The course Rock Climbing - Under your own Steam is run for either two or five days. I don't know about the two day version, but the Five Day Course is absolutely superb. Even five days isn't enough to get a fraction of the good advice these guys have to offer, but we went from basic novices to competant seconds and even novices leaders.

Try it at Plas Y Brenin

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Plas y Brenin
National Mountain Centre
Capel Curig, Gwynedd
LL24 0ET, Wales, UK

Tel: 01690 720 214
Fax: 01690 720 394
Web: www.pyb.co.uk
email: info@pyb.co.uk

<<< Dinnertime - the food was excellent. Breakfast was a choice of cooked traditional or cereals - with tea / coffee / orange juice etc.You also made yourself a packed lunch up from dozens of different types of sandwiches and cakes / fruit etc.

L-R here: Gerry, David, Fleese, Steve, Barry, Andrew, Sonia.

<<< Geared up for first outing . All gear is loaned free (as part of the course fee) unless you wish to use your own. Unfortunately, Tony in the middle here had to leave the course early due to personal reasons. This left a class of 9 rather than ten.
Here - First day >>> at about 11.00am we were already on the rock. Clare takes her first abseil under the watchful eye of Franco - the course director.
Sonia - lucky girl lives >>> near

"Rock Climbing - Under your own Steam" - 5 Day course >>

September 10th-14th 2001 - PYB Wales

the Lake District and knows it very well because she's always out in it. Clare and Sonia climbed together most of the course. Sonia leading, Clare seconding. Sonia is absolutely dedicated to the outdoors, having summitted Elbrus in Russia and done many other courses (Winter Mountaineering and Navigation)
<<< Gerry and I at Tremadog. Being similar in build and ability we worked well as a climbing team...
<< Steve Marshall having a laugh at Tremadog. Since the course we've been climbing together in Wales. The course is a great way to meet people of similar ability as future climbing partners.
<<< Franco Ferrero, Bob Timms and Gary - three of the PYB instructors here deciding whether to throw the lot of us off the top tier at Tremadog. Here commenting on the placement of our first anchors. They had to hold - the cliff face is about 80 feet and each of us had to climb it several times by different routes.
ABOVE: Fleese chugs a coke after a rough day with the advanced lot.
<< First day David & Barry Petrie, Gerry and Sonia.
BELOW: Final day - Gerry and I on Clogwyn Bochlwyd in the Ogwen Valley - "Wall Climb" a HS - first stance and a breather.
<<< Final day - off to the Ogwen Valley. Owen (one of the staff) checks out a route whilst Franco stacks the sacks on one of the PYB mini buses.
ABOVE - Lunchtime at Tremadog. Day 2 - Sonia Clare and Gerry have a laugh.

So - overall verdict:

It was a spectacular course. One of my primary motivations for going was not simply to learn to climb but to overcome my fear of heights. When it came to it, the height wasn't really an issue because you're so busy concentrating on the climb itself you don't really notice it. Don't fret about it.

I have been bitten by the climbing bug though and have been out regularly since the course. One drawback of doing it in September is that the weather is turning nasty and hot summer days on the crag will have to wait until next year. However, you can always go to a climbing wall.

Gear - yes we have bought a fairly sensible kit between us (clare and I). A rope, harnesses, rock boots and helmets. Then some gear - nuts (Wild Country nuts of wire : 1-10), some Wild Country Rockcentrics, many slings - 2 at 2.4m and four at 1.2m. Karabiners, Screwgates, even a few cams after visiting Wales! - see my list on my Climbing Pages.

Was the course flexible enough? - Yes very much so. We were all pretty similar but as the week progresses you always get individual tastes and limitations arising. We ALL left the course as competant seconds and some of us as aspiring leaders.

Weather! - Yes Wales is a bitch for rain as I'm sure anyone who has hiked there knows. We were unlucky having rain and wind - bad combination. We climbed EVERY day though on the crags, the only exception being Thursday when the Wind and Rain were such that it would have been bad news on the crag. So instead we went to the Beacon climbing centre - Bloody Excellent. All day perfecting techniques ready for the Mountain Day on Friday!!!..

Staff - Superb. Climbing is not a sprt to be molycoddled. It is a fine balance between their need to ensure the customer is safe to that which says - in five days time the tutors won't be there anymore!!!.

They teach a system at PYB. It is not the only one - as they stressed many times, but it is one that works. You will not need to come away a knot expert or a placement expert or even a star climber (that all comes with experience) What you do come away with is knowledge ingrained into you about SAFETY and TECHNIQUES that will ensure you can develop from a strong starting point.

Do NOT go onto a course like this and expect to be handled with kid gloves. The staff are friendly and patient, but they are there to try to make you aware of YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITIES as a climber towards yourself, your climbing partner(s) and the other people on the crag. I thought that they managed this perfectly and I came away with confidence to go out on my own with the skills necessary to start to learn to climb and develop at my own pace to the limit I want to achieve.

Totally Recommended!!!!