UKC

We're getting outdoors - a big cheers to the awesomeness of climbers and the best of that community. If it's not 'Rock Talk' enough please feel free to move it.

I can't believe I'm starting a thread in this hallowed turf for 'real climbers'! I've been climbing indoors for almost 4 yrs now, along with my now 8 yr old daughter. We've had the odd trip outdoors but as my little 'un and I are often a job lot and I'm a 24 karat wuss, it's never been something ongoing.

It's surprisingly difficult to get out and build skills as a lone parent with a climbing kid! My daughter needed people that see little people as people not an alien species, I needed (err need) a bucket load of patience to get over being scared to death. I figured our time would come as long as I stayed fit enough and kept working to improve where I could, but I had to admit we were way off being an attractive prospect potential climbing partner material!

Years came and went, I never refused a trip but none were sustainable enough to build on the one before. Then a fortnight ago I got an invite to join one the instructors at our local wall with an informal climbing group. My daughter would also be welcome, the instructor is really into coaching adults and kids and passionate about outdoor climbing, the group is so mixed, from 16 (well 8 now!) to 50+, tall short, male female, novice and awesome. I can give a little back in offering a lift but am just so grateful and happy to be around a really cool folk.

Outside of it being a new chapter for us I am so pleased that it is possible for instructors/coaches to have an intrinsic desire to offer a leg up to an unlikely pair - just because, just because they climb, just because that's climbing. I'm also so pleased it's possible for such a mixed group to exist and (it appears) thrive.

That's all really, but perhaps I'll be posting in here again in the future....

In reply to flopsicle:

Great post. Almost exactly what i would have written about me and my daughter as well.

We are into our 3rd year climbing and tbh i dont really have any attraction to outside other than it seems to be the done thing. I like the safety of knowing how to be safe indoors. Outdoors freaks me out. Thankfully for me at present my daughter also seems to feel like this. She finds everything outdoors a faff and has little patience for it (She is 9yrs old and goes at climbing like a scolded cat).

If you have found a group who are patient enough for you and welcoming then fantastic. I have through this site and other avenues managed to get us a weekends coaching with someone i trust which may put some of my demons to bed. If it doesnt then maybe we will just be indoors climbers forever which isnt the worst thing in the world.

Where do you climb?

In reply to Thelittlesthobo:

Hi, we climb in Nottingham and of course now in Derbyshire too!

I'm not sure what my daughter will end up preferring but suspect it'll be outdoors as she's happier outside as a person and not competitive with her climbing. She seemed to come into her own on the harder climb of the day, thinking her way up and inventing her own plans. I'm sure her confidence was boosted by being treated as a climber not patronised as a small child.

For me, I know I'm an outdoor person. I worked year round 70 hr weeks outside. I'm less sure of being ballsy enough but I've got a real chance now so am taking it.

I couldn't have invented a better scenario or a safer platform to give progressing a real bash!