FindAnApprenticeship.com

My first series of my posts will focus on some the places I climbed last year and the development of skills to climb outdoors independently. I've climbed with a lot of experienced and highly skilled climbers, all general showing a pattern of development as they climbed harder, higher and bigger routes across the world. But the guy who really summed it up for me on how to become a competent and better climber and one of the one's who I look up to the most is DW2 who I meet at Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club. DW2 has done everything, and has got no end of stories and pretty much every tshirt going. He told me that every climber must complete their apptenticeship! And now I've started  learning more and climbing harder, that has made complete scene. Too many people in climbing as in life rush and  miss steps along the way whether these are skills, classic easier routes and experience that can increase your enjoyment. Also as in life you are given a blank book to fill with all this experience and stories and one day these could save your life on the hills! 

Where it began 

I first started climbing along with one of my best friends Chris at a local indoor wall in Wolverhampton, mainly bouldering due to Chris's fear of heights. However, I continued to search for people to climb with at the wall, hoping they could also teach me how to lead climb on what at the beginning felt like a fearsome overhanging indoor wall. But no avail! But I didn't give up hope.  



 Chris powering up a boulder problem

Bottom Roping over hang at Wolf Mountain





Stepping outside: Wolf Mountain outdoor day

(August 2013)

I was at the indoor wall one day and noticed that the centre was running an outdoor climbing trip to Trevor Quarry in Llangollen. This seemed like the ideal place to start to try my hand at outdoor climbing and hopefully meet some potential climbing partners along the way. The day was a fantastic adventure to an area of steep grey limestone walls in the beautiful Welsh countryside. I stood watching the climbing instructor leading up several routes and then had to opportunity to follow him up myself. This was what I have been looking for and knew it the moment I started moving up these steep, block cut walls. On the course that day I meet Dan and Vicky, and both a source of inspiration it turned out. Dan has now become a close friend and my main climbing partner and Vicky inspired me with her stories of her adventures up Kilimanjaro and her desire to become a Mountain Leader. I may have found success in the end!

 

The day continued with a group abseil down a steep face to the side of the climbing and me really upsetting the climbing instructor Jim as I dropped one of his brand new quick draws onto some rocky ground. And as we returned back to the minibus after a hard day on the hill we were given a superb views in the sun and a rainbow reaching across the sky.





 

The Outcome

Courses like these are a fantastic way to get a taste for the skills that you need to climb outdoors and make a decision if you want to continue your journey. But I feel the most important outcome of days like this are the contacts you meet along the way and Dan has been one of those. We did climb together a few times after the outdoor day, but we meet again at Wolverhampton Mountaineering Club my next step to learning the ropes (mine the pun). I would recommend anyone who wants to start climbing outdoors to try a course like this at your local wall or activity centre as like me, you never know where it may take you.

 

Please feel free to add any other comments that I may have missed and ask some questions about my experiences and if I can help you I will. The next article will cover my journey for a club and the difficulty that can be.