Our sorcerer is not an athlete, so she bought a climbers kit to explore the steep slopes of the tundras & snow caps of the sword mountains. This entails some 30, 40, 50 feet climbs on rock and ice. I don't think the kit should make her a master climber, anymore than owning a stove should make someone a master chef.
I made a mini game involving climbing with climbing kit gear. Such as Piton AC, "special" piton AC, Athletics bonuses to cletes and gloves, etc. It seems to be fun and challenging Terrain puzzle for the PC, but it can be tedious and bring the session to a crawl.
Is there an official way to use piton and harness gear when climbing, or are kits like that made for such mini-game tomfoolery at the DM's discretion? With the thieves tools kit, you have to be proficient with tools to gain a bonus. I thought maybe every kit was this way. I am looking for clarity regarding using the kit proficiently, as opposed to using it generally.