£50
NICAS Levels 1 & 2
The National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS) is a UK wide scheme designed to promote climbing development and accredit individual achievement on artificial climbing structures. It can be used as a starting point for people wishing to take up climbing and mountaineering. It is open to young climbers aged 8 and upwards.
Level 1: Foundation Climber
At Level 1, young climbers will learn:
- Awareness of safety rules and hazards, appropriate dress and behavior
- Putting on a harness and helmet correctly
- Participate in warm ups
- Connecting harness to rope with a retied figure of 8 knot with stopper knot.
- Climbing a chosen route with confidence
- Safe belaying under supervision
- Correct method of descending by climber
- Basic climbing moves
Assessment criteria:
- Awareness of safety rules and hazards.
- Put on harness and helmet correctly.
- Tie a retied figure of eight knot with stopper knot.
- Climb a chosen route with confidence.
- Descend from a route correctly.
- Belay safely under supervision.
- Demonstrate consistent safe behaviour.
- Complete 10 climbs of any grade (rainbow).
- Complete 10 belays.
Level 2: Top Rope Climber
At Level 2, young climbers will learn:
- Connecting self and others to rope with a retied figure of eight knot and stopper knot
- Pre-climb checks
- Belaying and lowering using a suitable belay device
- Ground anchor systems
- Holding a fall in a bottom rope situation (belayer on ground with rope passing through top anchor)
- Effective communication and teamwork with climbing partner
- Knowledge of indoor climbing (French sport) and bouldering grades
- Selection of appropriate routes
- Effective safe use of a bouldering/ traversing wall (if applicable)
- Simple climbing technique – the use of feet and legs, relaxed upright stance, confident approach, smooth movement and observation of holds.
Assessment criteria:
- Connect rope to harness with retied figure 8 and stopper knot consistently.
- Consistently performs pre-climb checks.
- Belays consistently correctly.
- Can safely hold a simple top rope fall.
- Lowers a climber consistently correctly.
- Communicates well with climber.
- Understanding of French sport grades and selection of appropriate routes.
- Safe and effective use of a bouldering/ traversing wall.
- Complete 25 set climbs of any grade.
- Complete 25 belays.
