GB Pathway Overview
GB Climbing has now launched its Pathway plans for 2023 and 2024 to enhance the journey for aspiring athletes across the summer Olympic disciplines; Boulder, Lead and Speed Climbing. By 2024 GB Climbing will further enhance this journey by embedding an evidence-based athlete development pathway with a curriculum program that is age and stage appropriate.
The previous GB National Development Squad was established by the British Mountaineering Council and Mountaineering Scotland in 2017 to provide a program for talented athletes, to bridge the gap between National and International competition.
Over the past six years the GB National Development Squad has successfully provided hundreds of athletes with opportunities to come together, train together, experience international standard route setting, world-leading coaching and for some, the opportunity to compete internationally. As a new Olympic sport, GB Climbing has been working closely with UK Sport and Sport England, along with its partners at Mountaineering Scotland to evolve and further enhance the GB Climbing Talent pathway experience for talented athletes.
The England and Scotland programs in the GB Climbing Pathway are being developed collaboratively by the two organisations, to ensure alignment. The England Pathway Program activity will be delivered by the GB Climbing department at the BMC, and the Scotland Pathway program will be delivered by Climb Scotland at Mountaineering Scotland.
Regional Talent Squads
There will be three regional Talent squad regions each with its own GB England Regional Pathway Coach. In each region there will be a minimum of six age and stage appropriate group sessions with other athletes from a similar geographical area.
National Squads
The England National and Regional Squad system offers a programme of activity for selected athletes and supports the athlete in developing their performance standards and styles through the key areas of technical, tactical, physical, psychological, nutrition and lifestyle, whilst maintaining the GB Climbing core values of Health, Performance and Respect.
Scotland Development and Talent Squads
The ClimbScotland squad system is an opportunity for us to provide targeted support to young climbers across Scotland who have shown themselves to have performance potential and are driven to pursue their own climbing progression.