What should I check before my 13 year old joins an outdoor climbing group?

plum_kettle_34269 Aug 2026

She did two sessions at an indoor wall during the summer and loved it. Now a friend has told her about a group that takes children bouldering on the rocks on the city outskirts on Sunday mornings, with instructors and crash mats. I'm not against it. Indoors there were ropes, padded floors and staff everywhere. Outdoors I have no idea what is normal, and with the monsoon the rock is going to be wet half the time. If your child has climbed outdoors with one of these groups, what did you look into first? Instructor ratio, first aid, what happens when it rains? I'd like to have a proper list before I talk to the organisers.

2 comments

umber_diary_43829 Aug 2026
No teen of my own, mine is three, but we walk around the rocks near Khajaguda most weekends and there is usually a group like that on Sunday mornings. They looked organised to me, an adult watching every climber and mats under each one. The children were around your daughter's age. That's just what it looks like from the path though.
- velvet_wave_27279 Aug 2026
  It looked organised from the path on a dry day. I would want to know what they do in this season. Wet granite is a different thing and a decent group should be able to tell you exactly when they cancel. My son climbed indoors for about a year and the one rule his instructors never bent was no outdoor sessions after rain.
- ochre_chai_96929 Aug 2026
  Also ask how many children each instructor is responsible for, and who on the day has first-aid training. 'Instructors and crash mats' sounds reassuring and tells you nothing about either 😄
sage_paper_4969 Aug 2026
in bengaluru the better outdoor groups won't take a kid outside till they've done a few months indoors with them first. my 11 yr old did a summer course at a wall here and they were very strict about it. if this group takes her straight to the rocks after two sessions somewhere else, i'd ask why
- plum_kettle_34269 Aug 2026
  That's useful, thank you. I'm on call tonight and went back to the message her friend forwarded. They do want four indoor sessions first, at their own wall, before any outdoor day. So that's where we'll start. I'll ask about the rain rule and the ratio at the first session.