In summer 2020 Iwona contacted me for a day in Dorset to refresh her traditional climbing skills on a one to one coaching day. Last year she had done a BMC ready to rock course with me and had gained some additional experience before coming back for more. After discussing and then planning what she wanted to gain from the day, we met at Durlston County Park in Swanage Dorset at 9am. We checked the conditions for the day and decided to head to Subliminal climbing area which is close to the lighthouse. Once down at the Dorset climbing area we recapped on abseils and setting up of anchors. We checked the guidebook and the importance of understanding climbing areas before committing to the abseil.
Swanage traditional climbing
Once at the bottom of sea cliffs Iwona demonstrated anchor protection and setting up belays. I ran a micro session on climbing footwork and got Iwona warmed up, then suggested that she might like to lead a route. Iwona was happy with the skills and techniques to do an easy lead on the route called High Street which is a super route for a lead and is graded Very Difficult (actually very easy once you understand the British grading system). When we got to the top we reviewed the learning and Iwona took some super useful points away. We relaxed and had some lunch while watching the amazing sea views and some of the other climbers in action. At the end of the day Iwona was keen to challenge herself on a harder route in a safe environment. We looked at the choices and decided that I would lead Freda which is a top 50 route in Swanage. The route has a different abseil and access so we could recap abseiling and safe set ups. We got to the bottom of the route and set up a belay to keep us safe; I climbed up the route first placing my projection so that when I was safe to belay Iwona up the route. I had a clear sight of the whole route so I could support and coach her way up the route. It was fabulous to see Iwona apply all the learning from the day to achieve something special. I am sure she will be back to lead the route for herself in the near future.
Feedback
Here is Iwona’s Google feedback from her Swanage traditional climbing adventure:
‘’I got hooked on climbing ever since my first intro to rock with Eddy almost a year ago. This time I asked Eddy to help me with improving my rock climbing technique focusing on trad routes and then putting it into practice on some easier walls (bridging was a revelation!) and finished with a fantastic VS route (completed with a shaky hands and the biggest smile I could produce!). Some abseiling, few controlled falls and recap on gear placement and anchors boosted my confidence and keenness for climbing. Eddy was professional, has buckets of knowledge and communicating it clearly and precisely, he is also a fantastic company. I can’t recommend Eddy enough, it was a perfect day and will definitely come back for more coaching. Thank you so much, Eddy! Absolutely loved it!’’ Iwona
