MAKE THIS YEAR COUNT
Climbing competitions aren’t just for the muscled elite: they’re a great way for anyone to fi nd some extra training motivation. But don’t get beat up by the big boys. BMC competitions offi cer Rob Adie fi nds fi ve comps open to all.
Your local wall Many walls across the UK run their own comps throughout the winter, and they’re a great way to try a competition in a familiar environment with no pressure. Get a bunch of your mates together and have go.
BMC Leading Ladder The BMC Leading Ladder is run at many different walls across the UK over the winter. Each wall sets some specifi c routes, which stay up for a period of two weeks. Pop down at any time to try the routes, and visit a few different walls to try comp-style routes with no-one else watching. Who knows? You might even make the national fi nal.
www.thebmc.co.uk/ leadingladder
BMC Youth Climbing Series
Under 19s can enter the ever-popular Youth Climbing Series: a series of three rounds run in ten regions across England and Wales, culminating in a national fi nal. The regional rounds are fun and friendly, and you have to climb three boulder problems and three roped routes.
www.thebmc.co.uk/ycs
P GB team member Gill Peet in the 2012 British Bouldering Champs.
BMC Paraclimbing Series
Friendly and relaxed competition series aimed at climbers with disabilities. GB already has one paraclimbing world champion. Who will be next?
www.thebmc.co.uk/pcs
Regional leagues There are several series held across the UK. The two main ones are Blokfest and the Northern Indoor Bouldering League (NIBL). Both are friendly to enter and good places to start rubbing shoulders with top- end climbers.
Get pumped at a new wall
Experience that glorious new climbing wall smell at these fi ve pristine temples of climbing convenience. British champ Molly Thompson-Smith leads the way.
Awesome Walls, Sheffi eld This massive roof
really does do the word awesome justice. I’ve
never been so pumped. Plus, the bouldering area is great.
www.awesome
walls.co.uk
Miniworks, Sheffi eld
Amazing new bouldering wall for kids. But there are still lots of pretty hard blocs to fall
off, and a number of circuits extend across both the main Works and the Miniworks.
www.climbing
works.com
The Boardroom, North Wales With an eight-metre
‘DWS’ boulder above a special foam mat and routes up to 8b, the Boardroom is the place to be.
www.theboardroom
climbing.com
The Climbing Unit, Derby
With plenty of space and lots of hard blocs, the Climbing Unit is looking like it will be super popular. Opening soon.
www.theclimbing
unit.com
BoulderWorld, Belfast
Brand-new spacious bouldering wall with a variety of problems.
Not only is the climbing fantastic, the café’s pretty good too!
www.boulderworld
belfast.com
Team player Molly (16) is captain of the GB Junior Lead Climbing Team, on the Junior Bouldering Team, the senior Lead Climbing Team and the new BMC Ambassador Team.
mollythompsonsmith.blogspot.co.uk. Find your nearest wall at
www.thebmc.co.uk/map#walls
32 | 70TH ANNIVERSARY | FOR BRITISH CLIMBING AND WALKING SINCE 1944
Compete in your fi rst climbing competition
PHOTO: ALEX MESSENGER.
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