Taking advantage of having another instructor with me to work with those who hadn't climbed before, I was able to focus on helping those who had develop their technique.
Started with a bit of weaseling - follow the leader over and under boulders and traversing around the faces and up/down easy scrambles. Identified that they were confident movers but weren't used to rock shoes.
Looked at a shoe and discussed which parts could be used. Explained were going to make an effort to use toes where possible. Put them on a couple of V-Diff top-ropes to try this out.
As usual, they found it hard to commit to standing up before feeling around for holds, having been used to climbing walls where they are obvious. Played 'no hands above shoulders' for a bit, which forced them to trust their feet and stand up first. Need to do more on this at school, perhaps with tennis balls in the armpits.
Area :
Devon, Dartmoor and Torbay
Includes Chudleigh and The Dewerstone as well as north and south coast crags, including the Torbay cliffs.
