Scrambling With Children

What age can kids go scrambling?

With scrambling, as with any outdoor activity or adventure, age has nothing to do with it. Your kids are already old enough to go scrambling. (Likewise your grandparents are not too old either!) As to whether your kids or grandparents can do it and want to do it is another question altogether. In the outdoors we have three key variables to line up: people, the terrain and the weather. People are people, but depending on what experience they’ve had determines how best they can be accessing the outdoors safely. Similarly, if you choose the right route for your first scrambling adventure and go when the weather is good, these factors too become bigger considerations than simply a chronological number.

Helmet?

Some routes dictate that you should wear a helmet regardless of the fact that you’re scrambling with children. Often this might be because there’s an increased chance of loose rock above you, or the likelihood of slipping over on wet rocks means there’s a fair chance you’ll lose your footing. With kids who are still perfecting their movement skills and whose heads are still not quite hardened likes yours or mine, helmets are even more worth considering. As ever, there’s no hard and fast rule, but whatever decision you make in this regard, do make it a considered decision.

Clothes

Because children are always growing we tend not to invest in their kit as much or as richly as we might in our own! Consequently your children probably are not getting the same benefits from their clothing as you are from the technical delights you’ve got wearing. Also, children are far more susceptible to the cold than adults: they are more likely to plummet into hypothermia than we are. To that end be sure when scrambling in ghylls or near water to have spare clothes ready in a dry bag. Hot drinks and sugary snacks are also good energy sources for your kids to metabolise energy into heat following a good soaking!

Ropes?

Maybe it doesn’t need saying, but if you think you may need a rope, you’ve probably chosen the wrong route in the first place. If you’re a confident and experienced climber, multi-pitch climbing is easy compared to say doing a grade 3 scramble. On a climb, pretty much you’re always roped up: there’s no decision making needed in this respect. When you’re scrambling on tougher terrain, as well as having good technical rope and climbing skills, you need to be able to read the ground and know the abilities of the people you’re with. It’s an acquired art that comes with experience. With kids in tow the responsibility here is really ramped up. So if you are questioning if you need a rope for a route, either you need more experience/training, or the route is totally inappropriate. In essence, ropes are no substitute for experience.

Steer clear of routes that are committing

My kids are all confident at height and have a good background with climbing but, there are still routes I would steer clear of. Routes that offer your children a chance to escape should things not be working out so well are the best ones to head for. For their first scrambles, routes that have short-lived interest also work well.

My general recommendation is to steer clear of ridges in particular. Routes like Crib Goch for example are sustained and offer no escape once you’re up there. (That said, pictured at the top of this page is my 7yo lad on Crib Goch and he was lapping it up!) Jack’s Rake in the Lake District is an awesome route, but if you need to escape it with your kids then you have the recipe for a disaster. Tryfan’s North Ridge in Snowdonia is a favourite for many, but it’s so easy to wander onto challenging, exposed grade 2 territory, so again I suggest that this is a route best saved for another day.

Some routes I recommend considering as early forays are Crowden Clough in the Peak District, Stickle Ghyll and Striding Edge (both in the Lake District) and possibly the Y Gribin Ridge in Snowdonia.

Who will you go with?

If you’re planning on scrambling with children sometimes it’s a good idea to have another adult come along too. Often when leading people scrambling, having two leaders works really well. One of you can go ahead and offer advice from above about what handholds work best, or to make sure that your charges don’t charge off too quickly and into trouble up above! Also, having someone beneath a novice scrambler gives them confidence that there is someone there to catch them and that makes them more certain (and safe) on their feet. But, be careful who you choose to take along. My missus has an excellent head for heights, and while she’s a great one to have with the kids on a mountain adventure, she won’t ever watch them abseiling off a cliff or over a bridge. Essentially have someone along who won’t be a liability in their own right!

Only go in good weather

When you’re headed to steep ground the chances of coming a cropper are greatly increased if the weather isn’t just right. For me, wind and rain often rule out scrambling. Anything that means my hands are going to get wet touching rock usually means the day will be pigging miserable without me needing the additional worry for my life or those about me. My rule of thumb is that winds that exceed gusting speeds of 25mph will rule out a day scrambling where I am responsible for those around me. Look at the weather forecast and also consider the direction of wind as well as the speed and force. A wind gusting at 15mph across your line of climb can lift a small child off the mountain altogether.

Scrambling is fun

Scrambling is exciting, it’s airy, it’s exposed, it’s exhilarating, and most of all it’s simply a GREAT way to ascend a mountain. Also it is so important to allow our kids to have adventures, to experience a bit of fear and to allow them to grow through these experiences. It’s also important for us as parents to step outside our own comfort zones and to grow some of our own confidence and trust in our kids. There is no reason not to take your kids on a scrambling adventure: just make sure you go prepared for the day and you’ll all have a great day to remember!