Rock Climbing - Leading Outdoors 2nd - 7th May

Learning to lead on Rock.

The first climbing course of the spring found some low lying snow providing a beautiful backdrop to some of the cliffs we climbed, notably Le Tuet. Anna Torretta, Mountain Guide and Womans World Ice Climbing Champion 2002, made the short trip from Courmayeur Italy to supervise the course. The first course was an all woman's affair, instructors and clients.

Anna and Miriam, reviewing belay practise on day one at Anton crag.

The course "learning to lead outdoors" found most of those on the course having a mixed bag of experience but a very similar standard of movement over stone. The transition from pulling on plastic indoors to flowing over rock outdoors is a challenge and it is this factor that instructors Anna and Agnieszka focused on for the first two days of the course. Learning not to bring your feet too high, standing on dimples and features on the rock, planning moves ahead and the many key hand hold variations proved to be the biggest challenge.

Nicola on W"ENSA's story , Les Tignes

However, by the end of day one, all were placing gear, whilst top roping and practising the principles of leading.

Anna Torretta just making sure

At La Tuet,  it was lead time! By luchtime everyone had led there first sport routes on rock a great achievement.

Practising Yoga in the mornings and then heading-off to the crags proved to be a good combination, stretching tight limbs and focusing the mind on balance flow and form.

On the 3rd day, bummer it rained, so the team headed off to the climbing wall in Les Houches (Chamonix). Here we practised lower-off transitions and dynamic belaying.

Abseil practise "trust the prussik"

The following days blended into yoga, rock, and flowing over stone, like water not rock!

Natalia on her rest day cruising a tough 6b on sector Rhino, Anton

The goal of the course was to take climbers from the dusty indoors, and turn them into confident leaders ready to explore sport climbing on rock. However it turned out to be a lot more... it became a conversation with nature, harmony between body and stone, with messages of flow and trust all bonded by new found friends.