The Climbing Works Blog

Blue Thursday

2012-01-26T11:53:00.000Z

Lots going on at The Climbing Works today with a new Blue circuit and the return of the FREE Clinic physio sessions tonight from 7.45pm. We've also drawn the prize winners from R3 of the Evolv Winter Bouldering League, so read below to see if you're one of the lucky winners.

The new Blue circuit is currently being set and will be finished off tomorrow giving you a new circuit for the weekend (latest topo with new blacks available here). There is a bit of a change going on though as you may have noticed that the Yellows also came down at the start of the week. Always willing to mix things up, we've decided to make the Blues* the new top end circuit. The Yellows will go up next week and fill the place of the old Blues circuit grade wise. Hopefully not too confusing for you all...
*(The Enigma is in a bit of a quiet mood this morning and has gone to set on the Masters Wall. We might as well get the apologies out of the way now - expect some thin, hard, blocs from him).

If you need a little psyche to get you motivated to climb the new blocs, check out the new trailer for bouldering film Life On Hold (sponsored by The Climbing Works). We'll be having an exciting announcement about the film in the next few weeks so keep an eye on the blog / twitter / facebook for more information.

Below are the prize winners from Round 3 of the Evolv Winter Bouldering League (results here). All the winners are selected randomly from the returned scorecards. No matter what you score, hand in your card for a chance to win some Evolv goodies:

1 x Pair of Evolv Shoes: Kiyanouche Jash
1 x Evolv Hoody: Alex Hall
1 x Evolv T-Shirt: Holly Murray
1 x Evolv Chalk-bag: Lee Parkour
1 x Evolv Chalk-bag: Lex Wilkinson

You can claim your prize from reception. Remember the final round is on Friday, Feb 17th and the overall winners will be scored from their top 3 rounds from the series. We'll also have a highlights film out for R3 in the next 2 weeks.

While we're talking about Evolv, we'll be having an Evolv boot demo with grit god and all-round good guy, Ben Bransby, next Tuesday night at The Climbing Works. This is a fantastic opportunity to put some time into finding that perfect new shoe to take your boudering to the next level.

Evolv Bouldering League R2 Highlights & R3 This Friday

2012-01-11T15:43:00.002Z

Just another busy week at The Climbing Works.

This Friday see's R3 of the Evolv Winter Bouldering League with a whole new set of 25 blocs for you to test yourself on. There will be the normal Male & Female cash blocs (£250 up for grabs) and we'll have an Evolv prize draw for everyone who hands in their scorecards. The prize draw winners from R2 is at the bottom of this blog.

If you're wondering what you're getting yourself into, check out the highlights film from R2 below. Held just before Christmas, R2 was a great evening and produced some fantastic climbing, and falls, from the competitors.

You can see the full list of scores from round 2 and the overall results from the first 2 rounds on the website. Below are the lucky prize winners from the 2nd round. Remember all you have to do is hand in your scorecard at the end of the competition to be in for a chance of winning a prize from Evolv.

1 Pair of Evolv shoes: Adrian Samarra
Evolv Hoody: Natasha Smile V
Evolv T-Shirt: Matt Bird
Chalkbag #1: Nicola Taylor
Chalkbag #2: Joe Bond

To claim your prize, just ask at reception and they will get it for you.

Winter Bouldering League: R3

2012-01-05T17:02:00.003Z

Next week is round 3 of the Evolv Winter bouldering league. With the festive season now behind us this is a perfect time to get the arms firing again. In between now and next weeks Round 3 set we are going to strip the Berghaus Competition wall for a small reset. This means that tonight is your last chance to climb on this set of problems.
The new set will have a number of blocs put on it for British Team training which takes place this Saturday at The Climbing Works (whole wall is open as normal). These will stay up till next Thursday when the wall will be stripped again for the bouldering league. If you like the Berghaus competition wall, this is a great time to get on it.

If you're not a fan of the Berghaus comp wall then you'll be glad to know that we have fully reset the newly built wall with a number of blocs across the whole grade range. Plenty new to do for everyone, no matter what grade you climb.

Finally, over the busy Christmas period we forgot to post online the scores from Round 2 of the Evolv Winter bouldering league. You can now find the R2 results and total scores from R1 and R2 on the website here.

New Year, New Wall, New Blocs

2012-01-03T16:27:00.001Z

The new wall has been painted and partially reset so you can now start 2012 with a change at The Climbing Works.

We're back to our normal opening hours: Noon to 10pm and for those driving here, the bridge at the bottom of Woodseats road is still closed.

A Happy New Year from all at The Climbing Works. Now get away from those chocolates and get climbing!

Ending the Year Right

2011-12-28T18:58:00.000Z

The last few days of 2011 are upon us and if you're looking for your last climbing fix before the New Year then remember we are open 10am to 8pm all this week until New Years Eve when we will close at 3pm. We will be closed on New Years Day and we will reopen at midday on the 2nd January.

Starting the year of right is always important, even for a climbig wall. We're starting January off with the unveiling of our new wall with a repaiting and full reset of the area. All of this should be done by the end of the first week giving you well over 30 new problems of all grades.

Happy New Year to all our customers and friends

A Christmas Gift Wrapped

2011-12-20T12:34:00.000Z

Yesterday Percy, the Enigma and UF got to work on building a new Christmas present for our customers. This won't be unwrapped till after Christmas but in the meantime you can see that as we approach the new year, Te Climbing Works continues to not stand still.

Something new to play on in 2012

Today is the last day to get any orders in online for normal postage. After this, if you desperately want something posted to you fro Christmas, please give us a call on 0114 250 9990 as we can do Special Delivery Royal Mail (but it will cost more).

We're open from 10 to 10 this week only so come down enjoy the new Comp wall set and work off those pre-Christmas calories.

Last Postage Dates for Christmas

2011-12-14T18:12:00.003Z

Christmas is coming and the post men will their work cut out next week. Don't miss out on the last day for online orders for delivery before Christmas which is Tuesday 20th December. That is NEXT Tuesday! (just in case you're not sure)

Still deciding what to get that climber you know? Check out our Christmas section in our online shop & have a look at some of the latest additions below. Still not sure? Why not a Climbing Works Gift Voucher?

Boulder Britain - £25

Moon Aerial Pack - £90

Five Tennie - £75

Christmas Opening Times: Changes

2011-12-13T17:56:00.001Z

We've made some slight changes to our opening times for the week running up to Christmas (which is next Monday - Yikes!).

You can see below the full opening hours over the 2 week Christmas & New Year period but in summary we will now be open 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday next week. All this means is that you have more time to burn those calories you're going to put on over the Christmas weekend!

MONDAY 19TH TO FRIDAY 23RD DEC: 10AM - 10PM

CHRISTMAS EVE: 10AM-3PM
CHRISTMAS DAY: CLOSED
BOXING DAY: CLOSED

TUESDAY 27TH - FRIDAY 30TH: 10AM-8PM

NEW YEARS EVE: 10AM-3PM
NEW YEARS DAY: CLOSED

Monday 2nd January 2012: Normal Opening hours resume - Noon to 10pm.

Let There Be Light

2011-12-08T17:32:00.001Z

The nights are drawing in that little bit earlier so we thought it was a good time to get some work done that will help shine a light on your climbing.We've been further improving The Climbing Works over the last few days by adding in some more lighting into certain areas (apologies for the bad pun by the way).

The kids boulder, the front room and the slab have all had extra lights put in. You can no longer blame lack of light for missing that foot hold....

We've also set a new 21 bloc Red circuit this week, Font 2 to 4+, and are currently resetting the Berghaus Competition wall for this Saturdays NIBL competition.

Comps Comps Comps!!!

2011-12-06T14:51:00.001Z

You wait 4 weeks for a Competition and then 3 come along all at once!

From this Saturday morning to next Friday night we will be having 3 competitions on the Berghaus Comp wall. The first one is the Northern Indoor Bouldering League (NIBL) round 2 which is a competition across a number of climbing walls in the North of England. It is open to everyone and you can find all the details on the website here.
The 2nd competition is a private affair which means the Berghaus comp wall will out of action on the afternoon of Wednesday 14th December.
The final comp is Round 2 of the Evolv Winter Bouldering league that takes place next Friday night (16th Dec) starting at 6pm. You can view some superb pictures from the 1st round here or you can watch the highlights film below.

What all of the above also means is that the Berghaus comp wall will be getting reset ALOT over the next 10days. Are you paying attention? Let us explain:
- The current set will be stripped this Thursday morning to be reset for the NIBL on Saturday 10th Dec
- The NIBL set will be stripped on Monday morning to be reset for the comp on Wednesday 14th Dec
- That set will be stripped on Thursday morning for Friday nights round 2 of the Evolv Winter Bouldering League.

What you all get is an amazing number and range of problems to try (some only for 1 night) with no time to project them. This will be an amazing test of stamina for those out there who like their comp wall problems.

To get you in the mood for some comp action, watch the highlights film from the Evolv Winter Bouldering League R1 below.

And before you ask that is 3 swinging balls....

The Climbing Works Turns 5

2011-11-29T12:01:00.001Z

5 years ago this Saturday, 3 Cheeses (and a lot of others) put the finishing touches to the biggest bouldering facility in the world. Only the second of its kind in the UK, it was a foray into the unknown. With the opening day set for the 3rd December 2006, the trois fromage's nervously waited to see who would turn up and see how a bouldering only wall would fit into the Sheffield climbing scene. Well actually it was only 2 of The Cheeses that waited anxiously as Percy was setting for the Dutch nationals on our opening day - typical Percy, slacking off when he was most needed.

5 years later there are now over 20 bouldering walls in the UK and The Climbing Works goes from strength to strength. Since that opening day we have set 1000's of blocs (nearly 2000 in 2011 alone) and have continually changed the walls surfaces - we've made a dozen or so structural changes to the wall including a complete rebuild of the Berghaus Competition Wall earlier this year.

We will celebrate our 5th birthday in style with a massive party at Club Forward in Sheffield on Friday 9th December. It's arguable whether we are still the biggest but we are certain we are still the best, many have copied us but The Climbing Works stays one step ahead...even with its parties. Tickets are available from reception and are FREE to customers. We've already given away around 250 tickets so if you need to get one DO NOT hang around until the last minute.

Getting back to normal business. The pink circuit came down yesterday and there will be a new one by Thursday evening. Just another new 40 bloc circuit for you to try ; )

Evolv R1 Prize Winners & New Cirucits

2011-11-21T11:15:00.001Z

As sponsors of The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League, Evolv have kindly donated a number of prizes for each round. Last week we picked some winners from the scorecards handed in after Round 1 so read below to see if, and what, you have won:

1 Pair of Evolv shoes: Adam Lindley
Evolv Hoody: James Morwood
Evolv T-Shirt: Lee Ward
Chalkbag #1: Will Roscoe
Chalkbag #2: Mijas Alexandria

If you're a winner from above, get in touch by email (info@climbingworks.com) and we'll arrange for you to claim your prize. We'll be doing the prize draw after every round so just remember to hand in your score card at the end of the night. The next round will be on Friday 16th December. You can view the scores from round 1 here and see a selection of photos on our Picasa page.

Keeping on the theme of competitions, on Saturday 10th December, The Climbing Works will be hosting Round 2 of the Northern Indoor Bouldering League. You can read all about it here on our website.

As it is Monday morning we're currently stripping a circuit, actually this week we're stripping 2 circuits to be exact. Down comes the Purple & Pink spots and the Green & Pink spots to be replace by 2 new circuits by the end of the week. Last week we set a 42 bloc Wasp circuit in the Font 6b-7a range that should keep most people entertained over the coming weeks. You can see an up to date circuit topo & Berghaus competition wall topo on our website here.

Just in case you haven't heard we'll be celebrating our 5th birthday in style on Friday 9th December at Club Forward in Sheffield city centre. Tickets are FREE and available from reception now. It will be one massive night. Come and help us in celebrating 5 years of The Climbing Works.

Evolv Bouldering League R1 Review

2011-11-15T11:54:00.001Z

R1 did not disappoint in providing 'entertainment' for those competing and those watching. The Mens cash problem initially provided a lot of head scratching, then alot of laughs and finally a lot of encouragement as a number of people went oh so close to finishing it. In the end it was 2 Men & 1 Women (Chris Webb Parsons, Adam Bailes & Alex Puccio) that completed it taking home a share of the cash prize.

Photos from the Mens cash problem c. dr-photography.co.uk

Over on the Women's problem a 7b volume only smear fest scared most that went near it. After some impressive falls and a few bruised shins, both Alex & Leah Crane came away with a split of the winnings.

While all this was going on a few of the men were racking up some good scores with only 9 points separating the top 5 places but they were well outshone by the impressive exploits of the junior Nathan Philips who out scored the top man by 40 points!

You can see a selection of photos from Round 1 on our Picasa page and see the full results from Round 1 on our website here. We'll also have a highlights film in the next few weeks.

The Berghaus Competition Wall now has the full 25 blocs from R1 (excluding the start of the Mens cash problem - see photos to see why) + another 6 that Percy set yesterday.

We'll announce the winners of the Evolv prize draw tomorrow so keep an eye on the blog to see if you won a prize for handing in your score card. Round 2 will be on Friday 16th December.

Swing Swing

2011-11-11T13:02:00.001Z

Tonight is the first round of the Evolv Winter Bouldering League and we've got a belter lined up for you. There's a very special one-off bloc that has been set for tonight only. You will not have the chance to do it at any other time as it is as stupid as it is brilliant. Sam thinks it may just be the best problem ever set in The Climbing Works and that is saying something. You can gain some beta from the blog yesterday, add that with the picture below and you may start getting an idea of what to expect.

Tonight we'll also be having a range of Evolv t-shirts and hoodies for sale with 10% off the RRP during tonights event. Evolv have also kindly donated some prizes which will be drawn from those who hand in their scorecards after the competition. Prizes include a pair of shoes, chalkbags and some clothing. Make sure you write your name and membership no. on your scorecard before handing it in.

The comp starts at 6pm and will last till 10pm. Get down early as we're expecting it to be quite busy. £2 for a scorecard and you WILL have to have one if you're taking part in the competition.

Gravity.....

2011-11-10T20:13:00.001Z

Gravity is a cruel mistress, as visitors coming for our winter bouldering league tomorrow will undoubtedly find out...! However, Gravity is also the name of the newest and best climbing wall in Ireland, and the side project that Graeme and Percy have been working on over the last year. Well, last night Gravity finally opened, and the first bit of feedback I have received was so nice I thought I might share it with you all. The video at the bottom of the Bouldering Ireland blog shows the true size and scale of the wall (don't worry, I think it might just be a tiny bit smaller than The Works, but only just!) Click THIS to read all about it along with some nice pictures, etc, and many thanks to Dave Flanagan for his kind words and nice blog.

Evolv Winter Bouldering League R1

2011-11-10T12:58:00.003Z

The clocks have changed, the leaves are falling and it's dark at 5pm. All these things mean the onset of the indoor climbing season and with it the return of The (5th) Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League supported by Evolv.

The Berghaus Competition Wall has been stripped this morning and the boys are working on setting the 25 problems that will make up this Friday's Round 1. This year we will have once again 2 x £125 cash problems for each round, one for both Men & Women. With support from Evolv we will also be offering spot prizes to those that hand in their score cards at the end of the night. Prizes include a pair of shoes, chalk bags, Evolv Hoodies & Tees. The winners of which we will announce next week on this blog. As its Round 1, and we like to be nice, we'll be handing out some liquid refreshment when you hand in your score card.

Also, as it is the 1st round and Percy has not set a comp in a while, he has decided to do something 'different' for one of the problems. As he is currently setting it I don't want to give much away but looking at the picture below, you may be able to figure out some pre-comp beta....not that this will help in any way of course.

Insanity? Probably. Stupid? Definitely. Fun? Yep!

The competition will start at 6pm and will run until 10pm. You need to purchase a scorecard at the front reception desk for £2 to enter. Only competitors will be allowed on the Berghaus wall and if you don't have a scorecard you will have to come back and try the blocs on Saturday. Find out all the info on our website

Laziness

2011-11-07T09:38:00.002Z

Last week we set no new boulder problems. None. Not a single one. We just chilled out and did nothing (not really, but we did stuff other than setting for a change.)

How lazy of us.... or so I though until I sat down to look at the setting rota for the next few months and tried to work out whats due to be changed next, and I noticed the following 'interesting' statistics.

Last year we set 1299 problems - that's a tad over 108 new blocs for you to try every month.
This year, so far we have set 1539 problems (128 a month) and its only November, so we're probably on course to set over 1800 problems in 2011. Thats 150 new problems a month.

I'm not sure, and I'm not one to exagerate (yeah, right!), but I don't reckon there is another bouldering wall on the planet that changes its problems as often as we do.

So here's a big thank you to all of our excellent team of routesetters who have had to cope with Percy's excitable temperament and perectionist streak in order to bring you some of the best plastic problems in the World - Fatty Matty, The Enigma, Mr Whittaker, Christopher Webb-Nicholas-Parsons, Monsieur Godoffe, Yann Genoux, Longy, Weasel, Taz, Manly Jason Pickles, Mini Cheese, Claire Youdale, Nikki Dormmans, the Pooch, and anybody else I've forgotten.

Speaking of routesetting, its back to the grind this week with the first round of our Evolve winter bouldering league this Friday. Kick off will be at 6pm as normal. You've tried the rest, now come along to the best. As usual we'll have 2 £125 cash prizes for the mens and womens special problems, but get ready. I've had an idea for something really special.....!

You think you can campus?

2011-11-06T20:07:00.002Z

There's a guy in Germany who can still kick your butt.... Check this out!

Cheers to Gabri for finding this - those long nights trawling t'internet have finally paid off...!

We're on telly!

2011-11-05T20:48:00.003Z

I'm not sure if many of our customers were watching CBBC on BBC2 this morning for the 'I want my own Room' make-over programme for kids, but if for some reason you missed it, click HERE. The Works is featured from about 7 minutes and 25 seconds if you don't want to watch it all. The guys filmed a load of stuff around the centre, so you might have been captured on camera doing a bit of climbing (or loitering about...). Not sure what the curly-haired chancer is on about though.....

And if anybody was wondering how Gravity was going (the Irish climbing wall that Graeme and Percy are involved in), rumour has it that the door might be open by the end of the coming week. It's looking pretty damn good, even if I do say so myself!

Font to The Works via Africa

2011-11-02T17:25:00.000Z

Last week I was lucky enough to spend the week at the House gite in the stunning forest of Fontainebleau. For those who don't know about Font, it is the home of bouldering and of course the birthplace of the Font grading system and climbing circuits. Anyone that is frustrated at a Font 5+ in The Climbing Works should go try some of the 5+'s on the blue circuit at Rocher Guichot, Maunoury or any of the other famous blue circuits that define the forest. Jug hauls they are not.

Returning back to the Works there is alot to report on. Last week a new Purple circuit of 37 blocs between Font 6a-6c went up. This week we're having a bit of a rest and then next week, the big one. The start of the Evolv Winter Bouldering League is nearly upon us meaning a Friday night of new problems and challenging yourself on a new set of Berghaus Competition Wall blocs. Read more about the 1st round on the website here.

In the shop we've had a Winter delivery from Marmot and E9. The E9 stuff is very exclusive, being only available in around half a dozen stores in the UK so keep an eye out on the website if you're a non-local. Once we've sold out, that it! It is gone. No possibility of re-ordering it.

With just over a month to our 5th birthday, it is also time to let you know that our big birthday party will be on Friday 9th December in Sheffield. We will release more details in the next week, including how you can get your FREE ticket to this massive climbing party.

If the clocks changing, the dark evenings and the drop in temperatures aren't your thing and maybe you're looking to sunnier climates or just needing that little bit of psyche, then check out the video below from Outcrop Films. Tomorrow I Will Be Gone is the documentary of 8 weeks of climbing in the bouldering paradise that is the Rocklands. Featuring some of the UK's biggest bouldering WAD's, it has received over 12,000 views in 4 days. Grab yourself a cup of tea and get psyched:

A Security Notice

2011-10-20T16:21:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we had something happen for the very first time. A theft from The Climbing Works. We've been open nearly 5 years and we've never before had a confirmed theft in here. Yesterday somebody came in, went through some peoples bags, and left with 2 phones. The Climbing Works is deeply unhappy with this and really hope it was someone who managed to avoid our reception staff and not a member (or guest). If we find anyone stealing in The Climbing Works we will bring the full force of the law to bear and make sure that person finds themselves very much in the s##t.

We try to hard to provide a safe, comfortable and friendly atmosphere. Sometimes this can be disrupted by external forces. We'll try and re-balance this by coming up with some more security options for our customers. In the meantime if you have anything valuable please use one of our lockers that are free to use. Even better leave it at home or in your car.

We want to bring this to the attention of our customers because it is not fun when personal things get stolen. We, as a business, like to be nice. If we find someone stealing, we will not be nice.

Come the Season, Come the Blocs....

2011-10-17T15:24:00.003+01:00

We're pretty good at changing the problems in here, usually setting a new circuit every week. The one thing a few people have mentioned is that we've not set a really hard Yellow circuit in a while. Well those people can now rest easy as this morning we stripped the old Yellows and Percy & the Enigma have started setting. Until Thursday (when the rest will be set) you have 10 blocs to test yourself on. At the moment I think 2 of them have got done by any of the testers....that's a good sign. If you're here on Thursday and are trying the new Yellows you'll probably be glad to read that the Clinic physio team will be here from 7.30-9pm. I'm sure they will be able to sort out that tweaky elbow that you just got from pulling too hard on a rubbish, yellow, hold.

Looking forward a few weeks we have the Evolv Winter Bouldering League starting on the 11th November. To prepare for this Percy has been busy in his shed building some new volumes to set on the Berghaus competition wall. As you can see below there are some interesting shapes....

As he has built some new volumes, we have retired a few older ones. They're not in the greatest shape but with a little bit of love and care (and maybe some sandpaper) you could have yourself a Climbing Works volume to train on for the Winter ; ) One volume will cost you £10. Email info@climbingworks.com or give us a call if interested.

The big pile of old volumes

New Black Circuit

2011-10-12T14:58:00.002+01:00

There is a new Black circuit going up as I write so by this evening you should have 40 (or thereabouts) new blocs in the Font 6a range to test yourself on. Next week see's the Yellow circuit come down so for those who like their holds small and their problems brick hard....next Friday is the day to look forward too.

Other dates for your diary include the next FREE physio session brought to you by The Clinic. It will be held on Thursday 20th October from 7.30 to 9pm. If you have any aches and pains this is a great way to get an expert opinion on them.

If you've got kids, friends or family sitting around over October half-term you should check out our range of bouldering sessions going on over the week of the 24-29th October. There's something for just about everyone.

Reel Rock Tour Review

2011-10-03T15:32:00.001+01:00

The day after the night before.

For the 2nd year running we sold every available space for the Reel Rock Tour. This year though we had sold all 250 tickets by Sunday morning meaning an afternoon of our staff telling disappointed people over the phone that there would be no availability on the door. Even with this notice, some people still turned up hoping to get in and not being an evil climbing wall (well, not that evil) we managed to fit everyone in for the nights show.

And what a show. A collection of films that left the crowd laughing, open mouthed and stunned at some of the footage. From the top of an 8,000m Himalayan peak in Winter to back flips on a highline slackline in the Moab desert, the Reel Rock Tour once again showcased the people doing some of the most extra-ordinary things in adventure climbing.

There are further shows happening in Dublin, Bristol & London over the next few months and if you live anywhere the screenings, get those tickets early as you won't be disappointed.

We also held a raffle last night in aid of the community AED that we hope to install in the next few months. We're busy counting up the cash from it so a huge thanks to everyone who contributed and a massive thanks to Berghaus for supplying the raffle prizes.

If you missed out....you'll just have to wait till 2012. In the meantime those who were there can revisit the nights highlights by watching the trailer again:

Reel Rock Countdown

2011-09-29T15:03:00.000+01:00

The Berghaus supported 2011 Reel Rock Tour is only days away and this morning we received some fantastic outdoor goodies from Berghaus for the raffle. All the monies raised on Sunday will go towards a community AED that The Climbing Works is leading the way in bringing to our local area.

So what will you get if you win in the raffle. Well the top prizes are 6 x Berghaus Taulus Rucksacks worth £100 each - perfect for any outdoor person or activity. On top of that we'll also be having a number of run-up prizes and some giveaways. If that wasn't enough to tempt you we'll also be having some perfect Sunday evening refreshments and of course one fantastic film to show.

Get your tickets online or at reception to avoid disappointment. We are expecting a sell out so don't be leaving it till the last moment to get them. Doors open at 8pm (we'll be open as normal 10am to 8pm on Sunday) and the film will start at 8.30pm.

Sunny Sheffield

2011-09-28T12:14:00.000+01:00

The Sun is shining and the windows are open in The Climbing Works as we enjoy this amazing late Indian Summer (though technically we haven't had a frost yet). September & October are always a special time in the Peak District with the potential to do some late season limestone or early grit, bouldering or routes.

If you're unlucky enough to work 9-5pm then the dark evenings can curtail any fun but we're always busy to make sure you have fresh blocs to climb in here. Tomorrow will see a new blue circuit go up and next week the Berghaus Competition wall will get reset so you only have the weekend to finish off any remaining projects. Watch this video of some of the problems if you're in need of some beta.

This weekend also brings the UK premiere of the Berghaus supported Reel Rock Tour to the Works. This is our 3rd year hosting it and it has always been a huge success. All the 2011 films have never been shown before and many will only be available on the Reel Rock Tour (no YouTube or DVD options here). I've been lucky enough to have watched the films already - got to make sure the DVD works - and there is some absolute crackers in there. You will undoubtedly leave the Works shaking your head at some of the brilliance, madness & outright stupidity that is on show.
We'll also be having our infamous raffle on the night, raising money for a community AED so bring your wallet with you. Tour Tickets are only £6 / 6.50 and are selling fast so make sure you order them asap and come to The Climbing Works this Sunday for a very unique evening. Still not sure? Watch the trailer below and change your mind...

What was Percy up to in Ireland recently?

2011-09-23T19:47:00.003+01:00

Well Graeme decided to check it out for himself and it appears that Doc's been busy (to quote Kurt Russel).

Along with The Longy, The Lamey, The Pirate and The Pickles, the other Directors of Gravity Climbing Ang, Ricky and Nige (with some other helpers) have been creating what will by Irish standard's is feckin' unbelieveable. And by Climbing Works standard's, well it is rather big don't you know old bean.

Expected to be open in middish-October Gravity Climbing will by vying for the title of Best Bouldering Wall in the British Isles.

More updates to follow soon.

The Evolv Winter Bouldering League

2011-09-19T17:12:00.000+01:00

The infamous, arm-sapping, ever brilliant Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League returns in November for its 5th consecutive year. This year it is being supported by Evolv who are bringing shoe demo's, spot prizes & £250 cash (split evenly between M/F on 1 special problem) for each round. All the info you need is below, so get the dates down in your diary and start training!

4 ROUNDS:
Friday 11th November 2011
Friday 16th December 2011
Friday 13th January 2012
Friday 17th February 2012

Time: 18:00 - 22:00
Cost: Normal entry to wall plus £2.00 for a score card

WHAT TO EXPECT:
- 25 problems newly set on the Berghaus Competition Wall for the competition.
- A £250 cash fund attached to 2 problems (1 Male & 1 Female - £125 each) for each round. The prize money will be split according to the number of combined people who complete the problem.
- Spot prizes from Evolv
- Evolv boot demos
- Live music from the decks from Sam and his cohorts
- Open to all, young & old. Please note the problems will be set for adults and no youth blocs will be set, they will compete on the same set as Adults

The competition wall will be open for competitors ONLY on the night but the rest of The Climbing Works will be open as usual.

Emergency Service Competition Round Up

2011-09-08T13:56:00.001+01:00

Thursday 25th August was a day of two competitions at The Climbing Works, in the morning we held our annual Young Climbers Festival for climbers aged 7 - 15 years and later on that evening we held the Yorkshire Emergency Services competition, for all emergency and NHS staff operating in the local area.

With most of the teams registering on the day, the number of participants taking part in this friendly competition was left unknown until the evening of the event. Amazingly 9 teams turned up representing the police, ambulance, A+E, medical physics and imaging and Hull fire brigade (who actually had never climbed before and wanted to come down for a laugh).

Hull Fire Brigade with honourable member Tom Greenall (Climbing Works Coach)

The competition format was set up so that it included climbs for beginners, intermediates and those who are seen training regularly on the wall. Each competitor had 30 climbs to attempt and complete in 2 hours and received points depending on the difficulty of the problem and how many attempts it took them to complete.

The atmosphere in the wall was full of high spirits with friendly competitive banter between the teams and everyone was out to have fun and help raise money towards a community Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The AED will be situated outside the gates of The Centenary Works and available for anyone in the local community. (Read why an AED is important for the community)

Above: The Police taking it nice and steady. Below: Everyone else taking it a bit more seriously!

After 2 hours of climbing, the scores were added up and a final problems chosen for the top 3 male and female competitors. The format for the final was "last man/women standing" each competitor had to climb the problem selected and if they didn't make it to the top then the competition was over for them. With arms pumped and fingers failing from the amount of climbing already achieved it was a tight final. Battling it out for the men was Chris Moran (The Police), Rich Griffiths (A+E) and Chris Lamare (A+E). While for the women's final there Jill Van Der Meulem (Medical Physics), Bridget Lightfoot (Ambulance) and Sarah Messenger (A+E).

RESULTS
Male
1st - Chris Lamare (A+E)
2nd - Rich Griffiths (A+E)
3rd - Chris Moran (Police)

Female
1st - Sarah Messanger (A+E)
2nd - Jill Van Der Meulem (Medical Physics)
3rd - Bridget Lightfoot (Ambulance)

Team
1st - Accidental Emergencies (A+E)
2nd - Five O (Police)
3rd - Hot Fuzz (Police)
4th - Mimp Gimps (Medical Physics and Imaging)
5th - Urban Badges - (Ambulance)
6th - Hotel 24 (Fire)
7th - Bozo + Crow (Ambulance)
8th - Middlewood Ambulance (Ambulance)
9th - Richmound Cragrats (Ambulance)


A member of the winning team Accidental Emergencies


Chris Lamare overall male winner

We managed to raise £250 on the competition night and with The Climbing Works Cheese's deciding to match the money raised so we now have £500 to put towards the new AED, however we still need to raise £700 more so if you would like to help and donate some money then there is a collection box at the front of reception.

A BIG thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the evening happen and a special thank you to Jim who came up with the initial idea and organised the event.

Jim: Local paramedic and organiser

The Reel Rock Tour 2011

2011-09-06T10:54:00.000+01:00

The 6th Reel Rock Tour returns to The Climbing Works for its 3rd year in a row. A complete sell-out in 2010 we're excited once again to show some of the most ground-breaking films within climbing in 2011. This is the ONLY UK showing for this superb collection of films. The trailer for this years show has just been released and you can view it below:

Tickets are available from The Climbing Works reception and online and are a lot cheaper than a night at your local cinema. You can also see the full programme and trailer on the Works website here.One thing we can definitely guarantee is that the Reel Rock Tour never fails to impress. Make sure you don't miss out and get your tickets today.
We'll also be having our famous raffle on the night with some great prizes on offer.

From Reel Rock:
Sender Films and Big UP Productions are bringing audiences a mind-blowing, palm-sweating pump-fest of climbing flicks for the 6th annual REEL ROCK Film Tour. We've gathered the wildest climbing stories from around the globe: The legendary race for The Nose speed record; A nine year old bouldering prodigy; Tommy Caldwell's efforts on the hardest big wall free climb; A crazed high-lining champion; The most insane ice climbing action ever and more. It's all part of the cinematic tour de force that is REEL ROCK VI.

Young Climbers Festival 2011

2011-09-02T11:57:00.013+01:00

Last Thursday we held our annual Young Climbers Festival, a fun competition for all climbers aged 7 - 15 years who have either taken part on our summer holiday courses or who climb regularly at The Works.

This year festival proved as popular as ever with all the places being booked up before the closing date. Parents have even started to arrange their holidays around the event and one family cut their summer holiday short so that they would be back in time for the festival.

Before the event took place a new circuit was set by Percy, Michelle and Claire. 30 new problems ranging from 3 - 6c+ were put up around the centre and had to include climbs for tiny 7 year old beginners to 14/15 year old that can climb better then most adults! This was quite a difficult task as even the smallest route setters were struggling to set climbs for the small.

one of our smaller competitors

Early in the morning of the 25th August all the competitors arrived, some excited, others nervous and a few who looked like they still wanted to be in bed! To warm them up, wake them up and shake off the nerves the instructors ran some fun warm up games.

fun games to shake off the nerves

The competitors were then put into smaller groups selected by age and ability. They then had 2 hours to complete 10 - 15 climbs selected from the new circuit that were suitable for their groups ability. The climbs this year were pretty tough and consisted of dyno's, balance problems, arete's and the competition wall. All the young climbers showed great enthusiasm and perseverance on the difficult climbs and encouraged others on.

one of the harder problems set

a young competitor concentrating on this balance problem

competitor showing determination

a tricky arete

one group helping each other out on a difficult climb

a face of concentration

Dyno!!

After 2 hours of climbing the scores were added up and prizes (which were kindly donated by Berghaus) were given to the tired competitors. Awards were given to the top 3 places as well as runner ups. There were also spot prizes awarded to those who showed some amazing climbing skills and helped encourage others.

Berghaus awards being given out

happy competitors with their Berghaus YCF t-shirts

By 12pm another successful YCF was over, all competitors went home happy and looking forward to next years event. For all those parents out there who would like their children to participate next year, keep the last Thursday of August 2012 free.

Also big thank you to all the instructors and route setters who made the day possible and to Berghaus for sponsoring the event.

Numbers

2011-09-01T13:40:00.000+01:00

The start of September has always been (for me at least) a time to look back at the Summer just gone and look forward to what the Autumn & Winter will bring. It seems also an appropriate time to take this view for The Climbing Works as the evenings get ever shorter and the tees & shorts combo gets replaced by something a bit longer.

Looking back on the year so far we've had a pretty interesting 9 months. Numbers don't always tell the full story but they are a useful start when reflecting, so it's worth mentioning some key ones. As of the 31st Aug we have set over 1200 problems, from Font 3 to 8+ we've always aimed to make each bloc a good one. In August The Climbing Works welcomed its 20,000 member and its 350,000 visitor. Both nice milestones indeed, especially as we head towards our 5th birthday in December. Numbers of course can only ever tell a part of the story, they can never tell the madness, and fun, of the CWIF, or the crazy couple of weeks building the new Berghaus Competition Wall.

So as we head towards the end part of this year what do you have to look forward too within The Climbing Works? For starters we'll have the return of the infamous Winter Bouldering League (this year sponsored by Evolv), the only UK showing of the Reel Rock Tour 2011, plenty of new circuits and new shop stock from Moon, Prana, E9 and Blurr. We'll also have our 5th birthday party in early December.....expect a big one.

As of the present, today the Bishton and the Enigma are currently setting new problems on the Berghaus Competition Wall with it all finished by tomorrow. As you can see below they're only going to use small holds and make them really basic, simple, problems....or maybe not.

The Reel Rock Tour 2011

2011-08-31T13:33:00.000+01:00

The superb Reel Rock Tour returns to The Climbing Works on Sunday 3rd October 2011. For alot less than a night at the normal cinema you'll get some of the most amazing climbing footage of the last 12 months.

This is our 3rd year hosting the event (and the 6th overall Reel Rock Tour) and every time it gets ever more impressive. In 2010 we sold out on the night with a big crowd enjoying the brilliant collection of climbing films and The Climbing Works own special raffle.

For this, the sixth annual film tour, co-founders Sender Films and Big UP Productions are back taking audiences to the edge of what’s possible. From climbing the world’s most difficult frozen falls, to the hardest big wall free climb and crazed highline antics, these heart pounding tales of superhuman skills will leave audiences open mouthed and wanting more. In 2010, Reel Rock was screened in over 200 locations world-wide, drew over 55,000 audience members, raised money for good causes and won critical acclaim.

You can find out more about the Reel Rock films and purchase tickets online by going to our website. You can also purchase tickets at The Climbing Works reception desk from today. We're making more seats available this year but get your tickets early to avoid any disappointment.

Thornbridge Outdoor TOPS weekend

2011-08-23T15:22:00.000+01:00

A little bit of information from Thornbridge Outdoors:

On Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th September 2011 Thornbridge Outdoors is running a weekend of courses and workshops called the Thornbridge Outdoors Peak Skills (TOPS) weekend at our main centre near Bakewell in the Peak District.

The event has been designed for both those who work in the outdoors and those who do outdoor activities in their free time to have the opportunity to undertake a range of training in a single weekend.

The following workshops/courses are available:

BMC FUNdamentals of Climbing 1 with Ian Dunne
BMC FUNdamentals of Climbing 2 with Ian Dunne
‘The Environment’ for Outdoor Leaders with Jim Langley
Climbing and Crag Photography with Alex Ekins
Outdoor Photography with Alex Ekins
‘Turbo SPA’ with Peak Mountain Training
Leave No Trace with Sara Turner
‘Lumps, Bumps & Overused Needles’ - Coaching Navigation with Peak Mountain Training
‘Outdoor activities for people with disabilities’ with Phil Booth of Dukes Barn
ITC Outdoor First Aid
MLTE Single Pitch Award training
MLTE Single Pitch Award assessment

For more details about the courses/workshops, including booking forms please go to www.topsweekend.co.uk.
Places on the courses/workshops are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Some of the workshops are suitable for members of the MLTA, AMI and BAIML to accrue CPD credits.

Bed and breakfast accommodation is available on both Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd September in the shared bedrooms in our self-catering units.

If you only wish to attend a workshop on one of the two days why not make a weekend of it and go walking, climbing, biking or caving here on the other day?

Accommodation is also available for accompanying friends and family, whether they are attending a course or workshop or not – enabling lift sharing.

Hopefully most questions can be answered by visiting www.topsweekend.co.uk, but if you have any further questions please email topsweekend@thornbridgeoutdoors.co.uk or call 01629 640491.

The Return of the Scarpa Stix

2011-08-02T16:24:00.000+01:00

The Scarpa Stix was a well received addition to the Scarpa climbing range a few years ago. A technical slipper it quickly gained fans from some of the UK's leading climbers (Dave MacLeod review on Rock&Run & UKClimbing review) and was a firm favourite in The Climbing Works with customers, staff and the Cheeses (Percy & Sam loved them).

A technical slipper though is a hard sell to the vast majority of climbers and UK shops so after a few years the Scarpa Stix disappeared from the these shores. This just happened to be at that point where it was starting to get a loyal following.

Well, after a year or so of chatting to Scarpa we've managed to get ourselves a pallet load of Stix for our shop because we think they're one of the best technical shoes around.

These beauties are now back in stock online and instore and a great choice for climbing at The Climbing Works and outdoors. They're stiff enough to stand on very small edges, the addition of XSGrip 2 makes them even stickier when clawing at holds on overhangs and the slipper fit makes it perfect for getting on and off when bouldering. At £85 they're also one of the cheapest high end technical shoe you will find on the market.

Read more about them at The Climbing Works shop>>

Berghaus Competition Wall Reset

2011-07-21T13:39:00.000+01:00

Percy, The Enigma & UF are currently resetting the Berghaus Competition wall today. There will be enough on there for everyone to have a play at tonight with more problems going up tomorrow.

As you can see above there are some interesting new volumes going up on the wall. Those who were at Cliffhanger will recognise them from the Finals. Now you get the chance to feel just had bad those slopers were on Mens #2 bloc (and then remember they on a 30 degree wall and not just a flat one).

If you weren't at Cliffhanger, or maybe not even sure what the event is, check out the video below which is an overview of the whole weekend (you can even see some of the above volumes in it too).

You can also see the above volumes in the offical video report of the Sheffield round of the Bouldering World Cup:

We've had a busy couple of weeks with new circuits going up, changes in colours and grades and the arrival of new holds. To make some sense of it you can view the latest up to date circuit topo online here>>

Another New Delivery

2011-07-19T14:21:00.005+01:00

The Climbing Works has received yet another delivery this week and this one will hopefully make cyclists very happy.

There is now another reason for you to hop on your bike and cycle to The Climbing Works, not only do you enjoy a FREE cup of tea or coffee for your efforts and peace of mind that you are helping to save the environment but now you have a brand new bike rack.

Thanks to JB our resident French man, we now have more secure storage spaces for all your unicycles, tandems and penny farthings.

Resident French work experience lad JB fitting the bike racks

If you left anything on the old rack (locks / bikes) then you can collect it from reception

Out with the Old, In with the Blue

2011-07-14T12:26:00.000+01:00

A new delivery this week has led to a slight change of plans to our setting of circuits this week. It will also lead to a change in colour / grading for 2 of our most popular circuits.

The delivery of a new set of blue holds from Axis has Percy & UF smiling (yes, Percy does smile occasionally) as they create 'interesting' blocs with this new range. This circuit will replace the old red circuit in the grade range of Font 6b-7a. To confuse you even more, next week the reds will go back up...but as an easy circuit.

a lot of blue

What this also means is that the planned Berghaus Comp Wall change will be delayed for a week so giving you a little more time to send your projects.

Everyone confused? Excellent. Push on.

Yorkshire Emergency Services Bouldering Competition (Y.E.S Comp)

2011-07-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

Some of you may have already seen our information about the friendly bouldering competition the YAS (Yorkshire Ambulance Services) are organising at The Climbing Works. This is open to all emergency services and NHS staff in Yorkshire but in case you missed it here are a few details for you !

The event is all about having fun and enjoying some friendly competition, however behind this there is a more serious reason which is to raise money for a community Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

In February this year one of our team wound up in hospital after collasping in the centre. There was nothing out of the ordinary that day, it was a typical busy Sunday afternoon and while trying really hard to complete one of Sam's tricky roof problems, they collasped and stopped breathing. Luckily one of our Manager's friends is a junior doctor and he rushed to the rescue and started CPR.

In hospital the cardiac team diagnosed a rare but serious heart syndrome that can cause Arrhythmias, which are irregular rhythms that can causes sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Here are some scary figures about SCA:

Associated syndromes kill 250 people in Britain each day

They can happen to anyone regardless of age or fitness as it’s caused by interference of electro signals from the brain to the heart, not from heart disease.

If someone suffers SCA due to an arrhythmia they only have a 5% chance of surviving the event out of hospital as shock is the only method to reset the hearts rhythm.

Due to some amazing technology, our little lady has been fitted with an Internal Defibrillator monitoring her heart rythm. In the event of another attack this will step in where our on hand George Clooney did that Sunday afternoon to restore regular heart rythm. Suffers of SCA can have their chances of survival dramatically increased if there is an AED on hand as survival is decreasing by 10% every minute they are waiting for paramedics.

Climbing Works member and local paramedic Jim Wansley supplied some information about community AED, this is a defibrillator device that is accessible for anyone in the community, the device is automated giving instructions to anyone using it (so no training necessary), it is also very sophisticated and will monitor the patient’s statistics only supplying a shock if required.

With climbing walls, gymnastics clubs, martial arts and many businesses around the Little London Road area a community AED would be a really beneficial piece of first aid and could potentially be the difference between a near miss and a serious situation.

The cost of the AED and security box will coast around £1,200. To help raise a bit of money towards this The Climbing Works will be putting all entrance fees from the competition towards buying an AED, we will also have a collection bucket on the night for spectators to donate.

If you are part of an emergency service and would like to submit a team please email michelle@climbingworks.com or call 0114 250 990

Our Biggest Fan(s)

2011-07-05T13:21:00.000+01:00

It's Summer, it's hot and humid, climbing indoors is sometimes not the most pleasant of experiences but you need your fix so you head indoors and watch your body sweat and skin fall apart. Not nice is it.

If you've been to the Works in the last week you may have noticed some rather large new additions to the interior walls. If you haven't noticed them, you certainly will next time you come in. As you can see from the photos below we've installed 2 rather large new fans into the center.

These have now been wired up and been turned on and have already made a noticeable difference to the temperature in the centre. They are designed to create an airflow within The Climbing Works and so keep the humidity down and your psyche levels up. They are also not very noisy so after about 5mins they'll just disappear into the background noise.

Since the New Year we've built a new Berghaus Competition Wall, held one of the biggest climbing festivals in the UK, set over 900 problems, put down new carpets, bought new holds, sponsored Cliffhanger festival (to a tune of 10k) and installed 2 new fans to help you stay comfortable in this warm Summer spell. This is where your extra 50p (minus VAT) entrance fee has gone towards. We'll endeavour to keep providing you the best possible climbing wall for you to enjoy.

Cliffhanger This Weekend

2011-06-30T18:14:00.000+01:00

Cliffhanger returns this weekend to Millhouses Park in Sheffield. Undoubtedly one of the premier outdoor pursuits events in the UK, Cliffhanger provides an adrenaline fix for anyone interested in the outdoors. For climbers the highlight is undoubtedly the IFSC Bouldering World Cup event. Last year Adam Ondra put on a display that left most of the crowd shaking their heads in disbelief. This year who will step up to the plate to replace him? Will the strong British contingent use home crowd advantage to the full? Make sure to visit Cliffhanger this weekend for all the answers.

The Climbing Works will also have a presence at Cliffhanger this weekend with a coaching wall that will be situated behind the main Competition wall. You can find out all the details on the website here>>

We'll also be helping the Sunday night go out with a bang with an after party at the Broadfield pub. DJ Gallup and Gusenator will be on the decks from 8pm to midnight. Post Cliffhanger and pre-party you can also relax at, and enjoy, the Basecamp area at Cliffhanger.

Remember The Climbing Works will be CLOSED ALLDAY on Saturday, reopening on Sunday at 1pm (till 8pm as normal).

Peak Bouldering Guide 2011 Now in Stock

2011-06-14T13:18:00.000+01:00

The 1st edition has been out of print since late last Summer and the Sheffield climbing population have been waiting with baited breath for the new edition.....and now it's here.

Dan the little man, who pre-ordered his copy, gets it personally delivered by the boss of Vertebrate Jon Barton

Now on our shelves

Delivered by Vertebrate Graphics this afternoon, we now have the book in stock and online. It's a massive book and one which is a huge step up from the original. All this is not surprising seeing that the first guide came out in 2005 and to say that bouldering has exploded since then is a little bit of an understatement....(as I write this sitting in the office of the World's biggest bouldering wall). It will take you to many new crags, lead to many grade debates and get you psyched for the grit & limestone. Beautiful photos, excellent topos and a huge range of grades means that this should be in every serious boulderer's collection. If you're small it might even help in reaching some of the starting holds too...

The blurb from the guys behind the book:

New crags have been added, including several which have never been fully documented in guides before, such as: the Derwent Edges, Bamford and Birchen Edge on the Eastern Edges; Beeley Hilltop, the Matlock Quarries, Turning Stone Edge and Black Rocks in the southern Peak; Gradbach Hill, Wolf Edge, New Mills Torrs, Tintwistle Knarr and Black Tor in the western and northern Peak; and Blackwell Dale, the Alport crags and Dove Dale on the limestone crags. The Churnet Valley bouldering has also been updated.

This guide features over 3,300 boulder problems on over 70 crags, both major and minor. Catering for boulderers of all abilities, there are over 2,150 boulder problems below Font 7a, and over 1,150 problems at Font 7a and above. Problems and their grades have been checked and double checked by many dedicated local climbers, with experience at all grades, to ensure as great an accuracy as possible across the grade range.

Beanfever

2011-06-13T10:49:00.003+01:00

A busy night last night with a load of folks from The Climbing Works turning out to support the BeanFever lecture in Grindleford, which was held to help raise funds for Bean Bowers and his fight against cancer. It was a great night with lectures from the mad monk of Grit - Adam Long, a fascinating insight in how to amuse yourself in a small tent during prolonged periods of rain by Ben Bransby, and a masterclass in how to swear whilst trapped in a rainsoaked portaledge by Leo Houlding and Jason Pickles. They also talked about climbing a little bit.

As the auctioneer, I managed to bully plenty of people into parting with their cash throughout the evening - highlights being flogging a broken childrens bicycle donated and signed by Johnny Dawes to a bewildered Leo, who was even more suprised than the rest of the audience that such a pile of junk should cost him £135! The lady who bid for the 'services' of Ben Bransby for half a day seemed particularly pleased with her purchase, as did Big Marv who managed to secure the services of Dave Simmonite for a half day photoshoot - lets just hope Dave's good at climbing trees!

All in all, a cracking nights entertainment which has raised a good deal of cash for Bean (almost certainly well in excess of £2500 according to early estimates) although there's still plenty of time to donate if you couldn't make it last night. Just go to the BeanFever website, and donate online.

A Warm Summers Day

2011-06-02T16:44:00.000+01:00

The 1st of June is the official start of Summer and just like that the weather has decided to play ball with the temperature's rising and the Sun coming out to play.

An early start today setting the new Pink circuit meant that the boys missed the rising temps while setting but means they are currently testing their new creations in perfect shorts weather.

On that note, if you've been caught unaware of the warming temps then check out the selection of Shorts on the website or instore. We've got some limited edition E9, the classic Prana Mojo short and the local, longstanding favourite, Moon Cypher short.

For the ladies we have the lightweight and absolute classic E9 Andrea Pant (which always sells out even with large stock numbers) and a range of tops that are perfect for bouldering in. A staff favourite being the Prana Sabin Racer Tee.
Get all these online and instore before the temps get too hot.

New Campus Board Guidelines

2011-05-25T17:38:00.000+01:00

The BMC have produced some new guidance on the use of Campus Boards and it makes for very interesting reading. The simple guidelines can be read here while the detailed article outlining some of the evidence behind these Campus Board guidelines can be read on the BMC website here. This should be read by everyone, from parents to experienced climbers, as it is an eye opener for U18's and adults alike.

We've put the guidelines up beside the Campus Board

Wall Changes, The Clinic and New Bouldering Film Trailer

2011-05-23T15:52:00.000+01:00

A couple of noticeable changes in The Climbing Works this morning. The Wasp circuit has came down with a new one to be finished by this Friday. We've also revamped the Volumes wall a little which you can see from the photos below. Until the new Wasp circuit goes up you'll just have to climb the 10 other circuits and the 35 problems on the Berghaus Competition Wall, topos of which are now available from the website news pages.

The old wall with the massive Yellow volume on it

The big space left behind from taking it down

And the new Blue volume gone up in its place. This meant resetting all the problems that went through the old volume so you now have a range of blocs using this feature. Some are completely changed, some have had tweaks.

This week coming sees The Clinic Physio return on Thursday night from 7.30pm. If you have any annoying niggles, this is the time to come get some FREE advice.

If you've been on the web this morning you might have already seen the 1st trailer for the new UK Bouldering film that is currently being made. Outcrop films are the team behind it (they also did some of our CWIF films) and from this trailer, this looks like its going to be a cracker of a movie.

Mo' Problems

2011-05-20T13:01:00.001+01:00

In the last week we've been getting back to setting some new problems. Yesterday a new 40 bloc (5+ to 6b'ish) Purple circuit went up, while earlier in the week the Berghaus Competition wall received 31 new blocs with another 4 going on this morning courtesy of Sam. The Berghaus Competition wall now has a topo on the mats underneath it or you can have a look on the website here to see what grade 'that problem you got shut down on' was. Those doing the math will figure out that all this equals 75 new problems in the last 7 days from Font 4 to 7c+. Not bad if we do say so ourselves.

Also this week we have reset one of the kids boulders, with the other being reset in the next 2 weeks. There was also a very successful FiveTen shoe demo and a very psyched Adult Improver's challenge night. Next week see's the return of the Clinic to The Climbing Works so if you have any niggling injuries, come down next Thursday to get them checked for FREE.

We also twitter'd and put on the website about the BeanFever lecture night. A heady lineup of climbing lectures all in the aid of a very good cause. Get your tickets at The Climbing Works for this (bound to be) brilliant night.

Finally, if you've had a long week and want a break from work / a bit of psyche for the weekend, check out the bouldering video's below for a bit of action from places 'far from the norm'. The first one is our own mild mannered coach Dave Mason crushing at Fairhead in Norn Iron while the second is Dan (Beastmaker) Varian checking out the delights of Torridon in Scotland

The Latest

2011-05-17T11:55:00.000+01:00

Last week Percy and Longy ran the BMC National Routesetters course here at The Climbing Works and at The Foundry. Percy give them a blank Berghaus Competition wall and got the upcoming, routesetting, young guns to set on it under his watchful, intimidating, eyes.

This week you get to climb on these (20 blocs) and another dozen giving you a comp wall set that are a little harder than usual. There will be a topo on the mat by Wednesday afternoon.
For those WADs looking for a bit of stamina you get a F8b+ traverse that will get all but the fittest faltering and welcoming the soft red mats underneath the wall.

Back on the main walls we've got the Purple circuit coming down today with a new one going back up by the end of the week. Also getting a re-set is the kids boulder with Michelle and Dave stripping and setting one of the blocs today with the other getting changed at a later date.

Tomorrow night, Wed 18th May, we will be hosting a FiveTen shoe demo. This is your chance to try out shoes from across the 5.10 range. You can get a pair of technical tens and wear them all night to test their effect on your feet, or mix and match to find that perfect pair. It's a great opportunity to really find the right pair of climbing shoes for you. Starts at 6.30pm and goes on till closing so make sure you get down.

On Sunday, Dave Mason will selling a whole load of Moon sample's. These are sometimes unique items (never went into production) and some may be current season but all are at an amazing price.
Sunday 22nd May at the Works from Noon.
Trousers and hoodys- £15
Shorts and tees- £10
Women's softshell jacket-£30

Routesetting

2011-05-11T21:38:00.000+01:00

The last couple of weeks have been all about routesetting for me........ Actually, my whole working life has been about routesetting, but recently its been more on my mind than usual. Last week I was in Slovenia working as Chief routesetter for the IFSC bouldering world cup in Log Dragomer. It was a very cool competition, and I had a great team of guys helping me to set some proper filth. Your Honour, I give you exhibit A (a film from Udo Neumann)

Watch out for the spectacular fall around the 4 minute mark that really enforces the fact that bouldering is a dangerous sport!o) (She was fine, and got back up for another go, by the way!)

This week though, I'm working with Mr Long teaching a bunch of reprobates how to set for competitions for the BMC National Routesetters course - bouldering with me at the Works, and Lead climbing with Mr Long at some place called The Foundry. Never heard of it.

Next week, I might get down off my high horse and actually do a bit setting for everybody at The Works to enjoy instead, you never know.......

Percy

Cheeses on Tour

2011-05-08T15:35:00.002+01:00

Percy has been giving the Boulder World Cup competitors in Slovenia a right good seeing to but they had a few surprises up their sleeves that left even Percy flabbergasted for once.

In the women's semi Percy's blushes were spared by Anna Stohr who realised that not even Percy would put 2 massive volumes on for no reason at all - the rest of the women had tried to avoid the volumes with a massive horizontal dyno.

In the men's semi the 1st problem involved a relativelyy simple hand traverse on wooden volumes. The climbers couldn't work it out so instead lots of them decided on a ridiculous sideways dyno that even after CWIF hero Jernej Kruder had succeeded in holding the dyno Percy still said it wasn't possible.

Graeme has been busy ensuring that everything runs smoothly, an easy job in Slovenia where the organisers have World Cups evry year for the last 15. So I have had to satisfy myself with getting in the way of the cameras - apparently my backside has been obscuring the view - something I find hard to believe as I am not exactly known for being over-weight. The finals will be stating in a couple of hours, it's chucking down at the moment but the boulders and the audience are dry thanks to the enormous tent.

Stew Watson was oh so close to getting into the final, just failing to campus to the finishing 'jug' on problem 3. Twice!!!! Gutted for him. But 9th is still a great result.

Going On's

2011-05-05T13:37:00.000+01:00

The long Easter holidays have come and gone and for most its back to the grindstone of work and play. At the works we try to combine the two as much as possible, while the whole idea of public holidays mean little in here (got to stay open to give you lot something to do when you're off work). This all means that if you've not been down much in the last few weeks there is alot to go at.

How much you say? Well in the last month we've set 217 new problems!!! That's a new Purple/Pink spots, Green, Blues, Reds (on new holds) circuits, plus a new Berghaus Comp Wall set and going up today, a whole new Green Spotty circuit. That is alot of problems!!

Not content with all that, this weekend is your last chance to climb this Berghaus Comp Wall set (which has only been up for 3 weeks) as they are all disappearing on Tuesday due to a BMC routesetters course being held at The Climbing Works next week. Also on the Berghaus Comp wall at the moment is a traverse of the whole wall that comes in at a heady F8b+!

While talking about routes its worth mentioning our very own mild mannered MD Sam Whittaker who in the last week managed to send his project at Malham, Unjustified, F8c. Not content with that, in the week after he ticked an 8b, 8a+ and 2 8a's. Bouldering obviously ain't too bad for route climbing.

This week we've also uploaded another montage from The CWIF that was held in March. Very nice editing from Adam Bailes of Minus Ten productions:

Living' la Vida Voca

2011-05-02T19:55:00.004+01:00

Our Percy is over in Slovenia at the moment working as Chief Route Setter at the IFSC Bouldering World Cup that happens this weekend. They obviously love and respect him as much as we do because they've given him a car to drive around in.

He only has it on loan though and has to give it to the IFSC Technical Delegate when he (me) arrives on Thursday. Let's hope it doesn't end like this one.

(Note: no stupid North Easterners were hurt very much in the making of this photo)

Sheffield Secondary School Bouldering Festival Review

2011-04-13T11:43:00.000+01:00

Over the past few years The Climbing Works has worked closely with the Links School Sport Partnership in providing a bouldering taster package for pupils that may not necessary excel at team and traditional sports, giving them the opportunity to try a new “alternative” form of exercise. This prospect was available for primary, secondary and SEN schools in the Links area.

After 3 successful years with the Links partnership area and positive feedback from all schools that attended the events, we decided for 2011 that all Secondary schools in Sheffield would have the chance to participate. We were delighted to have schools from Forge, Arches and Points SSP all attend this year.

Emma Flaherty from Links SSP admiring the winner's plate

In the 3 preliminary sessions, which for most participants was the first time they had been bouldering; the climbers were taught the basic fundamentals of bouldering from our instructors, learning the safety aspects as well as climbing techniques, movement and route reading. They then put it all together in our friendly festival at the end of the course.

Participants being briefed before the competition started

Festival Format

20 climbs are selected from the over 400 already set problems, with grades ranging from Font 3 – 6b+. Each group has 1.5 hours to complete as many of the selected problems as possible.

Scoring

Participants receive 10 points if climb is completed on 1st attempt, 7 points on 2nd attempt, 5 points on 3rd attempt
Marked bonus hold where added after the crux move where if the participant couldn’t complete the climb but can hold the bonus they received 1 point

Rules

1) All climbers must start one hand on marked hold and finish two hands together in control on finishing hold (hold for 3 seconds) to complete the climb (unless stated otherwise)
2) As soon as the whole body leaves the floor, an attempt is counted
3) Climber must stick to single selected colour problems (unless stated otherwise)

The Results

Scores are added up for each individual and prizes given for the top 3 male and female individuals. The overall Title of “Secondary School Bouldering Champion” will be decided with the top 2 male and female scores from each school being added together.

Festival Day

This year 24 young competitors took part in the event, creating an excited and energetic atmosphere that was full of team spirit and perseverance as they cheered on fellow team mates and climbed each problem to the best of their ability.

Spectators watched amazed as the participants tackled the technical and strenuous problems with impressive determination, physical strength and incredible attitudes; highlighting the emphases of a fun and friendly festival.

At the end of the 1.5 hours of climbing the competitors scores were added up and prizes awarded. Teachers, participants and parents all went back to school in high spirits after having had a fun and enjoyable time at the festival.

A young climber attempting the big reach on one of the harder problems

Westfield's team working out the problems together

On lookers helping their team mate out with some helpful encouragement

A climber form Tapton showing great determination

Results for 2011 (for full results click here)

MALE
Position	Surname	First Name	School	Score
1st	Hall	Alex	Tapton	200
2nd	Lee	Ben	Tapton	197
3rd	Garner	Isaak	Tapton	194

Overall male winner; Alex Hall from Tapton making light work of all the problems, scoring a maximum 200 points by completing each climb on his first attempt

FEMALE
Position	Surname	First Name	School	Score
1st	Paharasingh	Kaliysha	Firth Park	171
2nd	Chamberlain	Chloe	Firth Park	161
3rd=	Borrowdale	Eva	Tapton	160
3rd=	Wilson	Skye	Westfield	160

Overall female winner; Kaliysha Paharasingh from Firth Park receiving her winner's medal from assistant British team coach David Mason

SCHOOL
Position	Surname	First Name	Score	Total
	Hall	Alex	200
1st	Lee	Ben	197	715
TAPTON	Borrowdale	Eva	160
	Creham	Megan	158
	Slimm	Matthew	148
2nd	O'Hagen	Dean	138	618
FIRTH PARK	Paharasingh	Kaliysha	171
	Chamberlain	Chloe	161
	Bristow	James	125
3rd	Brownett	Will	92	495
WESTFIELD	Wilson	Skye	160
	Morrice	Ellie	118

Overall school champions; Tapton with the winners trophy and all the helpers and instructors on the day

Taking Part 2012

If you are a primary, secondary or SEN school interested in taking part in the 2012 festivals, or a pupil who is a regular climber at The Climbing Works and would like to get your school involved please fill in form below so any information regarding the festival can be sent straight to your school.

We like to keep our prices as low as possible and offer the sessions and festival entrance at a cut price, in order to do this we rely heavily on funding and sponsorship. If you are a business and would like contribute towards the event then please get in contact by email: michelle@climbingworks.com

New Circuits, Adult Improvers & Physio Returns

2011-04-12T14:57:00.000+01:00

Last week we set a new Green circuit (Font 3-4) & Red circuit (6b-7a) that gave 80+ problems that just about gives everyone something new to try. This week we've stripped the Blues so by the end of the week we'll have another new easy circuit. Ideal if you're bringing your kids or introducing new friends to climbing over the Easter holidays.

Also during the Easter holidays we're doing a lot of different activities for little ones and families. Check out the website for a full list of going-on's.

Before the Easter holidays, we've got quite a few things going on this week starting with our re-freshed Adult Improver's session on Wednesday night. These are very popular for those new to the sport and rightly so as they provide an amazingly quick learning curve. This Wednesday is also the Advanced adult improver session with Lucinda Whittaker. Those operating in the Font 6c and above will definitely get something new from these sessions. Best of all, they're FREE.

Also FREE this week - the return of The Clinic Physio sessions at The Climbing Works. They'll be in their usual place beside the campus board from 7.30pm on Thursday. Read more details on our website.

Watch one of our Senior Coach's, Dave Mason, in this great little video from Outcrop Films

April Showers

2011-04-04T14:30:00.000+01:00

With the changing of the clocks and the move into Spring it's no surprise that we're getting April showers. So as you're running away from the crags due to the nasty rain, what will you get when you come visit The Climbing Works?

New last week we set 2 circuits in the Font 6a-6c'ish range. The Blacks will test your open hand strength while the Purple / Pink spots will most certainly get your fingers working. This morning we've taken down the old Greens and we'll have a new set going up on Wednesday. We're also planning to set a Red circuit but at the moment we're delayed waiting for some new holds to arrive. We've got a number of resets planned for April so keep and eye on our Twitter account for all the latest news. You can see the latest topo for the Works cirucits as a pdf online here.

April also sees Easter arrive and with the schools setting your kids free for a few weeks we've got a number of activities and sessions lined up for the whole Family. Read all about our Easter sessions on the website.

For those who enjoyed are revamped Adult Improver sessions over the last few months, we're doing it all again. First time climber or someone who's looking to break into the 7's, you'll find a session for you. Check out all the details for each session on our website.

The CWIF: Highlights Film #1

2011-03-24T16:42:00.000Z

The CWIF occurred over the weekend of the 5th & 6th March 2011. A massive weekend with over 300 competitors and many more watching the Semi & Finals. Here's a few thoughts, from us, about the whole thing...

So why do we do it?? Why organise and put on a competition that costs us around £10k (costs we never get close to covering with sponsorship etc..) and puts most of us into sick beds the following week?
Why? Because it’s good to give something back, because it’s good to advance competition climbing in the U.K. Because it’s alot of fun.

Making a proper day of it. Team Avatar bring a bit of colour to the qualifiers

The CWIF was always meant to be ‘much more than a competition’ and in 2011 we think we nailed it. The word Competition usually bring thoughts of tension, elitism and ‘not for me’ when it comes to climbers. The CWIF proves that this does not have to be the case. The weekend of the 5th & 6th March allowed your everyday climber to boulder alongside some of the World’s best in an atmosphere that was extremely relaxed and friendly.

In most competitions you watch and wonder just how good or bad that hold is. You wonder if you could do that move. In the CWIF, you pull on the same holds as the elite, see people flash something you can’t touch and laugh with your mates as you attempt to outdo each other.

Once the qualifying day is over, you return the next day to watch those people you climbed alongside attempt some of the weirdest and impressive problems set by some of Europe’s best route-setters. The CWIF is indeed a festival, with climbing, FREE BBQ’s, FREE physio sessions, DJ’s and party’s all thrown into the mix. In 2011, we also worked with ShAFF (Sheffield Adventure Film Festival) to create a weekend that is unparalleled in the U.K.

If you were here you’ll know what it was all about. You’ll hopefully have woken on Sunday with aching arms and thin skin from going past what you thought was your limit. You probably recovered with some quality food from the BBQ, and then got incredibly psyched to try even harder as you watched the crème de la crème fight it out in the Semi’s & Finals. If you weren’t here at The CWIF, you can watch some of the highlights from the weekend on our YouTube page and view whole gallery of images on our Picasa site. After all that, you probably wish you had been here.

Why do we do it? Because it’s a fantastic weekend of climbing.

Closure On Saturday & New Circuits

2011-03-17T14:48:00.000Z

Just a reminder that The Climbing Works will be CLOSED ALLDAY to the general public (includes full members) this Saturday 19th March due to the British Universities & College's Sports (BUCS) climbing competition that will be held here. We will open as normal on Sunday 20th March. If you are intending to come down and watch please note that we have no authority over who can watch. You will need to speak to BUCS.

Last week, Percy & the Enigma set a new Pink circuit. This brings us back to 11 circuits from font 3 to font 7c. Included in this is the CWIF circuit which has NO topo - just go get involved. The Berghaus Competition wall is open as well with the Men's & Women's final problems on there as well as a dozen or so other problems. You can find an up to date topo for the circuits on the website here>>

Meanwhile, back in the cheese office, we're making sure that The Climbing Works is a politically correct workplace and that I get to feel at home on St Patrick's Day.

The CWIF: Full Results and more Photos

2011-03-10T16:22:00.000Z

No rest for the wicked....or The Climbing Works. After the mental weekend that was The CWIF, Percy and the Enigma are just finishing off a new Pink circuit. This is on top of the extra 10 or so problems that were set on the Berghaus Competition Wall on Monday morning. On the Berghaus Comp Wall you have all 8 of the Mens & Womens Final problems and another 10 or so blocs of all grades.

We've now finished checking all the scores from the cards we got handed back in after Saturday qualifiers. This means you can now view your score on the pdf's below. We've also finished the Team scores (added up after the qualifiers) so this is a definitive list also. If you see your Team missing a member or 2 thats because the competitor never told us they where in your team. Get in touch if you see an obvious error.

Mens Results CWIF 2011 after Qualifiers>>

Womens Results CWIF 2011 after Qualifiers>>

Team CWIF 2011 Results>>

You can view the Semi-Final results on this previous blog and the Finals on this blogpost

There's also a huge selection of photos to view on either our Picasa online gallery or our Facebook page

The Semi's

Tyler Landman holding the crazy swing on Mens Problem #4

The CWIF 2011 - Results & Photos

2011-03-07T11:27:00.001Z

What a Final!! What a day!! The Climbing Works International Festival 2011 came to a close last night in an amazing session of top level bouldering.

The Mens and Womens Final provided some amazing action with a range of problems that tested the strength, skills and tenacity of all the finalists. At the end of the night we crowned two new champions.

The Overall Results

In the Mens, the only non-UK based climber in the final, Jernej Kruder of Slovenia, became CWIF champion with a display of immense power and strength that showed why Jernej may just be the strongest man in Slovenia (and one to watch in the coming years on the World competition scene).

Jernej Kruder - Mens Champion CWIF 2011

ph: Paul Bennett

In the Womens final, our very own, Climbing Works mild mannered receptionist, Katy Whittaker triumphed by the narrowest of margins over Melanie Sandoz of France. Katy sealed her win by flashing problem number 4 but it could be oh so different if Melanie had managed to hold the cut loose / swing on problem number 3.

Katy Whittaker - Womens CWIF 2011 Champion

Melanie Sandoz just failing to hold the big move on problem 3

The full results are available to view in pdf format below:

(each bloc has 2 columns, the left hand side is the amount of attempts it took to get the bonus, the right hand column is the amount of attempts it took to reach the top hold. A 0 means that the problem was not topped out)

Mens Final Results>>

Womens Final Results>>

You can view some more photos online at our Climbing Works Picasa albums here. We'll get more up over the next few days along with some film footage.

You can watch some of the highlights from the qualifiers on our website here>>

We'd like to thank everyone for coming down to watch and take part. We ended up having over 300 competitors for the qualifiers and for the Finals, we had people standing in the car park looking through the windows to catch a glimpse of the bouldering! It was indeed a packed out arena. Over the course of the weekend we also raised over £1000 for the Andy Earl charity which is a fantastic effort from everyone. Andy was watching the live streaming and throughly enjoyed watching the competition, especially Graeme wearing a Newcastle shirt. Thanks to everyone who donated some cash.

We'd also like to thank the Sponsors of the CWIF: Scarpa, UKClimbing.com, Holdz and HRT Holds for supporting this years competition. A big thank you to Scarpa, OR, Holdz and Berghaus for giving prizes for the raffle that helped raise so much money.

For those coming down today you'll have the Final problems to try plus a whole range of new problems that have been set this morning....no rest for The Climbing Works..

The CWIF: Finals List

2011-03-06T14:33:00.001Z

What a Semi-Final!!! A big big crowd watched a major upset as the uber-Euro Wads Nalle Hukkataival & Kleman Becan failed to make the finals. The collection of weird and wonderful problems shut down some of the best in the World, but not the local Brits who showed some incredibly strength, and ingenuity, to take the top 4 places. Through to the Finals in the Mens are:

1) Dave Barrans GBR
2) Tyler Landman GBR
3) Ned Feehally GBR
4) Adam Watson GBR
5) Nigel Callender IRE
6) Jernej Kruder SLO

In the Womens, the French ladies showed a display of true experience to style their way through the Semi's and into this evening's grand Final. The list for the Female Finals are:

1) Anne-Laure Chevrier FRA
2) Melanie Sandoz FRA
3) Shauna Coxey GBR
4) Katy Whittaker GBR
5) Vera Ziljstra NED
6) Diane Merrick GBR

You can see the unedited results from the Male Semi-Finals here and the Womens Semi-Finals here

The Finals will start at 6pm and the BBQ at 3.30pm. You can watch the finals streamed live at: http://www.247.tv/climbing/freestream

The CWIF: Semi-Finals Now On!!

2011-03-06T12:53:00.000Z

The CWIF Semi-Finals have now begun and you can watch online at http://www.247.tv/climbing/freestream

You can see photos from yesterday on www.pro-shot.net

And you can watch highlights from yesterday and a preview of the Finals below:

Highlights from Saturday:

Short from Yesterday:

The CWIF 2011 Finals Preview.....

2011-03-05T21:48:00.000Z

You can also see a whole range of photos from this morning CWIF qualifiers on Pro-Shot.net.

CWIF Qualification Results

2011-03-05T19:37:00.000Z

What a day!!! 2 Sessions, over 300 competitors and a lot of big moves, falls and a few screams.

After the qualification sessions today we now have the Male & Female results for today. The top 16 in both Male & Female qualify for the Semi-Finals tomorrow which will start at Noon tomorrow and will be webcast on http://www.247.tv/climbing/freestream.

We also have the Team results with Team WAD (aka The Climbing Works ringers) coming top again this year : ) This year we've had some amazing outfits when its come to the fancy dress element of the Teams entering and it was amazing to see so many people put so much effort in. We'll have some photos up tomorrow morning on here and you will able to see more on http://www.pro-shot.net also within the hour.

Male Results>>
(the Male results are correct down to 167, after that we still need to do a bit of work checking things which will all be sorted by Monday)

Female Results>>

Team Results (Top 10)>>

Tomorrow all the fun starts again with the Semi's start at Noon, the FREE BBQ at 3.30pm and the Finals at 6pm. We're currently setting up seating for the Semi's and Finals and we expect a big crowd for both. Get down nice and early for a good seat.

You can see a very quick highlights film of this morning's am session below. We will have another, more detailed, highlights film coming soon.

The CWIF Kicks Off

2011-03-05T11:29:00.000Z

We opened the doors at 8am to awaiting competitors (some people are keen!) and the CWIF got properly underway at 9am. With the morning session finishing at 12:30 we've got alot of people currently trying to get the circuit completed.

The afternoon session starts at 14:30 and there are still some spaces available. With the rain coming down in Sheffield as I write, we're expecting those to go quick.

Some photos from this morning:

One of the Dutch Team, Sam Van Der Fook'witt looking on for Beta

Fancy dress team award probably going to be won by the Avatar team - Bon Effort!

Bargains & Scarpa Offer - £50 Mago's & Rockettes

2011-03-04T17:37:00.000Z

Scarpa are one of the big sponsors of the CWIF and to make it a bit more special for you, they are offering Scarpa Mago's and Scarpa Rockette's at only £50!!! The Mago's RRP is £110 so that's a HUGE saving. You can also get this offer online from our website over the weekend.

Scarpa are also offering a special £10 cash back offer across their whole range of shoes within The Climbing Works. Buy any pair of Scarpa's (excluding the Mago's & Rockettes's) and you can get £10 cash back by filling in a form and sending it of to Scarpa UK. Sweet deal indeed.

Also this weekend, you can get 10% OFF Evolv shoes both instore and online.

Not to stop there on the offers, we are also doing our fantastic Spring Sale in The Climbing Works shop. These are all special offers only available instore. Up to 60% OFF Down Jackets, Hoodies and other Winter tops plus a few other things in the mix. This and The CWIF to look forward to when you come visit the Works this weekend.

CWIF: 1 Day to go

2011-03-04T14:49:00.000Z

The day before The CWIF and all is quiet.....well actually no, its not, it's far from it.

The setters are currently testing their 30 blocs for the qualifiers, we've got WADs arriving throughout the morning (some Finnish bloke called Nalle has just rocked up), and we're finalizing the list for the qualifiers.

The setters testing their creations this morning

For anybody coming today to climb tonight, please note that you cannot climb on the Yellow holds. We will completely embarrass you if you are found to be climbing on them tonight.

Entry list:
We will accept online registrations till 5pm and then after that it will be registration only on the day. We will not accept any phone calls or emails after 5pm today. The morning session is now completely full so if you are coming tomorrow to register / climb in the qualifiers you will be in the pm session.

Updated CWIF entry list as of 3pm Friday>>

Weekend Schedule:
For those who are competing the qualifying times are as follows:
Saturday:
am morning session: 09:00 - 12:30
pm afternoon session: 14:30 - 18:00
We will open our doors at 08:00 for those looking to register, warm-up and generally set themselves for the morning qualifying session.

Sunday:
Semi-Finals: Midday - 14:15
Finals: 18:00-22:00

You will be able to watch the Semi's and Finals via webcast on Sunday on 247.tv>>

We will open as normal at 10am on the Sunday and the main circuit wall will be open to climbing as normal. Please note parts of the wall nearest the Berghaus Competition Wall will be closed allday as they will be used for seating for the Semi's and Finals.
We will have our famous FREE BBQ starting around 3.30pm and there will be a raffle going on throughout the weekend with prizes from Scarpa, Berghaus, Holdz and ShAFF all up for grabs.

Charity:
Every CWIF we raise money for chaaarrrrity. Well this year we are raising cash either for Andy Earl (who suffered a stroke in November) or for a charity of his choice.
So how can you donate:
- Simply chuck money in the bucket on reception.
- By paying the ‘voluntary’ Team Registration fee of £10
- By buying a raffle ticket.
Graeme has promised to wear a black & white rag Newcastle football shirt all day as long as the bucket keeps filling up.
And Bri has pledged to become more and more Irish throughout the day as long as the money keeps coming in. So expect an un-intelligible, Guinness swilling leprechaun to be around the place, and that’s before he starts regressing...

ShAFF
Sheffield Adventure Film Festival is also on this weekend and we've worked together so that all the best climbing films are on AFTER the climbing has finished at The CWIF. You see the whole list of films and times on the ShAFF website

The CWIF: Minus 2 Days

2011-03-03T14:28:00.000Z

The full route-setting team have now arrived and are busy setting and testing the semi & final problems. On board we have the Bishton, Jacky 'the legend' Godoffe, Ian Vickers, Jamie Cassidy, Andy Long, Jan Genoux and Jason 'Manliest Man' Pickles. This lot are some of the most experienced setters in the World (nevermind the UK) so you can expect some 'interesting' problems for both the qualifiers and finals.

We also opened up the new Berghaus Competition Wall last night to take some photos with Percy and Sam climbing.

Panoramic of the whole wall c. dr-photography.co.uk

c.Nick Brown

So with 2 days to go we have 270 confirmed entries with more coming in every hour. We will upload an updated CWIF entry list tomorrow around 1pm. After this point we will still accept online registrations but they will only show on the final list which we will have on Saturday morning when we open.

The CWIF Entry List (updated), Comp Wall Mats and Weekend Timetable

2011-03-02T17:37:00.000Z

We've now updated the CWIF Entry List (correct as of 4pm today) so if you've emailed or entered in the last 24 hrs your name should be on this list. We're now at 259 entrants (we took off about 20 withdrawals - thanks to those for letting us know) so we're looking at a cracking qualifying session. For those who are competing the qualifying times are as follows:
am morning session: 09:00 - 12:30
pm afternoon session: 14:30 - 18:00

We will open our doors at 08:00 for those looking to register, warm-up and generally set themselves for the morning qualifying session.

What they will find is a Berghaus Competition wall that is looking pretty smart with all the mats and covers now done. You can see more photos at our Picasa album online.

The Sunday timetable will run like this:
Semi-Finals: 1200 (isolation will open at 11:30)
semi's will finish at 14:30
We will then have the FREE BBQ consisting of Sheffield Roney's (amazing local butcher) Burgers and Lembas Veggie burgers. This should happen around 3pm
Finals: 1800 (isolation will open at 17:00)
finishing at 20:00.

There will be an after-party at the Broadfield pub on Sunday night from 21:00 to midnight. Remember the wall will be open as usual over the weekend if you're just coming to climb our circuits as normal. We will close the whole wall on Sunday at 6pm (no climbing at all), and there will be other walls shut on Sunday due to seating requirements for the semi's and finals.

Read all about the CWIF on our website here>>

CWIF Entry List

2011-03-01T19:08:00.000Z

4 days to go and things are starting to ramp up in preparation and excitement. We've organised and sorted all the entrants we've received so far and you can now view the CWIF entry list online.

If you have registered online your name should be on this list. Please take some time to check that your details are correct. If anything is wrong (not in right session, not in a team you thought you where, you're not registered but think you did) please email graeme@climbingworks.com with as much information as possible.

Some images from previous CWIF's (courtesy of Alex Messenger):

If you still haven't registered you still have time, just go to the CWIF page on our website and get signed up. We now have over 250 people registered (as of midnight last night) and we're expecting quite a few more last minute signups.

Not sure what you're getting yourself into? Check out the preview below:

Evolv Boot Demo, Ben Bransby FREE Masterclass and Evolv 10% OFF Offer

2011-03-01T12:08:00.000Z

There's a whole lot of Evolv going on tonight at The Climbing Works. This evening Evolv will be here in force with a wide range of demo climbing shoes for you to try on the wall for FREE.

As part of tonight, Evolv will be running a FREE masterclass with Ben Bransby. All you have to do is sign up online or at the door tonight. The masterclass is open to anyone wanting to improve their climbing technique. You don't get many chances to learn from a gritstone master like Ben so make sure to take this free opportunity. Classes start at 8pm and 9pm.

Evolv are also offering 10% OFF their shoes all week at The Climbing Works. This offer can be redeemed online or instore. Check out the Evolv range online>>

CWIF Countdown Starts

2011-02-28T16:17:00.000Z

The countdown to the CWIF has well and truly started with only 5 days to go to the big weekend. We were hoping to have all the competitors assigned to a qualifying time but its such a big list that its taking longer than usual. This will now go live tomorrow morning.

Places are filling up fast and we are well over 250 competitors now. If you wish to compete please get it done asap. You can go to the CWIF registration page here. If you're not a member of The Climbing Works, you can download the registration form from the website here. If you are no longer competing, please also let us know as we can assign your space to someone else.

To get you in the mood, or if you're wondering want to expect this weekend, you can watch the CWIF 2011 preview film below. A little short to get you in psyched for the big competition.

Rumours that a 'Gnarly' Finnish presence might be here for the CWIF are indeed true : )

Comp Wall Paint Job & The CWIF

2011-02-25T17:55:00.001Z

The paint Job is all done and as you can see below it's pretty striking. We'll get the mats under it early next week and the boys will starting setting for The CWIF on Thursday or so. All those who have entered the CWIF will get first go on the new wall on Saturday with some of the qualification problems being set on the new Berghaus Competition Wall.

The CWIF is nearly here with only 8 days to go.
At the moment the stats are: 210 entrants as of 0900 today, 54 are women and 25 are U18.

30 are foreigners from 12 different countries: AUS/SUI, CAN, CHN, ESP, FIN, FRA, IRE, NED (no it’s not a country named after Mr Feehally), POL, RSA, SER (Serbia) and SLO

Those who asked for an AM or PM slot have been allocated these and those who have said 'not bothered', we will email you on Monday with your time slot. We will also get a pdf up on the website on Monday with all this info.

Starting building the psyche!