Usually, young people are introduced to the awesome sport of climbing through a school activity day, birthday party or taster session. And if they take a shine to the sport, we offer several options for them to develop their skills with our kids’ climbing sessions in Devon.
The following diagram gives you an idea of the various options available when it comes to climbing for kids with Rock and Rapid Adventures.
Little Lemurs
We all know that starting young is the key to excelling in any activity, and luckily for the budding climbers out there, we even offer a Little Lemurs session each Thursday. Little Lemurs is a weekly programme where children aged 4-7 can enjoy fun fit activities and learn the basics of rock climbing. They’ll develop their agility, coordination and balance, whilst practising their teamwork skills.
Our Little Lemurs sessions take place on Thursdays from 4-6pm as of September 2021.
Youth climbing clubs
Once your child has reached the age of 7, they can join our kids’ climbing clubs in Devon. These clubs follow a national scheme known as NICAS (the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme).
NICAS is a UK-wide scheme that promotes climbing development and accredits children’s achievement on artificial climbing walls. It’s open to candidates aged 7 and above, and is the perfect starting point for young people who are interested in taking up climbing or mountaineering.
Find out more about NICAS
Aims of the NICAS scheme
• To develop climbing movement skills and improve levels of ability
• To learn climbing rope-work and how to use equipment appropriately
• To develop risk assessment and risk management skills in the sport
• To work as a team, communicate with, and trust a climbing partner
• To provide a structure for development, motivation and improved performance
• To develop an understanding of the sport, its history and future challenges
• To provide a record of personal achievement
• To point the way to further disciplines and challenges in climbing beyond the scheme
Structure of the NICAS course
The NICAS scheme involves five levels of awards, beginning at the stage of complete novices and developing candidates through to become expert climbers. It takes a minimum of 100 hours to complete all of the NICAS levels in their entirety.
The course is split into two parts. Part 1 contains Levels 1 and 2 and Part 2 contains Levels 3 to 5. Once you’ve registered, we’ll give you a log booklet for Levels 1 and 2 and a log binder with booklet for Levels 3 to 5. After achieving each level, you’ll be awarded a certificate on behalf of the ABC Training Trust.
The five levels are:
• Foundation Climber: An entry level aimed at novices that recognises their ability to climb safely under supervision.
• Top Rope Climber: Aimed at promoting good practice in climbing and bouldering unsupervised on an artificial wall.
• Technical Climber: A more advanced top roping and bouldering level that focuses on developing technique and movement skills.
• Lead Climber: Concentrates on the skills required to both lead climb and belay a lead climber.
• Advanced Climber: The top level that focuses on improving performance, a deeper understanding of climbing systems and the wider world of climbing.
Our kids’ climbing lessons in North Devon take place on…
Saturday
10-11.30am
Sunday
10-11.30am
These sessions are paid for on a direct debit basis as of September 2021 and are for climbers with their Level One certificate. We also run regular scheduled NICAS Level 1 sessions for beginners, which climbers over the age of 7 will need to book onto in order to progress to the higher levels and join our kids’ clubs.
We also run drop-in sessions on Wednesday evenings from 5-6 pm for children with their NICAS Level One certificates, where young climbers can practise everything they’ve learnt so far with an instructor.
Youth squad
If your child is a member of our kids’ club and is keen to begin climbing competitively, they may be interested in joining our Youth Squad. Our squad is by invitation only, but if you enquire with an instructor, we can discuss the options with you.
We run squad training sessions once a week, where your child will benefit from specialist climbing training for competitions, which is among the best kids’ climbing coaching in North Devon. We coach participants in all the different techniques needed to take their abilities to the next level.
Youth squad: Thursday 6.00 – 8.00pm
Get in contact with us!
If you have any questions regarding our Kids’ Clubs or if you want your child to join, just email us on info@rockandrapidadventures.co.uk or call 01769 309003!
