Seeking advice on introducing 3-year-old daughter to top-roping

My daughter is going to be 3 this year. When we go on hikes, she's very enthusiastic about climbing up little boulders. So, having some experience on the rock, I was hoping we might introduce her to top-roping, and that it might become a fun family activity every now and then, but I wanted to seek some advice first. A few questions...

1) Where should we go? Right now, the best place I can think of is Reservoir Ridge. The approach is short and flat, and the climb is low-angled, easy-5th. Are there any other areas like this we might try?

2) Should we bother with kid's climbing shoes? As far as gear for her goes, I plan to make sure she has a kid's climbing helmet, full-body harness, and some sort of protective eye-wear.

3) What should we do if she's too afraid to lower? I've noticed from some kid-climbing pictures the good idea of having them tow a line that could be used to pull them off. Also, they may not weigh enough anyway to lower under their own weight. I also don't plan on letting her climb up as high as she may want to. I think I would put the tow-line above the child's tie-in so that I could climb up it as a fixed-line to reach her if needed.

4) I'm not made of money, but should I higher a guide to teach us more stuff about top-roping with special emphasis on techniques that help with children? I've gone through a lot of training courses myself and feel confident with some basic skills, but am I being too presumptuous to think that I know enough now to help us do this activity safely?

Any other advice?

Oddly enough, my kids would climb/scramble on anything but as soon as we roped them up they'd get scared.

Try smaller chunks of rock at first. The 5.3 and 5.4 on the right on Beachball are good.
Also have the wee one climb up ~4 feet and then practice lowering over and over. The lowering has always been the worst part for my kids. And if they seem to get it down on the first couple outings, don't assume they'll still be able to do it the next time. Practice it every time when they're just off the ground. For a while.

The trailing line is a good idea for the lightweights for sure.

It's nice to go somewhere where the kids can simply screw around and make forts, etc if they're not in the mood to climb. Which often happens. Gotta not have much of an agenda.

Ha. Me giving parenting advice. Classic.

"Oddly enough, my kids would climb/scramble on anything but as soon as we roped them up they'd get scared."

Same is true of my son. He'll "high ball" with me spotting higher than he will TR. My attempts to make him trust the rope have failed.

If you're planning on using a tag line to help lower, the Edelrid Fraggle has a loop on the back specifically for tying in a tag line. Besides that, I've found it to be very well made, padded, and an efficient design. My daughter is also three and loves it.

rei.com/product/847509/edel…

My son began climbing on my training wall at age 2. Now turning 6, he has taken to bouldering--plastic and rock--but does not like to be harnessed and tied. So I've taken him to many bouldering spots, but that's it. When he's ready to rope up, he'll probably tell me.

My focus has been on instilling knowledge and technique. This a sloper. This a crimp. Focus on your feet first. Falling is the most important part of climbing. This is a figure eight...

Definitely get shoes. It's a big confidence boost.
Sometimes my kid tries to show off: I don't need chalk dad!

Obviously, don't let them hit the ground and be easy.

I've seen a guy hoist his little guy up a top rope using a draw as a cable car. Little guy didn't even touch the wall at first. I think this method in stills confidence in the equipment and lowering process. He raised him up a few feet above his pop's head then lowered him down. Mom was there to cheer him on.

It's a bit more involved, but I've heard good things about anchoring one parent up above, having Jr. climb up to the parent, then both lower at the same time. That way lowering parent can help console & talk Jr. through the process.

Don't push her. It needs to be fun or she won't keep with it. When she wants down, let her down.

My sons been climbing with me since 3 and I have heard of all thease guys using a pull rope to force kids off the wall ( personal opinion but insaine creates mistrust in the damn kid) have people with you one to belay him and one for you or mom and climb with him beside him so that way if he / she gets scared then your there beside them to talk them through it . Start super easy nice Shelfy stuff so the build cofidince in their ability and have fun!

All of the comments above are hysterical because I found the same phenomena with my daughter, more scared when roped in, thought I had a uniques situation. Can't explain it, it may be that adults are not sensitive enough to how they are pulling small children off balance.

Look at it this way. You are exposing her to a new activity. Getting her used to having a harness on and the environment is all you should expect, small steps. If she all of the sudden starts climbing away, that's a bonus.

For shoes, Chuck Taylors. Make sure you either buy a kids chest harness or rig one up with webbing, webbing with a twist behind her back, join it together in the front with a biner, preferably an oval. Tie in by feeding the harness through the biner on the chest then tie to the hard points on the harness. Young kids are amazingly top heavy, they grow into their heads.

What have you guys purchased for shoes? Not a parent, but I tried the biggest size in The Mad Rocks for my 7 year old niece, and they were too small.

I have a daughter age 4, started climbing at age 3, and my brother has a son age 5 that are new to climbing, we both have family memberships to Momentum. I would recommend this route to introducing your daughter into climbing.

To answer your questions;

1) Where should we go? Right now, the best place I can think of is Reservoir Ridge. The approach is short and flat, and the climb is low-angled, easy-5th. Are there any other areas like this we might try? Momentum Millcreek has an intro TR wall and a kids bouldering area.

2) Should we bother with kid's climbing shoes? As far as gear for her goes, I plan to make sure she has a kid's climbing helmet, full-body harness, and some sort of protective eye-wear. Momentum has shoes and harness rentals for a few dollars.

3) What should we do if she's too afraid to lower? I've noticed from some kid-climbing pictures the good idea of having them tow a line that could be used to pull them off. Also, they may not weigh enough anyway to lower under their own weight. I also don't plan on letting her climb up as high as she may want to. I think I would put the tow-line above the child's tie-in so that I could climb up it as a fixed-line to reach her if needed. All your fears could be alleviated if you choose to go the way of Momentum,its more of a controlled environment than outside.

4) I'm not made of money, but should I higher a guide to teach us more stuff about top-roping with special emphasis on techniques that help with children? I've gone through a lot of training courses myself and feel confident with some basic skills, but am I being too presumptuous to think that I know enough now to help us do this activity safely? Momentum has classes and friendly staff that will help ease your daughter into climbing.

Any other advice? I don't mean to push Momentum, but I chose this route with my daughter and it has been a enjoyable experience, my daughter can now climb to the top of the big wall! I am now considering taking her outside to climb. One benefit I found to Momentum is my daughter would watch other people climb. Kids are very influential, watching others helped her get over the rope hurdle.

If you want to take her outside I would suggest renting gear and go with a group. As far as places to go? Dogwood is a great intro area as well as mentioned, Reservoir Ridge.

I can not stress enough, don't buy kids gear unless you are certain they will love it and use it. And remember don't push them into something just because you enjoy doing it.

If you would like you meet and have our kids climb together PM me.

• Edit for spelling.

Don't be super focuses on getting up the wall. Just going a few feet up the wall and practicing bouncing, getting used to sitting in the harness, practicing lowering is a sucess.

And it will be like that for quite a while.

If you are close to Sandy you can try Aspen Meadows Park playground on 9800 south and around 2100 east. It has a small 4 sided climbing tower. For my kids I just tossed a rope over the top railing and top roped them on it for a while. Its maybe 7-8 feet tall. My kids could climb it no problem, but got nervous when the harness was on. They got comfortable lowering, trusting the rope getting the harness fit right. The playground worked great cause their attention span for climbing was only 15 minutes each trip then we played on the slides etc. I wouldn't pay for a climbing gym with a 3 year old because chance are they will only be interested in small doses.

• ^^ +1 to Izzy L
• Full body harness
• At that age, be careful even with the body harness, as they can begin to slip out sideways when they start to ball up, especially on lowering.
• As mentioned above, the lowering is usually the tough part for a child. I've tied into a toprope before and then tied a child into the same rope a couple of feet above me on a figure-eight-on-a-bight with a locker. Then I just kept pace behind the child on an easy climb. That way, I was right behind her when it came time to lower off and could walk her through it on the spot-- plus she could see me doing the same thing behind her. That seemed to work well.
• At some point, my kids liked climbing up an area that had a little overhang, ensuring I paid out a little rope, and then launching themselves into the air, dropping a couple of feet and swinging.

Konorumbl wrote:If you're planning on using a tag line to help lower, the Edelrid Fraggle has a loop on the back specifically for tying in a tag line. Besides that, I've found it to be very well made, padded, and an efficient design. My daughter is also three and loves it. rei.com/product/847509/edel…