Archive for year: 2013

‘Multi-pitch’  is often viewed as one of the most technical aspects of climbing, involving complex rope work and route finding. Multi-pitch climbing routes can take all day, even several days in the Alps. So learning this skill is a real landmark for climbers. Stance management, hanging belays and just stopping the ropes getting jammed are all essential thing to master.

At Reaseheath students who have completed the other climbing courses get to train in multi-pitch climbing. Do they go to a vast Welsh crag with a two hour walk in? Or maybe the north face of Ben Nevis, which is Alpine in scale? At the very least the high mountain crags of the Lakes?

No they go to Windgather, in the Peak District!

At 9m metres high this seems an odd place to develop the skills destined for the brutal North Faces in the alps, or remote Norwegian Fjords. Chris Tym, Mountaineering instructor explains.

“We developed a training programme we call ‘Micro-Pitching ©’. The hardest part of multi-pitch climbing is sorting out the rope work and managing your belay stances, particularly when you are on a hanging belay. Students have already done an Introduction to Outdoor Climbing, or Developing Outdoor Climbing Skills courses, depending on what experience they already have. They may have even done our Mental Training for Climbers workshop. So we can focus on the core  multi-pitch skills.”

“On a small crag like Windgather we can have a number of pairs or three’s climbing, setting up stances and being easily coached by myself. We can create all the problems they might realistically meet and guide them through the solutions. They learn more than if we worked on a large multi-pitch crag, where coaching would be very difficult and most of the day taken up with long pitches of climbing. Today each climbing team has had the equivalent of huge day out, but with constant on hand help.”

Adventure Sports Degree students ran a High Ropes sessions for a school group as part of their qualification to become instructors.

Degree Course Manager, Simon Nortcliffe commented, “we have all the facilities and equipment of a major outdoor centre; this is just one of the ways we make our students more employable. Our academic programme complements the practical programme, we have all the coaching qualifications built into the practical’s as well such as Mountain Leader, British Canoe Union Coaching 1 and 2, Single Pitch and Climbing Wall Award are offered each term with up to a 60% discount. The High Ropes sign off is a free course we offer.”

Judging by the smiles, laughter and the odd scream the visiting school group enjoyed it as much as the Degree Student Instructors, who appreciate that this may well lead onto paid work with Reaseheath.

“We don’t offer everyone a part time job,” confirmed Simon, “but virtually everyone being assessed to work on the High Ropes course today has done paid work for Reaseheath and this extra course will give them even more opportunities.”

Extended Diploma Adventure Sports Students lead beginner groups canoeing on the colleges’ 3 acres lake. Mick Keeling Level 3 Canoe Coach assessed them as part of their BTEC in Adventure Sports. “I heard lots of laughter from the group and the Student Instructor seemed to be enjoying himself, but the most important part was the beginners were safe. With our resources such as the lake, fleets of canoe’s, kayaks and sailing boats, we can offer our students a real head start in becoming instructors.”

In May the students get the chance to complete the British Canoe Union Coaching Qualification, Mick has already assessed them for their Canoe Star Awards.