About climbing
We offer 4 types of climbing at The Reach:
To climb at The Reach you must be a registered member or under the supervision of a member or instructor.
An adult who has registered at the centre and proved competency may climb unsupervised at any time.
They may also supervise up to two
guest climbers at a time.
They will take full responsibility for the safety of
those people at all times.
For roped climbing registration, you must be able (without assistance) to tie-in with a suitable climbing knot, fit your harness and be able to safely belay a climber.
If your child is an experienced climber aged 14+: They may be eligible to climb without supervision after passing a prebooked assessment to demonstrate they meet the required standards.
Bouldering
Bouldering is climbing shorter walls without ropes or harnesses.
If you are new to climbing, or do not have the relevant skills to climb with ropes, this is a great way to start climbing today!
- You climb shorter walls (max height 4.5 metres) above thick safety mats
- You can do it by yourself
- You can start climbing today
Adults can start bouldering anytime after watching a short induction video and registering.
Under 18s will need to be supervised by an experienced adult member. Experienced climbers aged 14+ can climb without supervision after passing a prebooked assessment.
Bouldering: Info & BookingAuto belay
The auto-belay lets you climb taller walls on your own and unsupervised: You just need to wear a harness (available to hire) and complete a short induction.
If you are new to climbing, or do not have the relevant skills to climb with ropes, this is a great way to start climbing today! Get started in around 30 minutes.
- You wear a harness
- You climb taller walls
- You can do it by yourself
- The auto-belay slowly lowers you when you fall or finish a climb
- You can start climbing today
You will require a short scheduled in-person induction by an instructor.
Under 18s will need to be supervised by an experienced adult member. Experienced climbers aged 14+ can climb without supervision after passing a prebooked assessment.
Auto-Belay: Info & BookingTop Roping
Top Roping is the first step in your roped climbing journey
- You climb in pairs — one climbing, one on the ground 'belaying'
- You both wear a harness
- A rope runs between the climber and the belayer, passing through a loop at the top of the wall
- As the climber climbs, the belayer takes in the slack in the rope
- when the climber has finished, the belayer lets out the rope in a controlled way so that the climber is safely lowered to the ground.
We run regular courses to teach you how to use the equipment and belay correctly, providing an ideal foundation for unsupervised climbing and registering for membership at The Reach.
Under 18s will need to be supervised by an experienced adult member. Experienced climbers aged 14+ can climb without supervision after passing a prebooked assessment.
Beginners Course: Info & BookingWe also run regular taster sessions if you would like to try out some roped climbing for fun.
Lead
Lead Climbing is a more technical form of roped climbing
- For more experienced climbers
- You climb in pairs — one climbing, one on the ground 'belaying'
- The lead climber takes the rope up with them clipping it through metal gates at intervals as they go (unlike top-roping where the rope is already in place at the top of the climb)
- The techniques of both climbing and belaying are more technical than in top-roping
Our lead course can teach you the additional skills you need for indoor lead climbing. To participate, you need to be top roping French grade 5+ confidently on a regular basis. You must also have at least 6 months experience belaying with an ATC device.
Lead Climbing: Info & Booking