Why Private Climbing & Mountaineering Courses Costs £250+

Why Do I Charge £250+ for a Private Climbing or Mountaineering Day? Here's What You're Actually Paying For.

Is £250 expensive for a day of climbing, scrambling or mountaineering? Or is it actually pretty good value when you consider what's involved?

It's a fair question, and one I thought was worth answering.

At At The Edge Mountaineering, my private climbing and mountaineering days start from £250. Some courses cost more, particularly when guiding in the mountains of Eryri, the Lake District or the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye.

I appreciate that £250 is a significant amount of money. I'm not suggesting otherwise.

On the face of it, you're paying someone to take you climbing or scrambling for a day. Something I absolutely love doing and, quite often, would choose to do on my days off anyway!

Sounds like a pretty good job, doesn't it?

And it is. I genuinely love what I do.

But there's a lot more to being a professional Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor than turning up at a crag with a rope and taking someone climbing.

So I thought I'd explain what actually goes into a private day, what you're paying for, and why I believe professional climbing and mountaineering instruction offers exceptionally good value for money.

You're Paying for Over 25 Years of Experience, Not Just One Day

I've spent over 25 years climbing, walking and mountaineering, with more than 15 years of professional experience leading and instructing in the mountains.

That's a lot of time spent developing my skills, gaining experience, making decisions, learning from others and building the knowledge I now use every time I take someone into the mountains.

From climbing on Dartmoor and the sea cliffs of Cornwall to big mountain routes in Eryri, the Lake District and Scotland, I've spent countless days developing my craft.

I've climbed and mountaineered overseas, spent time in the Alps, led expeditions to places including Madagascar, Borneo, India, Costa Rica, Morocco and Peru, and worked on filming projects where managing risk and safety is particularly important.

All of these experiences contribute to the instructor I am today.

But there's an important distinction between being a good climber and being a good instructor.

Being able to climb a difficult route doesn't automatically mean someone can teach another person to climb it, manage their safety, recognise when they're struggling or adapt a session to help them develop.

That's a completely different skill set.

When you book a day with me, you're accessing the experience and knowledge I've built over decades. The experiences that have taught me what works, what doesn't, what to look out for and how to make good decisions in complex mountain environments.

You don't need to spend 25 years learning all those lessons for yourself. That's part of what you're paying me for.

My Qualifications Didn't Come Easily, or Cheaply

I'm a qualified Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (MCI), and also hold the Summer Mountain Leader (ML) and Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) qualifications.

I'm a member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) and the Mountain Training Association (MTA).

These qualifications aren't something you can gain by attending a weekend course.

Just to put that into perspective, here are some of the minimum experience requirements and formal training and assessment days involved in achieving these three qualifications:

Mountain Leader (Summer)

- 40 Quality Mountain Days in at least three mountain regions.

- 8 nights camping, including at least 4 nights wild camping.

- 6 days of formal training and 5 days of assessment.

Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI)

- 40 traditional rock climbs led, including 20 at Severe grade or above.

- 30 indoor climbing wall leads and 10 outdoor sport climbs.

- 20 assisted instructional sessions.

- 3 days of formal training and 2 days of assessment.

Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (MCI)

- 20 additional Quality Mountain Days as a qualified Mountain Leader before registration.

- 30 named multipitch climbs at VS 4c or above, leading at least the crux pitch.

- 10 sport climbs led at 6a or above.

- A further 20 mountain leadership days, 20 multipitch climbs and 20 rock climbing teaching days after training.

- 10 days of formal training and 5 days of assessment.

Put all three qualifications together, and that's a minimum of:

• 80 Quality Mountain Days, across the different stages of the qualification pathways.

• 8 nights of camping, including at least 4 wild camping.

• 50 VS 4c, or harder, multipitch rock climbs, a majority of which should be on sea cliffs or in the mountains.

• (recommended 50+ multipitch climbs below VS 4c)

• 40 single pitch trad climbs, of which 20 should be graded Severe

• 30 indoor wall leads

• 20 sport climbing leads (10 at F4+ or harder, and 10 at F6a or harder)

• 20 assisted instructional sessions

• 20 rock climbing teaching days.

• 19 days of formal training.

• 12 days of formal assessment.

• A minimum 16-hour outdoor first aid course, with ongoing certification requirements.

• Plus personal mountaineering and scrambling experience

These are minimum requirements, not a record of every day I've actually spent climbing, walking, instructing or training. Some of the climbing experience can overlap between qualifications, and Mountain Training periodically updates its requirements.

And that's before accounting for the additional days, years of personal experience, practice and continued professional development that go into becoming a competent instructor.

Becoming an MCI requires substantial personal climbing and mountaineering experience, formal training, consolidation, technical competence and a demanding assessment process.

And before I even reached that stage, I'd already spent years gaining the experience required for my other qualifications.

And Then There's the Financial Investment

Based on today's prices, becoming qualified as a Summer Mountain Leader, Rock Climbing Instructor and Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor could represent an investment of somewhere in the region of £9,000–£20,000 or more.

And that's not just the cost of attending the training and assessment courses.

To give you an idea of what's involved, here's an approximate breakdown based on current prices:

Expense	Estimated cost
Summer Mountain Leader training & assessment	£870–£1,000
Rock Climbing Instructor training & assessment	£450–£490
Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor training & assessment	£2,450–£4,000
Qualification registrations & first aid training	£390–£480
Personal climbing & mountaineering equipment	£1,500–£4,000
Travel & accommodation for training and assessments	£800–£2,500
Travel, accommodation & experience-building trips	£2,000–£7,000
Memberships & professional development	£200–£500
Estimated total investment	£8,660–£19,970

These are illustrative costs for someone working through all three qualifications today, rather than my own recorded expenditure. Some people will spend less, while others could easily spend considerably more. This is all subject to where someone lives too. If you live near the mountains, travel and accomodation costs would be significantly lower than if you lived in Kent or Cornwall.

And that's before putting any value on the time involved.

Across those three qualifications, there are 31 days of formal training and assessment alone:

• 19 days of training

• 12 days of assessment

At my current private day rate of £250, those 31 days represent the equivalent of £7,750 in potential gross earnings if I'd otherwise been working with clients.

And that's without accounting for the 80 mountain days, the climbing experience, instructional practice, consolidation periods and countless other days spent developing the skills required to become a competent instructor.

Of course, not every climbing or mountain day was undertaken purely to gain a qualification. I love climbing and mountaineering, and I'd be doing plenty of it regardless!

But there's a significant difference between enjoying climbing as a hobby and investing the time, money and effort required to turn that passion into a profession.

I certainly didn't gain those qualifications overnight, and they didn't come cheaply.

And the investment doesn't stop once you've passed your assessment. There's ongoing professional development, first aid training, equipment maintenance and replacement, insurance and the responsibility of keeping your skills current.

So when someone books me for £250, they're not simply paying for eight hours of my time. They're benefiting from a substantial investment in professional training, technical knowledge and experience that has taken years to develop.

And when you look at it that way, I think £250 for a private day of professional climbing or mountaineering instruction is pretty good value!

I continue to develop my knowledge through Continued Professional Development (CPD), further training, working alongside other instructors, personal climbing and keeping up to date with changing techniques, equipment and good practice.

I take my professional development seriously because the people who book with me deserve an instructor who knows what they're doing.

You're not simply paying for a qualification. You're paying for the knowledge, experience and professional standards behind it.

You're Paying for a Professional, Just Like You Would a Plumber, Electrician or Solicitor

Here's another way of looking at it.

If you employ an electrician, you're not just paying them for the time it takes to fit a consumer unit.

You're paying for their training, tools, knowledge of electrical systems, experience, insurance and the ability to carry out the work competently.

The same applies to a plumber, accountant, solicitor or any other skilled professional.

You wouldn't necessarily expect an accountant to charge only for the 30 minutes spent discussing your finances. You're paying for the professional knowledge that allows them to provide accurate advice.

And you wouldn't employ someone to carry out specialist electrical work purely because they were cheaper, regardless of their competence.

So why should professional climbing and mountaineering instruction be viewed differently?

My workplace might be a mountain ridge rather than an office or building site, but the same principles apply.

I've invested in professional qualifications, equipment, training, experience and insurance to provide a specialist service.

The difference is that my workplace can involve exposed rock faces, loose terrain, unpredictable weather and potentially serious consequences if something goes wrong.

Which brings me to the next point.

I Work in an Environment Where Decisions Really Matter

Climbing, scrambling and mountaineering are adventurous activities. That's one of the reasons we love them.

But they're not without risk.

When I'm teaching someone to lead traditional climbs at Wintour's Leap, guiding a multi-pitch route in Eryri or taking someone across an exposed Cuillin ridge, I'm continually assessing and managing those risks.

That might involve choosing a suitable route, assessing rock quality, managing rope systems, evaluating protection, monitoring weather conditions or recognising when someone is becoming tired, cold or overwhelmed.

Sometimes the most important decision is to change the plan or turn around.

And these decisions aren't always obvious.

Take a Grade 3 scramble in Eryri. The forecast might look reasonable, but perhaps the rock is wet, the wind has picked up or a client is moving more slowly than expected.

I need to recognise those changes, understand the consequences and make appropriate decisions.

The same applies when teaching lead climbing.

I need to understand not only the technical systems involved, but also how someone learns, where their limitations are and how to challenge them without pushing them beyond what is appropriate.

There's a lot going on behind the scenes, even when the day feels relaxed and enjoyable.

My job isn't to remove every risk from climbing and mountaineering. That isn't possible. My job is to use my experience, training and professional judgement to manage those risks appropriately.

I also have a legal and professional duty to provide my services with reasonable care and skill.

That's a significant responsibility, and one I don't take lightly.

A Private Course Is Planned Around You, Not Simply Picked From a List

One of the biggest benefits of booking a bespoke climbing or mountaineering course is that the day is built around you.

It isn't a fixed itinerary where everyone must follow the same programme, regardless of their experience or ambitions.

Before a private course, I'll normally spend time discussing your previous experience, what you'd like to achieve, your confidence, fitness and any particular skills you want to develop.

Then I start planning.

For example, someone booking a private Learn to Lead Trad course on Dartmoor or in the Wye Valley might want to become more confident placing protection, building belays and making decisions on the sharp end.

Another climber might already be leading independently but want to improve their multipitch climbing efficiency, learn more advanced ropework or develop self-rescue skills.

Both clients might book a day with me, but the content could be completely different.

The same goes for scrambling and mountaineering.

A private scrambling course in Eryri might focus on someone's first Grade 1 route, developing movement on Grade 2 terrain or progressing towards technical Grade 3 scrambles and roped mountaineering.

That requires more than simply choosing a nice route.

I need to understand where you are now, where you want to get to and how best to bridge that gap.

There is also the planning of venues, access, route options, weather forecasts, equipment, timings and alternatives if conditions change.

And that all happens before we meet at the crag or mountain.

Then there's the ability to adapt throughout the day.

If you pick things up quickly, we can progress. If something needs more attention, we can spend longer working on it.

You're not restricted by the pace of a larger group.

The aim is for you to finish the day having achieved something meaningful, developed your skills and gained confidence that you can take away and use independently.

That's worth far more than simply having someone accompany you for a day.

£250 Doesn't Go Straight Into My Pocket

This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about self-employed outdoor instructors.

Someone books a day for £250, and it's easy to assume I've earned £250 for going climbing.

I wish it worked like that!

Running At The Edge Mountaineering involves many of the same expenses as other small businesses.

There are professional insurance premiums, qualification and training costs, professional memberships, first aid certification, website hosting, booking and payment fees, advertising, accountancy, business administration and countless other costs that aren't particularly exciting but are essential to running a professional business.

Then there's my equipment.

Ropes, harnesses, helmets, climbing protection, slings, karabiners, belay devices and other specialist kit all cost money.

A decent rack of traditional climbing equipment can easily cost hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.

And unlike equipment that sits in a cupboard and rarely gets used, mine is regularly subjected to demanding outdoor environments.

Salt water, rain, mud, grit, abrasion and general wear all take their toll.

Equipment needs checking, maintaining, inspecting and replacing when necessary.

As someone qualified in PPE inspection, I understand the importance of keeping equipment in suitable condition and retiring it when required.

I can't simply keep using a rope or piece of equipment indefinitely because replacing it would eat into my profits.

Then there's travel.

I'm based in Somerset, but I run rock climbing, scrambling and mountaineering courses across the UK, including Dartmoor, the Wye Valley, Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), Eryri, the Lake District and the Isle of Skye.

Fuel, vehicle maintenance, accommodation, campsite fees and travel time are all part of operating a business across these areas.

Some costs are absorbed into my course fees; other exceptional expenses may be agreed separately when quoting a bespoke booking.

Then, of course, there's tax.

Like any other self-employed professional, I pay tax on my taxable profits, not simply on what I have left in my bank account after a day at the crag.

So that £250 headline price isn't my take-home pay.

And that's before considering the hours spent answering enquiries, planning sessions, preparing equipment, driving, writing course information, running the website and following up with clients.

A day of instruction might last seven or eight hours.

The amount of work involved in delivering that day can be considerably more.

Being Self-Employed Means No Paid Holidays, Sick Pay or Guaranteed Income

There's another side to being self-employed that people don't always see.

If I take a holiday, I don't get paid.

If I'm unwell and can't work, there's no employer providing normal sick pay.

If I injure myself climbing or working and can't deliver courses, that can have a significant impact on my income.

There isn't an employer paying into a pension on my behalf, either.

And while I love the freedom of working for myself, there isn't a guaranteed salary arriving at the end of each month.

Bookings fluctuate throughout the year.

Some weeks I'm fully booked, while others can be much quieter.

The British weather certainly doesn't help!

There are also days spent working on the business rather than in it, whether that's updating the website, organising course dates, managing bookings, maintaining equipment or planning new courses.

All of those activities need to be covered by the income generated from the days I actually work with clients.

That's the reality of running a small, specialist outdoor business.

Why Does Guiding on Skye Cost More?

Some of my most technical and demanding work takes place in the Black Cuillin on the Isle of Skye.

My private Skye guiding starts from £320 per day, rather than the £250 starting price for private climbing and mountaineering instruction elsewhere.

For example, my current private prices include:

- Guided Cuillin Munro Days: from £320 for one person, or £350 total for two.

- Guided Inaccessible Pinnacle (In Pinn): £330 for one person, or £360 total for two.

- Classic Cuillin Scrambles and Rock Climbs: from £330 for one person, or £360 total for two.

- Guided Cuillin Ridge Traverse: from £1,050 for a private 1:1 three-day booking, with longer options available.

These are private booking prices, rather than individual places on a shared course. For example, I also offer scheduled shared In Pinn guiding at £220 per person.

The reason Skye commands a different price isn't simply because it's a popular destination.

It's the nature of the terrain, the complexity of the routes and the amount of preparation and technical decision-making involved.

The Cuillin are unlike almost anywhere else in the UK.

Long approaches, complex route finding, exposed scrambling, technical climbing and potentially challenging descents can all feature in a single day.

An ascent of the In Pinn might involve a relatively short technical climb, but getting there and back is still a substantial mountain journey.

A Cuillin Ridge Traverse is something else entirely.

You're dealing with sustained technical terrain, intricate navigation, exposed ridges, demanding physical days and a significant level of commitment.

These routes require appropriate experience, preparation and very low guiding ratios.

Most of my technical Cuillin guiding operates at a maximum of two clients per instructor, while the full Cuillin Ridge Traverse is offered on a 1:1 basis.

That means you're receiving an extremely personal guiding service.

There's also the logistics of operating on Skye.

I travel from Somerset and spend extended periods living and working on the island. Accommodation, travel, equipment and the time committed to being there all come at a cost.

At £330 for a private technical mountain day, I genuinely believe that's excellent value for the expertise and responsibility involved.

And when two people share a £360 private day, that's just £180 each.

For a full day of professional guiding in one of Britain's most spectacular and technically demanding mountain environments, I think that's a pretty good deal.

And What About the Weather? Why Charge £100 for a Flexible Day?

This is something I've introduced for my Skye and Cuillin bookings because the weather can have such a significant influence on what we can achieve.

If you've spent time on Skye, you'll know how quickly the conditions can change.

One day might be perfect for a classic Cuillin scramble, while the next could bring strong winds, heavy rain and very poor visibility.

I can't guarantee the weather, and I certainly can't guarantee a particular summit or route.

What I can do is use my experience to choose appropriate objectives, make good decisions and give us the best chance of making the most of your time on the island.

That's why I offer Flexible Weather Days for £100 per additional reserved date, per booking.

For example, if you've booked two days of Cuillin guiding, you can reserve a third day for an additional £100.

That means we have three potential days available to complete your two guided days, giving us more flexibility to use the best conditions.

The £100 isn't buying another full day of guiding.

It's paying to reserve my availability.

I can't offer that reserved day to another client, because I've committed it to your booking.

If the additional day isn't needed, the reservation charge normally remains payable because that availability has still been provided.

If you decide to use that date for an additional guided day instead, the £100 is credited towards the normal guiding fee.

There's also a separate weather arrangement for situations where conditions prevent both the original planned day and any safe, worthwhile alternative, and the guiding cannot be rearranged.

Where agreed in advance and permitted by consumer law, my Skye policy provides for £100 of the affected day's fee to be retained, with the remainder refunded.

This is intended to contribute towards reserved availability, planning and unavoidable costs. It isn't an extra £100 charge on top of the original fee, and it isn't an automatic deduction regardless of circumstances.

I think that's an important distinction.

I might have spent days preparing for a booking, travelled hundreds of miles, paid for accommodation and reserved time that I can no longer sell to someone else.

Those costs don't disappear because the weather turns poor.

At the same time, I fully appreciate that clients have invested money and time into their trip too.

My aim is to make these arrangements clear, reasonable and fair to everyone, while recognising that the mountains don't always cooperate.

Importantly, poor weather doesn't automatically mean a day is lost.

If your intended objective isn't suitable, we can look at alternative routes, more sheltered scrambling, mountaineering skills or other appropriate activities.

I will always discuss those options with you.

And sometimes the right professional decision is simply that the conditions aren't suitable for what we're trying to achieve.

I'd much rather make that decision than feel pressured into pursuing an inappropriate objective.

You can read my full "Skye & Cuillin Weather and Flexible Days Policy" for the booking arrangements.

You're Not Just Paying for an Experience. You're Investing in Your Skills.

This is probably the part of my job I enjoy the most.

Watching people progress.

Someone who arrives at a climbing course nervous about placing their first piece of protection and finishes the day feeling ready to begin leading independently.

A hillwalker who never imagined they'd be comfortable on an exposed scramble, but ends up standing on the summit of Tryfan with a massive smile on their face.

Or an experienced climber who books a multipitch climbing course, learns more efficient rope systems and comes away with the confidence to tackle bigger routes.

Those are the moments that make this job worthwhile.

And they're also what I want people to get from my courses.

I'm not interested in simply taking someone's money, getting through the day and heading home.

I want you to enjoy the experience, learn something useful and feel that you've genuinely progressed.

My whole business is built around three words:

INSPIRE | DEVELOP | PROGRESS

Whether you're joining me for a private rock climbing course on Dartmoor, learning to lead trad in the Wye Valley, developing your scrambling and mountaineering skills in Eryri or tackling the Cuillin on Skye, that's what I aim to deliver.

And the value of that doesn't end when the day finishes.

The knowledge, confidence and skills you take away can benefit you on countless future climbing and mountaineering adventures.

So, Is £250 for a Private Climbing or Mountaineering Day Good Value?

I certainly think so.

For £250, you're getting a professionally qualified and insured instructor with over 25 years of personal mountain experience, more than 15 years of professional leading and instructing experience, extensive technical knowledge and a day planned around your individual needs.

You're getting access to specialist equipment where required, route and venue knowledge, ongoing risk assessment, coaching, instruction and the ability to adapt the day around your experience and progress.

You're also supporting a small, independent business that invests in professional development, maintains high standards and genuinely cares about the quality of the experiences it delivers.

And if you're sharing a suitable private day with someone else, the price per person can be considerably less.

I also appreciate that private instruction isn't within everyone's budget. That's one of the reasons I offer public course dates, where people can join a small group and benefit from professional instruction at a lower individual cost.

But when you consider the years of training, experience, responsibility and business costs involved, I don't think £250 is expensive for a specialist private day.

In fact, I think it's something of a bargain!

I didn't become a Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor because I thought it was an easy way to make money.

I did it because I love climbing and mountaineering, I love teaching people new skills, and I genuinely enjoy helping others experience the places and adventures that have given me so much over the years.

I'm fortunate that I get to call the mountains and crags my workplace.

But it's still a profession, and one that requires significant skill, investment, experience and responsibility.

So, the next time you see a climbing instructor charging £250 or £350 for a day, remember that you're not just paying for those hours on the rock.

You're paying for everything they've done to become the instructor standing alongside you.

And hopefully, at the end of the day, you'll walk away with something worth far more than the cost of the course.

See you in the mountains!

Chris

At The Edge Mountaineering

Inspire. Develop. Progress.

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Looking for Private Climbing, Scrambling or Mountaineering Instruction?

I offer bespoke climbing, scrambling and mountaineering courses throughout the UK, including Dartmoor and Devon, the Wye Valley and Wintour's Leap, Eryri (Snowdonia), the Lake District and the Isle of Skye.

Whether you want to learn to lead traditional rock climbs, improve your multipitch climbing skills, become a more confident scrambler or tackle a classic mountain objective, I'd be happy to help you plan something.

Explore my "Scrambling and Mountaineering Courses in Eryri", "Rock Climbing Courses on Dartmoor", "Rock Climbing in the Wye Valley" or "Skye Cuillin Guiding and Courses".

Or just get in touch and tell me what you'd like to achieve.

Email: info@attheedgemountaineering.co.uk

Website: www.attheedgemountaineering.co.uk