors for your first experiences, as you are in a less intimidating environment with a greater range of climbs for all abilities, also you will get maximum climbing time from your session which is an excellent way to quickly develop your skills and abilities.

Working with a group at the Climbing Centre in Glasgow

How indoor climbing works

Indoor climbing walls feature lots of different grades of route from very easy to insanely hard, each route will be set typically using 'holds' of a specific colour/pattern and the harder the route, the smaller the holds or more tricky the moves that are required. For safety the routes are protected by a rope from the top of the climb to which the climber is attached and the climber is 'belayed' up the climb. Belaying is the process by which the slack rope is taken in tight as the climber ascends and safeguards against the climber falling.

Climbing walls work in a similar way to your local gym, you can pay the day rate or get a membership, similarly some form of induction is typically required with a professional climbing instructor like myself. Everyone using a climbing wall must either be under the supervision of a competent climber/instructor or be self declared as competent. For novices new to climbing this is where we come in and show you the ropes (pun intended!). Intro to climbing sessions include lots of activity such as climbing and bouldering and really give you a flavour of the sport and hopefully whet your appetite for more.

Already a climber?

If you are already a competent wall user we can give your climbing (and belaying if required!) an MOT, coaching a range of movement skills and efficient climbing techniques to move you on from where you are at present, this can either be a one-to-one session or for a development session for a group. The session is based around you and will be tailored to suit your needs and ambitions.

New to climbing?

All you need is a very basic level of fitness and a willingness to give it a go, If you have a helmet, harness, rock shoes and belay device; you are ahead of the game, if not, no worries these can be hired for a small fee at each venue. It makes sense to hire the kit for the first few sessions before forking out cash, in case you decide it is not for you. We are also able to advise on suitable kit to purchase

Where can I indoor climb in the Central Belt?

Edinburgh is lucky enough to have a world class indoor climbing venue at the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena on the city outskirts at Ratho. In the city itself, Alien Rock and Alien 2 are a couple of venues which also offer an excellent selection of roped climbing and bouldering respectively.

Glasgow is similarly equipped with The Climbing Academy bouldering venue and the Glasgow Climbing Centre for both.

There are a number of smaller venues out there such as local sports halls like the Low Port Centre in Linlithgow which may be more suitable and can be arranged upon request

Bouldering

Bouldering is simply an un-roped version of climbing. By using walls of limited height, the climbing is often done as a horizontal traverse or in short ascents of only a few metres with soft mats to break any falls.

Similar to its roped cousin, bouldering routes are set according to increasing levels of difficulty ('the grade') based upon the hold colour, shape or pattern. Whilst some climbers almost exclusively use ropes, some almost always boulder, but whilst climbers often have a preference many will do a bit of each.

Bouldering is great for climbing training and technique work as you can get a lot of wall time without having to rope up or belay anyone.

Bouldering at EICA Ratho

Abseiling

There are few times in a climbing situation when you are forced to test your equipment and your mettle as much as an abseil, where you are in control of your own descent of a rope. This can be a good way to finish off a session or simply as a stand alone session for a group. Abseiling may not be available at all venues, please check with us in advance if you wish to do this activity.

Quality instruction and guiding since 2012
Working in the sublime Scottish highlands and islands, we offer a variety of high quality hill, mountain, climbing and wilderness focused adventurous activities and training throughout Scotland.

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