New Green Spotty Circuit & May Bank Holiday Opening Times

Another week, another new circuit...well, actually 2 new circuits. Monday saw the new Salmon circuit finished which is the easiest (around Font 2-3) & perfect for newbies or children.

Started & finished yesterday is the new green spotty circuit. Similar to the last one in that in pure old school Fontainebleau style, it's a mountain circuit i.e. you can do the whole circuit without touching the ground. This time it's a little harder with the individual problems around Font 4-5+ and the whole circuit coming in at a stiff French 7a+.

Sam & Percy flashing the new circuit - well, they did set it so no onsight ; )

The features wall has also been remodeled so there will be some fresh problems on that within the next few days.

With the first May Bank Holiday coming up this Monday & the weather not looking great, we're going to be open a little earlier starting at 10am & closing at 10pm.

New YouTube Videos Added

We've just added a couple of new videos that showcase the CWIF to our YouTube portal. The first is a short trailer of the CWIF with an emphasis on the finals while the second is a photo montage of the full day put together by Norman Gilman.

There will be a longer version film coming soon all about the CWIF which will be awesome, even if we do say so ourselves.

A Greener Climbing Works

Here at The Climbing Works we try and do our bit for the environment. There's a number of initiatives that we do including recycling all our paper, cardboard, glass, plastics & cans. We also donate to charity any lost property clothing (left over 30 days) and try to stock a wide range of organic and fairly-traded products in our cafe. One of our biggest changes recently was the decision to stop selling bottled water.

We made this choice because of a few small facts:
- Each bottle takes up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.
- Roughly three billion bottles are drunk each year in the U.K. using 1.5m tonnes of plastic.
- Transporting them around the country is equivalent to the power used by 6,000 homes.
- It is estimated that two gallons of water are used in the production of, for every gallon of water purified to put into the bottle.
- Tap water in the UK is one of the highest quality tap waters in the world

Even though this meant us losing money from sales & a cost for its installation, we decided to put in a water fountain to try and make a small change. It's located beside the disabled toilets / cubby holes and we encourage members to use it.

Hopefully all of the above will make our members more aware & more keen to recycle. With so many children using the centre, we also hope that we're setting a good example. We know we're not going to change the world with our small, greener effort but at least it's a start.

New Green Circuit & New Shop Additions

A couple of quick updates for you. A brand new Green circuit has just been finished today. 35 problems from Font 3-4+ so a great circuit for those new to climbing or for those looking to warm-up for harder problems. The new topo with all 9 circuits is available on our website here>>

Yesterday we also got a new brand in with Black Diamond now in the shop. We've got the classic Drop Zone bouldering pad, the slightly weird 'chalkboy' and the very useful brush kits in stock so check them out next time you're in.

Percy & Graeme try to decide what exactly the new Black Diamond Chalkboy is for. Hat? or Handbag??

New circuits

Just a quick update to let everybody know that we're getting on with renewing the circuits again, after a brief pause the last couple of weeks for the BUSA and the CWIF events. There is the yellow circuit left over from the CWIF - 30 problems from Font 4 to 7c. As of yesterday there is also now a new brown circuit - grade range is from Font 5+ to 6b. Next week I will take down the green circuit and renew that for you all, along with (hopefully if I've got time) a new circuit with the green spotty holds.

CWIF Photos

We've just uploaded some photos online to our facebook account. You can see some below or just click on the links:

CWIF Qualifiers>>

CWIF Semi-Finals>>

CWIF Finals, BBQ & Grimer lecture>>

The backward double dyno in the qualifiers

ndy Earl on the Mens Semi-Final problem. Photo by John Arran www.thefreeclimber.com

Photo by Alex Messenger

Grimer and his lecture on 'how to get into The Climbing Works for free'

The mens winning 'podium'

Photo by Alex Messenger

CWIF Results

What a day!!! Saturday was a full-on day and i'm still recovering from it. It was also extremely successful and a big thanks for all the positive feedback we've received, it's all greatly appreciated.

The simple idea behind the CWIF was to do something different for the climbing community and the competition circuit. Saturday was mostly certainly that. The general public got to climb with the wads on the yellow circuit & then watch a thrilling semi's & final that left the remaining climbers beaten and happy.
A lot of thanks to everyone who came, helped out and generally enjoyed themselves. A big thank-you to Grimer for his amazing 'how to get into The Climbing Works for free lecture', Phil the BBQ man, Norm for his photos, Andy, Dom & the film crew for getting incredibly dusty all in the name of quality shots.

The boys setting & testing on Friday morning for the finals. All this came down Friday & was put back on in 1 hr on Saturday between the Semi's & the Final.

We'll have photos up in the next couple of days on both here and our facebook account. Also keep an eye out in the next couple of weeks for a YouTube video of the whole day.

Below is a shortened result from the day. If you want to see the full scores, with explanations etc.. just visit The Climbing Works website here

Top 10 Mens Result

1	Paul	Smitton
2	Wouter	Jongeneelen
3	Andy	Earl
4	Gaz	Parry
5	Ste	McClure
6	Tom	Newman
7	Mark	Croxall
8	Dave	Barrans
9	Jordan	Buys
10	Nedwin	van der Feehally

Top 10 Womens

1	Vera	Zijlstra
2	Michaela	Tracy
3	Audrey	Seguy
4	Leah	Crane
5	Beth	Monks
6	Zoe	Ogden
7	Helen	Shilleto
8	Rae	Cowie
9	Diane	Merrick
10	Mina	Leshi-Wujashyk

Team Result

1	Team Strong	1099
2	Team Old	1051
3	Team WAD	1034
4	Glokenspiele	937
5	Team Rocky	888
6	Nottingham D Team	837
7	Crusher	817
8	Team London	762
9	Souper Team	663
10	Flying Carseroles	582
11	Team Muppet	577
12	Team Special	413
13	Dan Bradley Appreciation Society	365

CWIF on Saturday - Final Problems Being Set

Today has seen the problem setters get to work on the comp wall starting with putting up, changing and generally figuring out the 6 Final problems (3 men & 3 women) for Saturday evening's grand finale.

Yesterday we stated we had 3 of the best problem setters in the country getting involved for the CWIF, well its now 4 of the best - Percy B, Jason Pickles, Jamie Cassidy and to complete the set, Andy Long. The four have worked on UK, European & World Championships so expect some high quality & very weird problems.

The 4 lads 'working' hard at setting...

Remember that anyone can take part in the competition and that as well as the comp there will be a BBQ, Film showing (best of ShAFF) and a slideshow - all FREE.

Just to wet your appetite, below is an early look at one of thee final problems. Just click on it for a bigger picture...

CWIF Update

With the Climbing Works International Festival fast approaching we thought it was worth giving you a quick update of all the going on's in here.

This morning has seen the stripping of the Comp wall for this Saturday's action. With the semi-final & final all taking place on this wall the setters (our own Percy B, Jason Pickles & Jamie 'Taz' Cassidy) will certainly be keen to create some classic but plain stupid, body contorting, problems of the highest order.

We're also getting the prize money ready for the weekend. With both Team & Individual categories, the overall prize fund is around £3,000!
The big prize of both kudos & £300 to the team that beats The Climbing Works 'wad' team is attracting some strong entrants. Graeme & Percy went to work counting the prize money 'just-in-case' with the picture below showing the special prize if the Gaz Parry & Andy Earl team wins ; )

The nice shiny coppers on offer

"1p, 2p, 3p, 4p...."

By the way, it's £300 to the highest team that beats The Climbing Works team...not every team.

Climbing Works International Festival

This coming Saturday (12th April) we are hosting the Climbing Works International Festival aka, the CWIF. At the heart of the day is a major competition that is open to all, but the festival is much more than just the comp.So why is the C.W.I.F. different? – well it’s more inclusive for a start and it’s FREE. A new circuit will be set for the day that’s available to all of our customers but it will also act as the qualifier for the evenings hardcore competition. Like the recent SCARPA circuit, it will consist of 30 problems getting gradually harder.

Plus we will have use of another building in the courtyard where we will be showing you some films (courtesy of the ShAFF), having a lecture from that well known after dinner speaker Mr Niall Grimes, all alongside a FREE BBQ.

SCARPA will also have a boot demo and our friends at the Clinic will have a climber’s physiotherapy clinic from 1100-1300 & 1500-1700

And how much is this going to cost you. NOTHING more than a normal wall entry fee!! That’s right the films, the BBQ food, the Grimes, the climber’s clinic, the boot demo and the scorecard for the CWIF circuit are all FREE.

It's our little present back to you, our customers. A day of fun with a cracking competition thrown in for FREE.

Details:
The Circuit – 30 problems ranging from easy(ish) to hard. No entry fee (just normal wall admission)

Semi final – 4 problems, 5 mins on/5 mins off.

Final – 3 problems, 2 minutes observation per problem, 4 minutes climbing time. Variation of new IFSC Finals format

16 climbers in the semi, 3 in the final

Male and female categories:
Prize money, £500 first prize, prizes down to 5th place. Other prizes from SCARPA for best Juniors plus random spot prizes.

Team element:
Teams of 4 (at least 1 female) compete in the qualification. Team prize of £300 if you can beat The Climbing Works Team!!

Timetable
0930 The Works opens for registration and warm up
1000 Climbing starts
1500 Qualification period finishes
1515 Best of SHAFF
1630 Semi final starts
1830 Semi final finishes and BBQ available
1915 The Works presents Mr Niall Grimes
2030 Finals start
2130 Finals finish
2145 Raffle draw and prize giving

Its going to be a cracking day so don't miss out. We only do this once a year...that's why it's going to be BIG!

The Climbing Works - Tour 2008

Back before we opened there was so much interest in what was happening here that we did a pre-opening video of The Climbing Works. It toured the wall in a non-finished state and gave an early view of what it was all going to be like.

Now at aged 15months we decided to do another one. Mostly it's for people who have not been before but it's also an interesting reflection on how things have changed in such a short time.

You can view it on our You Tube page (which has a load of other climbing shorts to waste a work day) or just hit play below.

New spring clothing from Moon and E9...

We have just had our new spring deliveries from Moon and E9. The shop looks great and we have also re-merchandised the women's clothes to a new rail as you go in on the left.
Check out some of the photo's of some of the new styles..






After an awesome week climbing on the grit I was looking forward to a rest over the weekend, but it never came. Check out my scarpa blog for more details on some of the classic lines I despatched last week.
Scarpa