Esther Foster Climbing

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Esther Foster Climbing

Professionally qualified climbing coach and mountaineering instructor, based in the Lake District.

27/08/2026

🧗🏽‍♀️ Climbing multpitch routes and sea cliffs?

Some handy things you should know ‘just in case’ 🤞 ➡️

🔸️How to go back up your abseil rope if you have abbed in to the wrong route on a sea cliff

🔸️How to help your second climber if they have swung away from the rock and can’t get back on, or are injured

🔸️How to escape off a route if the weather comes in, or your partner is injured or ill

🔸️What to do if your ropes get damaged when abseiling on bigger, more committing routes

🔸️What your options are if the lead climber gets injured or can’t continue

And crucially……how to anticipate things and avoid things happening in the first place! 🙂

You can’t learn all these things on day one of trad climbing. It’s a process and something you build up over time, once you have learnt the nuts and bolts.

On most single pitch crags, lowering people to the ground will usually be the best solution. But, on sea cliffs and multipitch crags it definitely becomes more committing and you’ll need more tools in your bag.

🤕🏥 And on a side note….it’s really worth doing a 2 day outdoor first aid course for anyone spending lots of time in adventurous outdoor places!

📢 My next Trad Problem Solving course is coming up on the 10th and 11th October.

Details and booking on my website!

08/08/2026

July was been a pretty busy work month, with a glorious spell of good weather - although a bit too hot at times 🥵 😅

I finished lots of work days feeling more psyched for swimming than climbing. Feeling very lucky to have lots of lakes and rivers on the doorstep 🙏🏊‍♀️

✅️ Rock 'n' Roots outdoor bouldering and trad weekend
✅️ Coaching trad climbers to improve their grade and headgame
✅️ Guided classic climbs on Pillar and Napes
✅️ Outdoor bouldering workshop for Boulder UK
✅️ Mountain Training RCI training course
✅️ Intro to Trad workshop
✅️ Sport climbing tuition
✅️ Learn to Lead trad tuition

The end of the month brought a bit more time off after some really full work weeks - time for catching up with friends and more personal climbing time 🙃🧗🏽‍♀️

09/07/2026

🤔 What do you need for RCDI training? 🧗🏽‍♀️

6️⃣0️⃣ VS 4c leads
6️⃣0️⃣ 6a sport leads
You'll also need to hold the RCI qualification and have delivered a number of sessions using that award

📈 People can get a bit caught up on the details and number of logs needed for qualifications like these. Now obviously, the DLOGs matter 😅, but it's about the bigger picture - the prerequisites are just a way of ensuring people come on courses with enough experience.

Enough experience to take on lots of new information during a course, have lots of 'real life' scenarios to link to, and an in-depth understanding of the activity and the clients.

Myself and Stu Carter are running our next RCDI training course in the Lakes 16th - 19th September.

❓️Considering the course? Drop me a message if you have any questions 🙂

❓️Want a bit more info? There's a few articles on my website with some useful stuff!

📸 of previous RCDI courses and some of the wonderful people we get to work with 😍

05/07/2026

❓️What advice would you give to your younger 'trad newbie' self 🤔❓️

Let me know in the comments below ⬇️

I'd tell younger me to not wait. Go invite yourself out climbing with those better and more experienced than you, and don't wait to be asked. 🙂

🧗🏽‍♀️ Trad climbing takes longer to learn than most other forms of climbing. There's tons of equipment, safety skills, experience, and willing partners needed...and being a fully fledged, independent trad climber can seem like a long way off sometimes!

My next trad intro workshops are coming up on Sunday 19th July and Sunday 16th August.

Details and booking on my website, link in bio!

📸 photo by .foz.foster at Nesscliffe 😍

28/06/2026

This time of year, when the days are long and we’ve had some good weather spells, I often get that slight anxiety about ‘doing’ stuff 😨😅. People will often ask what I’ve been up to, what my projects are at the moment, and have I been climbing lots.

😬 And then I get that slight internal panic. I’m worried that the days are slipping by, and I never feel like I have actually been climbing lots despite what other people think.
Climbers never think they are climbing enough huh?! 🤔

🎨 ✒️ 🖌 One thing I’ve discovered in recent years is how much I like journalling - drawing, painting and recording all the climbs and fun days out I have. It relaxes and focuses me in a different way to when I’m active, and it’s like I get to enjoy the experiences all over again and remember lots of good times.

I don’t always have to have projects, or need to be able to tell other people everything I’m ‘doing’, or be constantly ‘on the go’. Sometimes I just like to go for a 🏊‍♀️ or 🏃‍♀️, potter about the garden 🌼, hang out with mates 👭, look at the view from my window 🪟, or sit and stroke my cat🐈‍⬛️.

📸 of some ace days out lately - Scafell, Neckband, Steel Knotts....and some chill times.

22/06/2026

🐳 Do your boulder top outs feel more like a ‘beached whale’?!
😫 Does outdoor bouldering just feel so much harder than indoor bouldering?
🤸🏾‍♀️ Are you after some tips and tricks for getting the most out of outdoor venues?

There’s a lot more to outdoor bouldering than people realise.
Spotting, landings, risk management, route reading, tactics and movement technique.....

😀 I love running group bouldering workshops - they really fast-track peoples development, build loads of confidence, and help people meet other climbers.

💪 This day will suit a variety of abilities, you’ll just need to be climbing at least V3 indoors to get the most out of the session.

Saturday 22nd August
Lake District
➡️ All info and booking on my website now!

17/06/2026

A mini holiday to Anglesey 🚐🌊🧗🏽‍♀️

Sea cliff climbing is a full value adventure. Tides, conditions, sea state, weather, bird restrictions, grippy rock, greasy rock, abseils, tiny belay ledges, that green lichen that grows everywhere.

It teaches you loads, and climbing above the sea is just so special, wild, calming and terrifying all at the same time. 😊

We climbed The Needle, a super classic E3 on main cliff. Sent Lakes Climber up the slightly wrong way at the start for extra spiciness 🌶😅. That middle pitch is 👌, the first belay ledge is super awkward and tiny, the slopey ledge is....just so slopey 😭

Pippa cruised up Eternal Optimistic, a really steep E2, proving again that she's been secretive about her (very good) steep climbing ability 💪.

And then i got myself up Run Fast, Run Free E5 6a.
I did not run fast, or free. I did however, climb slow and place lots of good gear 😅. Awesome route and one I've wanted to do for ages. I was kinda nervous getting on it, it's so hard to know how you'll find these things, and trad onsighting at your limit is, well, just hard!

Here's hoping for more good weather spells this summer! 🤞🌞

14/06/2026

🤯 Assessment nerves?!
🤔 Or just after a bit of extra tuition and support as you build towards assessment?

Honestly, training courses are intense and it’s amazing how much people forget things afterwards, even though those ropework demos and tips seemed so obvious at the time 😅
I’ve got a Mountain Training CPD day coming up to support RCI trainees during their consolidation period.

➰️ We’ll look at lots of rigging and ropework, and help you make efficient and safe decisions so you can be the best RCI 💪🙂

🔸️Supportive group
🔸️Personal feedback
🔸️Practical tips
🔸️Help with assessment nerves

➡️ Booking and info on my website
💬 Comment below if you have any questions❓️

AMI Professionals
Petzl

08/06/2026

🤔 Keen to get stuck into outdoor climbing more but don’t know how?

➰️ What to learn or refresh some of the fundamental safety skills for trad?

🤯 Baffled by all the terminology, and overwhelmed by all the equipment you need?!

I love running ‘Intro to Trad’ days. 😍
They’re a great way of building skills in a friendly environment, meeting other climbers, and gaining expert input on where you’re at and what to do next.

I have two more ‘Intro to Trad’ days planned this summer, both in the north lakes ⤵️

Sunday 19th July
Sunday 16th August
£65pp

💻 Book now, 💬 drop a comment if you have any questions, and 🏹 send to a friend who might need a nudge.

04/06/2026

May roundup 👇

A mixed month of weather, with many dry days, some very cold days 🥶, and some absolutely sweltering days 🥵 ....classic UK 😅

🧗🏽‍♀️ I've done bits of trad coaching, looking at movement, tactics and headgame.

➰️ Plenty of multipitch tuition and some guided climbing days

📋 Assessing a Rock Climbing Development Instructor course

👌 Working with a great team at

🧗🏿‍♂️ Teaching sport climbing at Runestone and Tilberthwaite Quarry

🌞 And working at the wonderful Climb Academy

🌊⛰️ I also squeezed in a week to North Wales for a bit of work, but mainly as an excuse to go climbing down there 😅

The season is in full swing now, and it's nice to see other folks out working, catch up with regular clients, and enjoy living in such a beautiful place!
....come on June, let's get back to some summer weather please 🙏

Address

Keswick
CA12

Website

http://www.estherfoster.co.uk/

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