Bouldering walls are enjoyed by people of all ages for children’s birthday parties, NICAS Bouldering sessions, performance coaching, community meetups, coffee catch ups and as a more colourful and relaxed place to workout than most gyms.
Until now, managers in bouldering-only centres have had two ways to ensure the competency of their staff: Climbing Wall Instructor qualification, which involves training and assessment in supervising roped climbing as well as bouldering, or in-house, site-specific training provided by a suitable, competent person. Site-specific training can be very effective, but it may need to be delivered in full for each new employee, which can be costly and difficult to organise . How to instruct a group in roped climbing is not something that’s relevant in a centre with no ropes, so the only current recognised qualification is too much. Which means it’s time for a bouldering-only instructional qualification to support this growing sector and meet the specific needs of the workforce.
What is it?
Bouldering Wall Instructor will be a recognised qualification for people working or volunteering in indoor/artificial bouldering-only venues. It will cover all elements involved in the effective supervision and safe management of bouldering, such as planning and managing sessions, hazards and emergency procedures and teaching skills.
Key info
Minimum age for training: 16
Minimum age for assessment: 18
Training: 1 day (7 hours + online learning)
Assessment: 3 hours
Ideal for: bouldering wall staff, climbing coaches, volunteers or others who want to supervise groups on bouldering-only walls.
Launch details
Mountain Training is working hard to launch the Bouldering Wall Instructor qualification in Spring 2025.