Climbing

Head of climbing – Richard Smith
 

At the School we have a purpose built climbing wall, which has been updated to allow students to route setting of top rope, lead and boulder problem climbs. Students throughout the School have the opportunity to try climbing as part of the Activities Programme, where they can learn the basic skills of top rope belaying, abseiling and climbing movement techniques. There is also a Senior School Climbing Club which runs twice a week throughout the year and students can develop their skills through learning to lead climb and train more specifically using circuits and graded routes. Our climbing instructor Sam Mitchell has worked with BGS students for over six years.

 

Sam is currently the Youth Development Officer and Youth Squad Manager at The Bristol Climbing Academy having previously been a Senior Instructor at The Bristol Climbing Centre. BGS climbing teams have won the Bristol Schools Climbing Championships six times and swept the board in the inaugural South West Schools Bouldering League. Senior students have gone on to take their skills out onto rock faces around the UK with notable ascents of traditional climbs and sport routes. In 2010 we had our first students entering the British Bouldering Championships as part of the Climbing Academy Squad ranking in the top twenty under 16s in the UK.