[Closed] Getting kids into climbing

You generally don't want second-hand equipment as you don't know what it's been through, though this is probably less important with kids given the heights they'll be climbing, their relative weights and their ability to bounce. (-: The previous owners of a child's harness unlikely to have taken many factor 2 leader falls, and your adult one is similarly not going to subject to the same forces as two adult climbers. Rather it's kit they've grown out of. Ask at the climbing wall even, many places run a customer sales board.

No way no how would I recommend buying a second-hand harness that you had any intentions of ever climbing in yourself or using to belay another adult with. (On that note, no interest in climbing yourself?)

In honesty, I'd probably hold off on buying gear until you know it's not a fad. Suck up the hire costs for a month or two.

Are you paying for both kids to climb?

Oh, the other thing of course, is you don't need a harness on a bouldering wall.

Is there a board at the centre for sales? - might post a wanted for some shoes. I have kids spd shoes in various sizes, and I tried to source them used. As above for harnesses.

Give it three months of every/every other week. That's £240. If they are still keen after that, then invest. Do they have a kids climbing club you can attend?

Decathlon or Rock+Run
Theres always bargains around, kids grow out of stuff before they even get close to being worn out, etc.
Don't stress over kids shoes/harness being 2nd hand - they really are not heavy enough to get even close to causing damage. It'll fall apart from old age first.
Been involved in climbing all my life, do it for a living way beyond the recreational levels of equipment stress, etc.
I'd buy 2nd hand kids stuff, have handed it on happily, that in turn has been handed on and still going.
Mine are both now in adult sizes but may have a set around - the shoes are spanking and the harness is close to it but will double check they arent' the ones No2 still reverts to (females so not worth assuming....)

There'll be a facebook page for the wall you went to - check on there as guys are always selling/swapping/handing down kit.

Does the local wall have a for sale/wanted board? Good for shoes, maybe harness but you'd need to be careful; Loads of stuff gets outgrown. I found homes for my lads stuff quite easily.
If the wall has a good bouldering section, you could stick to that for a bit, see if the bug wears off, no point in spending if it'll be forgotten in a few weeks. It may also be cheaper to join a club/class - they'll get more out of it as well.
Good luck!
Edit - its all been said!

You won't get all that new for £50. Change out of double that would surprise me. Second hand shoes are fine, I wouldn't personally buy a second hand harness.

Is there a proper bouldering wall near you? Kids seem to love that as much as roped climbing, and you get more bang for your buck, as no-one is waiting around for a belayer (or having to belay).

Thanks chaps. I feel a little reassured about eBay stuff now. Am I right in thinking it's best to go for branded second hand gear rather than cheap unbranded new? Other than Decathlon what other brands are there.

The club are actually getting rid of their old kids harnesses, but I think they're binning them. It's a shame, as they looked perfectly fine to me. There's no for sale board.

I'd like to get into climbing myself, but I just don't have the spare time. The joy of watching my little one push herself to the top of the wall suits me fine for now. There is a kids club, but I'm enjoying the quality time with her.

Is there a proper bouldering wall near you? Kids seem to love that as much as roped climbing, and you get more bang for your buck, as no-one is waiting around for a belayer (or having to belay).

The climbing place (RGU Aberdeen) had an impressive bouldering room. My daughter loved that also. But I don't want to limit her on just that when she seems so keen to climb as high as possible.

I'll spend a bit of time in eBay later and post up a few options here. Hopefully you guys can pass an eye over what I'm looking at.

This looks manageable near my budget with buying new stuff from Decathlon:

[url= https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rock-blue-climbing-shoes-id_8308674.html#sUK%204%20-%20EU%2037 ]Decathathlon climbing shoes £29[/url]

[url= https://www.decathlon.co.uk/kids-easy-harness-id_8359208.html ]Decathlon kids climbing harness £20[/url]

Just need a cheap harness off eBay for me, and we're done.

Young kids should use a full body harness rather than a sit harness as their hips haven't developed enough so if they invert they can slip out of the sit harness. Can't remember the age at which the swap occurs. See [url= https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=5893 ]this review[/url]

Am I right in thinking it's best to go for branded second hand gear rather than cheap unbranded new?

For beginner kids, I'd say it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. You cannot legitimately buy crap (ie, dangerous) new climbing gear that's sold by UK retailers. It's like cycle / motorcycle helmets: you pay extra for features, longevity, comfort, they're all 'safe' or they wouldn't be allowed to be sold.

Young kids should use a full body harness rather than a sit harness as their hips haven't developed enough so if they invert they can slip out of the sit harness. Can't remember the age at which the swap occurs. See this review

Thanks for the info. The Decathlon full body harness only goes up to 9 years old - and my daughter is 9. The climbing wall I went to use full body harnesses, but will be changing to waist ones soon.

The club are actually getting rid of their old kids harnesses, but I think they're binning them. It's a shame, as they looked perfectly fine to me.

That's exactly the danger with used kit - much of it "looks" fine, a visual inspection isn't sufficient to assess the state of the equipment. I assume they'll be binning it because it's passed some threshold that they deem safe; age or number of uses or some other faults or something. It can't do any harm to actually ask them, though.

Often there is some season ticket type entry that gets you in for free (perhaps at certain times) or a discount.

Don't rule out learning yourself, you'll be there anyway so time commitment is not an issue. But with a winter of wall climbing you could happily be top roping them outside at a crag or old quarry FOC next summer.

Get s/h shoes on ebay (my climbing shoes were s/h on ebay). Don't buy harnesses that way, not even for belaying kids. There's a reason the club's old harnesses are being binned - there's a chance they're OK, but actually they'll be well used (more used than most kids' climbing gear). About the only option I'd consider is if there is somebody selling off their kids harness because they've outgrown it, at which point it shouldn't be due for disposal due to age, though I'd want it to be somebody know by somebody I know rather than a complete random stranger. I wouldn't worry about "branded" though - anything sold by a legitimate shop with the necessary markings will be just as safe and last just as long, any differences are just down to comfort, weight etc. Also worth pointing out though that you should be wary of even new kit on ebay, as there is some fake stuff about: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b095yr81/fake-britain-series-8-episode-1#t=28m40s

As for full body harnesses, shouldn't be required for a 9yo - I have one and it's a bit tight on my 8yo, the kids waist harness I have I bought for his big brother when he was 8 and they were certainly using waist harnesses in the kids club at that age.

My lad has recently taken this up and is loving it. We pay 7 quid a week each for him and his cousin so a bit cheaper. They really do get lucky some weeks and have the instructor to themselves.
One thing we've definitely found tjough that with two of them going they really bond well and help each other out during the route up that they've been given. And unbelievably they take it seriously, no pissing about when setting up their own harnesses and doing their checks which for two 12 year olds is impressive.
As for kit all we've bought so far is chalk bags from decathlon as we didntvwant to do the usual thing of investing and then them giving it up.
They are now lead climbing and
laddo is representing his instructor in a few weeks at a comp which we are really chuffed about.
Good luck.

Shoes second hand yes. Harness second hand never.

My grandson has outgrown his rockboots, I think they're size 4, but I know they've only been used 3 times) I can check size tomorrow when home from holiday. Yours for the postage if they're any use to you (i tried eBay last year, got no interest at all). Drop me a note to remind me - Email's in profile

OP
You may already know some of the [url= https://sites.google.com/site/granitecityrockstars/ ]Granite City[/url] folk.
Kids clubs are always a good place for quality used stuff.
My son started climbing when he was 8 and got in to the kids climbing and boulder comps (Scots and national).He now has a sport for life that he loves.
If you haven't already,take her down to Ratho,it's awesome (world champs just the other week).Oh and when it comes to climbing technique and style,girls [b]rock[/b] <<pun intended 🙂

"You climb like a girl" is most definitely a compliment in my book.

Definitely - I aspire to climb like some of the girls I climb with.

For kids shoes, go for those cheap black gym shoes/plimsolls, but just make sure there is no dead space in them. Or just use clean trainers. Unless they are finding there feet slipping off the foot holds, there's no real 'need' for rock shoes.

Be very careful buying 2nd hand stuff, especially off eBay, last year a seller was selling ex mod harness, they had cut the waist and leg loops to make them unusable, and the seller had just sewn them back up. Anything new from a retailer has to be UIAA certified to be sold throughout Europe. A decathlon harness is as safe as a DMM harness... Though maybe less refined.
If the children don't have defined hips or bum, they would need a full body harness, but at 9 they may find a sit/sport harness fine too.

[quote=wishiwascalledsteve ]For kids shoes, go for those cheap black gym shoes/plimsolls, but just make sure there is no dead space in them. Or just use clean trainers. Unless they are finding there feet slipping off the foot holds, there's no real 'need' for rock shoes.

Proper rock shoes do make a difference though - especially if they're doing smearing on the wall, which I'd expect a 9yo to be doing soon if getting at all serious. My 8yo certainly prefers using rock shoes (I don't have ones to fit my 10yo at the moment - anybody getting rid of size 5s?), but I suspect that's partly because he then feels like a proper climber. If you buy them on ebay and then sell on when grown out of it's hardly a major expense.

I agree, climbing shoes do make a difference, however on the climbs that 'beginners' (no offence intended) will climb, rock shoes are not essential.

For smearing a softer shoe (as long as there is no dead space) can be more beneficial, easier to flex your toes and get more rubber contact

She won't be a beginner for long though - my son was soon climbing 5a at 8. Sure for a tryout trainers are fine (when the cubs go they get to climb in their trainers).

If you can't afford £10 a week, explain this to your daughter and suggest that if she really wants to continue with this expensive hobby, that perhaps she'll have to give up her birthday and Christmas presents.

As other have said do not buy or use a second hand harness.

Also worth keeping an eye on Go Outdoors, they regularly have special offers on climbing gear.

Be aware some child full body harnesses (maybe the cheaper ones?) require a screwgate crab as well, which can be another £8 or so on top.

When I learnt to climb, I was instructed on how to create a harness out of about 3 (I think) metres of webbing. It was super cheap, and just as effective. Indeed, webbing was all I used for climbing, as for years I was not able to afford a harness.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

You'll also need a screwgate carabiner and a belay device. I go to the climbing wall with my son every now and then.

I bought a like-new (but not new) petzl harness, chalk bag, carabiners and belay device from a bloke on UKC for a ridiculously good price. He was honest about what he was selling and seemed like a regular member. The harness looked brand new to a layman like me

Hmmm, must go again soon

Why don't you see about a local cadet or scout group. The right ones will have them out climbing loads, with good kit and instructors.

Thanks everyone for your input.

To keep costs down I'm going to try and get to the wall before 4pm when it's off-peak. Just means a dash straight from school.

I'm going to carry on hiring until Christmas time, and then if she's still keen enough the kit can be a present. Definitely looking at buying a new harness from Decathlon.

thelawman- would be great if you can find them shoes. I'll drop you an email.

I'll see about clubs as she progresses. At the moment I like the idea of it just being the two of us. I'm not working at the moment, so catching up with some overdue quality time.

Off back to the wall this afternoon with my 12 year old daughter. She didn't take to it on holiday (afraid of heights) but doesn't want to miss out. This could get expensive quite quickly!

FWIW, one of the reasons I started climbing was precisely because I didn't like heights and wanted to do something about it.

I got my kids sorted at Go Outdoors for a reasonable cost. I've not taken them indoors yet though, but have got them to second some routes at crags. They took to it quite well considering my brief instruction. The hardest part was probably the amount and length of concentration needed to work out the moves over the length of a route, and then the extra hassle of getting the gear out. My eldest was ok at this, but my youngest had a smaller concentration span. She bouldered ok though.

I'm not going to bother with clubs or indoor climbing yet. They have enough on and we'll do a bit in Cubs/Scouts anyway. We'll just take them out to a crag every now and then.

I was thinking of suggesting outdoor climbing as a cheaper thing to do than going indoors, but then I worked out how much kit I use going outdoors and divided the cost of that by the number of times I've taken my kids...

Of course you do also have to know what you're doing regarding setting up belays etc. I'm curious though Yak - how old are your kids if you've got them seconding? Have you got them lead belaying you on trad?

Try different walls

At my local wall the kids get in free with me, I bought a block ticket for X visits, 10 maybe?, and so it works out to be fairly reasonable

Just got back from the wall with daughter #2. She loved it! The heights started off being an issue, but after three attempts she got to the top and never looked back. Turned into a red sweaty mess in no time.

Turned up with a few minutes to spare to get in off-peak. It's a real dash to get there in time. Anyway, it knocked a whole £2 off the price. So now £8 per visit. Taking my 6 year old boy next week..... And on top of that, I had a quick go on the bouldering wall and loved it too. Have I found the perfect family activity (except for the cost)?

[url= https://preview.ibb.co/ir500b/IMG_0395.jp g" target="_blank">https://preview.ibb.co/ir500b/IMG_0395.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Mine were 7 and 8 when they first seconded routes. An adult belayed mostly. My lad wanted to, so I let him under instruction from a mate. He was ok(ish) at it.

You need to rein them in a bit, as they get carried away and want to lead or do a sneaky solo.

Seconding doesn't seem unreasonable - it was the belaying I was wondering about (my oldest has done quite a bit of top rope belaying at climbing club, but I still wouldn't trust him to belay me on his own, let alone lead belaying!) I've not had another climber with me when I've taken my kids, so I've set up top rope belays for them.

We were supposed to be going to the indoor wall tonight, but oldest had the optician and I've got the lurgy - for the same reason as fanatic it will be a dash straight from school as it's cheaper before 4 (I've not taken them to the new wall I climb at yet, though they've both been with cubs).

When I learnt to climb, I was instructed on how to create a harness out of about 3 (I think) metres of webbing.

I had a quick go on the bouldering wall and loved it too.

One Of Us, One Of Us...!

Just got back from the wall with daughter #2. She loved it! The heights started off being an issue, but after three attempts she got to the top and never looked back. Turned into a red sweaty mess in no time.

Brilliant. (Told you so...!)

Turned up with a few minutes to spare to get in off-peak. It's a real dash to get there in time. Anyway, it knocked a whole £2 off the price. So now £8 per visit. Taking my 6 year old boy next week....

I think I see your problem. Have you tried having fewer children? (-:

In honesty, I'd suggest talking to the wall. Well, y'know, the staff there, not the wall itself. You've got three kids who are all keen to climb regularly, you're thinking of starting yourself even, but it's prohibitively expensive so can we negotiate a family discount or something? Maybe just waive the hire costs even, you're planning on stocking up on gear at Christmas. After all, it'd be a shame if you all had to stop giving them money week in week out for the next several years.

Where are you geographically, incidentally? Which wall are you attending? (Apologies if you've already said.)

Where are you geographically, incidentally? Which wall are you attending? (Apologies if you've already said.)

Aberdeenshire. The two indoor options are RGU (university) or Transition Extreme (£8 plus kit hire). However, the in-laws live in Aberlour (1.5hr away) and there's a council run climbing wall that only costs £2.20! Another brilliant example of us Aberdonians having to pay a premium over the rest of Scotland.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not poor. Happy to pay for sport activities. Just have to be sensible when you also factor in all the other activities they do (guides/beavers/brownies/swimming/trampolining....)

Off to the in-laws today so will check out the wall there.

I think I see your problem. Have you tried having fewer children? (-:

If it was up to my wife we'd have more 🙂 Three is a nice number though.

[quote=fanatic278 ]The two indoor options are RGU (university) or Transition Extreme (£8 plus kit hire). However, the in-laws live in Aberlour (1.5hr away) and there's a council run climbing wall that only costs £2.20! Another brilliant example of us Aberdonians having to pay a premium over the rest of Scotland.

To be fair, £8 is a fairly normal price for a commercial climbing wall, which they almost all are. I'm not aware of any council run ones anywhere down this way.

Kit = Decathlon.

Transition extreme has £5 admission on Fridays from 6pm-10pm

Aberdeenshire

Ah, a bit off the beaten track for me then I'm afraid!

Another boulderer here, just wait till you hook onto an auto belay and think oh this is easy then look down and you realise you're 10 times higher then you are normally.

My 3 year old loves or hates bouldering depending on the phase of the moon.