IMG_1092Rock climbing is one of the most popular activities in the club. The club offers a broad range of opportunities to get involved in this sport no matter what your experience or abilities.

See climbing trips on the calender here.

Sydney is an ideal location for keen climbers, as there are a vast number of climbing areas of all grades of difficulty near by.

Indoor Climbing

  • Discounted indoor climbing every Thursday night at The Ledge: $6
  • Reduced climbing at The Ledge at all other times: $9
  • Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym at St Peters offers a discounted rate for club members of $13.50 on Mondays and Fridays (students only)

Outdoor Climbing

  • Beginners----UNSWOC runs regular trips tailored for first timers. These present an opportunity for people with little or no experience to enjoy the sport in an outdoor environment. Beginners are encouraged to build up their skills and eventually become independent experienced trip leaders.
  • Intermediate----- UNSWOC has a large number of members who fit into this category. Once you are involved in the club, you will see many trips being organised to popular sport climbing outdoor destinations like the Blue Mountains, Nowra, Barrenjoey and Berowra. On these trips the leader will expect a certain level of skills and independence
  • Advanced---- More advanced are trips to locations that require skills in traditional climbing in the Blue Mountains and about twice a year to Mt Arapiles in Victoria or mountaineering trips for example to New Zealand. UNSWOC often subsidises the costs of training courses, which can help our members increase their knowledge and skills. In the past these have included Advanced Ropes Courses, Rescue Courses, Traditional Lead Climbing, and Aid Climbing. If you are interested in doing a course, discuss possible options with the Training Officer.

Climbing Safety Information

The following is a list of issues that I have found important in climbing properly and safely. Some of these are from my own experience while others have been learnt from observing other better climbers. While the following is intended for climbing and abseiling, some of the topics may be equally relevant in any other avenue of adventure.  On adventures like mountaineering, rock climbing or abseiling, safety is literally a lifelong learning pursuit whether you make it or not… So, what I’ve listed below is just a guide and by no means complete. If you need more technical tips, some should be on the wiki or should be sourced somewhere else as there are too many to list here.

This is intended as a general guide:

Climbing Safety:

1)      Preparation: Never underestimate the importance of preparation for a climb. Always think before you head out to the crag, look at topographical maps for approach, dress appropriately for approach as well as the climb. Unless you are a very experienced climber and you know what you are doing really well, get info on the climbs you are planning to do. Get latest updates on changes on the approach/ climb itself (eg. Loss of tracks after bush fire, broken critical holds on a climb, untrustworthy bolts etc). The local hangout of the climbers is a good place to find out current info and get to know other climbers.

2)      Leadership: It’s the trip leader’s responsibility to make sure that the other participants know what they are getting themselves into. Brief them on where you are going with them, how many people are going and what gear/clothes to bring. Make sure they have adequate personal gear for the intended climb. This may differ with different climbs.

Leadership doesn’t mean being intrusive and giving orders or demanding results. Leadership can be shown passively by allowing others to have fun but keeping track of what is happening around yourself and the rest of the team as well as making sure you are on track to attain your objective (eg. Keeping track of time and making others climb faster <but not panic them> if you are on a multi pitch climb and you feel the time is running out). However, be prepared to take drastic measures to facilitate the safety of the group if the need arises. However, the responsibility of leadership doesn’t automatically fall upon the trip organizer. Leadership should be shown by someone who is well experienced and has a good feel for what they are doing at that time.

Keep a cool outlook and positive environment especially during times of crises. Attitudes during crises are contagious and may mean the difference between a serious accident and a well executed exit from an impending peril. So stay calm and focused during crises and work together with other climbers.

3)      Objective Dangers: These are the type of dangers that you do not have control over. A rock fall, breaking of trees, bush fire, sudden deterioration of weather, avalanche, crevasse and the list goes on and on…

Even though you do not have much control over these things, you can definitely take measures to mitigate these dangers. We all know there is a high level of danger in our chosen sport and that is one of the challenges we all relish. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take measures to save ourselves from injuries or fatalities.

One of the best things you can do to prevent yourself from these dangers is to plan ahead and plan well. Study the climbs you are doing. Is it safe to climb it in the current season/weather condition and the time of the day? If not, find another climb. Check to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. Has there been a heavy rain/snow fall? Is there a chance that there is any debris collected at the top of the crag ready to drop on climbers? Has the crag face recently been exposed to extreme temperatures (unusually cold or hot temp, bushfire on/near the rock face)? If so, chances are the rock may have cracked and logic will demand that it will be at the crux move… So, look for telltale signs to tell you the story.

If you see something that arouses concern in you, share it with an experienced friend. The judgement of two people can be better than one person’s. If you see an inexperienced person standing directly below a climber on a difficult climb, ask him/her to move away and take cover. The leader may drop gear…

The level of judgement in reducing danger goes up with the technicality and difficulty of the climb/ terrain. And the art of understanding the dangers will come with experience. Just keep your eyes and ears open, use sound judgement and if things go haywire (as they do at times) just use your imagination and cool to bring yourself and your party out of it. And don’t forget, you are there to have fun, so have fun. Don’t let a small incident take the fun out of the whole trip.

Safety info written by Rajan Chhetri