Volunteer for us

Being a ClimbScotland volunteer is a great way to get more involved in the Scottish youth climbing scene. There are lots of ways to get involved both indoors and outdoors. This is an awesome opportunity to support our work, meet like minded people and gain more experience in climbing. It is also perfect for those interested in pursuing a career in the mountaineering and climbing industry who need to gain experience for their logbooks (e.g. outdoor courses students, teachers, leaders, etc.).

Contact us at: info@climbscotland.net

Please also make sure to read our volunteer code of conduct which can be found at the bottom of this page.

Volunteer Roles

Competition Volunteers

We organise several different levels of competition, mainly for young competitors as follows:

• ClimbScotland FUN Roped Competition
• ClimbScotland FUN Boulder Competition
• Scottish Youth Climbing Series
• Scottish Youth Bouldering Championships - a round in the All-Nation Series
• Scottish Youth Climbing Championships (lead and speed) - a round in the All-Nation Series
• Scottish ParaClimbing Festival - part of the British Para Series
• Scottish Climnbing Competition (an Adult FUN event)

There are a couple of ways to get involved:

• Parents of children competing can sign up for any of the volunteer roles below at the same time as they are bookings their children onto the event.
• Non parents (teachers, club organisers, squad coaches etc.) should contact us direct at info@climbscotland.net.

Competition Category Judge

Being a comp judge is one of the easiest ways to support the work we do. No previous knowledge or experience is required as we provide free training and the scoring system is easy to understand.

• If you wish to volunteer as a judge you will need to read the
  Judges Responsibility Form

Top Rope Belayer

If you are a competent top rope belayer then why not help out at one of our roped climbing events. Free training and skills-refresher checks are available prior to events for those who register to volunteer.

• If you wish to volunteer as a Top Rope belayer you will need to read the
  Volunteer Top Rope Belayer Competency Agreement

Lead Belayer

If you are a competent lead belayer then why not help out at one of our roped climbing events. Free training and skills-refresher checks are available prior to events for those who register to volunteer.

• If you wish to volunteer as a Lead belayer you will need to read the
  Volunteer Lead Belayer Competency Agreement

Competition Marshall

Marshalls take on various roles which help the competitions run smoothly and safely:

• Exit Control: when it is not possible to allow spectators / parents / guardians into the venue we ensure that competitors wishing to leave for whatever reason, are logged out only when parents are available to meet them. Marshalls are supplied with full named lists of competitors and they can also be logged back into the venue if required.
• Warm-up supervision: the Marshall supervises competitors to make sure they adhere to the safety guidance at the wall when undertaking warm-up prior to the start of the climbing. They will alos ensure competitors know when they are required for competitor briefings. The warm-up areas in bouldering events are usually in the same sections of the wall where the competition problems are set, so Marshalls are required to ensure competitors do not touch any of the competition problems. Warm-up areas are usually seperated according to age categories.
• Isolation supervision: competitors will often have to remain in isolation before a final. This can take up to several hours. They require supervision to ensure their safety, generally and when warming up (usually bouldering) but also when requireing comfort breaks etc.
• Chaperones: some comps (particularly roped events) require chaperones to escort groups of climbers in their different age catergories around the climbing arena, to the routes they have to complete on the day. Chaperone's are provided with full details of the group they are responsible for on the day of an event. This is great role which allows you to encourage your groups to support each other.
• General supervision: at any time throughout the day and between various parts of the event, the marshalls can be asked to ensure the safety of both competitors and spectators (if we are able to accommodate them) whilst in the arena. They may also be asked to help with registration.

ClimbScotland Competition Coordinators

We have a team of coordinators who take on specific roles in all our competitions. It can take experiencing a few competitions to learn the ropes and so most continue in their roles for a good few years. But we sometimes need additional help and a sucessor when a coordinator retires. There is a single volunteer for each role and the duties are as follows:

The Jury President

This position has overall responsibility for the event on the day. He or she runs the whole event, ensures the routes are all set and marked up for the relevent category with the appropriate route-cards, and conducts the category judges briefing with correct route maps, and gives the competitors briefing so they know what they are doing. The Jury President makes all necessary announcements. This Coordinator is also the Chief Judge to which all appeals are directed and if there are issues of behaviour against the codes and rules of the event or specific complaints, will organise a disciplinary hearing.

The Scoring Officer

The Scoring Officer is usually IT (spreadsheet) experienced and inputs all the competitor data and prints off score-cards and Judges competitor lists. Before any competition, the competitors must register and receive either a competitor vest number or a score-card, depending on the discipline. The Scoring Officer operates this element of registration. volunteer belayers and judges must also register and receive competitor lists as applicable. This means volunteer help on the registration desk is always required.

Safety Officer

At every competition there is a designated person who will conduct the belay breifings and skills-refresher checks for roped events, as well as take responsibility for the standard of belaying throughout the event. He or she also organises the volunteers to make sure they get adequate rests, food and drink and support if needed.

RealRock Volunteer

We run RealRock outdoor climbing sessions for under 18's throughout spring, summer and autumn. These are run by experienced coaches who hold the MT coaching Awards and either the RCDI or MCI award. The sessions cover a wide spectrum of abilities, from those who are just getting started with outdoor bouldering, to those who are wanting to learn to improve their trad or sport lead climbing.

The RealRock sessions are a great opportunity for those who are working towards their RCI or RCDI to gain valuable experience shadowing a qualified instructor working with clients. Equally, if you just want to volunteer for the sessions that is also most welcome. The RealRock page has a list of session dates, if you would like to attend please contact our Regional Development Officer Calum McBain calum@mountaineering.scot.

Club Volunteer

ClimbScotland has many youth focused climbing clubs that are affiliated to us. They cover the whole of Scotland from Edinburgh and Glasgow, all the way up to Orkney. Many of these clubs are fully run and supported by volunteers and many would welcome any new volunteers who are keen to get involved.

Have a look at the list of clubs and contact details here.

Volunteer Code of Conduct

Read our Volunteer Code of Conduct that explains our expectations for those who represent ClimbScotland and Mountaineering Scotland as volunteers. Without the amazing support of volunteers, ClimbScotland events like our Climbing Comps just wouldn't happen.

Contact Us

• ClimbScotland Team: info@climbscotland.net