General Information about Courses

Here you will find general information about courses and answers to frequently asked questions.

Equipment - What Do I Need?

The price of the course also includes the rent of the basic equipment necessary for the course - climbing harness, helmet, climbing shoes, HMS carabiner, belay device.

In the case of methodological courses, it is ideal if participants use their own climbing equipment to learn how to do it effectively, but this is not a prerequisite.

WHere Do We Meet?

The time and place of the meeting before the start of the course is specified by a personal convention (by telephone or e-mail). For some course sites, we have used meeting places:

• Haliny, Malinô Brdo: Parking lot of Skipark Ružomberok, bridge in front of the cabin cable car building, Hrabovská dolina, GPS: 49.070000, 19.272764, map,
• Machnaté, Demänovská Valley: Parking lot in fron of hotel Tri Studničky, Demänovská dolina 584, Demänovská dolina, GPS: 49.030631, 19.572932, map,
• Lisková: Lisková 562, Lisková, parking lot on the end of the street, GPS: 49.094269, 19.349111, map,
• Climbing wall in Ružomberok: Parking on the street in front of the school gymnasium building, Sládkovičova ulica 230/23, Ružomberok, GPS: 49.064225, 19.304589, map.

If necessary, it is possible to personally pick up the course participants at the place of their accommodation (in a hotel, a guesthouse, etc.).

Course Details

The course details depends on the specific course type and the duration of the course:

• meeting and transport to the course site,
• theoretical preparation,
• practical part of the course,
• lunch breaks,
• if the course is held in a location where participants can not get their own transportation, we will take them back to their vehicle (at the meeting place before the course) after the course.

Certificate

Upon successful completion of the course, each participant will receive a certificate of completion of the relevant type of course.

Insurance

To complete the course at our climbing school, it is necessary to have a insurance for the intervention of the mountain rescue service. Insurance can be provided by us or can be arranged individually. Members of SHS JAMES or Alpenverein membership holders have this insurance secured at the cost of the membership.

Informed Agreement

Despite the qualifications and efforts of our instructors for maximum safety in training and courses, climbing is a sport that includes an objective form of risk caused by natural phenomena such as spontaneous rock falls that can not be affected.

For this reason, we require signing informed consent before doing the course. For those under 18, this has to be signed by their legal representative.

Safety Rules

The following safety rules must be followed during the climbing course::

1. During the course, it is necessary to strictly and without exception respect the instructions of climbing instructors.
2. Movement on an artificial climbing wall or in the rocky terrain of UIAA grade II. and more is allowed only with the permission of the climbing instructor after checking the correct usage of climbing harness abd the correct attachment to the rope.
3. During the course only certified climbing equipment and appropriate sportswear and climbing shoes should be used (CE marked).
4. During the course use of a certified mountaineering helmet is required in places where there is a risk of falling rocks.
5. Climber and belayer must always be checked against each other before climbing (knot, harness, belay device).
6. When climbing at the sharp end of the rope, the omission of fixed bolts without the explicit consent of the climbing instructor is not allowed;
7. Belaying is only allowed under the supervision of a climbing instructor, without the supervision of the instructor, the belayer takes full responsibility for the qualified belaying.
8. In the case of a course on an artificial wall, it is necessary to follow the rules of the respective climbing wall. In the case of a course in nature, it is necessary to respect the ethics of the climbing area.
9. Other climbers who are not part of the course must also be taken into account during the course.
10. The course participant must not be under the influence of alcohol, addictive or psychotropic substances or medications that reduce attention. Consumption of alcohol and addictive or psychotropic substances or medicines reducing attention is strictly prohibited during the course.
11. During the course, it is necessary to take into account the protection of the environment, the participants of the course are part of nature and therefore should take care of its protection and not unnecessarily disturb and pollute its surroundings.
12. In the event of a medical condition that could affect the ability to attend a climbing course or in case of acute health problems during the course a climbing instructor should be informed immediately.
13. The course participant is obliged to notify the climbing instructor without delay of any shortcomings that could jeopardize his or her safety, or the health or health of other persons, especially the immediate and serious threat to life and / or health.
14. In the event of an accident, the course participant is obliged to report the injury immediately to the climbing instructor.

In the event of non-compliance with the safety rules, the participant will be excluded from the course without any claim for course costs.