Rescue Skills Course in the Lake District
Learn essential skills to keep you and your partners safe in the mountains
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The focus of our climbing rescue course is on developing the skills you need for emergencies that could happen in the mountains. We'll build your rescue knowledge step by step, so you can deal with a wide range of tricky situations you might find yourself in. We won't just teach you the skills, we'll give you context on when they're most useful and cover the most likely things to go wrong.
Over two days, we'll cover everything from escaping the system and tying off a belay device, to hauling your partner and abseiling past knots. There'll be lots of repetition to reinforce learning, and by the end, you'll have a strong foundation in rescue techniques and the skills to deal with unexpected problems while climbing.
The course is based out of Kendal, in the south of the Lake District, which offers good access to crags in both the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, where we can practise key skills.
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Before your booking – We'll be in touch via email or WhatsApp to get to know you a bit better. We'll talk through your aspirations for the day and your experience, then make a plan for your booking.
Day One – We'll begin with tying off a belay device, an essential skill when managing most incidents. You'll then learn how to escape the system safely, allowing you to get help if your partner is in trouble. As the day progresses, we'll practise various hauling techniques, starting with assisted hauling, which can help your partner get through a tricky section, through to unassisted techniques, useful when your partner is incapacitated. You'll also cover how to abseil and lower past a knot, an important skill on multi-pitch routes, especially if your rope becomes damaged.
Day Two – On the second day, we'll build on those core rescue skills and work through more advanced and realistic scenarios. These may include crag evacuations, multi-pitch rescues, and counterbalance abseils, techniques particularly valuable in remote climbing locations. By the end of this rescue course, you'll have the confidence and ability to manage a wide range of emergency situations.
After your booking – We'll aim to have a chat at the end of the day to help you on your climbing journey, and give advice on how to improve and become a better climber. Send us a message afterwards if you have any questions or ever want any advice.
This is a rough outline of the course, we might change things around based on your experience or the weather conditions.
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This course is aimed at climbers with a background in trad climbing who are already confident leading, building belays and placing gear. If you’re unsure whether this is the right course for you, or if you’d like to focus on more specific or advanced rescue skills, get in touch and we can point you in the right direction or put together something bespoke to suit your needs.
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This course is based out of Kendal. With lots of accommodation in the town, plenty of great crags nearby and a good indoor centre if the weather is bad it's a great venue for the course. We'll always aim to climb within an hour's drive of Kendal, though conditions sometimes mean we need to drive elsewhere in the Lakes to get out and practise. We'll do our best to limit driving and maximise climbing time, but this may occasionally be necessary
This course runs at a 1:2 ratio, so if you're not coming with a partner, you'll be paired with another person of similar ability.
Prices are for the whole course (2 days):
1 person – £250
2 people – £500Please get in touch for a quote for larger groups.
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Bespoke instruction with a qualified and insured instructor
All technical equipment: ropes, helmets, harnesses, and trad gear
Action photos
Advice and support before and after the booking
What’s not included:
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We provide all the essential climbing equipment, including harnesses, helmets, ropes, and technical gear. If you have your own gear, that’s great, as it’s good to practice using the equipment you’ll be using on your own adventures in the future. You’ll need to bring your own climbing shoes, walking boots or approach shoes along with suitable clothing (plenty of warm layers and waterproof jacket/trousers), food, and drink.
We usually spend around 8 active hours outside, so make sure to pack a good lunch, some snacks, and at least a litre of water.
If you’d like advice on what clothing to bring, feel free to get in touch and for more info check out our comprehensive kit lists.
Are you looking for alternative course dates?
Get in touch and to express an interest if the course dates shown don't work for you.
INSTRUCTIONAL COURSE
This course combines rescue instruction with lots of time on real rock, helping you build the technical skills while developing as a climber.
This Rescue Skills Course is aimed at climbers with some experience who want to take their knowledge to the next level and be able to get themselves out of sticky situations.
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
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We can usually run our rescue skills course in wet or windy conditions, as there are sheltered venues throughout the Lake District. If the forecast looks wet, make sure to bring extra layers and good waterproofs.
If the weather becomes unsuitable for the course, we can practise skills at one of the indoor centres in the Lakes, or reschedule your booking for a date when the weather's better, or offer a full refund.
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If you need to cancel more than 4 weeks before your booking, you’ll receive a full refund. Cancellations between 2 and 4 weeks incur a 50% refund, minus a £10 admin fee. Unfortunately, cancellations less than 2 weeks before the course are non-refundable.
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We will contact you before your booking to introduce your guide, get to know you and and make a final plan. On the day of the booking, we aim to meet at a local cafe in the morning. This gives us a chance to properly introduce ourselves, check over any kit that you have brought yourself and get fuelled up for the full day ahead. If an early start is needed, we’ll arrange everything over phone/email beforehand to confirm the details.
All information will be provided before the course, and if you have any questions feel free to contact us.
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We work with a trusted group of professional freelance instructors — all fully qualified, experienced, and insured. All our instructors are members of AMI (Association of mountaineering instructors) or BMG (British Association of Mountain Guides). Your guide will get in touch before the course to introduce themselves, outline the plan, and answer any questions you may have.
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