Climbing Wall Award Training

Title: Climbing Wall Lead Award

Description: From February 2010 Monsterclimbs will be providing the MLTB’s new Climbing Wall Lead Award. This award covers the skills needed to teach lead climbing on indoor and outdoor artificial walls.

Candidates must hold either the CWA or the SPA to register, and have completed 50 lead climbs, some of which must be 6a, and have logged sessions working as a CWA or SPA.

Date: 2010-02-01

Registration:  Please complete this form to register your interest, we will then contact you with dates of the next course.

Tony and Ali have had 3 fantastic trips to the Costa Blanca in Spain during the winter months of 2009. Two trips were with customers and one a holiday – climbing of course.

The working holidays were all inclusive, and organised completely by the monsterclimb team.

Lou on El Dorado 1 on Raco del Corv

Chris, Helen and Lou, 3 friends from Gloucestershire planned their trip well in advance, but unfortunately Lou damaged her cruciate ligament the week before the trip.

Fortunately for Lou, because monsterclimbs is a two man band they were able to entertain all 3 members and even took Lou up several multipitch routes, always with a monster by her side in case of difficulty.

They visited the Echo Cliffs, the Penon, where Helen and Chris did an 8 pitch route, Toix Oeste, Toix TV and Raco del Corv, an amazing sea cliff where the routes traverse in and then soar above the sea.

The trio led and followed both trad and sport routes and enjoyed the amazing Spanish weather, usually very reliable at this time of year.

Tony on Ghecko E25b Castellet

Early December saw Tony and Ali taking a well earned break to spend 15 days in the Calpe area of the Costa Blanca. The weather was unseasonably cold for several days, in fact it snowed and the mountains got a dusting of snow, but Tony and Ali still managed 9 days of climbing.

As well as the usual venues, they were introduced to a new crag by Mark and Rowland Edwards, who had developed the routes. The crag is situated next to the Puig Campana and is called Castellet. It has several different areas with sport and trad routes of all grades and is quite accessible. The best thing about the area is it is amazingly beautiful and unspoilt and the rock is immaculate.

The gruesome twosome also visited Gandia, a sport venue, the Echo Cliffs,  sport and trad, and Toix Oeste where they discovered some amazing 44m sport routes on perfect white rock.

Flying back for Christmas in the UK, the couple were back in Spain for the New Year with the Palmers, a father and two sons wanting to develop their climbing  and especially their leading skills.

Ed, Steve, Ali and Jim on the Penon UBSA

Toix Oeste gave them their first taste of Spanish rock, where Tony and Ali were able to look at their climbing and within half an hour they were leading their first sport route. The Echo cliffs gave the Palmers an opportunity to lead trad routes, to create belays, to place bomb proof gear and to learn how to get safely off a climb, including abseiling.

Gandia enabled Tony and Ali to concentrate on their movement, and in particular their footwork.  There were also more opportunities to lead sport routes. The big adventure of the week was a 10 pitch route on the Penon.

Tony took Ed and Steve, and Ali took Jim on Diedre, a classic route, taking an obvious line up the middle of the 1000’ mass of rock, which includes a 15m abseil followed by a traverse in a spectacular setting. It became the favourite day of the trip as the Palmers learnt about stance and rope management, preparing them for their own adventures in the Lake District.

A different crag a day, their intensive trip gave them amazing confidence and developed their climbing skills to enable them to become independent and safe climbers.

Steve Palmer – For all 3 of us the trip surpassed our expectations in terms of our enjoyment of both the climbing and the company of Tony and Ali. From our point of view, it couldn’t have been better, an instructive and enjoyable holiday

New climbs in The Forest of Dean and The Wye Valley are becoming scarcer than hens teeth. With a new guide looming for the Symonds Yat area and its’ surrounding crags Ali and I decided to take a closer look.

First to fall at the start of 2008 was a very direct line up the wall to the right of Hole in the Wall at Symonds Yat. It climbs the middle of the wall past ok protection and finishes up the clean white wall above. We held a competition on the website to name the climb and decided on ‘The Penny Dropped’ from Robert Hargroves who won a day out with us. The grade has settled down after many ascents at E2 5c.

Still at the Yat in the beautiful Forest Of Dean we climbed a route up a shallow groove line to the right of Strathdon. We called this one ‘Tradnosh’ almost an anagram of Strathdon ! E2 5b.

The wall to the right of The Russian beckoned next and after a monster gardening session we uncovered the adventurous ‘Monsterific’. The grade of E2 5c tells the story.

The White Wall area at Symonds Yat in The Forest of Dean had a few gaps on it and we decided to investigate. We started off by climbing a nice direct line between The Last Valley and Run Robert Run. Excellent climbing and good protection. ‘Ego Warrior’ E1 5b was the result.

There was a tougher looking line in this neck of the woods that would cross other climbs to give a magnificent journey but could we link the pieces together. We started up Edward the First but left this at its’ peg runner and made a sweeping, right to left diagonal across the wall to finish up Motorway Madness. ‘Missing Link’ E3 5c was born.

Missing Link helped us realise that other improbable looking lines might be climbed and probably at a reasonable grade. There was an area to the right where 3 climbs existed but had become completely overgrown with ivy. After another long cleaning session a wonderfully steep line was exposed between these other climbs and although the rock is suspect in places we were able to climb a route at E2 5b. We called this one ‘Owl Capone’ after the owl who flew out at us from a hole in the rock where he or she had left a dead mouse.

A direct start to Mister Strathdon had been brewing in my mind for some time and after a quick inspection and the placing of two pegs for protection we decided to have a go. The moves through the overlaps felt desperate and although the pegs protected, it continued to be strenuous. We called it ‘Double Die Hard’ and gave it E3 6a. It has already seen many repeats and all agree on its quality and grade.

Afghanistan Bananastand

There were two more lines that needed our attention. Both at Symonds Yat in the Forest of Dean. The first of these was in the Bowlers hole area with the idea to take a very direct line up a hanging groove to the right of Lyndas Route. We climbed this on my b

irthday with my son Rob who is in the army and has served in Afghanistan. Although interesting this turned out to be serious and we gave it E3 5b and called it Afghanistan Bananastand.

Our final new route takes a very steep line above the tunnel exit in the Hollow Rock Area. Although short at E2 5b it packs a punch. We called it ‘Heroes’.

Tony Penning and Ali Taylor have just returned from a climbing and mountaineering trip in Italy.  The intention was to find new routes in Val Veny and Val Ferret, which with the help of perfect weather they were able to do.  Here’s Ali’s account of how they got on.

The first new route, Zig Zag on the lower East face of Mount Noir de Peuterey involved a 3 hour approach, 12 pitches of climbing, some of it very loose and vegetated, 8 abseils and a 3 hour descent. A good 16 hours exercise, which was a good warm-up for the main event.

The Ageing Gunslinger took us into the South face of the Eveque, a difficult, strenuous and serious eight and a half hour approach – 3,500 vertical feet, 5,500’ of climbing, scrambling and pulling on handfuls of grass. We bivouacked next to a 300’ ice patch which we had to cross the following morning,

Tony was wearing instep crampons whilst I was using kicking steps and a peg and nut key to make steady progress across the ice. The route was adventurous rather than good quality and eventually joined a route Tony had opened in August 2004 which led to the Tronchey Ridge. Six abseils and 200’ of scrambling got us back to the bivvy site and a welcome rest.

The descent was worse than the ascent. A maze of bottomless gullies and sheer grass slopes to the valley below. Fortunately we had built a series of small cairns to mark our way and managed to find the abseils from Tony’s previous foray. We were back down to the camper van in six and a half hours both feeling thirsty and tired with sore feet, the main priority was to take the rucksack off!

Our final adventure took us back to the East face of Mount Noir, where a modest climb of 6 pitches gave the best climbing of the trip with pitches of E3 and E4; Sorgente Pepper. And in conclusion 3 pounds lighter I achieved not only my 10^th and 11th new climb in the Alps but my 12^th too.

July saw Monsterclimbs once again leading Hillingdon in their Gold D of E practice expedition. The venue was Snowdonia in North Wales, a great challenge for the young people. Their four day route took in Y Garn, Glyder Fawr, Y Lliwedd, Snowdon, Clogwyn Du and Clogwyngarreg.

Spot the group on their way to Snowdon via Afon Cwm Llan

One group experienced an impromptu wild camp at the foot of Snowdon due to deteriorating weather conditions, but Ali and Jonathan from the Hillingdon team ensured their night was a mini adventure, and added to their experience in North Wales.

Tony and Ali are off to the Alps again to try another dramatic unclimbed route on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc range.

Visitors to the website may be interested to know that Monsterclimbs very own Ali Taylor has been involved in more new climbs on this dark side of the Alps than any other woman in the world!

Ali’s new routes include one on the East Face of Pra Sec and two on the East Face of Point 3019 on the Eveque.   Ali’s hoping to add her 10^th and 11^th new climb this year.

Keep checking the website to read about their latest adventures in the Alps this August.

The Monsterclimbs team had a  challenge on their hands in July; to teach a teenage kayaking guru to climb and improve her navigation.

Tony and Ali had 4 days to train young Pamela in the basics of rock climbing and hill navigation. She arrived day 1 with her own top of the range harness, determination and an amazing sense of humour for one so young.

Unfortunately for the team the weather was typically English and it rained for much of the day at Wintours Leap. Pamela wasn’t put off by this and gave her best on the only dry route in town, Surrealist E1 5b. The weather didn’t give up and they had to retreat to a café and hot chocolate with cream, marshmallows and chocolate flakes. It’s a hard life but someone has to do it.

Day 2 took the trio to the Brecon Beacons, a glorious day for walking, navigating, taking bearings and hiding in the ferns. They bagged Table Mountain, Pen Cerrig-calch and Pen Allt-mawr before heading back to Gloucester. Pamela was an excellent hill walker with stamina, good pace and a brilliant attitude.

Day 3 was a successful climbing day in the Forest of Dean. Tony, Ali and Pam headed to Symonds Yat and climbed 5 routes in excellent style. Only her second time on rock, if you can count Wintours Leap, Pamela was a determined and skillfull climber. She learned many new techniques including bridging and side pulls, tied her own figure of 8 knot and learned how to lead belay, including lowering off.

Her last day came too soon and the happy trio headed for the Brecons once again, to tackle a smaller mountain, Sugarloaf, and give Pamela the chance to take a more independent role as ‘The Navigator’. Pamela has already achieved her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award, and is hoping to go on to do Silver and Gold. With her determination and developing skill she will have no trouble at all.

The weather forecast was atrocious but they didn’t feel a drop of rain until they were all safely back in the car at the end of the day when it tipped it down. Good timing eh!!

Sam Lewis: It just gets better.

Sam has become addicted to climbing since he took a monsterclimbs lead course early this year.

We had already taken Sam to Wintours Leap in the Wye Valley to introduce him to Trad/Adventure climbing and he wanted more. The weather was threatening but Sam was keen so we decided to try out the right hand side of The Great Overhanging Wall at Wintours Leap, which is often sheltered in bad weather.

It was dry but the easiest climb was the third pitch of Surrealist E1 5b. Once that was in the bag we jumped on Never Say Goodbye E2 5c trying to beat the threatening rain clouds. Sam loved it. The top pitch of Zebrazone was next at E2 5c.  The heavens opened and it poured with rain, but undeterred we waited it out and managed two more climbs of 5c.
Sam says ‘It was really amazing. Climbing is the best thing to do. I’m aching like hell. You two are crazy. Thank you. I just want to go more now than before. Each time I go it makes it better and better’.

The Monsterclimbs team met the youth group from Hillingdon in Hayfield, at the foot of Kinder Scout in the Dark Peak of Derbyshire. At 8 a.m. the 3 groups were packed and ready to go.

The Dark Peak

A good start for their practice Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Day 1 took them up William Clough and onto Kinder Downfall, with perfect conditions of gentle winds and warm sunshine. They paced themselves well and reached their campsite in the Edale valley by mid afternoon still in high spirits and full of enthusiasm.

Day 2 was not so kind, the weather was poor, but it was warm with light winds. Their route took them up the steep and arduous Grindsbrook Clough and onto the edge above Edale and onto Derwent Resevoir. Their navigation was good, their fitness was improving and their motivation remained positive. By the time they reached their wild campsite above Lockerbrook Farm they were soaked to the skin, but within 30 minutes their tents were up and a hot meal was on the go.
Such was their success day 3 saw the groups monitored at a distance.

The monsterclimbs team was so sure of their progress and growing confidence. A misty day gave very poor visibility, yet the groups were up to the task and overcame some stiff navigation arriving at the pick up point well ahead of schedule. A successful weekend where the monsterclimbs team saw the students develop their skills and become independent on the hill. Well done Hillingdon.