Getting Started
Before registering for the Climbing Wall Development Instructor candidates must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Hold either a Climbing Wall Instructor (formerly Climbing Wall Award) or Rock Climbing Instructor (formerly Single Pitch Award)
- Have led at least 50 routes
- At least 25 of the above must be at grade F6a or above
- Have climbed at at least 3 major indoor climbing walls
- Have belayed a leader on at least 50 climbs
- Have at least 20 supervising sessions post CWI(CWA)/RCI(SPA) qualification. At least 5 of these sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded in the Logbook.
- Be a member of one of the three Mountaineering Councils; Mountaineering Ireland, the British Mountaineering Council or Mountaineering Scotland.
Candidate Requirements
It is now the course director's responsibility to ensure all candidates satisfy the minimum requirements as follows (i.e Dlogs are not vetted by Mountain Training);- Have led 50 routes
- Have climbed at 3 different major climbing walls
- Have belayed a lead climber 50 times
- Have lead 25 routes at grade F6a on indoor climbing walls
- Have 20 supervising sessions after passing either Climbing Wall Instructor or Rock Climbing Instructor qualifications. At least 5 of these sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded on DLOG.
Training
Climbing Wall Development Instructor training typically lasts for one day (minimum 8 hours contact time).
Before you attend a Climbing Wall Development Instructor training course, make sure you have done the following:
- You must be registered on the scheme.
- Be a current member of a Mountaineering Council: Mountaineering Ireland, Mountaineering Scotland or the British Mountaineering Council. €30 for training candidates.
You must have an up to date logbook (preferably DLOG) with evidence of the following:
- 50 led routes.
- Climbed at 3 different major climbing walls.
- Belayed a lead climber 50 times.
- 25 lead routes at grade F6a on indoor climbing walls.
- 20 supervising sessions after passing either Climbing Wall Instructor or Rock Climbing Instructor qualifications. At least 5 of these sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded on DLOG.
A variety of cost packages are available depending on what's included; food, accommodation etc. so you can choose one that's right for you.
The Syllabus
Climbing Wall Development Instructors should be competent in the following key areas, all of which will be covered, to a greater or lesser extent, during your training course.
- Technical Competence (including equipment, belaying and personal skills)
- Management and Decision Making (including planning, managing participants, decision making, knowledge and demonstration of techniques)
- Teaching and Learning Skills
- The Climbing Wall Environment (including access, etiquette and ethics)
Detailed information on each of the above topics can be found in the Climbing Wall Development Instructor handbook (below) and the onus is on you to be competent in all of them by the time you come to assessment - use the Skills Checklist to help with this.
Minimum Course Duration
- 8 hours.
- Delivered in a day.
Group Size
- 2 candidates minimum.
- 8 candidates maximum.
Staffing Ratio
Additional Course Staff
Climbing Wall Development Instructor or higher. Please see course staff requirements in the Leadership Award Quality Manual area for further guidance.
Guidance notes for trainers and assessors.
The period between training and assessment (often referred to as the consolidation period) varies in length for each person and is an opportunity to develop your skills, paying particular attention to any weaknesses identified during the training course. You will probably have seen new ideas and techniques during training and will therefore need some time to practise and evaluate these before taking the assessment. During this period of consolidation, you are advised to climb at as wide a range of venues as possible, both as an individual and when assisting with the supervision of others. Mountain Training recommends that all but the most experienced candidates allow a minimum of six months between training and assessment. There is currently no time limit on the validity of a training course and some candidates may take several years to complete the qualification.
If you would like some more experience belaying lead climbers, why not volunteer to belay at the Youth Climbing Series in England and Wales, Scotland or Ireland.
The Mountain Training Association
Join the
Mountain Training Association and be part of a community of like-minded people on our schemes. The Association offers a range of workshops for trainee and qualified leaders and coaches across the disciplines, as well as a quarterly magazine, gear deals/discounts, a monthly newsletter and an insurance deal. You can join the Association at any point after you have registered on one of Mountain Training's leadership/coaching schemes.
Join nowAssessment
Before you book onto a Climbing Wall Development Instructor assessment, make sure you have done the following:
- You must have attended a Climbing Wall Development Instructor (or Climbing Wall Leading Award) training course or have been granted exemption from training.
- You must be familiar with the syllabus.
- You must have logged a minimum of 100 different lead climbs, at least half of which must be a grade of French 6a or above at 3 different major climbing walls.
- You must have assisted or observed at least 5 teaching leading sessions delivered by a suitably qualified person. These 5 sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded on DLOG. (For guidance see question 3 in the DLOG section on this page.)
- You must have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least one full day or eight hours of instruction and included an element of assessment.
- Be a current member of a Mountaineering Council: Mountaineering Ireland, Mountaineering Scotland or the British Mountaineering Council. €30 for training candidates.
The Climbing Wall Development Instructor assessment is a minimum of 6 hours.
Assessments are run by one of our approved providers and a variety of cost packages are available, depending on what's included; food, accommodation etc. so you can choose one that's right for you.
Candidate Requirements
- Have attended a Climbing Wall Development Instructor training course (or have exemption from training).
- Be familiar with the syllabus.
- Have logged a minimum of 100 different lead climbs, at least half of which must be a grade of French 6a or above at 3 different major climbing walls.
- Have assisted or observed at least 5 teaching leading sessions delivered by a suitably qualified person. These 5 sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded on DLOG.
- Hold a current first aid certificate.
Minimum Course Duration
- 6 hours.
- Delivered in a day.
Group Size
- 2 candidates minimum.
- 8 candidates maximum.
Staffing Ratio
Additional Course Staff Award
Climbing Wall Development Instructor or higher.
Please see Course Staff Requirements in the Provider Handbook for further guidance.
Guidance notes for trainers and assessors.
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