Set a top rope up for Aili for her second time outdoor climbing. Felt a lot slicker setting the system up. 27 minutes top to bottom and ready to go.
I tied off the belay to take a picture. I didn't tell her there might be a jolt when I put her back on and there was - because I wasn't sharp enough getting the brake rope tight and the slight jolt was enough to knock her confidence in the system. She got glued to the wall for a little bit and wouldn't go up or down. I eventually coaxed her into trusting me to lower her off.
She said she didn't want to climb outside again. So we had a little rest and a snack. I let her choose another route to try and took her up to the top with me so she could see the system and understand it and see that it was safe and she had another go.
We took it easy and put the focus on rebuilding trust and lowering again.
At the end, she helped me take the system apart. Again, this was to help her start to understand things and trust how well they were in place and that the system was safe. I think it worked and we saved her love for outdoor climbing!
Area :
Fachwen and Brynrefail
Popular group climbing venues at the western end of Llyn Padarn. Several small crags with few named climbs, such as Lion Rocks, Union Rock, Craig yr Undeb (Fachwen), Yellow Wall, etc.
