RCI courses

Thinking about becoming an outdoor climbing instructor? The Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) qualification will allow you to run sessions outdoors on single pitch crags on both bottom and top rope, as well as artificial climbing walls and towers. We run these courses in the Bristol area, scroll down for dates and booking.

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How does it work?

The RCI consists of three parts:

  • This takes place over three days, one day at an indoor wall and two days outside. The syllabus covers:

    • Group management and session planning

    • Equipment

    • Knots and belaying

    • Personal climbing skills

    • Abseil

    • Gear and anchor-building

    • Background knowledge

    • Techniques and coaching

    • Access, conservation and etiquette

  • This is your time to build upon your experience, both through your own personal climbing and by shadowing or assisting in sessions. It is recommended that you allow minimum six months for consolidation.

  • Taking place over two days, you will be assessed on the following:

    • Management and decision making

    • Technical competence

    • Group management

    • Teaching skills

    • The climbing environment

    You will be awarded either a pass, defer or fail. Deferrals require you to retake part of the assessment, after a minimum three month wait.

Prerequisites

Training

To register for training, you must:

  • Be over 18 years old

  • Have led 15 routes which must be graded rock climbs with traditional protection.

  • Have led 15 routes at a climbing wall.

  • Have led 5 routes which must be outdoor bolt protected sport climbs.

You must also be registered for the scheme with Mountain Training:

Assessment

Once you have completed your consolidation period, you can register for an assessment. In order to do so you will must:

  • Have attended a Rock Climbing Instructor (or Single Pitch Award) training course or been granted exemption from training

  • Be competent leading Severe grade climbs on outdoor crags with leader-placed protection

  • Have led a minimum of 40 graded rock climbs with traditional protection at a variety of venues (of which at least 20 MUST be at Severe grade or above)

  • Be proficient in the use of climbing walls and have a minimum of 30 climbing wall leads graded at F4 or above

  • Be proficient in outdoor bolt protected sport climbing and have a minimum of 10 sport climb leads graded F4 or above

  • Have assisted in the supervision of 20 instructed sessions. These sessions should be at a variety of different venues with 10 being on indoor climbing walls and the other 10 on outdoor crags. A session is a half day or evening. At least five of these sessions must have personal reflective comments recorded on DLOG

  • Have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction and included an element of assessment

Prices and booking

Training

RCI training
£250.00

Day 1: Redpoint Bristol

Day 2: Morlais Quarry

Day 3: Fairy Cave Quarry

Dates:
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Assessment

RCI assessment
£190.00

Day 1: Morlais Quarry

Day 2: Fairy Cave Quarry and Redpoint Bristol

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