Indoor to Outdoor: Sport Climbing

Sport climbing means there are permanent bolts and hardware fixed into the rock, so you need very little gear to climb safely outdoors, which makes it a great way to start. Because the fixed hardware is designed for the job, the techniques are much simpler than trad climbing and can be covered properly in a single day.

AT A GLANCE

• Skills Requirement: Learn to Lead, or an equivalent gym lead pass
• Duration: One day, 9am to 4pm (about 6 hours of hands-on teaching)
• Guide ratio: 1:6
• Location: Geboor / Camel’s Hump, Mt Macedon

WHO IT'S FOR

This course suits gym climbers who lead indoors and want to take that outdoors. Most people arrive having never climbed on real rock, and that’s completely normal. We choose the routes to suit the group, so you’ll climb at a level that works for you.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Applying indoor lead belaying and lead climbing techniques to outdoor rock
• Building anchors on fixed hardware
• Abseiling on a doubled rope
• Inspecting fixed hardware and anchors before you use them
• Finishing the day without leaving any equipment behind (often called “cleaning” the route)
• Recognising the most common sport climbing mistakes, and how to avoid them
• Making calm, considered decisions outdoors

You’ll also learn about the humble prusik loop, a simple and very useful piece of equipment that few sport climbers carry. We’ll give you one to keep.

HOW IT RUNS

We begin with the environmental side of climbing outdoors and how to minimise your impact. Each participant then climbs two outdoor sport routes, with each route focused on a different skill. We practise every skill at ground level before heading up the rock.

1. Thread and lower: passing the rope through the fixed hardware and being lowered to the ground.
2. Thread and abseil: the same start, but you abseil down using an ATC and prusik combination.

If time allows, we also cover how to bail safely from a route without leaving a carabiner behind, and when that’s appropriate. We may also look at belaying from the top of a route and lowering a partner, prusiking up a rope (for example, to regain a roof after a fall), and clipping a bolt that’s out of reach.

WHAT TO BRING

We provide all climbing safety equipment, including helmets, harness and shoes. You bring your own harness/shoes/helmet if you have them, comfortable clothing and footwear for light hiking, and your own lunch and water. If you already own gear such as a belay device, locking carabiner, rope, quickdraws or slings, let us know beforehand and we’ll teach you on your own kit, which is the best way to learn.

SKILLS PROGRESSION

Before this course: Learn to Lead, or an equivalent gym lead pass
What’s next: Single Pitch Trad

FAQs

• Do I need to do this before Single Pitch Trad?
  No. Sport and trad are two separate paths from Learn to Lead, so you can choose either, or do both.
• Do I need to climb a certain grade?
  No.
• Can I use my own gear?
  Yes. Let us know beforehand and we’ll plan to teach you on your own kit.
• Do I need to own any gear?
  Just a harness. We provide everything else.