I've got a friend who has one hand currently out of action due to a chainsaw incident and is obviously feeling down. He's a novice indoor boulderer (F6a indoors when both hands worked?) with one trip to font so has some idea of real rock.
Any recommendations or advice on taking him sport climbing near Bristol? Thinking wyndcliff quarry or similar, there seems to be a few 3 and 4 routes with sensible height. Get him outside and when top roped we can give a good amount of support (read: pull him up the wall).
Ha, hadn't thought about Johnny Dawes, good point though. And yeah slabs would be good but as you say, a lot of slabs are often trad, he definitely needs to work on his footwork too...
Fairy Cave Quarry is good for slabs, trad, but there are good belays at the top, so setting up a top rope shouldn't be too difficult (you may need a fairly long rope if you want to belay from the ground though).
In reply to jascott83: Should probably add that I asked out of perturbed concern as another person who uses chainsaws occasionally, in a 'Perhaps it could happen to me' sense. It's always handy to learn if possible from other people's accidents.
The Secret Slab area at the far right of the upper tier at Wyndcliff Quarry would probably be a good venue to get your mate started post injury. Short, easy and bolted (and actually reasonable climbing too).
I seconded Clarion, in the Avon Gorge, a week or two ago. I did 99% of it without hands, Johnny Dawes style. As previously observed, it is good for technique. Your mate should be able to second most of it.
When I broke my finger I went to the wall and played around climbing 4s and 4+s with the bad hand behind my back (because whacking it on a hold even accidentally really hurt). It's quite interesting and does breed a lot of respect for paraclimbers. So he probably can climb easy stuff without being hauled up to some extent.