UKC

Went climbing indoors with couple of friends, and friends of friends this weekend.

One of them reckoned he knew how to belay because he had done a '10 minute induction' at wall up north (who shall remain nameless) They had spent 10 minutes showing him and his mates how to belay then left them to it on the roped walls.

That was two months ago. This weekend he couldn't remember how to tie a figure of eight, thread a belay plate or actually belay. Needless to say I didn't climb with them.

Is it me or is there something funamentally wrong with people thinking that a 10 minute induction is enough experience for a total novice to be let loose in climbing wall land?

In reply to Flying Spaghetti Monster:


You really need to ask? Sounds a bit dubious to me.

In reply to Flying Spaghetti Monster:

Perhaps he was just shown how to pull the rope through a gri gri?

Regardless, sounds a pretty short sighted way of teaching basic rope safety.

In reply to Flying Spaghetti Monster: Tricky. What do you want? A 3 hour session? I teach outdoor climbing. About a third of the people I teach can belay safely after 10-15 minutes. That doesn't mean I'm not there providing additional safety. But some people can and do get it consistently right after 10 minutes. The problem comes after that session ends and the instructor is no longer there like a coiled spring ready to jump in and provide additional safety - it is up to each individual to consolidate this experience, be aware of their own skills fade and be open to getting instructional assistance if there is a chance it has faded. Learning the skill is more about depth of time practising it than depth of time being taught it. Even pros get skills fade too!

I'm also sure that the position of the climbing wall was not that after one teaching session for ten minutes, he could be let loose in the future without consolidation experience. I am sure the position of the wall staff was that he should consolidate his skills. At the end of the day, you can take the horse to water, but cannot make it drink. If an individual thinks he is safe to belay after 10 minutes two months ago, the problem lies with that individual, not with the wall who trained him.