There I was, standing in DCC for our first Intro2Trad session of the year, staring out at a dull, drizzly March evening, watching a fine mist of droplets persistently coating the window. This was the kick-off night for our climbing programme – a night designed to transform nervous newcomers into competent trad seconds. Gear was spread out across the floor like a metallic treasure map: cams nestled next to nuts, and slings draped artfully. Mentors paired off with participants, checked their belaying and walked them through abseiling techniques right there on the indoor floor. The drizzle outside felt almost irrelevant compared to the excited energy building inside but I couldn’t help but wonder if Mother Nature was having a bit of a laugh at our expense.
Dalkey Days: Where Trad Dreams Begin
The climbing gods must have been listening because they blessed us with sunshine for four out of our five Dalkey sessions. Even on the one damp evening, our resourceful bunch managed to sniff out dry routes, practice abseiling, place gear and build anchors.
Our participants came from all walks of climbing life – from wide-eyed newcomers to grizzled sport climbing veterans with nearly two decades under their harnesses. What unites them all? A healthy appetite for learning how to shove bits of metal into cracks and then trust their lives to them. As one does.
Each evening at Dalkey became a progressive journey of skill-building. Participants primarily seconded routes, carefully learning the intricacies of following a lead climber, while gaining confidence with gear placement and anchor building. As the weeks progressed, the excitement grew with some participants doing their first tentative leads – a testament to the supportive environment and growing confidence. As the light faded, head torches would illuminate the rock, transforming our sessions into something magical. Most evenings ended with animated conversations in the pub – except for one night when a power outage in Dalkey village cut our post-climb socialising short.
Special mention must go to our participant-turned-baker who brought homemade treats every Thursday to keep us all fueled. These became so legendary that one mentor was spotted making off with an entire box on his way home from the pub. We’re not naming names, but you know who you are!
We also learned some valuable lessons along the way. Like when one participant, concerned about his ability to tackle the Main Face in Glendalough, was advised to try Scavenger as a test. The poor soul quickly discovered that smearing in brand new rock shoes a full size larger than his street shoes wasn’t quite the recipe for success he’d hoped for. Watching someone try to smear with what essentially amounted to clown shoes provided entertainment for all present, less so for the poor chap attempting it.
Glendalough Weekend: The Grand Finale
Planning the Glendalough weekend felt a bit like organising a military operation, if military operations involved checking the weather forecast hourly, securing extra hut parking and playing matchmaker for nearly 50 climbers. Just when I thought everything was sorted by Tuesday, the inevitable last-minute shuffle began with “I forgot to fill out the form” messages and “actually, can I join for just one day?” requests flooding in. The final pairings were only confirmed mere hours before kick-off, with frantic messaging late into Friday night. Nothing like living on the edge – good practice for what was to come!
In the week leading up to our Glendalough finale, the WhatsApp group became a fascinating mix of inspiring climbing stories and absolute terror as mentors shared tales of the dreaded Glendalough tick invasion. Nothing gets climbers excited like the prospect of blood-sucking parasites that “can get anywhere”!
Saturday morning at the upper carpark resembled what I imagine an ant colony looks like when someone pokes it with a stick – a flurry of bag-packing, gear-distribution, and last-minute checks. The tick paranoia was in full effect too – climbers were dousing themselves in enough bug spray to qualify as chemical warfare and tucking trousers into socks with military precision. One particularly cautious soul was spotted applying climbing tape around their ankles. “The ticks can’t get you if they can’t find a way in,” they explained, as if describing a zombie apocalypse rather than a day of climbing. A few smartypants even brought bikes, smugly pedalling past while the rest of us trudged under the weight of enough metal and rope to open a small hardware shop.
Two incredibly kind souls (who weren’t even part of this year’s programme) volunteered to carry in and set up the ab rope on Main Face. Their generosity freed up mentors to fully focus on their participants, and made the day run much more smoothly for everyone. Acts of kindness like this are what make our climbing community so special.
Across Hobnail, Acorn, Forest, Main Face, Expectancy and the Upper Cliffs our Intro2Trad participants were following up any free route available. What was particularly impressive was that a handful of participants had progressed enough to take on some leads – a significant achievement so early in their trad journey! One adventurous soul even pioneered a new final pitch to Quartz Gully, dubbed “Quartz Gully Garden” (not recommended unless you enjoy the botanical approach to climbing). One even caught their first leader fall – proving that our mentoring was paying off with both climbing skills and safety reflexes.
Special recognition goes to the mentor who brilliantly disguised route cleaning as “training” by having his participants carry a shovel all the way to the Upper Cliffs. Doing God’s work, one shovel-load at a time!
A Personal Climbing Tale
My own day involved a team of three tackling Quartz Gully, with grand plans for Prelude Nightmare afterward. We flew up Quartz Gully in two pitches, only to discover on our abseil down that Nightmare Ledge had become the social hotspot of Glendalough and one party appeared to be settling in for a picnic at the top of the first pitch.
While waiting for the traffic jam to clear, we watched in awe as one IMC member danced up the second pitch of Spillikin Ridge. “Why don’t we do that?” asked one of my partners innocently. “Because it’s E3 and I could never lead that,” I replied.
With no sign that Prelude would be freeing up anytime soon, we decided on Spillikin-Fanfare-Spéirbhean instead. As I set off on the infamous “step around” from Spilliken Ledge, I had a flashback to my own Intro2Trad three years earlier, watching the then-training officer make this same move look effortless and looking at my partner that day and wondering how anyone would ever lead it. I steal a quick glance up to the second pitch of Spillikin Ridge and then quickly come back to reality, knowing I had a bit to go before I got gear.
With Nightmare Ledge still resembling a climbers’ convention, we enjoyed (endured?) a cozy hanging belay before finishing up Spéirbhean. After a quick stop to free a jammed cam – because what’s a day of trad climbing without someone trying to leave a small offering to the rock? – we were back on solid ground and ready to call it a day.
From Rock to Revelry
The age-old debate of “hut or pub?” was swiftly settled when someone mentioned they had a BBQ and 14 burgers in their car – a decision-making process that would make corporate boardrooms envious in its efficiency.
Back at the hut, we learned an important cross-cultural lesson: when an Austrian says “no” to the offer of a burger, they actually mean no. This differs significantly from the Irish response, where “no” translates roughly to “I’m being polite but please ask me at least two more times because I’m starving and would actually love one.”
As the campfire got going, I reluctantly had to slip away. Sunday was another day of sunshine, sends, and smiles. And in what can only be described as perfect cosmic timing, the rain started falling just as I arrived home on Sunday evening – as if the weather gods had been holding off just for us.
Great climbing, great food, great people, great weather, and great craic – what more could you ask for?
The Heart of Intro2Trad
The Intro2Trad programme is something truly special. Over 30 experienced club members came together this year to share their love of the sport with nearly 50 participants. That’s not just a training programme – that’s a community in action.
On behalf of myself and the club, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each of our mentors and all those who helped in countless other ways. You are the backbone of this programme and the lifeblood of the IMC.
Don’t just take my word for it – here’s what some participants had to say:
“Fantastic program, all the mentors have been so knowledgeable and supportive. I’m very new to climbing and I got so much out of the program.”
“Everyone I have encountered has been patient and supportive with me.”
“It’s fantastic. I really appreciate the generosity of the mentors with their time and equipment.”
“Course is amazing, everyone is sound, really enjoyed it.”
“Couldn’t agree more, really appreciate it and all of my mentors from start to finish, absolutely great craic & learned something from everyone. So valuable to get so many peoples perspectives and insight.”
“Thank you for an amazing Intro to such an epic sport, I can’t believe how fun it is!!! Thanks for everyone’s time and energy to teach me and to all the mentees for the fun climbs and good vibes.”
“Thank you also from my side. Intro2Trad was an amazing opportunity for me to get into trad and to meet you all. Thank you for organising and to all the mentors for dedicating your time, energy and trust.”
“Sad I couldn’t make the weekend but I was at Women with Altitude. Thanks everyone for the support and craic and thank you so much to the mentors, I can really feel that I’ve made progress!”
“Great hanging out and make sure to hit me up if you want to try any routes, definitely up for first & seconds before the season is over.”
The Intro2Trad programme will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was own my introduction to climbing. It’s a joy to now be on the other side, watching the next generation of trad climbers taking their first steps.
To all the participants: keep it up! Forge some bonds with each other and get out climbing. A basic rack is cheap enough when shared between a few people, so head to meets, get out to Dalkey on Thursdays, post in the main chat to look for a partner.
See you out there – I’ll be the one still eyeing up Spillikin Ridge’s second pitch and muttering “maybe someday.”
