Category: News
This is News Category
We’re excited to announce the ABC’s upcoming Accreditation Scheme and with it the new, Sport England funded, role of Accreditation Manager who will be responsible for developing and piloting the programme.
The Accreditation Scheme is an important tool to support the industry in following good practice, maintaining high safety standards and striving for excellence to keep the sector and those participating in it safe and free to enjoy the sport of climbing.
This is a full time role combining desk-based research with site visits and audits. We anticipate that up to half of the working time will be on the road.
Mountain Training works in partnership with the indoor climbing industry to produce the instructors and coaches of the future. In order to do this our candidates need to gain experience in managing and assisting group sessions in walls as a crucial part of their training.
Trainees can also be very useful. They can act as an extra pair of hands and eyes, even if this is only to fit a harnesses, hold a rope or manage a simple warm up. They can provide some useful feedback for the instructor even though they are there to learn themselves (some come with a lot of experience from other sports or teaching for example). Best of all it is an excellent staff recruitment tool with in-built observation, induction and site-specific assessment.
Managing trainees requires special operating procedures and some basic administration, but this is relatively easy to set up and advice is easily sought. Mountain Training has published its own ‘Guidance for managing assistants during climbing activities’ here: https://www.mountain-training.org/help/downloads
We would ask climbing wall managers that use Mountain Training qualified instructors and coaches to please work with us, and thereby support the indoor climbing industry, by offering these experiences that trainees need to develop their skills – where possible. If there are any concerns or difficulties we would be only too eager to learn about these and to help you with these if we can.
Many thanks.
Guy Jarvis, Exec Officer, MTE
Market Research 2021
This year’s survey was an online survey of 89 ABC member walls.
This is the 3rd bi-annual survey of climbing walls sponsored by the ABC
The purpose of this longitudinal research is to provide a regular update on the state of the climbing wall industry
Previous surveys were conducted by phone with climbing walls in the UK – both ABC member and non-member walls: 36 walls in 2019, 27 in 2017
This year’s survey was conducted on-line, using Survey Monkey, with ABC member walls only
If your wall participated in the market research you will receive a free copy of the research there will be a discounted price for members if they would like a copy.
Non members can also purchase a copy by selecting the correct link below.
Following the press release on the 24th July 2020, the ABC and DMU would like to clarify that whilst the initial results are extremely exciting, the research is not yet complete and the full report will be published next week. Dr Katie Laird confirmed the research does show some promising results but firm conclusions should wait until the research is complete. The ABC were keen to issue the interim results to offer some reassurance to the climbing community but as already stated have not changed the advice to climbing centres who are planning to reopen this weekend.
At the start of the Corona Virus Crisis, the ABC (Association of British Climbing Walls) set up working groups to support climbing walls through the crisis. David and Robert Stevens from The Warehouse Climbing Wall, Gloucester approached Rich Emerson, ABC Chair as they had a relationship with a world-leading research team in De Montfort University. Rich spoke with Jeremy Wilson from The Lakeland Climbing Centre, leader of one of the ABC working group responsible for researching the science behind the virus and climbing. We needed to understand the potential impact of chalk on the virus as there were some concerns within the climbing community around how chalk on holds may act as a reservoir of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Between us, we commissioned the team at De Montfort University to undertake the research, led by Dr Katie Laird (Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group), Dr Maitreyi Shivkumar (Virologist) and Dr Lucy Owen (Postdoctoral Researcher). The team admit it was novel research and it took some time to set up the test method protocols.
For further information please download the link press release below:
Corona Virus and Chalk – Press-release v2
ABC safety poster series for your wall
The ABC has been working with the BMC and other industry partners to develop a series of six new safety posters for you to use in your walls. We hope you find these helpful collateral as you prepare for reopening.
There are three folders of PDFs spec’d for A2, A3 & A4 printing. A space is provided for your own wall logo: you will see a jpeg for guidance on placement.
