UKC

I am going to Snowdonia this Weekend, planning to take my boy up Snowdon on Sunday. Whilst I am condfident he can get up and down the Pyg track with a bit of moral support I would also like to try him on some easy rock climbs. I was thinking of the Mod/Diffs on the left handside of Tryfan Bach. Do you think 8 is too young to be dangling on the end of a rope(metaphorically speaking). He has been to the climbing wall a few times and is happy on 3+ - 4a.

In reply to Gone for good:

perfectgrde and venue!!

if only slightly a bit high???

i was around the same age when I was dragged around, did me no harm!!!!

Hoorah to hero dads!!! lets stop our kids being fat and wasting their life on playstation!!!!

In reply to Gone for good:

Nope, not at all.

I did Snowdon via the Ranger trail with my Dad and Grandpa when I was about that age and have taken Cubs of that age climbing outside.

In reply to Gone for good: They're never too young. I had all mine on rock before they were 4. Used an Oustiti body harness which I sold on to someone on this forum some years ago.

In reply to bigrob: Stopping kids being inactive is harder than I thought. Too many inert distractions to occupy their interests. Too be fair to my kids they both like camping and scrambling, we have taken them to the Alps on a couple of occasions where the walks at lower altitude are good fun when done as a family group. The sausage sandwiches on a Sunday morning are one of the main attractions for them!!

In reply to Gone for good:
I am sure he will love it.
Took my 7 year old camping to beddgelert in the summer and we went up Cnicht and Moel Hebog plus a few scrambles. He moaned at first but once he got into his stride he loved it.
As for climbing, I find he enjoys the smaller crags more than the bigger ones as he doesn't like exposure but everybody is different.
I am sure you both will have a great time.

In reply to Gone for good:

You have to be quite careful, actually. My eldest daughter had climbed the Inaccessible Pinnacle and abseiled down it perfectly happily when she was six, but didn't like that exact venue at all. I think it might be something about the openness of it. It may be fine, of course, but you always have to be sensitive to a particular venue not suiting. Having said thaat, I'm fairly gung-ho about this generally and will be doing the same with my eight-year-old shortly. He is also peculiar; he doesn't have any problem soloing/scrambling to ridiculous heights if not prevented, but doing exactly the same thing on a rope would scare him. It's all down to the psychology of the individual, as Jeeves would say.

jcm

In reply to Gone for good: Just a word of caution. I took Sam up Rib and Slab on Craig Ddu when he was 8 I think, he enjoyed it and found it fine. But he was caught out on the grass slope at the top - just taken unawares by the classic trainers on steepish grass scenario - and if I hadn't been belaying him Alpine style at the top I don't like to think what the consequences would have been. As it was he took quite a scary swing.

So I suppose the moral is that it's not really the climbing you have to worry about so much as the rest - getting there and getting down safely.

In reply to Gone for good: I certainly hope not. My soon to be 2 year old already has his helmet and chalk bag and has scrambled around at the bottom of things. His 3rd birthday is planned as his first trip out on the end of a rope.

In reply to Gone for good: first climbed on little tryfan at about 6 years old... never did me any harm ! I still remember it now.

In reply to D Berry: Thanks for all the positive replies, just needed to get a bit of positive reinforcement of doing the right thing. Reading through the replies the one thing I will pay more attention to is getting down the climb so will carry boots up in rucksack to prevent slips and slides.

In reply to Gone for good: Read the ondra interview!

In reply to Gone for good:

i think 8 is fine, but care/thought needed on the multi or long pitches - can he hear you, can you see what he's doing, can he escape from the belay, what happens when he says "i dont want to go any higher", but wont trust the rope to be lowered etc.,

In reply to Gone for good:

It's absolutely completely fine - as long as you listen to him and change plans if he doesn't like it (the moment he doesn't, not "try a bit further").

Ondra was doing 8a at 8 (or 9?) so the grade isn't an issue, but you must keep it fun.

In reply to Gone for good: Do you think 8 is too young to be dangling on the end of a rope(metaphorically speaking). He has been to the climbing wall a few times and is happy on 3+ - 4a.

>> There is an idea , expressed on this post, that being roped up can scare a child, the child thinks that they are in danger. I agree with that, So why not have the kid swing around, on a wall, roped & harnessed a few feet from the ground, then 2 foot falls, 3 foot falls, until they are no longer afraid of the situation?

In reply to Gone for good: My daughter started when she was 7 and loves it. She climbs v3/4 and 6a+ at the wall. I've got a 30 degree board in the garden that she's always on. My other 2 girls climb to but aren't as driven as the youngest as she wants to be a pro climber. As long as you keep it fun they love it and it's nice to see them active

In reply to Gone for good: http://www.youtube.com/user/charlieg0pzo?gl=GB&hl=en-GB

In reply to charlieg0pzo: Impressive stuff. i dont think we will be trying anything that challenging though!!!

In reply to Gone for good: Just be sure to give him a metal cup if he completes the deal!

In reply to Gone for good: Glad I'm not the only one. My son's 2 tomorrow, maybe next year I'll buy him a harness!

Rob

In reply to Gone for good:

Not sure what the descent is like but would it be worth staying roped up till you're back down?

J :0)

In reply to Gone for good:

Not at all if he want's to do it, just don't force him. Far better outside than indoors on the wall anyhow.

In reply to Gone for good:

When I saw the thread title I thought it was going to be about whisky.

I'd say that as you are the parent, make your own mind up and don't do what everyone else deems acceptable. You also know what your lad will and won't like.

I was picked up while hitching in Skye by a bloke and his 9 year old son. We ended up taking the lad up on to the Cioch; his father had his gear in the car and had always wanted to take his son up there but had never had the chance. I have to say, the wee boy was scared when he got to the neck at the top of the corner but was ok when actually on top of the Cioch and he loved being lowered back down the slab, and he seemingly raved about it for ages afterwards.

In reply to Gone for good: At easter my dad and brother took my half brother Gregor "proper climbing" for the first time, age 6. He loved abseiling (from a 10-15m crag, but was more wary of climbing, preferring short pitches of up to 5 meters- he just wasn't confident enough to climb the longer pitches.
Tryfan bach may seem a bit exposed for a small kid not accustomed to climbing, maybe somewhere with shorter pitches might be better?

In reply to Gone for good:

My parents first took me up Snowdon when I was 6...and I did my first outdoor climbing on a top rope when I was 7. Although I remember it being really exciting cuz the instructor got me to walk my feet up so I lay with my back on the wall, and head first toward the ground.....I would never do that with a 7 yr old kid I was instructing, especially not in a standard sit harness as i was.


I'm sure he'll have a great time, just make it a big adventure. I used to collect rocks in a bum bag, along as there is something to keep em engaged, he'll love it!

In reply to ceri:

There is an optimum height for taking kids climbing, within eyeball contact. Any pitches where they cannot see you or the whites of their eyes is too long at first. something around 10 metres should be looked for till they get used to things, then extend them when they are comfortable.

Someone who taught a lot of kids told me this years ago, why scare them instead of making sure they enjoy themselves on what is to them scary but to you as safe as going on one of the rides in Alton Towers or the big dipper.

In reply to sutty: Did the climb in 3 short pitches of 10 -15 metres each. The only time he got scared was halfway up the second pitch when the holds got a bit spaced out but a few hefty pulls on the rope sorted that out. Got to the top of Snowdon today as well, up and down from the bottom of Pen Y pass in under 5.5 hrs was pretty good going for an 8 yr old I thought. We are both well chuffed, roll on many more days on the hill.

In reply to Gone for good: Superb,Congrats,life at its best. My son did his first Munro when he was 4, took him up the Ben on an Easter Sunday when he was 8, Curved Ridge and cragging around the same age. Inevitably teenage hormone levels have now kicked in and for the time being his "old man" is exactly that...the Big wheel keeps on turning....in a few years time he'll be taking me out.