The Rock Climbing School, based in the Picos de Europa, Spain, is a comprehensive immersion into the sport of rock climbing. You’ll learn the fundamentals of sport and traditional rock climbing in the incredible mountains of this remote cragging area. You will focus on lead climbing, placing protection, building anchors, proper body movement and technique, risk management, group management, and learning a variety of rope systems to help you mitigate risk and move in an efficient manner, whether you’re bouldering or climbing multi-pitch.

With a student to instructor ratio of 2:1, you’ll get the personal attention necessary to develop your climbing and leadership skills rapidly.

Our Rock Climbing Curriculum Includes:

Belaying and Abseiling

You will see and practice top rope belaying, lead belaying, top belaying, use of a variety of belay methods, both with standard gear and improvised, and the use of your body while belaying. You will be able to abseil using standard and improvised methods, as well as how to back up a system for increased safety.

Anchor and Protection Evaluation and Construction

You will have the opportunity to construct and evaluate “IDEAL” anchors and to place and evaluate protection, including both sport (bolted) protection and traditional protection such as cams, nuts, and hexes.

Selection and Use of a Variety of Rope Systems to Increase Safety

You will learn techniques and applicability of a variety of belay systems and practices, use of running protection, and considerations for multi-pitch climbing, all while focusing on risk management and efficient movement. You will further learn techniques to manage and maintain the rope before, during, and after a climb.

Rescue

You will have the chance to understand a variety of self and group rescue techniques, including escaping a belay, tandem abseils, ascending a fixed line, pick offs, and assisted and unassisted hauls, including complex hauls.

Climbing Fundamentals

You will begin to learn to assess and mitigate the risks faced by climbers while also developing an understanding of group management techniques, and explore techniques for efficient movement in semi-technical terrain.

Backcountry Skills

You’ll develop your backcountry basic skills, such as minimum impact camping, navigation and cooking.

The 6 Tenets of our Core Curriculum

You will develop leadership skills, work to manage risk, be involved in the planning and preparation of your expedition, work with your instructors to understand decision making and judgement processes, learn minimum impact camping techniques, and use teaching and learning methods to further your education.