Learning to climb

I scramble at grade 2 and want to learn to climb. Should I take a course at PYB (I don't need the accommodation side) or hire an instructor for a day (and is a day enough?)? If the latter, any recommendations in Snowdonia of who I might use and what the charge might be?

You could have a look on snowdonia active

A course is a good idea, or you could hire a private instructor for a day; then you would get one-to-one attention. I can recomend a good friend of mine; Andy Bruce. He has 15 years experience as an instructor and has a great sense of humour too. His website is www.ascentsofadventure.co.uk and you can call him to discuss prices. If you do contact him, please tell him I recommended him, and it was via outdoorsmagic.
Ultimately though, you will need to climb a lot with friends to really build up experience in gear placement and route finding. If you don't have friends who climb, then a club is a good option.

Thank you both. I have no friends who climb and didn't want to join a club until I'd learned the rudiments - didn't want them to think I was looking for free tuition.

PYB to a 5 day course at £400. I've asked what they'd charge without the food and accommodation and when I get a response I'll make a decision. If I don't go there, I may well give Andy a call. Private guide prices seem to be around the £100 a day mark.

I don't think Andy will be more than that and may well charge less. Good luck :-)

I would suggest that 5 days is far too much, and one, maybe two days with 1-2-1 would be sufficient. Then join a club, and hope that there are some nice, good climbers there, who can teach you some more things.

I've been climbing for nearly a year now, and am still learning lots about it. Jerry Moffat in "Stone Love" says that they've learnt a lot by their trip to Switzerland, and he's been climbing for donkey's years. He's an E9 climber, so if he's still learning, then don't expect to learn it all in a couple of days.

If you are taught some basic ropework, plus a few more advanced rope skills, and the basics of climbing steeper rock, then you should be sorted.

Incidentally I've only ever done a grade 1 scramble, but have led an (extremely easy, just exposed) E1. But that's because I've had more opportunity to climb, than scramble.

I agree with Drew. I've been climbing for yonks and am still learning; and I think you are being modest Drew. If it's an E1 it's harder than I can lead; or if it isn't what is it and where ?
Also, scrambling is often more serious than climbing and the level of risk higher because scramblers solo more.
Most club members are happy to welcome new climbers. As long as you are keen, and are prepared to muck in, most people won't mind if you are inexperienced. After all, we all had to start somewhere :-)

3 pebble slad at Froggatt in the Peak District. On top rope, or second, it's about HS, or VS climbing, but on lead it's E1, cos you wi8ll deck out for about a quarter of the climb (the top of a nice slab, so not too hard!).

It's probably the easiest E1 you can do, and doens't really deserve the grade, unless you don't like exposure. I don't mind it, as long as I can't really see it!

Incidentally I have seconded Strapiombante (Froggatt), Safety Net (Roaches), and about 2 or 3 other E1's, which have all inclded hard moves, but not immensely hard climbing (Strapiombante is quite hard), but I seconded Long Tall Sally (Burbage North), for a Danish looking gentleman this morning, and that was seriously hard climbing all the way. It had to be E2 for me though because he fused his Rocks to the crack.

If anyone is interested in Long Tall Sally, then can I laugh at you?! It's ridiculously hard for an E1!, but he did place the gear where I would have wanted to place my fingers. It's a good finger crack, but it's pretty hard. Oh and it's better protected (esp at the crux), then it looks from the floor!

Thanks. Alison's right about the scrambling side - I always go solo. I prefer the heightened risk and get a lot of satisfaction out of making good judgements. One of the reasons I want to learn ropework is to scramble solo at a higher grade with a rope so I can abseil if I do get in too deep.

Fused his rocks to the crack!!!! Must be quote of the month.
If you scramble solo a lot Joe, then I'm sure most clubs would think that was quite experienced enough. People love passing on their knowledge anyway and I don't think people would mind showing you how to set up an abseil. If you like the sense of risk, then you will love climbing I'm sure :-)

Joe, you may also find that your local climbing wall may give lessons. I know it's not on real rock, but you'd learn rope work, knots, how to belay etc. Abseiling hmm I taught my better half how to abseil, off a railway bridge.. Comes in quite handy sometimes (we abseiled in to the bad step on Am Baisteir, left the rope and used it to climb back out again).

Joe, I was in a similar position although I had done some climbing about 10 years ago. I opted to do a 2 day course at PYB and it was well worth it. I did pull it out of the bag mind on the second day by ending up as a 1:1 doing multi pitch climbing as my partner had to pull out.

I would recommend the 2 day course as a good starting point. Looking to try and consolidate my experience now and maybe go back and do a rock improvers later in the year to get some guidance on leading etc