Youth Clubs
Regular sessions for all abilities, from beginner to elite athlete
NICAS Wild Climbers
Ages: 4 - 8 yrs
Up to 4 climbers
Price: £17.50 / session
Session Length: 1 hour
Frequency: 1 Session / Week
Duration: 1 term (5-7weeks)
NICAS Wild Climbers is a fun, game orientated programme designed to introduce climbers aged 4-8yrs safely into the indoor climbing environment. It aims to develop awareness of climbing movements, improve confidence, and create a grassroots pathway into additional climbing activities.
NICAS Wild Climbers meets the 3 key stage learning areas of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) which is the precursor to key stage 1, and includes Communication, Physical Development, and Social & Emotional Development.
Our friendly and encouraging coaches will log any progress made using the Wild Climbers logbook, which provides some structure to the sessions and helps keep the little ones motivated to continue improving!
Additionally, the NICAS Wild Climbers resources encourages inclusivity for all participants, including climbers with additional needs. The programme allows six skill areas to be individualised when setting personal goals.
To find out more about Wild Climbers, including the aims and learning outcomes, have a look through the handbook here.
NICAS Bouldering
Ages: 8 - 16 yrs
Up to 6 climbers
Price: £17.50 / Session
Session Length: 1.5 hours
Frequency: 1 Session / Week
Duration: 1 term (5-7weeks)
At Rhino Boulder we deliver NICAS Bouldering. NICAS is a UK-wide scheme designed to introduce participants to bouldering through a structured programme. This scheme covers techniques, movement skills, and problem-solving skills specific to bouldering.
Taking part in NICAS can provide immense physical and mental benefits to learners, as well as giving group leaders and parents the confidence of enrolling their child on a national scheme.
NICAS builds both physical strength and mental resilience, helps students develop social skills and boost their confidence by taking park in group sessions. NICAS can also be integrated with academic activities such as GCSE PE and the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
More on the NICAS Bouldering Schemes can be found here, and below in our NICAS Q&A.
To improve the climber experience and learning environment, we run our NICAS clubs in 2 age groups, 8-11yrs, and 12-17yrs.
Once a climber reaches a certain standard they may be put forward to attend our annual squad trials to see if they have what it takes to join our Rhino Squad.
Rhino Squad
Ages: 7yrs+
Up to 6 climbers
Price: £150 / month
Length: 2 hour / session
We pride ourselves in having one of the strongest youth training programs in the country.
Our long-term athlete development plan is carefully designed to provide young climbers with the environment they need to thrive in.
We run both a Development Squad and a Performance Squad so we can tailor our training program to 2 groups of athletes with similar experience levels.
Rhino co-founder, Henning Muller has a wealth of experience in coaching, and will be overseeing our youth training program. His experience stretches from grassroots level all the way up to World Cup level. Having helped athletes along their journeys in becoming regional winners, national champions and international competitors, including athletes from multiple national teams, including Hungary, Hong Kong, Switzerland and GB.
Being part of our squad is more than just training for climbing, our aim is to guide the young climbers onto a life-long journey in climbing.
FAQ
Wanna know more? Here is some extra details on our Clubs!
It is a UK-wide scheme designed to introduce participants to bouldering through a structured programme. This scheme covers techniques, movement, and problem-solving skills specific to bouldering
National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme
NICAS has tailored programs for individuals aged 4yrs+, whether you’re a complete beginner or a more experienced boulderer looking to improve your bouldering skills
NICAS is a nationally accredited scheme and the content delivered through the NICAS scheme is a result of years of development and refinement by some of the top coaches in the country
More on the benefits of NICAS here
The NICAS bouldering scheme has 5 different levels, each with its own set of skills and challenges
NICAS Bouldering Levels:
Level 1 – New boulderer
Level 2 – Foundation boulderer
Level 3 – Competent boulderer
Level 4 – Skilled boulderer
Level 5 – Performance boulderer
Participants progress through each level by completing practical assessments and demonstrating competency in various skills that support bouldering development
We will start off by offering levels 1 – 4, and plan on delivering level 5 later down the line once participants are ready for it.
This is very dependent on the individual, but as a general guide, level 1 could take a diligent person as little as one half term to complete. Whereas levels 2 and above will take considerably longer
All current Rhino Clubs will be upgraded to NICAS Bouldering, and the Little Rhinos Club will be upgraded to NICAS Wild Climbers
NICAS is run as a course. All climbers will have commit to a minimum of half a term (5, 6 or 7 weeks) as with our current club sessions
We will be selling them on site, and we will ensure anyone signing up to a NICAS course has one allocated to them so you can purchase the logbook upon arrival to your first NICAS session
When you register for NICAS, an online account is created to log your achievements online, and you will also be given a paper logbook to record your progress. Your new centre will transfer your online record using your unique candidate code (from your logbook) and you can carry on with them