Monday, October 30, 2017

"oh how brave you are as a guide"

The life of a Climbing Coach

A few years ago I was guiding some clients on a multi-pitch route on The Penon, Costa Blanca. I was moving independently so I could observe them whilst allowing them to climb and place gear. What I did not expect to see, was them completely strip "my belay" leaving me solo. At least I was on a large ledge, however, it didnt stop me from holding on with a vice like grip.


At the time as I was watching, I could have shouted over and stopped them, perhaps I should have, but the teaching point of “think before you act” would have been lost. There was actually very minimum risk so I took the hit and stayed silent. 

When I pointed out what they had just done, their response was brilliant and totally unfounded. They said “It must be great being you, being totally unafraid of heights”. 

I had to think hard about my response, because their perception of me is totally inaccurate. Put me on a 10m ladder or up some wobbly scaffolding and you’ll see me scared, but a 280 metre rock face with an almost zero risk of a fall is my comfy office chair.

This is what I said in return...

Imagine a trainee fire fighter, the first time he goes into a burning building with a respirator on. It is going to be an almost overwhelming experience, but once they are seasoned and been doing it for some time, the experience becomes less overwhelming and they can operate more efficiently, safely and slicker. 

They would also have a greater understanding of the risks and more confidence in their procedures and equipment. So does this mean an experienced fire fighter is unafraid of fire? I suspect not and I’m just as scared of hitting the ground as everybody else.

Their response to my explanation after the event changed their thinking enormously, it created a thought process with every act having a consequence and therefore worth understanding before being carried out. Their acts, particularly on belays, became slower than before, but their over all time decreased as they became “slicker” and more confident in their actions.


Indoor climbing has exploded over the last 20 years and the numbers of people using walls like gyms for fitness has also exploded. A proportion of these new indoorers are quite naturally moving into “the real world” and touching rock for the first time. 

A great opportunity for an instructor for sure, but all is not that easy. With questions like; What colour would this route be at my local wall? Why are the bolts 2 metres apart surely that’s dangerous? Which holds can I use on this route? These are genuine questions I have had. 

Other issues that are really off putting for these folk; 
Wind. There is no air movement indoors.
The sudden view moving above trees or over the top of a feature.
The route lengths that break the glass ceiling of their indoor wall height, all really strange things to try and coach people through.



This year is my 30th year of instructing and coaching rock climbing, the situations can potentially be very serious, I’ve come to expect the random and irrational acts of people, I’ve been scared, intimidated and confused, suffered frost nip twice and heat stoke once, caught malaria and been severely emaciated. 

But when asked do I still enjoy it, or if I could ,could I change anything? The reply is always, “ No way, what a rush!” Being an instructor/coach isn’t really a job, it’s an adventure!

Rich on his day off! 




Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Come work for us?

That was the question I asked about 4 weeks ago and to be honest the response surprised even me! I only used facebook, but I guess the power of social media these days is quite scary, and does have its uses!

Firstly, can I say a massive THANK YOU, to the people who tagged mates and shared and then another massive THANKS to those that took the time to get in touch and say that they had an interest in the role.

The managers position for this season has now been filled, however, it has been filled by only one person. An "Orange" who has worked with us for many years has stepped forward and is going to do the whole season.

"oranges" having fun giving out an award for daft climbing antics! 

So, as he is alone we do need more normal "oranges" to help him out.

I will be putting people in touch with him to decide who to take and not etc, however, we took on everyone that asked last year and we had some great people helping us out.

Below is a little detail about the role of an " orange" and some golden rules.....

Work is mainly cleaning rooms and communal areas, bathrooms, toilets and much more.
Gardening depending on what the state of the land is at the time of your visit.
Making beds.
Answering guests questions about the area, climbing, shopping you name it they ask it!
Empty the bins and recycle. Keep an eye on the place.

The time asked for is around 3 hrs each day 7 days a week! You can do all the work in a few days or do it each day. If you are clever and arrange your time properly you can then have plenty of time to go climbing or to rest!

GOLDEN RULES

A few years ago we made the mistake of having too many "oranges" all at the same time and it didnt work as they formed a "pack". This meant they didnt socialise with the guests and they all wanted to climb at the same time!

They also treated the place too much like "home" and I found we needed an "orange" to clean up after the "oranges". As you can imagine that was a pain in the arse and I asked them all to leave at the same time and said no more would be working here!

I have mellowed a tad since then and the last few seasons with a select few it has worked well. This winter season will be the same and we hope that people that come realise how important they are to the whole feel and vibe.

Min time period is 2 weeks, this allows us to plan around the roles needed and for you to get a feel for the place.

Boys playing with trees! Maybe they need to eat more! lol!!!

Maximum stay is as long as you want really, as long as the manager agrees!

Accommodation can be an issue depending on how busy the house is. We have a dedicated basic bunkroom, but that can sleep upto 5/6 people. If you would like to be private then bring a tent. If the house is quiet you can take a room aslong as cleaned afterwards.

Catering, you have the use of the outdoor camping kitchen, now this is where things can not get messy, as you MUST clean up as you go! We do find that lots of people leave food behind, so if you are on a tight budget then you can manage by spending very little money.

Climbing, the manager has the use of a staff car so you might be lucky and get a lift to the crags, another option is to make friends with the guests and get lifts with them (please offer to help with fuel even if they say no).

Any further quesions or if you want to apply for the role of Manager in the future I suggest to try to spend some time with us this season and see what the job is all about.