National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme

An Introductory Climbing Scheme for Children

Supported by the MCofS and The Association of British Climbing Centres

The National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme (NICAS) is a UK wide scheme to promote the development of climbing for children aged 7 and upwards by accrediting their individual achievement on indoor climbing walls.

It is designed to introduce complete novices to climbing and aid their progress to become lead climbers with a sound understanding of the skills and knowledge of good practice.

It is concerned only with climbing on artificial indoor climbing walls, not REALrock outdoors.

How does it Work:

There are 5 levels to the Scheme, operated in 2 parts.

You register with an ‘Awarding Centre’ and get a log book:

• Part 1: Levels 1 to 3 Log Book (booklet)
• Part 2: Levels 4 & 5 Log Book (ring binder)

Over time, you complete the various parts of the Log Books by:

• attending a training course at that centre
• consolidating your experience and recording this appropriately
• attending an assessment course or completing continuous assessment as appropriate
• continuing to gain and log your climbing experience in preparation for the next level if required

The levels are:

Level 1. Foundation climber
Entry level aimed at novices, recognising the ability to climb safely under supervision.

Level 2. Top rope climber
Promoting good practice in independent climbing and bouldering on an artificial wall.

Level 3. Technical climber
More advanced top roping and bouldering that focuses on developing technique and movement skills.

Level 4. Lead climber
Concentrating on the skills required to both lead climb and lead belay proficiently.

Level 5. Advanced climber
The top level focusing on improving performance and gaining a deeper understanding of climbing systems and the wider world of climbing.

NB: Levels 1 and 2 require qualified supervision and are documented and recorded in the NICAS booklet. Levels 3 to 5 are pursued in a more independent fashion with instruction and coaching offered at appropriate times. You record your progress in a separate NICAS log book into which the level 1&2 booklet clips in.

Costs:

• Registration for NICAS Part 1: £4. (16 page log booklet and any certificates achieved).
• Registration for NICAS Part 2: £7.50. (binder with 16 page log book and any certificates achieved).
• The whole scheme may be purchased for £11.50 in total.

NB: Training, assessment and supervised sessions may be charged by the Awarding Centre as appropriate.

To Register:
Contact your nearest Awarding Centre from the list below.

The Primary Centres
Only Primary Centres deliver level 5 coaching for candidates and can award level 5 certificates.
In Scotland the Primary Centres are: Transition Extreme, Aberdeen; Glasgow Climbing Centre, Glasgow; EICA: Ratho

The Awarding Centres
Different centres can deliver and award certificates for different levels. The awarding centres in Scotland are:

Full contact details for all Awarding Centres can be found on the NICAS website or on the MCofS Climbing Wall Database.

For Further details about NICAS see the NICAS website at: http://www.nicas.co.uk/