How to Become a Rock Climbing Instructor: Training Guide
- richeddins
- Apr 29
- 7 min read
When you qualify as a Rock Climbing Instructor, a whole world of career possibilities opens up. Imagine working in some of the most beautiful natural environments in the world, where you share your passion for Rock Climbing and help welcome people to the great outdoors.
George, a qualified instructor at Mendip Activity Centre, said “...becoming a Rock Climbing Instructor was an incredibly rewarding journey. Running my first session after the assessment was great - getting to inspire more people to get out and try something I love was really exciting!”
The Mountain Training Rock Climbing Instructor qualification allows experienced rock climbers to teach people on single-pitch artificial climbing walls, climbing towers, and outdoor crags in the UK and Ireland. With diverse career path options and the opportunity to join a community of friendly, passionate professionals, take a look at our Rock Climbing Instructor Training Guide to help get you started.
Training Guide Contents
The Rock Climbing Instructor Training, Assessment and Qualification Pathway
Learn to climb > Gain experience > Register for training > Log climbs > Do training course > Consolidate skills and log climbs > Book assessment
Learn to Climb
Perhaps you’ve tried Rock Climbing at the local gym or a friend took you out for a little scramble up a slab. Or it’s something you’ve always wanted to try but were never sure where to start! If you are pursuing a Mountain Training Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) qualification, you need to learn the basics and gain experience before progressing to the Rock Climbing Instructor Training course.
A great way to get familiar with moving on rock and learn the basics of tying in and belaying is to try a local Rock Climbing session. If you already have some experience or are ready to leap into a full day of training, look for courses like Mendip’s Rock Skills Introduction. Courses like this are a great way to get familiar with different aspects of Rock Climbing and will give you a sense of what it will be like going forward in your training.
On the Mendip Rock Skills Introduction Course You Will Cover:
How to put on a harness and tie in to a rope
How to belay
How to lower off
Moving on rock
Introduction to Climbing Guidebooks
Crag ethics and etiquette
How to manage risk
It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time in a private quarry home to rare birds and a stunning view over the Mendip Hills. Even if you aren’t considering carrying on to a full RCI qualification, the Rock Skills Introduction Course is an excellent way to develop your technique and gain confidence as a climber.
Once you’ve had a taste, get out and practise! Familiarise yourself with the RCI candidate handbook and syllabus to identify what you need to learn and look for courses and workshops that help develop your skills.
If you’re not quite ready to register for the RCI training course yet, no worries! Now’s the time to improve your knowledge and confidence so you can get out there and bag more climbs.
Prepare With Progressive Rock Climbing Courses
When you have gained confidence with the basics taught in the Rock Skills Introduction course, move up a level with Mendip Activity Centre’s Learn to Lead Sport and Learn to Lead Trad Rock Climbing courses. Each discipline has its own techniques, and both courses are based on the Mountain Training syllabi. These will help you refine your skills and prepare for the RCI training course.
While you can learn loads from knowledgeable friends and guidebooks, if you intend to get qualified it’s good to take skills courses underpinned by the Mountain Training syllabus before taking on your full training.
Next Steps: Training and Practise
On both the Learn to Lead Sport and Learn to Lead Trad courses you will cover:
How to choose venues and routes
How to move well when leading
How to clip when leading
How to manage risk
On Learn to Lead Trad you will also learn:
How to carry, select and place trad gear
How to build anchors
How to belay a second
And on Learn to Lead Sport you will cover:
How to check fixed equipment
How to thread the lower-off
How to belay a leader
How to lower
Build Your Climbing Community
Throughout your training, as well as gaining Instructor skills you’ll become part of a knowledgeable, fun and passionate community of climbers. You will meet people on training courses, workshops and out on the crag! Join a local climbing gym, find climbing groups online, and start building your community of passionate climbers. Be respectful of experience and knowledge, and don’t be afraid to ask all the questions!
Rock Climbing Instructor Training and Consolidation of Skills
Once you’ve logged the appropriate climbs to meet the RCI training criteria, you can book your 3-day Rock Climbing Instructor Training course. This course covers everything from technical skills to management and teaching and is a highly-regarded foundation for a career in Rock Climbing.
To book your Rock Climbing Instructor training course, you must have recorded:
15 led routes which must be graded rock climbs with traditional (also known as ‘trad’) protection
15 led routes at a climbing wall
5 led routes which must be outdoor bolt-protected sport climbs
During Your Rock Climbing Instructor Training You Will Cover:
Technical competence
Equipment, anchors, belaying, personal skills, abseiling and background knowledge
Management and decision-making
Including planning, organising, managing staff and participants, knowledge and demonstration of techniques
Teaching and learning skills
The climbing environment
Including access, conservation, etiquette and ethics
At the end of the training course, your Instructor will give you feedback and direct you towards areas where you could improve. This period between finishing the training and doing your assessment is known as ‘consolidation’ and is the time for you to get more climbs in, practise skills based on instructor feedback, and perhaps take a refresher course or two in specific skill areas. Find out the full criteria for booking your Rock Climbing Instructor qualification assessment here.
Check In With Your Soft Skills
Technical competence and safety skills are central to teaching Rock Climbing, but soft skills also play an important role in becoming a great Instructor. While dangling off a cliff may not be a big deal to you, it could be the absolute pinnacle of the challenge to someone else! Generally speaking, most of your clients will be new to the sport, so you need to be able to break down movements, explain techniques and offer constructive feedback in a way that new climbers can understand.
Observation and empathy will greatly assist your understanding of the mental barriers people can associate with Rock Climbing, and patience is tremendously important to helping someone safely push their boundaries. The Mountain Training Rock Climbing Instructor course emphasises the importance of shadowing experienced Instructors on session because it’s a fantastic way to gain experience and insight into the technical and soft skills that help new climbers progress.
Useful Soft Skills for Rock Climbing Instructors:
Communication
Observation
Problem-solving
Adaptability
Empathy
Patience
Rock Climbing Instructor Qualification Assessment
“Take your time and enjoy the process. I found that the best way to gain experience was to get out and go climbing as much as possible. Once it became second nature, I knew I was ready for assessment.” - Dom, Rock Climbing Instructor
You’ve set bomber anchors, tied countless figure-eights, supported nervous learners, and bagged the right climbs. Congratulations, you’re ready for the assessment!
Over two days, participants’ skills will be checked against the syllabus of competencies as laid out by the Mountain Training Association. To pass you need to demonstrate the required skills for safely supervising single-pitch climbs on natural crags and artificial structures.
Prerequisites for Rock Climbing Instructor Assessment
Before booking your assessment, make sure you fulfil the following criteria:
18 years and up
Attended a Rock Climbing Instructor training course
Understand the syllabus
Competently leading Severe grade climbs on outdoor crags with leader-placed protection
Have led a minimum of 40 graded rock climbs with traditional protection at a range of venues, with at least 20 of those climbs at Severe grade or above
Comfortable with artificial climbing walls, with at least 30 climbing wall lead climbs graded at F4 or above
Proficient in outdoor bolt-protected sport climbing with at least 10 sport climb leads graded at F4 or above
Assisted with the supervision of 20 instructed half-day or evening sessions
These sessions should be at different venues, with 10 on indoor climbing walls and 10 on outdoor crags
At least 5 of these sessions must be logged on DLOG and have personal reflective comments
Attended and completed an in-person first aid course with at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction, with an assessment element
You will achieve a result that indicates if you have passed the assessment or need to do a bit more practise and development, but your assessor will discuss the result with you and provide direction on the next steps.
Add More Skills to Your Toolbox
Thinking long-term, there are several directions (and destinations) to go in with the Rock Climbing Instructor qualification. Once you’ve gained the experience, perhaps you would like to become a Rock Climbing Development Instructor who helps other experienced climbers do their training and assessment for single-pitch climbs. Or you could branch out into Mountaineering and get qualified to lead and instruct scrambling and multi-pitch routes. The main thing is to keep up with your skills and remain diligent about what you learned right from the start about technique and safety.
If becoming a Rock Climbing Instructor is just one part of your outdoor career master plan, check out the Accelerated Outdoor Instructor Training (AOIT) course with Mendip Outdoor Instructor Training. With decades of experience in the industry and a reputation for creating amazing Instructors, the AOIT is designed to guide you through 20 National Governing Body qualifications for in-demand outdoor activities like Rock Climbing, Caving, Skiing, Paddle Sports and more. Find out about the different pathways to becoming an Instructor here and have a look at our top tips for aspiring Instructors here. If you would like to visit, check out our Outdoor Instructor Training Course Open Days here.
You Got This!
One step at a time is all it takes to expand your passion and add another skillset to your professional toolbox. Rock Climbing Instructors are knowledgeable, friendly people who help bring adventure to those seeking it and provide reassurance and support to those discovering it for the first time. Become a member of a vibrant community of outdoors people and find out where the adventure will take you next!