Trad and Rescue Intensive 1 and 2

An immersive four day program for experienced sport lead climbers who want to transition to traditional climbing. More than just learning to place gear and build traditional anchors, this course takes an integrated approach to climbing training, looking at vertical mobility, self-rescue and the vertical rescue of others in a climbing context.

Traditional (trad) climbing involves placing removable protective equipment in the rock, allowing you to venture into uncharted territory. This course covers the essential knowledge and skills required to place trad gear and tackle all the extra considerations that come with the territory. 

Vertical self rescue and the rescue of others is both a mindset and an essential skill-set for climbers venturing beyond the well beaten paths of sport climbing. This course is just an introduction to the fascinating world of roped rescue techniques. You will be exposed to a range of responses to non-routine situations and learn some of the fundamentals such as prusiking, abseiling with a safety back up and 3:1 hauls.

This course equips you with the skills and knowledge you need to:

• Confidently place, assess and remove trad gear


• Assess and use natural features like threads, bollards and chocks


• Build multi-point anchors using natural and removable gear


• Belay your partner using an ATC on auto-block


• Recognise specific trad climbing hazards and address them


• Access and retreat from climbs by ascending and descending ropes


• Apply a range of self-rescue techniques in non-routine situations


• Recognise, prevent and solve the most common abseiling and climbing problems that require self-rescue

Key facts: 

• Part 1 - 2 days, Part 2 - 2 days

• Small group (max 6 participants) 

• All personal equipment provided including ropes, helmet, harness, climbing shoes, belay devices and carabiners. Traditional gear provided: cams, hexes, nuts/wires, prussiks, slings and a variety of other software and hardware 

• Meet at 8am at the Altitude Deli in Blackheath, Blue Mountains  

Throughout the course your instructor will give you personalised instruction on developing your skills and technique, covering areas such as: 

• Moving efficiently over rock 

• Optimal body position 

• Getting the most out of different types of holds 

• Finding creative stances to rest while climbing 

• Other useful applications of skills covered in the course 

• Recommended next steps and routes to tackle after the course 

All of our courses cover: 

• Basic principles of cliff edge safety 

• Development of climbing technique 

• Climbing ethics  

• Caring for the cliff environment  

Pre-requisites: 

Indoor to Outdoor Conversion (Introduction to Single Pitch Sport Lead Climbing) or evidence of equivalency

Submission of a simple climbing log book may be required

While this course has no other specific requirements, we take the time to talk to all of the participants prior to the course to ensure that they are at an appropriate skill level before joining. We’ll ask you about your experience, interests, abilities and aspirations to make sure that the course is right for you.