Keep safe and have fun Supervision guidelines

Before anything else...

If you’re climbing with or supervising your juniors, you must have one adult supervising no more than two kids. It’s a condition of our insurance so please don’t ask us to bend the rules.

The basics:

• We welcome kids aged four and up to climb in the Hangar, however;
  • Kids aged 4-6 can only climb as part of a junior climber session with one of our coaches or in one of our dedicated kid's climbing areas (Liverpool Sandhills, Plymouth, Swansea, Exeter)
  • Children aged 4 to 6 are also permitted to climb in TCH Reading
  • 1:1 parent-to-child supervision is required for children aged 4-6 climbing outside of coached sessions
  • Kids aged 7 and above are welcome to climb under your supervision, just make sure you have enough adults with you.
  • 2:1 child-to-parent supervision is required for children aged 7-13, so one adult can supervise two young climbers. 
  • Kids aged 14 -17 can climb unsupervised but an adult must accompany them on their first visit and sign them off in the centre (climbers aged 14+ are charged standard entry rates)

• We’re more than happy to have kids younger than four accompany you to the Hangar (although they can’t climb). However, you must have an adult with every child under four at all times, so if you’re bringing a baby and a five year old you’ll need two adults on hand.

• Whether you’re climbing with your kids or you just want supervise, you need to have an induction to learn how to keep everyone safe. Make sure you book in advance – if you’re not climbing you only need to pay for them 

• You can do an induction at the beginning of your session and then spend as long as you like exploring – there’s no need to book a separate induction session before bringing your junior climbers down for their fun.

• If you’re already a competent climber, we’d still advise booking an induction as it means we can make a little bit of time to introduce you to the Hangar and meet everyone. But if you do just want to rock up, we’ll ask you some safety questions and you’ll be free to roam.

Supervision guidelines

• You should be on the mats with your kids whenever they’re climbing, preferably within arm’s reach but always in your eyeline

• Kids who aren’t climbing should come off the mats or stay with their parents

• Help your kids decide whether it's safe to start climbing - is there anyone above them or about to climb across their route?  Always make sure you and the kids know what’s happening above you – it’s not always possible to control a fall and climbers can be heavy

• There's no running in the centre and no acrobatics, no matter how tempting! The mats are soft but that also makes them an unstable surface
• Make sure you stay near the middle of the mats so there's no danger of them being hurt if someone should fall

Practical tips and what to expect

• You and the kids should wear comfortable sports gear or similar – and if it’s cold outside make sure you have layers on so you can keep yourself cosy. We don’t allow any outdoor shoes on the mats.

• We provide shoes in a huge range of sizes and you can rent a chalk bag for £1.50. Bring socks if you’d rather not get up close and personal with the hire shoes

• Please note that we are a bouldering centre, which means no ropes. We have crash mats to make for softer landings, although this doesn’t guarantee safety

• We want to encourage kids of all ages to get involved with climbing, but it is a risky activity and it’s essential that kids know how to keep themselves and others safe. We are always on hand if you’re not sure of something or you want a refresher on how to make the most of your Hangar time

• There are lockers and cubby holes on site, showers, baby changing facilities and plenty of parking.

• We have an excellent café which serves homemade healthy food and great coffee so plenty of refuelling opportunities when you’re done in on the wall