About us
Our mission
We believe the benefits of climbing outdoors should be accessible to everyone who wants to try it, so we’re committed to providing free and subsidised climbing sessions as well as working in a way which caters for a diverse range of needs.
What we do
Anything from a few hours of climbing tuition to long term therapeutic courses, based in Bristol and the surrounding areas, but sometimes further afield!
Who do we support?
Our main focus is on providing outdoor climbing for young people and adults who would not otherwise have the chance to try it. Sessions create the opportunity to improve mental health, develop skills, and link in with the wider climbing community.
Sessions for adults and young people can be subsidised or free. All of our courses are tailored to each person. As a non-profit organisation, paying clients are contributing to expanding the climbing community and supporting those with less financial privilege!
We are run by two white cis gender women so we work closely with people who represent minority groups to ensure we offer the best service possible.
Meet the team!
Meg Donaldson
She/Her
Crux Climbing Founder - Rock Climbing Development Instructor - Social Worker - Tree Climber - Lover of all things outside!
“I LOVE climbing! It has been a therapeutic tool for managing my mental and physical health, a magical way of connecting with others and has taken me to beautiful places I might not otherwise have explored! I love sharing the things climbing has taught me with anyone who is keen to get involved!
As a white cis gender woman, I experience privilege in relation to climbing and access to the outdoors, but I want to see more diversity in the climbing community. Climbing mirrors the inequality we see on an institutional scale within our society and this needs to change!
As a social worker I used to go climbing with some of the young people I was working with and saw that they experienced benefits from it as I did. I started Crux Climbing to create more space for young people to try and if they want to, continue climbing by breaking down some of the social and financial barriers to climbing and the outdoors!
I could talk about the benefits of climbing all day, but click here for more info!”
Carlos Casas
He/Him
Crux Climbing Instructor - Colour Up Co-Founder - Writer - Big Thinker - Redpoint Instructor/Duty Manager!
"I started climbing a few years ago and was hooked on how fun it was. But then I discovered something much bigger.
For someone like me who migrated from the other side of the world, the space this sport and its people carved into my life became a haven. Here I can feel held, and hold space for others.
Even though I value climbing so much, it's far from perfect. It's still an exclusive sport, usually centered around elitist pursuits and privilege. I want that to end. I want everyone to enjoy climbing's embrace and find peace going up some rocks.
My desire is to knock down barriers of access to climbing. Either through Colour Up or with Crux Climbing, I live to make this sport more diverse, more welcoming, and more generous".
She/Her
Rebecca Temple
Crux Climbing Instructor - Bristol Women’s Climbing Night Co-host - Lover of Adventures - Improv Singer and Master of Rhythms!
Rowan Elwell
He/Him
Crux Climbing Instructor - Crux Tree Climbing Specialist - Remote Ropes Rigger - Tree Surgeon - Climber - Bringer of Joy!
“Climbing for me is both a passion and a lifestyle. I’m privilidged to say I climb for a living and I get to experience the natural wonders of the world while doing so. Whether it be out on rock for fun, or up in the trees in my day to day as an arborist.
Before I took up climbing in a professional sense, I worked for years as a support worker for children and adults. I like working with Crux as it’s the perfect blend of the two worlds. Being able to share my love of climbing and help to inspire others is a dream come true!”
Waldo Etherington
He/Him
Crux Climbing Instructor - Crux Climbing Safety Lead - Remote Ropes Director - Tree Climber - Expedition Guide - Rope Wizard!
When I was six, being in the top of a tree is where I wanted to be on most days, and it still is now, especially when life gets tough! I moved to lots of different schools and always struggled to sit still and focus. Climbing trees was the place I felt I belonged.
When I was 17 I found out I could climb trees for a living! I have worked as an arborist, rope access technician, assistant for canopy research scientists and now I'm lucky enough to run a company which keeps people safe up in high places for film and tv productions and this takes me all over the world.
Having learnt the ropes in trees, the technical rope side of rock climbing came easily to me, but the physical and mental side of rock climbing was surprisingly challenging!
Climbing is a huge part of my identity and it has kept my life full of wild places and wild people for which I am so grateful. It's kept me fit and strong and the emotional and psychological lessons that climbing has taught me have been so beneficial for the rest of my life.
Having the opportunity to share these skills with the team and climbers through Crux Climbing is a real honour. I love seeing people discovering their own climbing journey.
Freya Saltwater
She/Her
Rock Climbing Instructor - Social Worker - Tree Climber - Lover of all things outside!
“For me, climbing started as a way to cope with a busy and stressful period in my life. On a climbing wall, my relentless thoughts and daily anxieties melted away and I became completely focused on the movements that my body was making.
Climbing also offered me a community of people where I felt like I belonged and was supported, however, I have also experienced how climbing can be excluding and intimidating. I am passionate about making the benefits of climbing more widely accessible and to share my experience with others.
I believe that through climbing we can learn about how we relate to ourselves as well as how we relate to others.”