Climbing Merit Badge
The thirteen requirements with the conditions the practical parts state in their own words drawn as conditions (the harness before anything is tied to it, the verbal signals before the climb that uses them) the eighteen rope sessions counted at the front, and the two requirements that are about a particular site rather than about climbing in general marked as such.
14 steps (34 parts inside them). · Version 1, published 13 August 2026 · About Climbing Merit Badge
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The steps
Stage 1 of 14
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1. Hazards, first aid, and when CPR applies Requirement
Three parts. The first-aid list here names stopped breathing and concussions, which is not the usual outdoor list.
Stage 2 of 14
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2. Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code, learned and explained Requirement
Both documents, and what they mean, not just recited.
Stage 3 of 14
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3. Turn up dressed for it, and say why each piece is right Requirement
Presented properly dressed for belaying, climbing AND rappelling, with the reason for each piece of gear: easy movement, free of entanglement, weather protection, comfort.
Stage 4 of 14
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4. Location, and two parts of it are about YOUR site Often forgotten Requirement
Four parts. 4(a) and 4(c) cannot be answered until you know where you will be climbing, which makes this requirement wait on a booking.
Two of these four parts are about YOUR climbing site, not about climbing. 4(a) applies the difficulty classifications to the rock faces or walls where you will demonstrate your skills, and 4(c) evaluates the safety of a particular climbing area. Neither has an answer until the venue is settled, so if your climbing is booked at a wall on a fixed date, this requirement is waiting on that booking.
4 parts
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4(c). Evaluate the safety of a particular climbing area Often forgotten
Stage 5 of 14
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5. Verbal signals: for climbers, rappellers, belayers and spotters Often forgotten Requirement
Why they matter on every climb, rappel and boulder problem, then the signals demonstrated with the counselor or another Scout. Requirements 11(b) and 12(c) both say they are used, which makes this equipment rather than theory.
These are not a talk-through. Requirement 11(b) climbs "using verbal signals with a belayer" and requirement 12(c) rappels using them to communicate with a belayer, both requirements name the signals in their own text. Have them working before you leave the ground, and remember 5(c): the belayer's signals are the ones you will be using twelve times over in requirement 10.
Stage 6 of 14
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6. Rope: what is acceptable, how it fails, and when it is finished Requirement
Five parts, four of them about keeping a rope trustworthy and one about coiling it.
Stage 7 of 14
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7. Five knots, each with a use named Often forgotten Requirement
Every knot demonstrated AND at least one example given of how it is used in belaying, climbing or rappelling. The second half is easy to leave out.
Stage 8 of 14
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8. Harness, helmet and gloves: purpose, and put on correctly Often forgotten Requirement
Three parts, and the harness is the one everything later ties into.
3 parts
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8(a). A commercially made climbing harness Often forgotten
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Stage 9 of 14
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9. The CHECK system, element by element Often forgotten Requirement
Identify the elements and describe what each one means to your counselor. This is the check that runs before every one of the eighteen rope sessions.
Stage 10 of 14
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10. Belaying: twelve turns holding somebody else's rope Often forgotten Requirement
Five parts. Four of them are counted in threes and all four need other people climbing and rappelling: three different climbers, three different rappellers.
COUNT THIS REQUIREMENT BEFORE YOU START THE BADGE. Three different climbers belayed, three climbs backed up, three different rappellers belayed, three rappels backed up: twelve turns on a rope, and every one of them needs SOMEBODY ELSE to be climbing or rappelling while you hold it. Add requirements 11(b) and 12(c) and the badge is eighteen rope sessions in total. This is earned in a group on a supervised site across several sessions, not in an afternoon. Book the sessions first and fit requirements 1 to 9 around them.
5 parts
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10(b). Belay three different climbers on three different routes Often forgotten
Stage 11 of 14
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11. Climbing: tie in, then three routes with a belayer Requirement
Two parts. 11(a) is a knot shown; 11(b) is three climbs with verbal signals.
2 parts
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11(a). Tie a belay rope directly to your harness Usually comes after 8(a). A commercially made climbing harness.
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11(b). Climb three different routes, with signals, with good technique Often forgotten Usually comes after 5. Verbal signals: for climbers, rappellers, belayers and spotters.
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Stage 12 of 14
1 step
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12. Rappelling: tie in, rig, then three descents Requirement
Three parts, and the middle one is the rigging that requirement 11 has no equivalent of.
3 parts, 1 ticked
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12(a). Tie a belay rope directly to your harness Usually comes after 8(a). A commercially made climbing harness.
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12(b). Attach the rappel rope with a carabiner and a rappel device Often forgotten Usually comes after 8(a). A commercially made climbing harness. A carabiner and a rappel device. This is the one part of the badge with hardware requirement 11 has no equivalent of, and it is not something most Scouts own. Confirm with your counselor or your site that a device will be available and that you will be shown the one you are actually going to use.
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12(c). Rappel three different faces or routes, with signals Often forgotten
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Stage 13 of 14
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13. Store the rope, hardware and gear properly Requirement
Demonstrated. It is one line at the end of the badge and it is what makes requirement 6(c) real.
Stage 14 of 14
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Counselor signs it off Milestone
The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.
Usually comes after 13. Store the rope, hardware and gear properly.
Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.
This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.