Climbing Instructors, Guides & Citizen Leaders: How Climbing Skills & Judgement are Passed Down from Mentors to Students
Anyone seeking to get in to rock climbing immediately faces a puzzling task: Where do you go to learn this stuff? While most folks have a sense they need to learn some skills to climb safely, less clear is where you learn those skills. I was in this place in college, trying to figure out how to become an outdoor rock climber. As I progressed from student, to peer, to assistant instructor, to lead instructor, I learned a lot about how different kinds of climbing mentors teach, and the perspectives they come from. I hope you can learn something from my story!
How I Became an Climbing INstructor
It All Began In College…
I could barely curb my excitement - the upperclassmen in our climbing club had agreed to teach me how to climb outdoors! In anticipation of the trip, I frantically assembled a haphazard array of gear and knowledge, wanting to show them I was serious about learning and being prepared.
When we arrived at Pedestal Buttress at Devils Lake (all the way from Purdue University in Indiana), my role models briefly walked me through how to build a top rope climbing anchor using two trees. My prior practice with knots helped things come together quickly, and I had read online that there should never be “one point of failure” in a climbing anchor. When my fellow rookie friend and I tied into our new anchor, we were both nervous and excited. Low and behold, the anchor held! The experienced climbers, seeing we could handle ourselves, took off heading for some traditional lead routes while we practiced our new-found craft on more top-rope routes along the East Rampart.
From Rookie to Citizen Leader
Trying to emulate my experienced climbing mentors, I was VERY excited to share every new climbing skill I had learned with friends. As my skill set expanded, I began teaching friends to belay, lead climb, clean anchors, and place rock protection. I was what I would call a Citizen Leader, a non-professional climbing enthusiast who wants to share their sport with the world.
Climbing with friends and co-workers on the West Bluff of Devil’s Lake State Park.
Citizen leaders have helped bring countless new climbers to the sport. In fact, my love of introducing new climbers is why I eventually began instructing professionally. Like many new climbing instructors, I thought it would be neat to get paid for something I’d be happy doing for free.
First Days as an Assistant Climbing Instructor
On my first day of training as a climbing instructor, I was asked to demonstrate some technical skills. I slowly and clumsily built climbing anchors that I felt were “safe,” but was humbled by the mountain of feedback from other instructors.
“It could be more efficient.”
“It could look more professional.”
“What exactly is that?”
These critiques were tough to hear, but the feedback helped me start to realize there’s more to teaching climbing than just setting up a safe top rope system. We’re responsible for creating an entire client experience, which requires such mastery of technical skills that we can focus on our clients’ goals, fears, and development. As I grew from an apprentice to a lead instructor, I gradually built my technical, teaching, and people skills, and continue to work on them every time I teach.
comparing Rock Climbing Instruction to Guiding
A “climbing guide” is a common term for a wide range of climbing professionals, but it’s important to discuss the difference between climbing guiding and climbing instruction.
Some students get pretty nervous heading toward the edge of a tall rappel. Often, that nervousness erupts as laughter!
Climbing Instructors Focus on Skills
My experience has been mainly as a climbing instructor, where I focus on teaching clients the skills necessary to become self-guided climbers themselves. For new climbers, this may be the skills to confidently tie in and belay, while more experienced students might want to learn anchor building or technical rescue skills. As an instructor, I treat “skill acquisition” as the goal and choose climbing objectives to support these goals.
When I teach top rope anchor building using natural protection, for example, I take my groups to areas with ample trees and boulders to incorporate into our anchors. My teaching goal is generally to build a strong background in climbing and technical fundamentals. Rather than teaching a single ironclad system or set of rules, I prefer to guide students through a problem solving process so they can confidently decide on their own if their system is “good enough”. Thorough teaching starting from fundamentals can take a bit more time upfront, but pays off when students can build on these basic skills throughout a lesson.
Climbing Guides Focus on Objectives
Rock climbing guides generally prioritize the climbing objective (e.g. a particular route or peak), enabling clients to climb in new and exciting terrain far beyond their current technical prowess. As a result, guides often teach only the skills essential to their clients’ climbing objective. While the best guides are also great teachers, their focus will be teaching just enough to attain proper risk management for the climbing objective. That said, if you ever find yourself in a “guided” scenario, don’t be afraid to ask questions! Curious clients will learn plenty from guided climbing, and curiosity helps the guide gauge your understanding and comfort level.
Your Instructional Needs Relate to Your Climbing Goals
Both instructors and guides serve important interests of their clients. Choosing between an instructor or guide should be based on a client’s goals. If you’re a new climber who wants to climb the Grand Teton, you probably want to hire a climbing guide! On the other hand, a sport leader interested in learning traditional climbing skills should seek out a climbing instructor.
While “Instructor” and “Guide” are different titles, many climbing professionals wear both hats, often emphasizing one role or the other based on client goals. Many groups require a mix of instruction and guiding, particularly larger and more diverse groups. We may have some students who are overcome by exposure (nervous about height) and need instructors to “guide” them through a climb or rappel. Other members of the same group may ask never-ending questions about what it takes to be a climber, which requires a keen instructor’s discretion to avoid overloading them with details and nuance.
Styles of Risk Management
The main similarity between guide and instructor roles is their duty to risk management. When most think of “risk” in climbing, the risk of physical injury is often top of mind. While this was often the only form of risk I addressed as a citizen leader, professional instruction has opened my eyes to additional forms of risk. Guides and instructors also manage the following risks to help clients have the best experience possible:
Psychological risk - Creating a safe space for students to try new things with calm, confident coaching and appropriate skill progressions.
Social risk - Helping students feel comfortable with how their performance fits into the group, and pairing students with those who will help them grow.
Financial risk - Helping students feel they got their “money’s worth” by anticipating student need and interests, planning and delivering an organized day, and providing added value where possible.
Instructors actively mitigate the above risks through their planning, flexibility, and patience. For example:
Building a progressive selection of climbs can reduce psychological risk for a climber who’s nervous around heights.
Sometimes a group member will feel they are weaker or less experienced than other members. A sociologically aware instructor will prepare a specific climb or exercise to help that student feel successful in the group context. Alternatively, an instructor might strategically separate the group to create a more comfortable learning space.
An instructor might mitigate financial risk by being timely, efficient, and communicating plans well with their group.
A strong debrief after a trip reinforces just how much was taught or experienced, and can curb feelings of “buyer’s remorse”.
A trip photo album showing up in a client’s inbox on Tuesday morning after their climbing trip is a stellar way to add value.
Climbing Instructors vs Climbing Guides in a Nutshell
| Element | Instructor | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Develop new client skills | Achieve client climbing goals |
| Risk Management Style | Involve clients in risk management as an educational opportunity | Primarily managed by the guide to enable climbing a client’s highest climbing level |
| Training | Teaching and lesson planning skills to develop clients into | Extensive emphasis on protecting clients in complex terrain |
| Terrain | Generally simple to create a comfortable learning space | Often more complicated than the client is able to manage on their own |
Citizen Leaders
The author and his dad climbing in Red Rock National Conservation Area, NV.
You may notice that the typical role of a “citizen leader” falls more under the “guide” category, in that citizen leaders typically teach their friends just enough to have an enjoyable day out. As a citizen leader, I would choose an objective I was interested in and teach my partner the skills needed on the fly. For a simple multipitch route, I might give a quick belay refresher before leading the first pitch and do my best to pre-rig systems to minimize the complexity my partner has to manage. This works well for some novices, but can be stressful for those who prefer to learn skills in a “ground school” setting before setting off on a climb. Unlike professionals, citizen leaders are often less experienced in managing the complex psychological and sociological risks associated with new climbing objectives.
The key to citizen leadership is transparency. Since there are rarely waivers or money changing hands (this would, in fact, make the relationship legally commercial), be sure both parties understand the risk associated with the climbing objective. A citizen leader venturing into new terrain with a relatively new follower should discuss emergency plans with their partner, and should avoid terrain from which they are not able to retreat. Additionally, the follower should be clear about their experience and comfort level, so as to avoid giving the leader false confidence. Where guides go through extensive training and have set limits on which terrain is within their “scope of practice”, it’s possible for a citizen leader to quickly find themselves over their heads.
Professional Preparation and Planning Example:
Running a Successful Rappel Trip
As a citizen leader, I would often take my friends to routes and areas new for all of us. This kept things interesting for me, the leader, and often led to logistical hiccups along the way. We might have trouble finding a route, building an anchor, or getting back to our stashed packs. Learning to overcome hiccups in a safe environment with an understanding partner is valuable experience, and I recommend it to anyone interested in entering the guiding profession.
Professional guiding, however, requires much more student-focused planning to create a plan that serves their goals. Let’s walk through the planning process I might go through for a 3-hour rappelling trip.
Pre-trip Information Collection, Organization & Preparation
Based on my student roster, I know that I’m leading a rappelling trip with a family of three who had some experience with indoor climbing. To better gauge their needs and interests, I ask some of the following questions in advance via email:
Have any of you climbed/rappelled outside before?
What are your goals for the day?
Would you prefer to gain the skills and confidence to rappel by yourself?
ORAre you seeking a rappelling experience where I set up most of the systems and take us on a rappelling adventure?
From these questions, I learn the father has rappelled before and is looking to refine his skills. The mother and son are interested in a rappelling experience, but are happy to be guided through the technical setup.
Our medical information form helps me assess any special needs, such as allergies, physical limitations, or learning disabilities. It’s critical to communicate gear expectations with clients, such as bringing appropriate clothing, shoes, food, water, etc. (Managing risk with dehydrated or hungry clients is much more difficult than with happy, comfortable clients!) I also share the latest weather report with the group, making sure they know weather can change quickly and we need to prepare for all possibilities.
Curriculum Plan & Trip Agenda
From these client goals, I then create an itinerary giving everyone the opportunity to work toward their goals. I want to create a “story” or “flow,” where each rappel leads nicely into the next, possibly connected by some scrambling. The night before the trip I scope out the route, prepare some retreat options, and note opportunities to add or subtract rappels as needed. Here is my outline of the rough plan:
Clients trying a quasi-tandem rappel using GriGris as descending devices.
Hike to top of West Bluff from Boat Launch Parking Lot
Quick ground school at the top of Misery Rocks, practice rappel down a hill. Group photo!
Rappel down “The Pillow”
Based on client comfort, repeat this or continue on
Scramble to the top of “The Bone”
Use fixed line and Klemheist tether to protect clients through exposed section
Rappel “The Bone”
Mini-rappel down a step to top of “Split Tower”
Rappel down “Split Tower”
Rappel down “Public Enemy” boulder
Chose to skip this rappel due to timing, scrambled around instead
Quick scramble down to Tumbled Rocks Trail and hike back to the parking lot
A non-technical retreat is possible at almost any point along this route, which also simplifies my movement as I take down each rappel and hike around to meet the group.
Running the Rappel Trip
In application, this itinerary worked well to serve the group’s goals. I chose to make ground school fairly brief, reassuring them the lesson was for building familiarity only and I would still help set up their systems throughout the day. For the experienced father, I gave him more time and space to set up his own systems, and asked him questions to reinforce his learning.
“Why did you choose three wraps on your friction hitch?”
“How can we test this system before committing to it?”
The family completed the first rappel with varying levels of nervousness, and I managed to capture some “looking over the edge” photos for them to laugh about later. I sensed the group was excited for more rappels, so I continued our itinerary over to “The Bone,” stopping along the way to demonstrate how we use fixed lines to prevent slipping in exposed hiking terrain.
At the top of the next rappel, I pulled from the father’s knot-tying skills to help with anchor building. This gave him an opportunity for additional practice and feedback. This next rappel was the longest and most exposed, with a great view of Devils Lake, so it made for a nice photo opportunity! From here we completed a couple more rappels and finished our trip.
Reflecting on Plans
The above trip itself went smoothly, in large part thanks to thorough preparation. By outlining a plan with many backup options and contingencies, I was able to focus entirely on my clients and choose the best version of the plan in real-time. This plan also gave me the bandwidth to focus on different goals for each student; by the end of our trip, the father was confident in setting up his rappel system safely, and was building familiarity with anchor systems. The mother and son, while not yet setting up their own systems, had grown more comfortable with heights and rope systems (their stated goal). The father’s goals called for an instructor’s mindset, while the other two needed a guide’s mindset. I believe a strong professional needs to be able to comfortably step into and out of both skill sets.
One of the big realizations I made as a new instructor was that plans are recyclable! I’ve kept notes on every trip I’ve led, so whenever I encounter familiar goals I can check my notes to see if my previous lesson plan meets my new goals. This works on a macro-level, such as terrain choice, but also on a smaller scale when teaching specific skills.
I find it helpful to prepare lesson plans for every skill I teach, even if it’s second nature to me. Taking the time to write out my lesson plan puts me in my students’ shoes, helping me teach them only what they need without extraneous information. I can also tailor my lesson to multiple learning styles, emphasizing whichever style resonates best with each student. My lesson plans are ever-evolving, and I find they’ve become more concise and clear through repetition.
Summary
It’s easy to believe one form of climbing instruction is “superior” to the others. On the contrary, climbing guides, instructors, and citizen leaders all play valuable roles in teaching new climbers. To tackle a difficult and complex route beyond your current limit, you should seek out a guide. If your goal is to build specific skills, consider an instructor. Citizen leader relationships often form organically - whether through clubs, or just friends you meet at the crag/gym. These relationships can form into a type of “mentorship,” which could be long-lasting and valuable to both mentor and mentee.
Climbing is inherently dangerous, but seeking out proper instruction is a great way to manage risk as you grow your skills. Whether you choose to work with us at Devils Lake Climbing Guides or another instructional source, we are excited to see you out on the rocks!
