Learn to Lead Trad Climbing Course

Whether you are dreaming of the big walls of Yosemite or want to be able to climb at your local trad crags, our Peak District Lead Climbing Course will equip you with the skills you need to start your trad climbing journey.

Peak District Learn to Lead Trad Climbing Course content:

Everyone comes on our courses starting with different experience, goals and objectives. We will work with you to deliver a bespoke course, and we will always speak to you before the day to make sure that we can choose the appropriate venue and challenge. We offer 1 Day, 2 Day and 5 day private courses as well as 2 Day open courses on select dates.

  • Learn how to place traditional protection (nuts, cams, hexes, etc.)

  • Learn to Lead Climb (Clipping quickdraws and correct positioning of the rope)

  • Understand the fundamentals of building anchors

  • Gain confidence in lead climbing and lead belaying

  • Develop your climbing technique and learn new techniques such as jamming, smearing and stemming

  • Learn about the ethics of climbing in the UK and build a foundation for keeping yourself safe whilst climbing

  • Learn effective tactics for dealing with the psychological side of trad climbing 

  • Learn to abseil and some basic rescue techniques

  • Spend the day practising these skills at some of the best crags in the UK! 

  • Cover guidebooks and where to find access information

  • If you book a private course you can either attend the course by yourself or share this with another climber. Maximum ratio is 1:3 but the recommended is 1:2. There is no additional cost.

  • The ratio for our 2 Day open course is 1:3.

  • This one-day course will give you a taste of lead climbing and help you develop the fundamentals that you need in order to start trad climbing. We will focus on seconding climbs (where you follow a leader) so that you can get lots of experience climbing on real rock. You will also cover the basics of gear placement and anchor building.

  • This two-day course is more in-depth and involves working towards your first lead provided that you have some previous experience with climbing. You will learn how to place gear, how to belay from the top and how to build safe anchors. You will also learn how to abseil.

  • The five-day course is a comprehensive, in-depth opportunity to learn to lead and to practice lead climbing on different rock types and in different areas and environments. You will also learn to climb and belay using two ropes, techniques to protect your second on traverses as well as tactics for more complex routes. We will cover problem solving scenarios, head game strategies and by the end of the 5 days you should feel confident to go and climb independently and safely on any single pitch crag.

Trad Climbing Course Options - which course is right for you?

Latest Reviews

“ It was a great experience learning trad climbing with Dom, I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor. Always with a smile, lots of energy and eager to teach. First we went for a 2 days course and by the end of it we didn’t think twice and we booked a third day. Just a shame that she’s not based in mainland Europe. I definitely recommend.”

David

Private Courses

  • £300

    1 Day

    The course runs between 9am-4pm. The price includes up to max 3 climbers.

    Book Here

  • £600

    2 Days

    The course runs between 9-4 pm on consecutive days. The price includes up to max 3 climbers.

    Book Here

  • £1350

    5 Days

    The course runs between 9-4 pm. The price includes up to max 3 climbers.

    Book Here

Open Courses

  • £240

    2 Days

    The course runs between 9am-4pm on consecutive dates.

    Book Here

Course Information

  • You can see our availability on the calendar when you click on the course of your choice. Once you find a date that suits you, there is an option to book and secure your date. Once we receive your booking, we will get in touch with you within 24 hours and discuss the plan for the day.

  • We are spoilt for choice and have access to some of the best locations in the Peak District. You can see some of our favourite choices below. If you have a preference where you would like to go please let us know. We will give you a general idea once you book so that you can plan accommodation and transport and confirm the exact venue the night before based on weather.

  • We provide all of the equipment, however if you would like to use yours that is fine.

  • We will meet at location and usually start at 9 am to beat the crowds. Our days generally run 9-4 pm.

Peak District Trad Climbing Course Locations

The Peak District Climbing locations can be easily accessed from Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Leeds and Derby and are only 2.5 hours drive from London making it a great place for Outdoor Climbing Courses.

You will learn to lead trad climbing on some of the best gritstone climbing venues. For multi day courses we will visit different location each day making it a fantastic tour of the Peak District.

We choose routes that we know well and that are good for learning specific skills but we will always aim to include some 3*** classic routes.

Some of our favourite venues are listed below, but we have some less known areas up our sleeve for the rainy days or specific bespoke courses.

  • Stanage Edge

  • Burbage Edge

  • Bamford Edge

  • Froggatt Edge

  • Harborough Rocks

  • Roaches

  • Windgather Rocks

FAQs

  • This is a very hard question to answer and it depends on multiple factors including your experience and how many people are in a group with you. Generally we say that for most people to be at a baseline of an independent climber, it will take 3-5 days. However, the learning does not stop there. A big aspect of trad climbing is about judgement and you develop this over time through experience. We recombine the 5 Day course if you are serious about trad climbing because we think that it gives enough time to consolidate knowledge and we can give you solid understanding of trad climbing.

  • That is absolutely fine. Back in the day when climbing was still a new sport in the UK and indoor climbing didn’t exist, this is how most people got into climbing - by learning how to climb outside. If you are a complete beginner, we will adapt the course to you. We will start with you seconding climbs (following the leader on a top rope). This is a great way to get lots of climbing done and improve your experience and skill. Realistically, in order for an an absolute novice to safely lead their first climb, it will require 4-5 days of tuition.

  • Seconding a climb means that you are following a leader who first climbs and places the protection as they go. Seconding has very little risk as the rope is above you and so you are minimising a risk of fall. The ‘‘second’’ climbs after the leader and takes the protection out so that there is nothing left in the rock. A lot of people first second before they get into leading - although this is not always the case.

  • Generally the 5 day course is running on consecutive days but we understand that most adults have jobs and commitments during the week so please get in touch with us and we will work with you to split the course into a several smaller chunks.

  • Yes we welcome climbers under 18 as long as their parent or legal guardian is present.