Climbing

All climbers must book in advance via the online booking portal or the Brookes Sport App. Each session is limited to 50 climbers an sessions run for 2hrs 20 minutes.

Please leave promptly at the end of your session to make way for the next cohort. 

Due to limited numbers in the climbing wall, ALL climbers regardless of age will need to be registered and accounted for; this includes children who have not been required to register in the past.  Please click here to register and do not forget to click on the link to complete the climbing participation form at the end of the registration process.

If you are either 

• An existing adult climbing member and unable to book onto a session, your climbing participation may have expired during the lockdown period. To renew this, please complete the Climbing Participation Agreement and please allow 24 hours for this to be processed by our admin team.
• An existing child member (has booked into NICAS/Rock Stars/Junior open sessions) you are now required to complete the climbing participation form too. Please complete the Climbing Participation Agreement to do so.

All bookings are required to be made in advance using either our online booking system or via the Brookes Sport App (for Apple, for Android).

This will require your password & email address registered to your Brookes Sport account.

If you do not know your password, please click here to reset your password (you will need your member ID to complete this process):

Note: Please use letters and numbers only for the new password, no punctuation or special characters.

Existing adult climbing members who are unable to book onto a session may be requireded to resubmit their Climbing Participation Agreement. 

Existing child members (who have previously booked onto NICAS/Rock Stars/ or Junior open sessions) are now required to complete the Climbing Participation Agreement form too.

To renew, please complete the Climbing Participation Agreement and allow 24 hours for this to be processed by our admin team.

To book open sessions and classes, all climbers (including children) must be a registered member of Brookes Sport. Click here to register and then book via the Brookes Sport app or our website. (Courses can only be booked via the website.)

Private lessons, youth groups, school groups, and birthday parties can be booked by emailing climb@brookes.ac.uk.

Liquid Chalk and Chalk Balls Only

To reduce the dust content in the facility, loose powdered chalk is not permitted at present.  Chalk balls are permitted when stored in a chalk bag but please limit use to keep dust to a minimum.  Liquid chalk alcohol content could also help to improve hygiene in between hand washes.

Liquid chalk is available via reception: 250ml - £7.00

Chalk Balls are available via reception: £3.50 

To further improve the air quality in the main bouldering room, we have two HEPA 14 MaxVac air scrubbers and a MaxVac extractor fan.

No, however you will be required to register at reception before climbing and read the bouldering induction sheet. Bouldering is open to all levels including novices.
If you wish to use the roped walls you need to declare yourself competent during registration and provide your own safety equipment. 
If you feel you would benefit from instruction then courses are available for all abilities.

We advise you to wear comfortable sportswear or loose clothing.
Climbing shoes are advised and available to hire from reception. If using your own shoes they must be clean and non-marking.
For roped climbing you will require a harness and belay device (not available for hire).
For instructor led courses, all equipment is provided.
Our instructors will be happy to advise you about suitable equipment.

Yes, we have auto-belay devices on three lead lines and three bouldering rooms.

A registered adult climber can sign in and supervise a maximum of two children for both bouldering and roped climbs. All children must be signed in and supervised by the registered adult who takes full responsibility for them.
If you wish to bring more children to climb then please book a group lesson or party (currently unavailable).

A registered climber can sign and supervise two unregistered adults and use the roped areas. The registered climber must not be belayed by an unregistered climber.

Yes, on most courses you don’t need a partner to attend. Once you’re a member you may meet other climbers either on your course or amongst the many clubs and users of the centre.

Bouldering is solo climbing without ropes but at a low level. There are three bouldering areas, two with blue safety mats beneath plus the freestanding boulder.

Belaying is a technique to safely hold a climber on a rope.
An auto belay is a safe mechanical system, which will automatically lower you to the ground should you fall. We have auto-belay devices on three lead lines.

For all enquiries email climb@brookes.ac.uk, call 01865 48 4370 or speak to reception.