About climbing
Different Types of Climbing
...And how to start doing them
We offer 4 types of climbing at The Reach:
- Bouldering
- Auto belay
- Tope rope
- Lead
All require you to be a registered member, or under the supervision of a member or instructor
Bouldering
Bouldering is climbing without ropes or harnesses
- you climb shorter walls above thick mats
- you can do it by yourself
Adults can register for unsupervised bouldering after watching a short safety video:
Auto belay
Clip into an auto belay device - it slowly lowers you to the ground when you fall or finish a climb
- you wear a harness
- you climb taller walls
- you can do it by yourself
Members require a short induction by an instructor - available at the following times:
- Weekends & Bank holidays: 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm
- Weekdays: 7pm, 8pm and 9pm
(Booking NOT required)
Top Rope
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
our 2-day (6-hour) course teaches you how to use the equipment and belay correctly, providing an ideal foundation for unsupervised climbing and registering for membership at The Reach
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'
- unlike top-roping, the lead climber takes the rope up with them, clipping it through metal gates at intervals as they go
- the techniques of both climbing and belaying are more technical than in top-roping
our intense 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
Types of Climbing
Glossary
Common Climbing Terms
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Belay/ Belaying Originally a nautical term, 'belay' means to secure a rope. When a climber falls, the belayer's task is to lock-off the rope the climber is tied to, arresting their fall. The belayer then controls the descent of the climber back to the ground. In practice, the belayer must carefully manage the rope at all times to ensure it does not become tangled, is neither too slack nor too tight, and is ready at any time to be secured. The belayer uses equipment — a belay device and karabiner — to control when the rope is secured and when it is able to run through. |
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Bouldering Is named after the practice of climbing on large boulders, typically fairly close to the ground (up to 5m), using crash mats instead of belay ropes for protection. |
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Grade An approximate measure of the technical difficulty of a climb. The lower the grade, the eaiser the climb. At The Reach we use French numerical grades for roped climbs (e.g. in ascending order of difficulty: 3, 4, 4+, 5, 5+, 5a, 5a+, 5b, etc.); and we use the V scale (or Hueco scale) for bouldering problems (e.g. in ascending order of difficulty: VB, V0-, V0, V0+, V1, etc.). All routes at The Reach are marked with a grade tag. A climber will have a rough idea of the range of grades they are comfortable climbing at, so can easily find routes around the facility which are suitable for their level of ability. |
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Lead climbing A type of roped climbing suitable for more experienced climbers. The climber takes the rope up with them, clipping it through metal gates at intervals as they go (cf. Top-rope climbing). |
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Lower off To come down from a route after reaching the top or not being able to climb anymore. |
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Overhang A section of climbing wall steeper than vertical, overhanging the climber (cf. Slab). |
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Routes/ Route setting The majority of indoor climbing makes use of coloured, bolted-on climbing 'holds'. These are arranged in routes (called 'problems' in bouldering) using holds of a single colour going up a wall. On any given section of wall there will be a number of routes. Climbers can use holds of all colours to ascend (called 'rainbowing'), or they can restrict themselves to a single colour route. Routes (and problems) are graded according to their difficulty (see 'Grade' above). In order to keep presenting fresh climbing challenges, holds on any given wall are periodically unbolted and reapplied in different configurations. This is done by professional route setters who lay out routes to mimic a variety of rock climbing moves. |
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Slab The opposite of an overhang. A section of climbing wall sloping away from the climber (shallower than vertical). |
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Top-rope climbing The simplest form of roped climbing. A rope runs between the climber and the belayer, passing through a loop at the top of the wall. |
Glossary
Onwards and Upwards
The sky's the limit! From here, you can:
- Get into outdoor climbing — including sport climbing, trad climbing and deep-water soloing
- Get into competitive climbing — including bouldering, lead climbing and speed climbing (all of which are now Olympic disciplines)... Perhaps you're our next Olympic medal winner!
- Get into instructing — a great way to pass on your knowledge and experience to new and developing climbers
Development Coaching
To further improve your climbing, you can book a development assessment, followed by coaching sessions with an experienced development coach.
As many sessions as you like, completely tailored to your requirements. Either 1 to 1, or with up to 3 other friends.
Learn to Lead
Once you are top-roping French grade 5+ confidently on a regular basis and have at least 6 months experience belaying with an ATC device, you can learn the additional skills you need for indoor lead climbing, including clipping in and lead belaying.
Foundation climber courses 2-4, Intermediate course 5 & advanced course 6
Foundation Coaching
90 min Coaching classes to improve technique, getting you to climb higher grades.
Coaching usually takes place in a small group of up to 4. You can attend as many as you want!
Foundation climber course 1
Rope Skills Course
It will give you everything needed to register for unsupervised top-rope climbing.
2 day course (3 hours per day) suitable for complete beginners and those whose skills are a little bit rusty.
Auto Belay Climbing
You wear a harness and clip into an auto belay device which slowly lowers you to the ground when you fall or finish a climb.
You can do it by yourself and you get to climb taller walls than when bouldering.
Bouldering
The simplest way into climbing. You don't use ropes or harnesses — it's just you, some shoes, your hands and the wall!
Anyone at any level can give this a go, it's a great workout and develops your technique for other aspects of climbing.
Taster Session
Come and try roped climbing — see if you like it and want to do more!
A fun 90 min session with up to 8 other people and an instructor. Women only option available.
Climbing journey