Is climbing safe for your children? Pros and cons

The new school year is approaching and with it the registration for clubs. After the Olympics, yours may think that climbing looks like fun, and you, on the other hand, wonder how safe it is. So allow us to give you some advice on this and answer the question of whether climbing is safe for children.

At what age is it appropriate to start with children?

The first question that probably came to mind is whether your child is old enough to start climbing. If it is older than three years, the answer is a resounding YES. Just look at the Olympians who (with a few exceptions) have been climbing since childhood - Adam Ondra at the age of 6 he conquered the first outdoor route and Colin Duffy or By Brooke Rabout they were practically weaned from climbing.

Around age three, children should be physically able to start "working out" and participating in organized sports. The only thing in which climbing differs from, for example, football is that it is a movement along the wall, and not on the ground. At this age, however, it is recommended to entrust children to the care of instructors (if you are not climbers yourself), from whom they will learn the basics of climbing in a circle and, after a while, also belay and tie knots.

If you want to try climbing with your children before enrolling them in a group and you are not a climber yourself, don't worry. Practically all climbing walls have a small bouldering wall where you climb low and without belaying over large mattresses. The larger walls also tend to have self-belaying devices that allow you to try climbing at height without knowing how they are secured.

Is climbing safe for children?

Is climbing safe for children? In short, yes it is. If you are asking this question, you are probably not going to the rocks but to the gym. There, the chance of injury is very low (if certain rules are followed). Climbers as a community are obsessed with safety and how to lift it. This is because only if we constantly take care of our own safety, the sport can grow. The same cannot be said about football, hockey, athletics or combat sports, which do not need 100% safety.

Every instructor is aware of this and ensures the safety of his students. Likewise, there are climbing walls that have safety features all around. Large impact mattresses, soft floors, self-retractors and ropes drilled into the ground are a relative standard.

Bouldering

Bouldering is probably the first thing you will try with your child if you are not an active climber. Climbing on a small wall with impacts on soft pillows or mattresses is most suitable for beginners. It is also the safest form of climbing, as (if you stretch and warm up) there is very little chance of getting injured in any way. It falls into the soft and there are always relatively many experienced climbers around who are very happy to help or advise. That's just how the climbing community is.

Rope climbing (lead)

Rope climbing is what we ask the most if it is really safe for children. The answer here too is yes, if we are careful. A large number of climbing walls offer ready-made climbing knots, carabiners and belays, which you just have to click into. On larger walls such as the one in Prague Laugh Off, are also self-locking elements.
In short, yes, even climbing on a high wall is safe, as long as you don't suffer from the tendency to destroy yourself and don't forget to attach yourself to the belay rope. If you don't know what to do, other climbers will be happy to help you and teach you what they can.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we would like to tell you - do not worry. Climbing is a very pleasant and safe activity (and not only for children). If you want to try something yourself first, check out the climbing walls around you. Chances are, many of them also offer group or one-off courses with an instructor. Practically all of them lend equipment and advise you on which ones you need. The community surrounding the sport is welcoming and does everything to make climbing safe for children.

If climbing still hasn't left you and your children, take a look here at the best seats and climbing frames. If necessary, continue to our next article to find out what are the best climbing walls in and around Prague and whether they have courses for children.