Children's Climbing

Fun, friendly indoor climbing lessons for children of all ages, led by experienced instructors and coaches

Children's Climbing

We have a number of opportunities to introduce children to climbing and give them the confidence and support they'll need to get to the top!

From introductory taster sessions to Birthday parties or external youth groups we can provide all the training and equipment your child needs to have a fun, safe and rewarding session on the wall.

There is no minimum age for children, but parents are fully responsible for supervising their children and ensuring their safety while in the climbing wall. Please be aware we do not hire children's harnesses.

If you want to take your own children climbing we ask that you complete a registration form at reception to demonstrate competence. Young people aged under 16 years old must be accompanied by a parent / guardian at all times when using the climbing wall. The parent / guardian will also need to complete a supervising form for their child before each visit.

Children's Climbing

NICAS Academy

Our NICAS Academy runs during school terms. Sessions run on Saturdays and Sundays 8am, 9.10am, 10.30am & 11.50am and must be booked in advance through David Ross Sports Village reception or by calling 0115 7487000.

Wild Climbers: 8am - This is for children aged 51/2 to 7 years of age.

NICAS 7: 9.10am - This is for children aged between 7 and 11

NICAS 7: 10.30am - This is for children aged between 7 and 11

NICAS 12: 11.50am - This is for children between the age of 12 & 17.

Children under 7 will be offered Wild Climbers (Logbook £15) and age 7 and above will be offered NICAS (Logbook £10). For more information about the NICAS & Wild Climbers scheme please visit the NICAS website.

The cost of the sessions will depend on which level the child is on and must be booked for a block of sessions. This can be either 6 or 7 week block. Once booked sessions are not refundable:

Wild Climbers £11
NICAS 7 £13 per session.
NICAS 12 £14.50 per session.

If you would like to book a taster for your child to see if they like climbing please contact a member of the climbing wall team - these are £13 per child.

For further details please contact the climbing wall team.

Children's Birthday Parties

We are pleased to offer climbing birthday parties for children aged 5 - 16 years old. Our expert climbing team will show your group the basics of climbing in a fun friendly environment.

6 children - 75 min - £76.00
12 children - 75 min - £148.00
Larger groups - please enquire - max 24 children

All sessions are bookable on Saturdays between 2.30 -3.45pm. We can also offer Sundays outside of term time. Please contact the team directly if you require alternative times/days. Due to a significant increase in external events, outside of our control, booking availability is likely to be reduce during 2024 & 2025.

All climbing equipment is included, please ensure your group are wearing training shoes (open toed sandals and flip flops are not acceptable). Skirts or dresses should not be worn without shorts or leggings underneath.

Food can also be booked through our onsite café. This is subject to external events and may not be an option. Unfortunately we do not have a party room for serving your own food.

To book a climbing party, please contact our climbing wall team.

Parent / Guardian Climbing Supervisor Session

If you’ve not climbed before, or would like to refresh your skills, we’ve developed two modules for parents / guardians. These sessions will provide you with the skills needed to supervise your child safely on the climbing wall and are required if you have not already registered with us as a competent climber / boulderer.

Module 1: This is for the auto belay and bouldering wall only. The session will cover the important safety points of fitting harnesses, connecting to the auto belay and safe use of the bouldering wall.

Module 2: This is for the main climbing wall. The session will cover the required safety aspects associated with using the wall including tying on, belaying and lowering. Module 1 must be completed first unless you are already registered to use the bouldering wall.

Please contact the climbing wall team if you are interested in these sessions.

Pricing:

Student /Staff /Alumi/Associate: £15.00
Public Members: £20.00
Non-Members: £20.00

National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS)

As a NICAS delivery centre, we are now offering this training. Parents will be required to purchase a scheme log book to allow the children to log their experience.

All current children will be offered the option of starting with Level 1 (we may have the option to exempt some children from level 1 if we feel they have already met the required standard) and move straight to level 2).

Find out more here