On the 11th February 2023, the ‘advance party’ of officer cadets and staff from Cambridge University Officer Training Corps headed off on their long drive towards Calpe, arriving at our cabin the following afternoon. They carried all of the group’s personal and climbing kit ensuring that we weren’t restricted by weight through flight luggage allowances. The remainder of the group, following a busy weekend on a field exercise, left Cambridge at 1:30am on the 13th February 2022, arriving with plenty of time to get breakfast prior to our 7:30am flight from Gatwick to Alicante.
Arriving into Alicante, we were picked up from the airport by members of the advance party to transfer us to the cabin that we would be residing in for the next few days. The advance party had had the chance to head to the supermarket prior to our arrival and so we were grateful to have lunch straight after we arrived. Following lunch, climbing kit allocation ensued, with everyone assigned helmets, climbing shoes, harnesses and belay devices.
We then received our admin instructions and were broken down into groups – those who were set to complete their Rock Climbing Single Pitch Foundation qualification that week which provides a well-rounded introduction to the sport, and those undergoing continuation training. The continuation training aimed to enable everyone to improve their climbing technique, gain more confidence and log a wide range of climbs that would help individuals to gain more advanced qualifications such as Rock Climbing Supervisor or Leader. We were also divided up into groups of four with each group of four assigned the responsibility to manage the daily budget for food, purchasing the food for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and cooking dinner for everyone that night. Additionally, each group became the ‘admin party’ for a day, aimed to help the trip run more smoothly by maintaining order of kit and the cabin.
Our daily routine consisted of waking up around 7:30am to get ready, have breakfast and make lunch prior to leaving at 9am for our day of climbing. On route back to our cabin, the ‘cooking party’ went to the supermarket to stock up on food for the next day before beginning to prepare food for dinner that night. The remainder of the group then had some time to carry out any personal admin that may be needed before sitting down for dinner. Following dinner, we all made up our lunches for the following day before our daily brief at 8pm to learn about the plans and timings for the following day.
Climbing
Our first day of climbing, on the afternoon of the 13th February, was set in the Sierra de Toix (Toix Far Oeste) area of Benidorm and was aimed at getting back into the swing of outdoor climbing. As a result, the sport climbing routes set up this day were all grades 3a-4c and included La Rota Una, Asombroso, La Roja Dos and Bella Ruta.
On our second day of climbing, 14th February, we returned to the same area as the day before – Sierra de Toix (Toix Far Oeste) – but moved along the rockface and climbed more of the climbs towards the right. The sport climbing routes were graded from 3a to 6b – Hanma, Uroma, La Roja Tres, Benidorm Boogie, Gracias Uwa, and Help for Heroes. Two officer cadets also carried out their first multi-pitch climbs in the area, beginning their journey to becoming competent seconds.
On the third day, 15th February, we travelled to the Vall de Guadar (Echo Valley) area of Calpe to attempt some longer climbs ranging from a grade 4 to a grade 6a – Aero, X.M.A.S., Regaló por Ali and Phantom. Another officer cadet got the chance to carry out a multi-pitch climb in the area – Vía Esther – consisting of 4 pitches and a 100m ascent. We also all completed a stacked abseil on this crag before the day concluded.
For the final day of climbing, 16th February, we returned to the Sierra de Toix area of Benidorm. Instead of returning to the same crag, however, we moved to the Toix Este Left rockface to spend the day challenging ourselves with a series of grade 5 climbs on a highly exposed crag overlooking the sea – Genid, Koch Platte and Eva’s Traum.
The impact of this trip
Resilience and perseverance
All of the officer cadets on this trip were given the chance to build their resilience and perseverance through climbing. By nature, climbing will always involve failure and falling and this exposure to failure built resilience as we learnt to understand the importance of failure before success and being resilient enough to keep attempting climbs that we had already failed. Overcoming the various fears associated with climbing, from a fear of heights, to falling and failure, by continually exposing ourselves to these fears also built resilience. Additionally, pushing ourselves beyond the limits of what we thought we were capable of climbing built our resilience as we learnt that we could cope with new challenges better than previously.
Trust
Throughout the week, all of the officer cadets had to face the fact that they would have to trust one another and have faith in the kit and equipment that they were using or else they would not be able to make any of the climbs. Being able to put your trust in others to keep you safe whilst they were belaying you was imperative and, as climbing pairs and groups constantly moved around, having to put your trust in everybody at one point or another was important. This was largely accomplished by everybody paying close attention to safety details and keeping communication clear between climber and belayer. Trust in kit was built especially during the foundation course where everyone is taught how the climbing kit is placed and set up at the top of a climb and how to place gear whilst lead climbing. Additionally, trust was built through officer cadets being pushed beyond their limits and challenging themselves mentally, exposing their fears. Placing ourselves in this position enabled greater trust to be formed as we got to know how we each might struggle on a climb so that we could provide support at these times.
Communication
All officer cadets improved their communication skills throughout the week as the importance of communication whilst climbing became evident, particularly for the safety of the climber. Communication is imperative to keep climbing sessions safe and fun for all and is especially important between the climber and belayer. Individuals have to be able to clearly communicate when carrying out the safety checks prior to starting a climb and be confident to point out any errors in their partners equipment set-up whilst carrying out the necessary safety checks at the start. Continual communication throughout the climb between climber and belayer with regards to the speed and the amount of slack given is crucial to ensure the climbers safety and to prevent any big falls. Additionally, constant encouragement from everyone on the ground is highly important, especially when the climber may have been struggling or nervous, and when providing help with finding holds that a climber may be unable to see from their position. Enhancing communication skills was especially important for the introduction to lead climbing session that those on the foundation course had, and for those that went on to be introduced to being a competent second.
Problem solving and resourcefulness
By nature of climbing, problem solving is required to make your way up the rockface, continually re-evaluating hand and footholds that had previously looked strong or within reach but weren’t when you got there. Being able to adapt to these changing circumstances on the climb taught us problem solving skills and resourcefulness. We learnt to tailor our routes up the rockface to our strengths – whether that was our height and arm reach, flexibility, or just brute strength – to select and make a move, rather than just using a ‘copy and paste’ approach of the moves and routes that everyone else was using. Additionally, we learnt resourcefulness – to make use of strong holds and stable points on the climb to rest and conserve energy for the remainder of the climb, and to position our bodies close to the wall to limit energy loss.
Overcoming fears and confidence
This trip has given officer cadets many chances to overcome a wide range of fears: from heights, to failure and falling, to trying a brand new sport and trusting the equipment and belayer. Facing these fears throughout the week enabled officer cadets to push themselves to overcome these fears and come out of the week more confident in placing ourselves in uncomfortable situations and in trusting ourselves, our equipment and others.
Leadership
All of the skills previously discussed are key leadership skills and, therefore, through the development of these skills on this trip, we’ve all enhanced our leadership skills. Additionally, we’ve all taken the first steps on this trip to gaining rock climbing supervisor and rock climbing leader qualifications, and to lead expeditions similar to this in the future. Thus, this trip has opened up opportunities for us all to take on more leadership positions in the future.
Personal development
This trip enabled 6 officer cadets to gain their Rock Climbing Single Pitch Foundation (RSF) – the first in a series of qualifications that enables individuals to become rock climbing supervisors and leaders and lead their own expeditions and adventurous training packages in the future. The remaining officer cadets, most of whom already have their RSF, had the opportunity to carry out continuation training and enhance their technique under the guidance of instructors and leaders, and log more climbs in their logbooks. This puts them closer to carrying out these subsequent qualifications, particularly their Rock Climbing Supervisor qualification. 3 officer cadets also had the chance to carry out a multi-pitch climb, enhancing their logbooks further and preparing them to become competent seconds.
Quotes from officer cadets
“This trip provided the ample opportunity to develop my climbing skills. The difficulty of climbs, different rock types and agreeable weather allowed us to take full advantage of the time we had – an opportunity that isn’t so accessible in the UK. The trip pushed me from my comfort zone, making me think under pressure and in discomfort. I felt this experience developed me as a leader, through experiences that challenged my decision making.” – Intermediate Officer Cadet
“Having already completed my single pitch foundation and been on climbing trips before, I had already had some experience with climbing and so utilised the trip to further enhance my technique and enhance my climbing log. This will place me in great stead to prepare me to begin my journey to gaining more qualifications such as my rock climbing supervisor in the future. The trip not only enhanced my climbing, however, but also many leadership skills as we all worked closely together and built trust within our groups and confidence to attempt even the more exposed climbs. It was essential that we could communicate clearly to build a good working relationship between belayer and climber, and to support other climbers.” – Senior Officer Cadet
“The climbing expedition to Calpe allowed me to develop my confidence climbing which I was first introduced to on previous expeditions. Everyone, whether on a climbing foundation course or working towards a more advanced course, was challenged both mentally and physically. As a group working and living together we thrived, with groups taking turns shopping and cooking we didn’t go hungry! I have now planned a climbing expedition to the Peak District, which I never would have done without these expeditions.” – Senior Officer Cadet
“This years trip to Spain not only gave me the opportunity to develop my outdoor climbing skills but also my leadership and teamwork skills. Whilst I completed my rock climbing foundation qualification I learnt to be more confident in my own abilities, support others and trust my team. The trip was a great way to bond, having to rely on those belaying you was nerve racking to begin with but you grew to trust them. I thoroughly enjoyed this years trip as it was equally fun, challenging and educational. I would recommend it to anyone in the OTC interested in climbing and wanting to build up their outdoor qualifications and confidence.” – Junior Officer Cadet
