Climbing Wall Instructor Courses in the Lake District

The Climbing Wall Instructor is a national qualification administered by Mountain Training which enables experienced climbers to instruct climbing on purpose built artificial climbing walls and boulders. It is ideal for people who work at climbing walls or at venues with permanent or mobile climbing towers. There is an optional abseil and top-roping module (often run in conjunction with the training and assessment courses). Chris is approved by Mountain Training as a course provider for the Climbing Wall Instructor scheme. You can read more about it below, and you can check out the Climbing Wall Instructor page on the Mountain Training website.

We run Climbing Wall Instructor courses both as scheduled dates on a bespoke basis - if you have a group of four or more for training or two or more for assessment we can arrange a course on a date and in a location to suit you (a mileage charge is made for courses outside Cumbria).

Why book with us?

There are many Climbing Wall Instructor course providers throughout Britain, so why should you book with us?

We present the course syllabus in a relaxed, fun atmosphere, with the emphasis on interactive learning to encourage you to ask questions and get the most out of your time with us.
We view the assessment course as an opportunity for extending your learning and competence.
We offer a 5% discount to all returning clients.
Our clients think we do a great job! Check out some of their comments towards the bottom of the page.

What are the pre-requisites for the Climbing Wall Instructor?

Before you book onto a Climbing Wall Instructor training course with us, you need to register on the scheme at Mountain Training. Before registration you need to:

be at least 18 years old (Mountain Training say 17 years old, but we aren’t licensed to work with unaccompanied under-18s)
have at least 6 months of experience of using a variety of climbing walls
have an interest in climbing and in supervising groups on climbing walls
join a Mountaineering Council (the British Mountaineering Council, Mountaineering Council of Scotland or Mountaineering Ireland). Find out why here.

Before you undertake the training course, you need to:

visit three different climbing walls on at least fifteen different occasions, including at least one major public wall (at any point before or after registration)
have led ten routes at F4 on climbing walls (at any point before or after registration)
have an understanding of the wider sport of climbing
enter your climbing experience in your DLOG (digital logbook)

Before you book onto a Climbing Wall Instructor abseil module training course, you need to:

attend a Climbing Wall Award or Climbing Wall Instructor training course (this can immediately preceed the abseil module training)
have experience of at least 5 abseils from more than one location

The period between training and assessment varies in length for each person and is an opportunity to develop your skills, paying particular attention to any weaknesses identified during the training course. There is no time limit.

Before you do a Climbing Wall Instructor assessment course, you need to:

be at least 18 years old
attend a Climbing Wall Award or Climbing Wall Instructor training course or be granted exemption by Mountain Training
be familiar with the syllabus
complete a minimum of thirty personal climbing visits to at least three different climbing walls
have led a minimum of forty climbs on indoor walls
be confident climbing routes at F4
assist in the supervision of at least fifteen instructed sessions on at least two different walls, including a large public facility in a variety of contexts. At least five of these sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded in your DLOG
physically attend and complet (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involves at least one full day or eight hours of instruction and includes an element of assessment
update your climbing and assisting experience in your DLOG

Before you do a Climbing Wall Instructor abseil module assessment course, you need to

attend a Climbing Wall Award or Climbing Wall Instructor training course
attend an abseil & top roping module training course
pass the Climbing Wall Award or Climbing Wall Instructor assessment
observe or assist on a minimum of 5 abseil/top-rope sessions.

You can book your place on an assessment before you have done the above, and we will ask you to have your DLOG ready for us to check through three weeks before the start of the course.

What do the courses cover?

Technical competence: equipment, belaying, personal climbing skills, background knowledge

Management & decision making: planning, managing participants, decision making, knowledge and demonstration of techniques, managing other staff

Teaching & learning skills

The climbing wall environment: access, etiquette, ethics

Detailed information on each of the above topics can be found in the Climbing Wall Instructor handbook, which you can download from the Climbing Wall Instructor page on the Mountain Training website. At the bottom of the page there is an accessible version of the handbook, which is large-print text-only, for anyone who finds lots of graphics or small text difficult to process. If you’re viewing it on a phone, using Adobe Liquid View makes it much easier to read.

All our training courses are two days, and include the abseil module training as an option for anyone with the pre-requisites. If you have a group of four or more, we can arrange a course on a date and in a location to suit you (a mileage charge is made for courses outside Cumbria). A typical training course looks like this:

Day 1: Meet at climbing wall at 10.00am. Course introduction, review of personal climbing experience, equipment, belaying. Personal climbing skills, movement skills, leading routes. Background knowledge – climbing wall development. Climbing wall rules and etiquette, duty of care. Finish around 6pm

Day 2: Meet at a different wall at 10.00am. The climbing wall environment. Planning, organising and managing sessions. Group supervision and management. Basic problem solving. Abseil & top roping module: equipment, belaying, anchors, managing simple problems, group management and supervision. Finish around 6pm.

The assessment course can be undertaken in a number of ways:
1. Assessment plus abseil & top roping module assessment - eight hours
2. Assessment only - six hours
3. Abseil & top roping module assessment only - two hours

Where are the courses based?

Our training courses are based at two different climbing walls. For courses within Cumbria, the first day is usually at Ambleside, and the second day is always at Kendal. Assessment courses are at Kendal. Courses run at other locations will be based at climbing walls with suitable facilities.

Accommodation

Please see the Essential Information for Qualification Courses page for information about accommodation.

What equipment will I need?

packed lunch and drinks for each day
helmet
harness
belay plate and krab
quick draws
rock boots
chalk bag
climbing ropes, 50m, single
notebook & pen

When are the courses?

Training courses
Dates to be confirmed
Assessment courses
November 25th 2024

Please check the online calendar for availability on these courses.

How much will it cost?

Training courses: £180 in 2024, £185 in 2025
Assessment courses: £95 in 2024, £98 in 2025

Useful blog posts

Please see the Essential Information for Qualification Courses page for a list of useful blog posts.

What do our clients say about us?

Huge amount of knowledge from each instructor and very well presented. Chris was always checking the what he had said was understood and he has a very natural teaching ability. I really enjoyed the course. Hope to be booking the assessment in 6 months.
Paul Hampton, training course October 2016

A simple booking system and good communication from Anne prior to course. Good that we could explore other avenues of CWI training which were not directly on the syllabus. Effective communication and a good learning atmosphere was created by Chris.
Jonathan McMillan, training course January 2022

Really thrilled to have passed and had such a good time getting to know Chris - a really good opportunity to hear his wisdom in climbing but also simply how we grow and "be better".
Chris Black, assessment course April 2022

Really enjoyed the course - I learnt so much about climbing and am excited to progress in both my teaching and my own personal climbing.
Gemma Bailey, June 2023

Chris was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic; he made sure to include and listen to everyone, so that we all learned and understood the content he taught us. His relaxed teaching style kept me at ease, and at no point did I feel pressured, knowing that I could ask any questions I needed to.
Ben Payne, June 2024

Great knowledge from Chris and loved his approach to climbing, great passion for it.
Louise Makin, June 2024