Tag: Bouldering

5 Tips To Improve Your Climbing Grade

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Crag with climbers on hard routes

Watching climbers who are better than you can help improve your grade

When you first start climbing, you may progress rapidly through the grades. But whether you’re climbing indoors or outside, at some point you’re going to hit a plateau. If you want to make it to the next level, here are five tips to improve your climbing grade.

Get the Mileage In

As with anything, the more you do of something, the better you’ll get. This is particularly true with trad climbing. If I haven’t trad climbed for a while it takes me twice as long to pick the right piece of gear and I tend to be more cautious and place more gear than necessary. The slicker your gear placements, the more energy you save and the harder you’ll be able to climb.

Train Regularly

It’s sometimes said that climbing is the best training for climbing. This is partially true, but whatever level you’re climbing at, you should see an improvement in your climbing grade with a structured training programme. This needs to be specific to the level you’re climbing at; if you’re a beginner then jumping straight onto a fingerboard is a recipe for injured fingers!

Focus on Footwork

One of the key signs of a beginner climbing at the wall is shoddy footwork. It’s tempting to think you just need to get stronger to climb harder, but learning good technique is just as important as strength. By focusing on improving your footwork, not only will you be able to climb harder, you will become a better climber. Your strength may ebb and flow, but good footwork will stay with you for a lifetime.

If you find yourself kicking or scraping the wall when you climb, practice these seven drills to improve your footwork.

Don’t Be Afraid to Fail (or Fall)

I’d hazard a guess that the fear of falling is one of the most common things that stops people climbing to their full potential. The times I have climbed my hardest routes on both trad and sport are when I have been able to control my fear to a certain extent. To put it bluntly, if you’re terrified of falling off, you won’t push yourself to your physical limit. This means you won’t get as strong as you could do or climb the grades you’re capable of climbing.

Fear of failure also holds us back. Many people have a mental barrier in their heads around a certain grade. For example, they may be super confident climbing VS, but the mention of an HVS is enough to send them into shakes halfway up the route. You can often climb a lot harder than you think you can. Though please don’t take that as an invitation to jump on an E7 when you’re only climbing VS! Part of becoming an experienced climber is knowing when it’s safe to fall, and when it isn’t.

Learn From Climbers Who Are Better Than You

Perhaps the best tip to improve your climbing grade is to climb with people who are better than you. Seconding harder routes allows you to push your body to the limit without having to worry about placing gear or falling off. But don’t just hold your partner’s rope – watch how they climb. Look at what holds they use, how they position their body and how they rest on the route. Then, try and emulate this when you climb.

Even if you don’t have the opportunity to get out with better climbers, you can still watch how they climb and learn from it. Bouldering walls are great for this. If you’re struggling to figure out a particular problem, take a break and watch how other people climb it. Do they climb it differently depending on their size and strength? Experienced climbers will often know the best sequence for a problem just by looking at it. Once you’re fully rested, try climbing it their way and you may be surprised how much easier you find it.

10 Things to Do With Your Extra Hour of Daylight

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Extra-hour-daylight

British Summer Time is here! With promises of long, warm summer nights, sunny evenings at the crag and weekends packed with adventure from dawn to dusk. Admittedly, we’re still in March, which means for every day of sun you get one of rain with the additional bonus of the occasional hard frost, but hey, that’s what living in the UK is all about.

I love this time of year. Finally, the dark days of winter are behind us. There’s no longer the agony of staring out of the office window, knowing that by the time you get to leave work, the sun will have slipped away. And let’s face it, it’s much easier to get motivated to go for a post-work run when it’s still light outside.

If you’re itching to get outside, but lacking in inspiration, here are ten fun things to do outdoors with your extra hour of evening daylight.

Take a Different Route Home From Work

If you cycle, walk or run to work, winter commuting can be a punishing experience. Every day becomes a battle of your will versus the weather. Whether you have your head down, pedalling into a headwind, or you end up fighting with your umbrella as you get soaked by a passing lorry, the shortest route home is usually the preferable one.

The reward for your perseverance, is the warm, dry summer evenings, where commuting becomes a pleasure rather than a chore. So now you have a bit more daylight, why not choose an alternative route home and explore more of your local area? Use the CycleStreets planner to plan a longer route home on quiet back roads and cycle paths or swap your road bike for a mountain bike and go off-road.

Go Bouldering Outside

It may not be quite light enough to justify getting your ropes and trad gear out just yet, but there’s plenty of daylight for a quick bouldering session after work. With roadside venues such as Almsclife (Yorkshire), Bonehill Rocks (Devon), Burbage (Peak District) and Dumbarton Rocks (west of Glasgow), you can be parked up and have your bouldering pad out before most of your work colleagues have driven home.

If you’re new to climbing and have been training indoors over the winter, now is the perfect time to test out your skills on real rock. Just remember that bouldering outdoors can be quite different to indoors; check out these tips from the good folks at UKClimbing.

Get Out in the Garden

If you need some outdoor time, look no further than your own back garden. Gardening is relaxing, creative and can be pretty hard work! The combination of spring sun and rain means that everything is starting to grow, so it’s time to get the lawnmower out, tidy up the garden and start planting out those seedlings you’ve been nurturing in the greenhouse. Follow the RHS’s guide for jobs to do at this time of year.

Go on a Microadventure

Have you spent the winter snuggled up at home reading, planning and dreaming of adventure? Now is the time to get out there and have some! I know, I know, you need to ease yourself into this adventuring malarky. After all, the grey drizzle spreading over the M25 is quite different to the hot, wild African plains. But this is where microadventures come in.

Microadventures are pint-sized adventures. They’re not about taking on some huge daunting challenge that you need to raise thousands of pounds for. And there’s no need to go to your boss and beg for six months off work. Microadventures are simple, local and cheap, but most importantly, fun. Whether it’s cooking dinner over a camp fire, a mid-week overnight bivvy or even camping in your garden, microadventures are exactly what you want to make them. For more ideas and lots of tips check out Alastair Humphreys’ excellent blog.

Try Orienteering

If you’ve never tried orienteering (and if not, why not?), now is a great time to start. Most orienteering clubs put on friendly summer evening events at local parks and woodlands. These are ideal for beginners, and they’ll usually be someone around to show you the ropes. Check out this newcomer’s guide to getting into orienteering, and find an event near you on the British Orienteering website.

Take the Kids on an Adventure

I’m going to be a bit controversial, but hear me out. Spring is here. It’s time to turn the TV off, put the iPad out of reach on the top shelf and limit access to the Playstation. It’s time for a family adventure.

Now the evenings are lighter there are loads of (free) outdoor activities you can take advantage of. Cycle along a canal towpath, go on a treasure hunt or feed the ducks in the park. Go in search of the Gruffalo, roast marshmallows on an open fire or build a den in the woods. Your kids will have a great time and will be so tired, you’ll all get a great night’s sleep.

Get Fit with an Outdoor Bootcamp

Fed up of sweaty gyms? Give yourself plenty of arm-waving space by taking your work out outdoors. There’s also the added bonus of being able to breath fresh, unfiltered air. If you like being shouted at, British Military Fitness run classes at all levels across the country. UK Outdoor Fitness also offer nationwide classes (possibly with less shouting) and there are plenty of local trainers around if you’re looking for some one-to-one training.

Go to an Open Air Cinema

If you’re looking for something a little less active, then take a seat at an open air cinema. You can usually take along a picnic and drinks and they’re hosted in venues from castles and stately homes to rooftop gardens and cobbled streets.

If a spot of theatre is more your thing, then get along to a performance at Regent’s Park in London, Grosvenor Park in Chester or the stunning Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

Enter some evening running events

If your weekends are packed full of family commitments, opportunities to enter running races can be few and far between. The good news is, that as the evenings start getting lighter, there are more opportunities to compete in events after work. There’s a pretty comprehensive list of events here.

If you’re lucky enough to live near the hills, then there’s no excuse not to try out some of the local fell races. The
Fell Runner website has a full list of FRA registered races and you can search by region to find events in your area. Want to have even more fun? GO ORIENTEERING. (I’m not going to tell you again.)

Take a sunset walk

One of the nicest things about this time of year is that the sun sets at a perfect time for evening sunset walks. It’s not so early that you’re stuck at work, and you have plenty of time to get home for a late dinner afterwards. Take a stroll through your local park, woodland or fields. Close your eye and breathe in the sounds and smells of nature. Relax and enjoy the swathes of colour across the sky as the sun dips below the horizon. Be at peace.

What’s your favourite way to use the extra daylight we have in the evenings? Get in touch on Twitter and let me know, or drop a comment in the box below. Happy adventuring!

How to Kit Yourself Out for Climbing for Under £100

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climbing-kit-100-quid

You don’t need much gear to start climbing and if you’re cunning with your shopping you could bag everything you need for £100

Having invested thousands of pounds in climbing kit over the years, I can attest to the fact that it can be an expensive sport. But if you’re just starting out, it doesn’t need to be. In fact, it’s quite possible to buy the basic kit you need for climbing for under £100. Don’t believe me? Here’s how.

Basic rock climbing equipment

If you’re new to climbing, it’s likely that you’ll mostly be climbing at your local wall. Most walls will have equipment you can hire to use in the centre, but if you’re serious about climbing, the first pieces of kit you’ll need are shoes, a chalk-bag and chalk.

Climbing shoes

There’s this whole myth that climbing shoes should be painfully tight, so you can really stay in touch with the rock. Y’know. Man. Let me set one thing straight: if your climbing shoes are too tight they will hurt and that will stop you enjoying your climbing (unless you have some kind of sadomasacistic climbing thing going on). However, it’s also true that shoes do stretch and mould themselves to your feet. This is more likely with leather shoes than synthetic, and not at all likely if your climbing shoes live in the cupboard because they are just too painful to put on.

My best tip for choosing your first pair of climbing shoes? Pick something that’s snug but comfortable. Yes, they will be tighter than your sloppy trainers, but you should be able to put them on and stand on small holds without descending into whimpers of pain. Check they don’t rub at the back or dig into your heel and that they’re wide or narrow enough to accommodate your foot snugly.

Also bear in mind that the really cool looking, down-toed shoes such as the La Sportiva Futuras (which are indeed a thing of beauty) are designed with experienced climbers in mind. Climbers whose feet have been accustomed, through many years of wearing pointy shoes, to point downwards. Your feet have probably not reached this stage. They also tend to have thinner rubber, ‘cos high-level climbers have pretty good footwork (allegedly) and can dab their foot on the right hold first time. If you choose (against the friendly shop assistant’s advice) to go with a pair of performance shoes, you’re going to start off a very expensive shoe habit.

As you progress in your climbing career, you’ll get to know what style and brand of shoe suits your foot best. And let me tell you this; there’s nothing like the satisfaction of a perfect-fitting climbing shoe. Ahhhh.

Top picks:

Chalk bag and chalk

Old-skool climbers may tell you that chalk is completely unnecessary and back in t’ day, they just use to spit on t’ hands and get on with it. Personally, I think ninety-nine percent of climbers use it for a reason. It helps dry your hands out and prevents your sweaty fingers slipping off sweaty holds.

It’s pretty easy to get hold of a cheap chalk bag in any shop sale, or you can buy a full-price one for about a tenner. Or if your budget’s really stretched, why not get creative and make your own? A piece of accessory cord is a good belt substitute and a chalk ball will only set you back a couple of quid.

Top picks:

Harness and belay device

Though you could quite happily spend a lifetime bouldering, if you want to progress to roped climbing you’ll want to invest in a harness. Harnesses range from super lightweight Alpine-style harnesses to well-padded styles with plenty of gear loops. I’d definitely advise you to try before you buy – most outdoor shops will have a rope somewhere for you to dangle from.

If you’re looking online, don’t make the mistake of just going for the cheapest option. Although Alpine-style harnesses tend to sit at the lower end of the price spectrum, this is for a reason. They’re designed to be worn over several layers of clothing when mountaineering. (Note: hanging on a rope is considered rather bad form in mountaineering.) With the lack of padding, if you’re dangling on a rope for any length of time, it’s likely to be an uncomfortable experience.

When it comes to belay devices you’ll be looking at either an assisted braking device, such as the GriGri 2 or a more traditional, ‘tuber’ style device. Although it’s becoming common for people to learn to belay at climbing walls using an assisted braking device, these are a) more expensive, and b) less versatile that the humble tuber. The Black Diamond ATC XP (£16.99) and DMM bug (£11.50) are both popular devices.

Top picks:

Where to buy cheap climbing gear

Your local climbing wall shop is a good place to start. They typically have a range of gear available and will certainly stock essential kit for new climbers. Climbing walls sometimes sell off their old hire shoes for super-cheap prices, but unless you’re really desperate I’d steer clear; they’re likely to be pretty battered and worn out.

Climbing shops often sell hugely discounted gear at various times of year. Keep your eye out and it’s easy to snap up a bargain. Rock + Run are one of my favourites – at the time of writing (February 2017) you can get a pair of Edelrid Tempest shoes, Edelrid Smith Climbing Harness, Wild Country belay device, Red Chilli chalk bag and a chalk ball for just £67.

If you’re taking this approach, it’s definitely worth taking some time to try on different shoes and harnesses so you know what size you are in which brands. Also, when you can afford it, go back to the shops you tried kit on in and BUY FROM THEM. Seriously – they need your support.

Buying second-hand

I would advise not buying climbing gear which has a safety element (e.g. ropes, harnesses) second-hand unless you know the owner really well and can guarantee it’s in good condition.

However, for other gear, such as shoes and chalk bags looking for second-hand equipment is a good money-saver. Now I’m a bit squeamish about the thought of buying second-hand shoes (thinking of other people’s sweaty feet in them just makes me go ‘ewww’), but it’s not uncommon for someone to buy a pair of climbing shoes online or in a sale and only wear them once or twice before decided they don’t like the fit. Keep an eye out on the noticeboard at your local wall or on the UKC Gear Forum and you may be able to grab yourself a top-quality pair of shoes for a bargain price.

Join a club

Desperate to move onto routes or start climbing outside? Your best bet to learn the ropes (literally) and avoid having to buy any expensive equipment (at least in the short term) is to join a club. Most climbing clubs have members of mixed abilities and you’re more than likely to find an experienced climber who’s willing to take an enthusiastic newbie under their wing.

The other good thing about clubs is that they may have equipment they can loan out to you, or club huts (which tend to be conveniently located in good climbing areas). The Climbers’ Club has eight of the best huts, but you do need to be an experienced outdoor climber to join.

You’ll probably be expected to know how to belay and second a route outside before joining a club. If you’re in any doubt as to your belaying skills, take a course at your local climbing wall or from a qualified instructor to reassure yourself (and potential climbing partners!) that you can catch a fall safely.

Prices correct as of 21st February 2017.

Almscliff: One of Britain’s Best Bouldering Destinations

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Pebble-wall-almscliff

Reaching through the crux of Pebble Wall (6c), one of Almscliff’s classic problems

Standing high above the Wharfe valley, Almscliff is one of the most renowned gritstone bouldering venues in the UK. Be prepared for sore skin, aching arms and tough problems.

The short walk in and quick-drying nature of the rock makes Almscliff a popular bouldering spot, particularly on calm, sunny winter days. It’s not a place for solitude and if you’re looking to try the classic problems, you’re likely to have a fair bit of company. Due to its exposed location, it can get VERY cold when there’s a chill wind.

Almscliff has problems ranging from Font 4 (V0) up to Font 8b (V13). Although it’s renowned for steep, thuggy problems and routes, there are slabs, delicate aretes and long traverses thrown into the mix. It’s not the friendliest place for beginners and if you’re after some easy ticks, you’ll be sorely disappointed. That said, there’s plenty of rock on which to make up your own problems if you find those in the guide too hard!

Crag highlights

Matterhorn Ridge (4+) is the classic ‘easy’ line, though you’ll want a few pads and spotters if it’s near the top of your grade. There’s also a sit-down start at 7b+.

Up at Demon Wall area, The Crucifix (5) is an excellent easier problem (though easy is all relative!). The descent is down the corner to the left – it’s straightforward but worth having a pad and spotter if you’re a bit nervous about downclimbing. The Crucifix ‘warm up’ Traverse (6a+) starts in the corner and traverses the break all the way to the wall. Traversing the lip of the roof below the break gets you 7a.

Unnamed-boulder-almscliff

Warming up on the right-hand arete of an unnamed boulder (5)

Another good warm-up is Morrell’s Wall (6a) which starts off on big holds before some fingery climbing on crimps. There are various eliminates to prolong the fun and linking in the obvious traverse to the right gives you Slopey Traverse (7b+).

The Virgin boulder has plenty of hard, worthwhile problems. One of the easiest of the bunch is the Virgin Traverse (6b+/6c) which starts on the block to the left of the overhanging face and traverses round the corner to finish at an undercut flake. Pumpy!

Continuing the pumpy traverse theme, Sloper Patrol (6c+) takes the obvious slopey lip traverse on the boulder up the hill from The Keel. It can also be done in reverse (uphill) at a slightly easier grade.

If you enjoy mantels then Egg Roll (6b) may be right up your street. Start sitting and take the line up from the start of Streaky’s Traverse (7b+) on The Egg boulder, finishing up the slab.

Pebble Wall (6c) is an excellent technical problem that’s easier for the tall. A straightforward start leads to tricky moves up the blank wall above – the clue is in the name!

Arguably the crag classic, Demon Wall Roof (7a+) takes the inviting line out of the middle of the roof and up the wall above using crimps and the obvious flake to reach the large horizontal break. To the right of it, Dolphin Belly Slap (7a) takes the line along the edge of the roof and is another great problem.

The Keel (7c) is a popular problem that lead out from the back of the roof, past a chipped hole on the lip to the obvious pocket. Once you’ve ticked it, try it again without the chipped hold (The Real Keel, 7c+). There are many more variations and link-ups including Keelhaul (8a) and Real Keelhaul (8b).

If you like hard highball challenges then Chaismata (8a) takes the obvious line on Low Man, to the right of the Matterhorn boulder.

Almscliff fact file

Location and how to get there: Almscliff lies between Otley and Harrogate. Take the North Rigton turn off the A659 and turn left (or right depending which direction you’re coming from) in the village onto Crag Lane. Park at the western end of the crag in a large lay-by (can get busy). Follow the obvious path from the stile up the side of the field to the main area of rocks.

Almscliff-top

Spectacular views from the top of Almscliff

Access: The crag is on private land. The farmer has asked that climbers avoid the boulders in the fields below the main area and don’t climb at night. For up to date access information check the BMC’s Regional Access Database.

Best time of year: Almscliffe is a good year-round bouldering venue. It’s particularly good on cool, calm days and summer evenings, though some may find it a bit warm for optimum gritstone conditions! Almscliffe gets all the wind going, so if it’s a blowy day you may want to climb elsewhere.

Family friendly?: Almscliffe is a popular location for family walks and the easy walk in makes it a good spot for families. The one downside is the mud and ‘fertliser’ left by the animals that graze the area.

Hazards: The area around the rocks is used as grazing land and can be muddy at the best of times. After heavy rain the approach path through the fields can be extremely muddy and slippy. Be prepared to clean your pads and boots after a wet visit!

Guidebook: Almscliffe is covered in the YMC Gritstone Volume 1 and the Yorkshire Gritstone Bouldering vol. 1 guides.

Local pub: The Square and Compass in North Rigton is just a few minutes drive or a 40-minute walk away.

Think your local crag’s worthy of a shout-out? I’ve climbed across most parts of the UK, so if you have a suggestion, let me know!