Silvia Fitzpatrick, who runs the Rock Climbing Company, was born in Argentina and learnt to climb in Patagonia. Silvia spent a lot of time at Bariloche and Frey, living in and around the the Frey Refugio whilst climbing most of the classic routes in the area, many of them solo. Silvia won the Frey Rock Masters competition in 1988, 1989 and 1990.
In between her times at Frey she travelled further south to El Bolson and El Chatelan where teamed up with the talented Eduardo Brenner, they established a series of hard and committing climbs on Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitzroy.
Silvia is more than happy to offer guiding services to climbers and trekkers who wishes to visit tPatagonia.
An overview of Silvia's early life as a climber in Patagonia is on the Argentine site Alborde.com
Photo courtesy of Alborde.com
As climbers we are fully aware of our changing environment and how our actions affect it. The UIAA (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation) is the main representative body for climbers worldwide.
We fully accept the UIAA decree that we must always do our best to minimise the impact we have on the environment. We must recycle rubbish and take it with us when we leave the mountain, we don’t pollute water sources where we camp and we organise transport which minimise pollution.
We also support the UIAA's statement on responsible access which states:
"We believe the freedom to practice mountaineering and climbing is a right, but with it comes a responsibility to nature and local communities. We respect that in some areas it is necessary with restrictions and regulations, such as on holy mountains, or in areas where wildlife is endangered. Access should then be agreed between climbers, nature conservation organisations and local communities. We support eco friendly facilities and always try our best to leave the mountains like we found them, so that new generations of mountaineers, climbers and local people can enjoy them in the future.
The economies of many mountain communities are almost totally dependent on those who come seeking adventure. Therefore we as visitors must support our hosts to achieve sustainable development. We should buy local products and use local services, creating livelihoods for families instead of giving our money to foreign companies. We must be careful not to overuse scarce resources such as water or firewood needed by locals."
The Rock Climbing Company offer a variety of flexible mountaineering courses that can easily be adapted to your own personal requirements. We tailor every course specifically to the clients requirements. This following pages on this website will outline the variety of climbing instruction that we can offer along with descriptions of the most commonly requested topics; however these are just outlines and we are more than happy to build custom courses that meet your specific requirements. If you are unsure which course is the most appropriate for you or if you have a specific agenda in mind that you do not see advertised then please get in contact and we will work out a suitable itinerary.
Course lengths.
The Climbing Taster sessions normally last between 0.5 and 2 days, whilst all other instruction can be any length from 1 to 5 days. A lot of clients find that there is a great benefit in having at least 2 days of instruction because it lets us re-inforce all the new found skills whilst still allowing time to enjoy the adventure.
Guiding.
We can help you climb your dream routes whether it be a classic scramble in the Glyders or Right Wall on Dinas Cromlech. Guiding and instruction are easily combined, so if you would like to learn new skills whilst climbing classic routes then that can easily be arranged.
Mountaineering Qualifications.
We are a small, independant company run by Silvia Fitzpatrick and virtually all the instruction is delivered by Silvia. Silvia holds the Mountaineering Instructor Award (1369) and is a full member of both the Association of Mountaineering Instructors and Mountain Leader Training Association.
In the event that Silvia is unable to personally instruct the course she may be able to offer an alternative instructor; all our associate instructors are professionally qualified to the relevant national qualification. In addition we only use instructors who we know and share our passion for the mountains. We will always ensure that the client is fully aware of the situation and that the use of an alternative instructor is acceptable to them.
Pricing and Instructor/Client Ratios.
Instructor/client ratios are kept low to increase safety and maximise contact time for learning. Maximum instructor-client ratios can be found in each course section. Prices can be found here
Equipment.
All specialist equipment will be provided by the Rock Climbing Company. You are responsible for providing your own suitable clothing, footwear and rucksack. Further detailed info can be found in the specific course sections and the Booking Info section.
The BMC (British Mountaineering Council) is the representative body that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC recognises that climbing, hill walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions.
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Silvia has climbed at a high level for over 20 years on both rock and in the mountains and over this time she has built up a CV that includes: North Face of the Eiger, 8b sport, E6 trad, British Climbing Champion and second female ascent of Cerro Fitzroy in Patagonia. At the same time Silvia regularly works with a local organisation providing vocational outdoor activities to clients with learning disabilities.