We are pleased to announce that we are now able to run NICAS Bouldering at Yellow Spider! As many of our regular climbers will know, climbing and bouldering are great activities for both body and mind. Children especially benefit from climbing or bouldering regularly. It’s great for cognitive and physical development, as well as being a great way to meet new people outside of their normal peer groups!
So what is NICAS Bouldering?
NICAS stands for the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme. The scheme is for kids aged 7+ and has five levels, designed to take even novice climbers to experts!
To enrol on the scheme, you’ll be asked to purchase a NICAS logbook (just £8). This is how our instructors and the kids themselves will track their progress. Each level has a variety of targets that need to be completed before moving onto the next level. These targets range from understanding specific safety rules and putting them into practice, to learning climbing techniques and more.
You can find out more about NICAS on their website here.
Why choose NICAS?
Our NICAS sessions are focused on learning all of these skills and techniques, in a fun-filled, no pressure way. Our instructors are super enthusiastic about climbing, and about passing their knowledge on to the next generation of climbers.
We think that our climbers benefit from seeing their progress, and we know from running NICAS Climbing and NICAS Bouldering at our other Spider Climbing walls, that allowing kids to track their own progress really motivates them to engage in the sessions. We see them wanting to tick off their targets, keen to learn all the skills and techniques that NICAS has to offer.
At the moment, we’re running NICAS alongside our Kids Club. To book, simply book onto the Kids Club session you desire here, and when asked if you’d like to purchase a logbook to participate in NICAS, select ‘Yes’. Alternatively, you can purchase your NICAS logbook when you arrive at the Centre for the first session.
Whilst you can do the Kids Club sessions without a NICAS logbook, we think NICAS is the better option for kids who want to engage and excel in the sport.
What if parents want to climb too?
One of the best ways to support a child whilst they work their way through NICAS is to climb with them! The more they climb, the more the skills they learn in their weekly sessions will sink in and be put into practice!
Learning to boulder at Yellow Spider is super easy. There’s two ways to learn:
- If you feel confident, and want to get straight into Bouldering, and watch our Bouldering Induction Video. The video will detail all the necessary safety rules you’ll need to be aware of to start bouldering. On your first visit to the Centre after watching the video, a member of staff will give you a quick safety test (just a few questions), to make sure you’ve remembered everything correctly. Then – you’re all good to go! The only caveat with this option, is that you’ll need to climb alone 3 times before we’ll allow you to supervise any other novice climbers or children.
- Book an Introduction to Bouldering session. In these sessions, an instructor will take you through everything you need to know to climb safely and independently. It’s an hour long, and will give you the opportunity to ask any questions and try climbing under an instructor’s supervision. The next time you come to Yellow Spider after completing this session, a member of staff will go through a quick safety test with you, and will sign you off as an experienced climber. After passing the test, you’ll be able to supervise two novice climbers or children per day!
If you have any questions about any of the above, or would like some guidance choosing the best path into climbing for you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
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