The Climbing Works Blog

New circuits...

2008-10-14T17:35:00.002+01:00

Many of you mentioned the absence of our easy green circuit last night... Well, don't panic. Sam has been hard at work this morning and a new green circuit is under construction. There are currently about 15 problems, with the rest of the circuit to be set tomorrow (providing Sam pulls his finger out and gets cracking!)
Meanwhile, I have added another 3 problems to the end of the spotty circuit that I set last week to bring the problem tally up to a nice round 40 (this should please all the climbers who thought they'd ticked this circuit - back you go!)
Finally, I have added some more hardish problems to the comp wall - not for any other reason than that I have to go to Russia next week to set the final round of the Bouldering World Cup, and its always good to get your eye in! I might add even more before the end of the week. The grades for the new stuff isn't on the topos yet, but they are all in the 7a to 7b+ range. You'll have to try and work out which ones are the hard ones. Enjoy...

New E9 clothing in our shop

2008-10-13T14:16:00.002+01:00

As you might have deduced from the title, the latest range of clothing from E9 has just arrived in our shop, and there is some great looking stuff to keep you warm this winter. Best be quick though - if last year is anything to go by, it should sell out pretty quickly!

We've got spots...

2008-10-10T17:36:00.002+01:00

....all over the walls! Yes, I finished the new spotty circuit on Tuesday, and its been causing mayhem ever since. The grade spread is Font 6b to 7a (although there are a couple of steadier ones in there too, just to give you a break). At the moment there are 37 problems to go at - I'll add the last 3 next week (just when you think you've got it wired)!

Ladies Are Doing it For Themselves

2008-10-08T18:01:00.003+01:00

In The Climbing Works we have a pretty simple employment rule, potential employee's must be psyched to climb. The level doesn't really matter, it's more the attitude.

Saying that though, it's always nice when a member of your staff does something that is quite noticeable. It's even nicer still when 2 members of your staff do something hard...even if it's the same thing.

In the last week both Leah Crane and Mina Wudji-Wudji have made the 3rd & 4th female ascent of Ben's Roof (7c+/v10) at Raven Tor. Both succeeded on it after working it over a few weeks, showing amazing determination and grit (the problem involves a very painful kneebar rest that thrashes your skin) to get it in the bag. All in all a fantastic achievement that we are all super proud of here : )
Both Mina & Leah are members of the British Bouldering Team who are heading off to Paris next week to compete.

Other female ascentionists of Ben's Roof are Lucy Creamer & Siobhan Coughlan. Siobhan is also an ex-employee of the Works....must be something in the water here...or maybe it's the 10,00osq ft of bouldering.

Dave Graham

2008-10-06T16:15:00.003+01:00

On Sunday night we started off our Winter lecture series with the wad that is Dave Graham. For those who were here, they enjoyed a man who was on top form even though he was still jetlagged and had just driven 5 hours from London after a lecture and a Masterclass.

The 100+ crowd thoroughly engrossed in the talk

If you get a chance to hear him talk as he makes his way around the country don't miss out as it's an excellent lecture that will certainly get you motivated to push yourself harder.

Dave talked about the future of climbing with the young Adam Ondra being a fine example of where climbing could go.

Dave is in Sheffield for a couple of days and has been out on Stanage (in variable conditions) and is just about recovered from his jetlag. With the sun shining and a cold wind blowing he's off down to southern peak with Mr Bishton, Whittaker and Pickles for a tour today. Could be interesting...

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!

2008-10-03T11:05:00.002+01:00

We're rapidly approaching our 2nd birthday here at The Climbing Works, and our business has gone from strength to strength. The Climbing Works was the first bouldering specific climbing centre of its size anywhere in the world, and we still hold the title of the Worlds biggest bouldering centre (as well as being the best, in our opinion anyway!)

After our initial gamble of building a really large scale bouldering-only climbing wall, it was only a matter of time before other like-minded climbers saw the potential and tried to build their own bouldering centres. So 2 years on 3 groups of people are now ready to open their own versions of our original concept.

Firstly, Andy Earl, Darren Stephenson and Chris Graham have nearly finished their project, Climb Newcastle, based in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Based in the old swimming baths in Byker, this wall looks like being an absolute cracker (and built by the main man Andy Long who was responsible for the walls in The Climbing Works!). Perfect for stopping off at when you get rained off in the County!

Secondly, my good friends based in Eindhoven, Holland have finally (after a load of beaurocratic problems which have dragged on for the last 18 months) finished their dream bouldering centre. I know Holland isn't on the list of places to visit for most UK based climbers, but there is no shortage of Dutch boulderers to take advantage of this amazing looking venue. Big congratulations to Dirk, Remco, and the rest of the Monk team. Click on the link to check it out.

Last up is The Climbing Academy, Paul Twomey and Rich Emerson's bouldering centre in Bristol which should be opening its doors to a massively excited local climbing scene in the next month or so.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we are really pleased that these guys have seen what we've done and have been motivated to try their own versions and ideas of our concept. If you happen to be in the North East, the South West, or even in the flat-lands on Holland, I can highly recommend that you check these new centres out!

Meanwhile, back on planet Climbing Works we have just taken delivery of a huge load of new holds courtesy of the nice people at Bleaustone which will be used to create a new circuit at the start of next week. The new circuit will replace the current purple one, so you have one more weekend to sort out any unfinished business!

Dave Graham Lecture This Sunday

2008-10-02T08:00:00.000+01:00

This Sunday, 5th October, Dave Graham will be visiting The Climbing Works and giving a lecture. It should be a cracker as Dave is one of the strongest climbers out there and has been for nearly the last decade.

Dave Graham is pretty much a phenomenon/mutant/natural. Since starting climbing in his home area of New England he has continuously pushed the boundaries of sport climbing and bouldering. He's climbed F9a+, bouldered numerous 8b's, 8b+'s 8c and is well known for his stout grading (he's downgraded a number of hard problems after quick repeats). He's travelled all over the world and currently calls Switzerland home.

Dave is also well know for his total love of climbing and his enthusiastic personality that comes across in his many appearances in DVD's and articles. It's going to be a great night so make sure you're part of it.

Tickets available now at The Climbing Works front desk or on 0114 250 9990. Ticket price is £10 / £8 concession. On the night itself the doors will open at 8pm with the lecture starting at 8.30pm. Drinks, food & raffle also available.

Black Circuit

2008-10-01T17:02:00.001+01:00

The blacks are now finished, graded and the topo is on the yellow board.

You have 36 problems of Font 5 to 6a+. All quite interesting if we do say so ourselves....

Enjoy!

New this week...

2008-09-29T19:06:00.002+01:00

Well, the black circuit is this weeks victim - its been taken down this morning and will be replaced tomorrow with......you guessed it....another black circuit! So, by Wednesday there will be another 40 new problems graded Font 5 - 6a+ for you all throw yourselves at.
The comp wall reset from last week has provoked a lot of interest, as well as a couple of bruised egos! After Augusts set of problems with their 'holiday grades' (according to one of our customers!) normal service has been resumed with a set of problems that will test even the most burly of boulderers. In particular, the 7b+ finger-jamming crack is seeing a lot of action, but meeting with very, very little success! Having just returned from a day or two in Fontainebleau myself, I think the grades now given to the comp wall problems are a little more realistic. Perhaps I should try and get over to Font every month just to check my grading scale is still accurate......we can but dream!

Mystical Power Tree

2008-09-26T18:05:00.003+01:00

A recent comment this week overheard in the works is Women saying 'have you seen the tree in the toilets?' Funnily enough this has confused many of the guys hearing this.

The tree in question is the Mystical Power Tree and it is the latest creation from our design guru Craig. He finished it on Tuesday and as only the ladies have had the pleasure of seeing it we thought it was about time we posted some photos.

The Men's toilets is next on the list once Craig returns from his holidays. What has he in store?? Well, you'll just have to wait...

Reel Rock Tour Nov 9th

2008-09-25T15:08:00.003+01:00

Continuing on with our Winter lecture series we're happy to announce the visit of the Reel Rock Tour to The Climbing Works on Sunday 9th November.

This is the 3rd annual Reel Rock Tour but the first time on U.K. soil with The Climbing Works being it's first stop. The tour is a collection of the best climbing films out there this year with highlights and shorts covering a wide range of climbing.

The film night will include snippets from OnSight, The Sharp End, Rocklands South Africa bouldering and The Aerialist. Tickets are only £6.50 or £6 concession. They're available to purchase either online at heason.net or at the reception at the works.

This promises to be a very good night and should get you fully excited for the grit bouldering season ahead.

You can watch the trailer below (with the amazingly deep American voice over that is actually a little bit disturbing. I think so anyway...).

Competition Wall Open

2008-09-24T17:58:00.001+01:00

The Comp Wall has been reset with 29 problems from 4+ to 7c+. Enjoy!!

Works in Progress

2008-09-23T17:03:00.003+01:00

The last few days has seen a lot of changes in the works, some subtle, some not.

One of the obvious changes is that the comp wall is currently undergoing a reset which should all be finished by Wednesday evening.

The new volume 3-D problem as set by Percy

Percy showing the beta for the new problem. Check out that foot jam! Font 6b supposedly....

Other changes that the ladies will certainly notice is that the Women's toilets have undergone a bit of a makeover. Our man Craig has been in and has obviously been inhaling too many spray paint fumes as his design is something 'out there'. All good though.

Our Man Craig

The work is now finished but this was it 'in progress'

Finally, the office has also had a bit of a makeover. Not that it affects you guys but it makes us Cheeses that little bit happier : )

The comp wall carpet is finished

2008-09-17T13:36:00.004+01:00

At long last we have finished our carpeting programme with lovely new red carpets for the mats underneath the Berghaus Competition Wall and the campus board. And very nice they look as well, at least until you lot swarm all over them and get them dirty :-)

Scarpa Offer

2008-09-16T14:01:00.003+01:00

We've teamed up with Scarpa to create some lovely attractive offers for anyone interested in new climbing shoes.

If you purchase a new pair of Scarpa rock boots* in the next few weeks you'll receive a FREE Scarpa chalk bag(RRP £15). An excellent offer for everyone but especially for anyone just new to the sport.
*While stock lasts. Not available on Sphinx shoes or Scarpa approach shoes - read below for offers on these...

Also, while we're talking about Scarpa. The excellent Scarpa Sphinx sale continues. These climbing shoes are at a bargain price of £20!!!(RRP £75) The Sphinx is available up to size 41 (UK 7) and is a great shoe for small edges. Find out more information by asking any member of The Climbing Works staff.

We've also got a deal on the Scarpa Quest (both Mens & Womens) approach shoe. They're now £60 which is a saving of 20% on the RRP. I can confidently state that these are a great shoe as I'm currently wearing a pair and have done a lot of crag hikes and climbing in them over the last few months.

Five Ten Shoes in Store

2008-09-11T14:45:00.004+01:00

Today we've added to our fantastic range of climbing shoes with the arrival of Five-Ten. For those in the know, Five-Ten offer a fantastic range of climbing shoes and we've got the pick of the bunch with the new Anasazi Lace-Up, classic Anasazi VCS, Dragon & Women's Siren all in store.

Also soon to arrive will be the Anasazi Low Volume which replace the older, but very popular, Anasazi Women's (the blue velcro).

Five Ten have also some pretty nice approach / city shoes so we've also added the Ba5ic and the Freerunner to our store. Sizes are a little sparse in these as they've already been raided by the staff. If you don't see your size, don't worry, they'll be back in stock within the next 10 days or so.

Freerunner

Ba5ic

More good news - the competition wall and campus board are now fully reopened.

Dave Graham Lecture

2008-09-09T14:07:00.006+01:00

Following on from last years winter lecture series The Climbing Works is psyched to announce another winter of films and lectures.

This year we're starting off big! Dave Graham comes to The Climbing Works on Sunday 5th November.

Dave Graham is a phenomenon. Since starting climbing in his home area of New England he has continuously pushed the boundaries of sport climbing and bouldering. He's climbed F9a+, bouldered numerous 8b's & 8b+'s and is well known for his stout grading (he's downgraded a number of hard problems after quick repeats). He's travelled all over the world and currently calls Switzerland home.

Dave is also well know for his total love of climbing and his enthusiastic personality that comes across in his many appearances in DVD's and articles. It's going to be a great night so make sure you're part of it.

Tickets available now at The Climbing Works front desk or on 0114 250 9990. Ticket price is £10 / £8 concession. On the night itself the lecture will start at 8pm with drinks, food & raffle also available.

Coming this winter to The Climbing Works - the Reel Rock Film Tour, Gaz Parry, Dave Pickford and more. Keep an eye on the blog for more details.

Campus Board & Comp Wall Closure

2008-09-08T14:14:00.003+01:00

Continuing on with our carpeting theme we have had to close the Campus board and the right hand side of the competition wall for the next couple of days so to prepare the mats for the new carpets.

Hopefully the wall and the campus board should be back open by Wednesday evening but we'll let you know if delayed.

On a good note, the boyz from Holdz (who are doing the carpeting of the mats) have also returned our beanbag full of new foam. The previous innings had taken a right hammering but once again we have a very comfortable mat to relax on.

The CWIF Video

2008-09-07T13:00:00.001+01:00

To start off the work week, why not sit back, grab a cup of tea and watch the new video we've posted on our YouTube site.

Back in April we hosted the Climbing Works International Festival (CWIF) and it was a fantastic success. We had over 150 competitors entering and over 300 watching the finals.

Whether you where there or not, you're going to get a kick out of this.

Fully Open

2008-09-05T16:56:00.003+01:00

As we head into another wet weekend with the forecast looking like somehow has left the bath running upstairs at least you have the knowledge that The Climbing Works is fully open. The competition wall has reopened (with new problems) and in the last few days a new brown Font 6b circuit has been set. So plenty to go at.

Whatever you do this weekend. Enjoy

More Going On's

2008-09-04T14:24:00.003+01:00

The new Brown circuit is now fully finished & numbered with the topo now on the yellow board. 40 problems at grade of Font 6b/c. Enjoy!!

For the next couple of days half the competition wall is out of order as we get the covers ready for a new carpet. The slab up to the first roof is out of order but the other half is still open. It should be back open (if all goes to plan) by tomorrow evening ready for the very wet weekend forecast : (

New Stuff

2008-09-01T18:40:00.003+01:00

New Brown Circuit currently in progress. About 10 problems at the moment with the rest going up on Wednesday.

For those who have ticked the comp wall....think again. About half a dozen new problems with some extra spice thrown in from Mr Bishton.

Enjoy!

Climbing Works Bristol

2008-08-27T11:26:00.002+01:00

As we have advertised on our website for the last 12 months, we have spent a lot of time and effort working on a second Climbing Works project down in Bristol. After such a huge amount of time, effort and expenditure we are gutted to announce that we have finally had to put a hold to this project, much to our frustration.
Whilst we have always remained extremely motivated to get a Climbing Works built in Bristol, it seems that no amount of enthusiasm on the part of our team is a match for the combination of Great British bureaucracy and property developers! Having been initially thwarted by Bristol city councils planning department, we eventually solved these problems only to have our landlord sell the property we were arranging to lease from under our feet. It seems that sometimes it doesn't matter how good an idea is or how much support you have, it is destined to not happen. Money talks, as they say!

Anyway, being a philosophical bunch we have decided that rather than continue to chase an impossible dream, we'll cut our losses and move on.
We would, however, like to give a massive thank you to both Ron and Gilly (our team in Bristol) who gave up jobs, huge chunks of time, suffered many sleepless nights and generally got super stressed for the sake of this project.
And we can only offer our condolencies to the huge number of south-west based climbers who have been waiting for a Climbing Works of their own - sorry everybody....we really tried!

New Spotty Green Circuit

2008-08-25T23:54:00.002+01:00

Percy has been back at and in the space of 2 days he stripped, cleaned and reset the green spotty circuit.

And just like the last one it can be done in a oner. The problems individually (30 or so) range in Font 4 to 6b. The whole circuit goes at about F7b+.

I say this a lot, and I am bias, but the whole circuit is a cracker!! There's some fantastic problems and the circuit as a oner will have your arms working hard as some of the downclimbs are desperate! There's even a dyno in the linkup.

If you're heading off to do some mammoth Spanish / Kalymnos sport climbs then this is a great workout.

Enjoy!

Everybody's Surfing Now...

2008-08-23T10:59:00.001+01:00

As you all know, we're always trying to improve the wall here, always thinking of new things. Will it might be a few years old as a concept but we're thinking extreme ironing!!

What do you think!!! No...ok then...back to the drawing board...