How to Climb a Big Wall

How to Climb a Big Wall
Ever wonder how people climb a Big Wall, maybe you have dreamt of scaling El Cap but not sure how to go about it. This two-day how to big wall course covers all the basic skills you’ll need to make the first steps towards climbing Big Walls.  

Over the years Snowdonia Mountain Guides owner Mark Reeves has climbed a few Big Walls in both the USA and Canada. During those trips he learnt the hard way what additional skills that you need to scale the biggest cliff faces the world. What this course offers is a How to Big Wall Climb in a weekend.

The philosophy we have is to take your existing skills as a rock climber and build on them until you have all the necessary skills you will need to climb a big wall. What this course generally entails is one day in a climbing wall, which may seem very odd, but our experience is that an indoor wall allows us to change the tasks and skills very quickly, allowing us to cover more of the skills you need. On the second day we head outdoors and let you put the skills we have taught you on day one into practice on real rock.

This course covers the core additional skills you need to know how to do to climb a big wall, including.

 

  • Leading Skills – Free Climbing vs French Free vs Aid Climbing in ascent
  • Following Skills – Jumaring Fixed Ropes, Jumaring past deviations and Jumaring across a roof
  • Hauling Skills – 1 to 1, Counter-balance, Pulleys and mechanical advantage.
  • Big Wall Belays
  • Big Wall Ropework
  • Skills for Living in a vertical world

 

 
 
 
Prior Experience: Prior Trad Lead Climbing Experience
Duration: 2 Day
Cost: £500
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Course Start Dates:
  • NB: We can arrange course dates to meet your requirements.

  • To book, find out more or to arrange an alternative date email us here.
    …or call us on 07872565225

    Photos from Previous Courses

    The remote Kichatna Spire in the Alaska Range, big wall climbing on steriods.

    The remote Kichatna Spire in the Alaska Range, big wall climbing on steriods.

    Mark Reeves starting up the Nose of El Capitan

    Mark Reeves starting up the Nose of El Capitan

    Ben Bransby making a rapid ascent of Freeblast, the first third of Salathe, using minimal aid and mostly just pull or steeping on occasional bolts. He went back a free the whole route.

    Ben Bransby making a rapid ascent of Freeblast, the first third of Salathe, using minimal aid and mostly just pull or steeping on occasional bolts. He went back a free the whole route.


    Troll Wall, Europe's highest cliff and one that gave Snowdonia Mountain Guides head coach a stern lesson in learning the basic of big walling.

    Troll Wall, Europe's highest cliff and one that gave Snowdonia Mountain Guides head coach a stern lesson in learning the basic of big walling.

    Snowdonia Mountain Guides owner Mark Reeves making a pendulum on the Classic NW Face of Half Dome, Yosemite, back in 2001.

    Snowdonia Mountain Guides owner Mark Reeves making a pendulum on the Classic NW Face of Half Dome, Yosemite, back in 2001.

    Rock Climbing on a grey day at Sennen Cove.

    Rock Climbing on a grey day at Sennen Cove.

    Learning to Haul on our Big Wal Climbing Courses

    Learning to Haul on our Big Wal Climbing Courses