COVID-19 Policies

Please read on for the following –

• COVID-19 Policies
• Online Booking System
• Prepaid Sessions
• Children’s Activity Camps

COVID-19 Symptoms

1. Please do not attend Durham Climbing Centre if you, or anyone from your household displays symptoms of COVID-19.
2. If you have already had COVID-19, please obtain a negative test before attending Durham Climbing Centre.
3. If you book a session, then develop symptoms - we can cancel your session and offer an exchange to a different session

Social Distancing

• The centre is restricting capacity so customers feel comfortable and can maintain social distancing. We will be operating below our maximum capacity when we reopen. This is to ensure everyone can stay safe and practice social distancing,
• Please pay attention to PHE posters and signage advising climbers to maintain 2 meters social distance during their climb.
• Management are trusting customers to maintain their distance and follow government guidelines during their climb.
• Screens are in place in reception to protect staff and customers.

Hygiene Measures

• Please wash hands or sanitize on arrival and when leaving. We have installed two extra sinks in the Beginner Area and Advanced Area to encourage handwashing.
• Sanitizer stations are placed all around the centre for use by customers.
• PHE posters and signage advising customers of hygiene measures are placed around the centre.
• Please wash your hands and sanitize regularly during your climbing sessions.
• Public Health England consider climbing holds to be part of the infrastructure of our facility, therefore it is not reasonably practical to clean holds after every single use. Climbers must take responsibility for their own personal hygiene on every session.
• Cleaning checklists will be performed by staff at the start and end of every session. Cleaning focusses on touch points.
• Internal doors have been removed to reduce touch points and increase ventilation.
• Personal sanitisers, face masks and liquid chalk are available to purchase at reception.

Capacity Management

• Durham Climbing centre has reduced its maximum capacity to 1 person per 9 sq. metres of usable space.
• On reopening, we will be operating under our maximum capacity to allow for social distancing.
• The maximum capacity at DCC will be split between the beginner area an advanced area, rather than a whole max. capacity for the centre.
• Arrival times and departure times will be staggered to minimise contact.

Face coverings for staff and customers

Customers and staff are encouraged to wear masks on arrival, exit and during times when they are not climbing.

Current Government advice is that ‘face coverings will have to be worn on public transport and in shops and supermarkets.

The guidance also says: You are also strongly encouraged to wear a face covering in other enclosed public spaces where social distancing may be difficult and where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet.

We will be operating at a much lower capacity to allow customers to practice 2m social distancing.

Booking System

All pre-paid sessions including Annual Pass, 10 Session Pass, Rock Stars Sessions and Climbing Camps who have already paid for climbs have been given priority booking.

Annual & 3 Month Pass holders

• All existing passes have been frozen since 16^th March and will resume on 25th July when the centre reopens.
• Existing 3-month & 12 month passes – will not be required to book online. For your convenience, and due to extra room in our upper capacity we can allow pass holders to attend any time without pre-booking. Please bring your Membership Card on arrival to check in.This policy will be kept under review.
• No new 3- or 12-month passes will be issued from the opening date.

10 Session Passes

• All 10 Session Pass holders will not need to book online between
  • 10am - 4pm Monday - Friday & 12pm - 5pm Saturday and Sunday

Outside of these times please book a slot online where you will be charged a non-refundable fee of £1.00. Please bring your Membership Card on arrival to check in. This policy will be kept under review.

• No new 10 Session Passes will be issued from the opening date.

The following sessions are available for online booking

• Adult Member (over 14 experienced climber or academy member)
• Adult Non-member
• 10 Session Pass (Peak times)
• Children’s Activity Camp
• Beginner Taster Session - online booking opening soon
• Children’s Casual Climbing Session - online booking opening soon

Adult Climbing Sessions - available to book now online

• Members and non-members will be able to book their climbing sessions and add hire shoes through the online booking system
• Adults may book a 1 hr 45 min. climbing session and must promptly leave at their end time to allow for cleaning before the next session arrives.
• These sessions are also open to experienced climbers over 14 years old and DCC Academy Team members.
• Initially, all sessions must be pre-booked online. We have made this process simple and quick. This means we can monitor capacity in the centre at any one time. Using timed slots means we can manage customers in and out of the centre to ensure social distancing measures are adhered to. Start times are staggered to allow everyone to arrive and leave safely.
• Initially, please do not attend unless you have pre-booked a session.
• Management will monitor capacity, and walk-ins may be considered at a later date.

Children’s sessions

All children’s sessions and camps that are run will be undertaken with full adherence to social distancing guidelines and after a specific risk assessment has been completed.

Rock Stars Climbing Club

• All parents of pre-paid rock stars sessions have been contacted by email with new sessions they can attend. If you have prepaid lessons from last term, please email to rebook. Rock Stars from last term have 3 remaining sessions. Please confirm your preferred dates and times by emailing [email protected]
• Casual Rock Stars Sessions will soon be available to book online.

• Following our Children’s Sessions risk assessment, we are now offering smaller group sessions with a maximum of 6 children, 1 coach and 1 parent per child.
• We have added twice as many sessions to ensure there is enough space for everyone.
• We are asking only one parent to attend Rock Stars sessions with their child.
• We encourage parents to drop off and collect children where possible (over 7 years club only – all 3-6 years one parent must be present)

• All 3-6, 7-11- & 12-16-years lessons will be held in the beginner climbing area. This is to ensure capacity can be managed between the centre, and two climbing areas. Route setters have added more challenging climbs in the Beginner area for more experienced children.

Climbing Camps

Good News! Summer Camp booking is open from 27^th July!

Just like the centre, we have added additional procedures to our camps to ensure every camper can have a fun and safe experience. These include limited capacity of 15 children per day, additional hygiene facilities and social distancing.

Campers who could not attend due to the centre closure have all been contacted to transfer to Summer dates. Please contact the centre asap to secure your dates.

So just follow this link to find out what dates we have available and book your spot!

At this time, as a precautionary measure we are unable to accept any children with medical needs on to our camps. This will be kept under review.

Beginners welcome

• Book a taster session online
• Fill in an acknowledgement of risk form and watch the safety video

Arriving for your climb

• Please arrive in climbing clothing ready to climb
• Please bring minimal items into the climbing centre (lockers and changing rooms are out of use)
• Please wait in your car or outside the centre until arrival time.
• Please check in on arrival and check out when you leave. This ensures we can keep a record of everyone in the centre at any one time for capacity management, and a track of who has visited on each day for track and trace purposes.

Cash / Card

• We are accepting cash and card payments We have contactless card facility and online booking.

Hire equipment

Hire Shoes

Hire shoes will be available to rent. After each use they will be disinfected on the inside and the outside of the shoe to reduce the likelihood of smear infection. There is no evidence that the virus is transmitted through sweat.

• Hire shoes can be dropped off on the dedicated shoe rack in reception on departure.