Our normal base is Villanueva del Rosario, which lies in the hills 35km north of Malaga. This pretty mountain town hosts a vast range of crags with many routes of all grades from 3 to 9b+. Some crags are within walking distance and most of them are only a 10 min drive. Multi pitch, sport or trad - we have it all close by.

The area has an unusually long climbing season because of its position in the hills at an altitude of over 1000m - too hot and you can head up high where there are north facing crags; too cold or cloudy and you can normally escape to the valley or sea level crags that are bathed in sun.

We also have excellent crags such as Archidona, Loja, Villanueva del Cauche and El Torcal de Antequera only 15 to 30 minutes away. The climbing mecca of El Chorro is about 40 km away. The majority of these crags are relatively unknown to British climbers, but they are now in the new Rockfax El Chorro guide and so this is likely to be the next hot area for climbers to explore.

Silvia is a native Spanish speaker and has good relations with the local climbers and thus knows about a lot of crags that are not available to UK climbers.

The advantages of having climbing tuition in Spain is that the weather is generally warmer and drier than that encountered in the UK and this makes the learning experience both easier and more enjoyable.

Climbing Outside

Climbing outdoors is the goal of most climbers after having learnt to climb at an indoor wall. This course will give you the experience, knowledge and confidence to start climbing outside safely and competently.

We will help you understand the technical aspects involved in climbing outdoors - choosing your rack of equipment, setting up belays, belaying safely, placing gear safely, threading anchors and emergency procedures/retreating.

We will also help you to develop an understanding of the rock you are climbing and learn to read the routes. This is not only so you can anticipate holds, rest positions and gear placements, but to know how much friction the rock has and the objective dangers it presents.

We will always try to arrange the course to meet your aspirations and needs, but in general we will try to cover the following topics:

• Crag awareness, the environment and potential hazards.
• Essential rope work: Tying into the rope, belaying using various rope controllers
• Key equipment used when climbing outside - quickdraws, protection and how to arrange the gear on your harness so that you know where to find it when you need it.
• Top rope situations - belaying, belays and anchors.
• Different types of belays and belay management - neat and tidy is also safe.
• Advanced belay skills - where to stand, thinking ahead, when to give slack and when to minimise the amount of rope out.
• Using quickdraws and clipping safely, quickly and effectively.
• Protecting routes - bolts and natural protection. Learn how to choose the correct gear quickly and seat it securely.
• Finishing routes and getting back down - how to thread the belays safely and communicate with your partner effectively.
• Retreating off a route.
• Efficient movement on rock.

All these climbing skills can be taught in a variety of situations according to your ability and aspirations - single pitch, multi pitch, routes with bolt protection or routes that need traditional protection such as wires and cams.

The Climbing Outside course can run over a time scale of your choosing from one day to five days. We can run the course with a instructor/client ratio of between 1:1 to 1:4.

There is more detailed information on this course on the main Rock Climbing Company website

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