So you've just finished your induction... Here's a bit of information on how Climb Shetland can help you out...

Getting Started

Ask most climbers about when they started out and many will tell you that they started at an indoor wall. The truth is that indoor walls are the best place to learn the basics of climbing in a safe and comfortable environment. Some people never even bother climbing outside, for them indoor climbing is rock climbing.

As a club, we recognise the huge benefit that an indoor wall can bring to the club, and we're already seeing the benefit in new members gaining confidence and experience before going out on the rock. Our club sessions at the wall are designed to be a social meet for members and non-members too, with an atmosphere that should help you to gain confidence of the things you learnt during your induction. Our sessions aren't just for climbers, they're for people as much as interested in climbing, or even just wanting to meet new folk. Take a look at the indoor wall page for more details on our sessions.

Improving your technique and confidence

The range of abilities at our sessions is always good to see. There are those who can climb all the routes at the wall and are constantly looking for harder challenges and improving their technique, and there are those that struggle to get their head sorted enough to enable them to reach the top - its rarely physical (even if it feels like it), but is your head telling your body you can't do it! It has to be one of the most frustrating parts of climbing that still affects you to some degree no matter how long you've been climbing and how good you are. The result is that you become convinced it's impossible, which definitely doesn't help!

Most of the people at our club sessions know that feeling well, and probably know how they managed to overcome it, especially if they were at that stage only a few months ago! There are some basic tips with climbing that aren't all that obvious, such as paying more attention to what your feet are doing than your hands. Good footwork and body position can help to take a lot of the strain off your arms making the climb feel much easier. Its stuff that might not seem as obvious if you don't climb with other climbers.

We aren't a training workshop, but if you ask, you'll be able to get plenty of tips for improving your technique, confidence and strength.

Starting to climb outdoors

For most, there will come a time when you want to take your climbing to another level and go outside on real rock. You're unlikely to want to try and scale an Eshaness sea cliff straight away though, and Climb Shetland have been busy over the last few years finding the best places to go for that first route. You certainly won't find any of us at the Clickimin on a summer's day anyway! So when you want to make that step to climbing outside, we'll be able to help you out. We have all the equipment you need too so you can make sure you like it before you invest in your own.

What's next?

After that, it's up to you. We would like you to join the club if you feel you are making use of its equipment and have decided you want to get into climbing as a hobby. And a word of warning, its VERY addictive!

Please contact us with any further questions you have at alwhitworth@climbshetland.co.uk