Youth Climbing Club FAQs

1. My child is in year 2, which club do they attend? If your child requires parental support and assistance, they should attend the Parent & Child Club. If they are more independent and do not require parental support, they are welcome to join Juniors. 

2. Does the same parent/guardian have to attend each week to Parent & Child club? No, but it would be useful to have some consistency as the parent learns to belay during these sessions. 

3. Why is Seniors Club split into two abilities and others aren’t? Seniors Club has the biggest range of abilities, with some new people joining as beginners, and others working towards NICAS Level 3, which has some quite advanced skills and techniques to be taught, requiring a different supervision level and instructor ratio. Where bookings allow, there will be 2 instructors allocated to juniors club and parent & child climbing so if there are a range of abilities within these clubs, smaller groups can be formed if needed. 

4. What if I can’t make payment in time for the next half term block? Please get in touch with the office if you have any difficulties making payment. We do understand times are tough, so we’ll try and be accommodating if we can, but we do need to ensure we have time to market/fill a space if you choose not to continue. 

5. What if the club is fully booked? Please email info@reach-outdoors.com and we’ll put you on the waiting list. It may be we can put on additional clubs if demand allows, or we’ll get in touch when a space opens up. 

6. Can I do a taster session? Over school holidays, we generally have intermittent open learn to climb sessions, which are a great place to try it out. We have taster sessions occassionally, but bookings for climbing clubs will start with half-term memberships. 

7. What about “Minis” club & “Little Monkeys” from last year? We have decided to merge Minis and Little Monkeys into a weekly “Parent & Child” Climbing club for school years reception – 2. This is due to requests from clients and our experience running the sessions last year. Juniors climbing club has been altered to accommodate years 2 and 3 as well. 

8. What is NICAS and is it compulsory? NICAS is the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme and is optional for youth climbing club participants. It provides levels and certification of your personal level of climbing. At Reach Outdoors, we offer NICAS Levels 1, 2 and 3. If you want to take part in NICAS, you will need to purchase a logbook which costs £10. This includes the fee for registration for the award. You can use the same logbook for NICAS Levels 1-3 and it can be taken to other NICAS registered climbing walls to log climbs. NICAS books can be bought online here: https://reach-outdoors.com/products/reach-online-store#!/nicas-logbook-shipping-not-available-11.html  

9. Is there toilet access available during the session? Toilets are available at Parkfield and we recommend the use of them at start or end of session. If a young person requires assistance with toilet, a parent/guardian is requested to stay. If a young person has a need for consistent access to the toilet throughout a session, a parent/guardian should stay during the session, as the instructor is required to manage wall safety. 

10. Can food and drink be consumed in the wall? Food and drink is not available to purchase at Parkfield but you can bring your own. It can be consumed in the wall at the chair seating area and all rubbish is to be taken home. No access to drinking water on site so please bring a drink with you. No alcohol is permitted on site. 

11. Can parents/guardians stay during the session? If a parent/guardian needs to stay (other than in parent & child club where it is required!), please limit this to one per child. There is a small seating area in the wall but please try not to disturb the session and refrain from photos unless approval is given by the instructor. Please also follow any safety guidance from instructors.