Written by Caroline Ciavaldini James Pearson

Photos by Raphael Fourau  Tristan Hobson 

 

Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson have spent their lifetime climbing, traveling, and checking off achievements. Caroline is known for her collection of competition titles and numerous FFA's of bold routes, while James has become synonymous with stout leads in the UK and climbing some of the world's most iconic test-piece trad routes.

In 2018, the couple's life and climbing shifted as they welcomed their first child, Arthur, into the world and embraced the challenges required of all parents. Having shared their patience and creative thinking in returning to climbing as a family of three, they become a pillar of information for climbing parents. And now, with their daughter Zoellie and their skills evolving as a family of four, we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to share tips from the couple about family climbing.

 

 

Post-Pregnancy Climbing Recovery - Caroline

 

As a mom, the post-pregnancy return to climbing has been an uphill challenge that taught me a lot about personal patience, both with my mind and body. After all, finding my climbing again after gaining and losing 15 kilos is like coming back from a serious injury.

 

When planning for your recovery, I suggest finding a recovery plan individually tailored to your own body and recovery needs. In my case, a full-body program of low-intensity and high-volume exercises was beneficial for an injury free recovery. And generally speaking, small goals are great for my motivation. Just remember to take it slow and leave your routine very flexible. Babies rarely give parents a lot of free time, so something you can sneak in when they are napping is great. One of my favorites with Arthur was to hit my quads by doing slow squats while I rocked him to sleep in my arms or using a 0.5kg weight to work on rebuilding small muscles in my forearms and shoulders.

 

For my actual recovery–After my first pregnancy I created my own plan which you can read more about here. And for the second I enlisted the help of Maddy Cope from Lattice Training who is familiar with post-partum training.

 

 

Put Family Fun First - James


It has been essential for Caroline and me to figure out how to balance climbing with providing our kids a fun and fulfilled time outside, not to mention it makes days at the crag much more effortless.

 

For this, before climbing, we always find somewhere to play. In our case, it could be a park, somewhere Arthur can ride his bike, or Zoellie can explore while crawling, experiencing nature, and learning.

 

Our goal here is twofold: to wear the younger one out so nap time can begin at the crag and to ensure that both kids enjoy life and their activities.

 

 

PATIENCE AND PACKLISTS
TIPS FOR FAMILY CLIMBING

by Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson

5.0 minute read

 

 

Bouldering With Kids - Caroline


Although James and I are both passionate rope climbers' bouldering has become the more manageable way to climb.

 

Bouldering as a family allows us to swap sessions on shorter climbs and typically offers flatter, more spacious areas for setting up our kid basecamp. There are also often less steep or overhead hazards.

 

For us, bouldering isn't just the magic answer, though. I had to develop a new level of confidence in my climbing because even if James could spot me, he might have to run off in pursuit of one of the kids at any moment. Thus, I learned to fall on my own and chose lower boulders to start with.

 

 

Picking Crags for Family Climbing - James


Finding child-safe climbing areas for Caroline and I has always been important. And now that Arthur walks and Zoellie crawls, it is even more of a challenge.

 

When looking for crags, we try to choose less crowded locations or visit during off-peak hours, and we always look to find ones free of drop-offs, ledges, or loose rock. For rope climbing, we find short routes to be the best. They are quicker to climb and with kids, every minute counts. We have also found that it is beneficial to go places with something else to explore. Old castles and shallow creeks are our family favorites. And lastly, the faster the approach, the better. Remember this last one for the extra weight you are carrying and when your children start to walk. If long walks are necessary, like in Céüse, e-bikes and a trailer have been great.

 

Finding crags at home is always easier since we are familiar with the areas. But when traveling, we look for kid-friendly icons in climbing books and websites. But we have found this characterization to vary greatly, so talking with other parents is still our best resource.

 

 

Gearing Up For Climbing With Kids - Caroline


Parenting and climbing are endless lessons and adaptations that are often surprising. For instance, we've learned that climbing with sympathetic friends without kids works better than other climbing families. The latter just adds more kids and opinions to the mix. But the biggest thing we have learned is just how big our pack list is now to ensure everyone is having fun.

 

The items we cannot do without include:


•  The largest backpack we could get our hands on.
•  Nappies and wipes.
•  More food and variety of food than you think you'll need.
•  Lots of extra clothes and blankets.
•  Clothing that is both durable and warm, like Arthur's go-everywhere blue ski suit.

 

 

Patience, Patience, Patience - Caroline & James

 

Parenting has taught us patience, and going to the crag is no exception. Don't expect your first time out to go perfect or even your first ten times. We first marked our success by just making it to the crag, then it was putting our shoes on, and when we finally touched the rock, it called for celebration. But this luck isn't always on your side. So don't give up; keep adjusting, and it will all come together soon. And even once it does, there will be days when the kids are crying, you don't have enough snacks or nappies, or even worse, you forget the stuffed animals.

 

After the trials, errors, and learning, we can confidently say that the days spent outside as a family are well worth the effort. Often, not even the climbing sticks in our mind; the time we spend at the crag has become precious family time. It is time we have to spend outdoors, surrounded by nature, playing with our children, and watching them grow, learn, and enjoy themselves. It's looking at insects, playing in streams, or discovering the world through the eyes and wonder of our kids.

 

We don't know if Arthur and Zoellie will like climbing as they grow up or continue to enjoy these days. Instead, they might decide to take another path and have other interests, which is incredible! We will encourage them to explore their interests and learn to adjust as this happens. For now, though, we will continue to enjoy this, adapting to each day and growing as a family. We hope our experiences and tips can help you do the same with your family.

 

 

The ultimate gear tip, though, is a baby tent. This tent has become a safe space and comfort for our children. And even if your non-climbing friends think you've lost your mind, I suggest getting your child used to it at home. Thus, with Arthur, we started to put it in his crib for naps. Especially for weekend climbers, this is useful as it isn't just the place they go once or twice a week. The tent works so well that our kids even crawl into it independently when they need to settle down and sleep.

 

In addition, we almost always put a helmet on our kids, especially when they are big enough to move on their own. We prefer skateboard-style helmets as they give more all-around protection from rock falls and falling over.

 

Lastly, just because your kids are small doesn't mean they won't enjoy climbing or scrambling, but just like adults, it takes the right equipment. Even before Arthur could walk, he enjoyed hanging at the crag in rope swings, and baby-bungee jumps are now a favorite. Both require a kid's harness. And now, as he starts to climb, he has enjoyed the whole experience more, thanks to kid's rock shoes. Think about it; you wouldn't like slipping around in trainers, either.

 

 

Patience, Patience, Patience - Caro & James

 

Parenting has taught us patience, and going to the crag is no exception. Don't expect your first time out to go perfect or even your first ten times. We first marked our success by just making it to the crag, then it was putting our shoes on, and when we finally touched the rock, it called for celebration. But this luck isn't always on your side. So don't give up; keep adjusting, and it will all come together soon. And even once it does, there will be days when the kids are crying, you don't have enough snacks or nappies, or even worse, you forget the stuffed animals.

 

After the trials, errors, and learning, we can confidently say that the days spent outside as a family are well worth the effort. Often, not even the climbing sticks in our mind; the time we spend at the crag has become precious family time. It is time we have to spend outdoors, surrounded by nature, playing with our children, and watching them grow, learn, and enjoy themselves. It's looking at insects, playing in streams, or discovering the world through the eyes and wonder of our kids.

 

 

The ultimate gear tip, though, is a baby tent. This tent has become a safe space and comfort for our children. And even if your non-climbing friends think you've lost your mind, I suggest getting your child used to it at home. Thus, with Arthur, we started to put it in his crib for naps. Especially for weekend climbers, this is useful as it isn't just the place they go once or twice a week. The tent works so well that our kids even crawl into it independently when they need to settle down and sleep.

 

In addition, we almost always put a helmet on our kids, especially when they are big enough to move on their own. We prefer skateboard-style helmets as they give more all-around protection from rock falls and falling over.

 

Lastly, just because your kids are small doesn't mean they won't enjoy climbing or scrambling, but just like adults, it takes the right equipment. Even before Arthur could walk, he enjoyed hanging at the crag in rope swings, and baby-bungee jumps are now a favorite. Both require a kid's harness. And now, as he starts to climb, he has enjoyed the whole experience more, thanks to kid's rock shoes. Think about it; you wouldn't like slipping around in trainers, either.