We’ll I have spent the last two days in the very pleasant company of Andy and Tim, teaching them the skills they’ll need to attempt a big wall in Yosemite. We spent yesterday in the Beacon going through all the basics before getting them to aid a route outside today.
I really enjoy teaching these courses, as it is a challenge for both me and the students, me for breaking the skills down and teaching them in a nice safe, whilst at the same time making sure they have all the basic skills started to be engrained before they head off and do the hard work of practice, practice, practice.
The students don’t have it easy either as whilst hanging about in aiders and jumaring looks straight forwards it very easy to get you head in a total knot over what can be a simple thing. Both Tim and Andy had read my two articles in Climber Magazine on Big Wall climbing, and came to me for this course, and is a course I usually run about two times a year.
So if you are thinking of going to Yosemite or further afield then do get in contact if you’d like to make the crossover from trad to aid climbing. I now have to repack my rucksack as I am out teaching climbing with the ODA students from Bangor University with The COnway Centre tomorrow.