Climbing

hellybelly

Hi there

looking for some help and info please!
Me and my husband are desperate to learn to climb ( we live in Co Kildare) and are looking for either a climbing course or someone to teach us.
We want to learn to climb outside - I dont want to do it in a gym at all - i hate gyms!
Either we would like a small group or private lesson with someone appropiatly experienced / qualified - im really hesitant about learning in a group - i can be very " homer simpson" when learning new things and would probably hold the group up!

Any ideas anyone? Neither of us have any experience but we are both desperate to learn - we are not very fit either at the mo!

Many thanks in advance any help / ideas would be much appreciated!

BeardyGit

I'd confidently recommend a couple of instructors who would be worth contacting.

Nathan Kingerlee from Outdoors Ireland is a super cool, softly spoken, easy going kind of guy. He'll show patience and a calm understanding while you get yourself up to speed.

Brendan Whelan is also a very respected and knowledgable instructor, a former director of mountaineering at the now defunct Tiglin centre, and very highly qualified to boot.

Both of the above are fully qualified and fully insured to introduce a novice to rock climbing. Depending on what you want to do and how far you'd like to go with things, a beginners course followed by making a few climbing friends could be all you need.

Whatever you do, don't get too hung up on your instructor having this that and the other high level cert., but make sure they have the experience in tuition, the certification for the level of training you need and insurance to cover teaching you to climb.

Both the above are reliable and reputable providers of the type of training you want - They're safe bets as such. There are plenty of cowboys out there who'll take your money and the risk, without the adequate training and insurance to assume those risks, so be careful.... Pick someone who's serious about what they do, and about their responsibilities to you. Don't settle for anyone who's not known and recognised by Mountaineering Ireland (www.mountaineering.ie). Brendan and Nathan are both recognised as such.

Gil

hellybelly

Thank you so much for this Gil!

Have contacted them both looking for some courses! Really cant wait been dying to learn how to climb for years!

Again thank you so much

Helen

Evil Phil

There's a gym in Naas that has a good climbing wall, you can use that for training.

Noangel72

I climbed the Howling ridge with Nathan and I would recommend him......