UKC

hey guys
i haver done my SPA training, and need to get some climbs in for my log book.
Can anyone recomend me of where are some short trad routes are to get my climbs done.

thanks

In reply to williams.rs:

The Peak?

In reply to williams.rs:
Where are you based and when you did your training did they give any feedback on your current log book?

In reply to williams.rs: I went to Windgather rocks at the weekend near Whaley Bridge (link below) and am just getting back onto trad routes. There were loads of easy short routes up to HVS ( and I think one E1) and I managed to get about 5 routes lead in a few hours between a wet morning and a wet late afternoon. Really good practice in setting up belays and just doing short routes all a bit different but really nice location. Between 6 and 12 meters high.

I am sure if you had a fine day and the appropriate partner you could get 10 - 12 routes ticked for sure.

Link - http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=109

In reply to monkeyboy3000: Short is the word for Windgather, there's higher bouldering walls.

In reply to williams.rs: Troll Wall? (that is a self confessed troll)

In reply to williams.rs:
I'm intrigued by the question and will say upfront that I know absolutely nothing whatsoever about how the awards/accreditation systems work but how did you come to do the SPA? I'd always assumed that people went climbing and got into it and then wanted to teach/supervise and needed to get a bit of paper before they were allowed to take out kids etc.
How did you come to do a climbing qualification without having done enough climbing to know where your local crags and short pitches are or enough climbers to ask one of them? Is that a usual situation?

In reply to Wiley Coyote: i am an instructor at an activity center near london, my boss put me on the course because they want me to train our new staff on the basics of climbing on a man built wall, and the qualifacation need to do this is SPA. i do go climbing in north wales on a yearly trip with friends (with the odd day when we get chance), but we dont do short routes. i dont know any where that is just some short stuff to help with my log. hense asking for crag locations.

In reply to monkeymark: London, just to keep going.

In reply to williams.rs:
Peak District, then, no question. Loads of stuff on more-or-less all the main grit crags, also some friendly limestone at Harborough.

In reply to williams.rs:

If you are heading out from London, then I would plan trips to:

Any gritstone crags in the Peak District
Shorncliff, Wyndcliff, Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley.
Fairy Cave Quarry and Avon Sea walls around Bristol
Dartmoor granite

All of those have at least some sections that meet the SPA criteria, and visiting them all will give you a nice varied log book.

In reply to Wiley Coyote:

I'm somewhat intrigued that the SPA providers didn't give a clue where to go!

In reply to williams.rs:

Although you will be fine to instruct them, they would not, in turn, be able to act as instructors, although I suppose they would then have sufficient experience to go on to do a CWA or for your centre to empoly an MIA so that they could have a "centre specific" certificate or whatever.

From what I've seen and heard of it, the CWA seems the best way to go for artificial walls, particularly as there is an add-on to instruct lead climbing on a wall (not covered by the SPA).

In reply to williams.rs:

FWIW, joining a local club (there are loads in London) will probably result in you getting a lot done outside of your yearly trip...

In reply to Wiley Coyote:

[Minor hijack - apologies to the OP]
Many youth organisations want to run 'climbing activities' so somebody has to go on the course. "Didn't you go caving once Pete? You'll be fine". That is a reasonably common scenario.

In reply to Bulls Crack:

Well, their remit is not to spoon feed applicants. I think its good that people should be encouraged to find stuff out independently.

In reply to Mark Kemball: For the center i work for all that is needed for our insurance is a SPA qualified person to asses if someone is competent enough to instruct. (this does not mean they could go outdoors anywhere, but does mean they can use most man built walls as an instruct on other sites.

This is the aim my boss wants for me, as we need someone else to take over training and assessing.

CWA means that we would have to pay more to assess our staff, which our insurance states we do not need this and a SPA is sufficient to do what we need. thanks

In reply to williams.rs:

To be honest, I wouldn't focus so much on the 'single pitch' element of the climbing. In fact, if you had only single pitch routes, it doesn't look good. What they want to see is a well rounded climber. So, a great logbook would show single, multi pitch and sport routes all over the place on different rock types ( which you should learn about too) in different weather conditions etc. Remember 40 climbs is minimum. If you have 40 climbs with 5 here 10 there and 10 somewhere else i.e. a compressed collection of climbs just to get through the SPA, strictly speaking it may get you through, but it won't show you as a well rounded climber. Travel around a bit. Enjoy it! Get to some sea cliffs, or the tors down south or the multi pitches of Wales as well as the gazillions of single pitch routes in the peaks.

That's my plan anyway...

In reply to Bloodfire: i have done some different stuff went to mallorca and did some sports on holiday, etc so not to worried just want to get some bulk done with some short routes. multi does sound like a plan tho.

In reply to williams.rs:

I find this seriously worrying, to be honest, an SPA (which is all I have at the moment), is a very low level qualification, and I don't think, in itself, is sufficient to allow you to assess the competence of another instructor (whatever your insurer might say). Of course many people with SPAs have a lot more than the bare minimum experience required and would be able to make a good assessment.

Hey all I have asked for is some crag locations if you don't know any or dont wish to help then fine, but if u have anything else to say about spa or anything to do with assessing then just shut up and don't comment. As I do know what I am talking about and this is the way it is happening. So please stop and think does this help with answer before commenting. Thanks