An annual event, Ali Taylor and Tony Penning spent a surprisingly dry, but cold day on the Gower with 13 members of the South Wales Mountaineering Club – Ian, Amber, Liz, Alan, Stuart, John, Tim, Joe, Mark, Katie, Tom, Peggy and Phil. They looked at gear placement, efficient and safe construction of belays, assisted and […]
Morocco – Trad Leading Mecca
I knew nothing about Morocco except what I could glean from the new guide book and emails with Paul Donnithorne. You have to plan your gear for something big, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of endless valleys of unclimbed rock. The Anti Atlas Mountains are south of Agadir, and are divided into […]
Climbing Lemons – Accident Prevention
I recently ran a CWA Training Course at BUCR and came across the term Climbing Lemons for the first time. Basically if you look at climbing like a one armed bandit when you pull the arm, one lemon might come up – you are belaying and are distracted by someone or something but NOTHING happens. […]
Total Hip Replacement – Vicki’s story
Hi Ali, Its now been 4 months since my THR on the L hip and I have finally managed to see my surgeon for a follow up. Well I had gone in with a list as long as your arm of questions, how long before I can do this and that.. My physio wanted to […]
Climbing Injuries – Prevention and cure
Climbing injuries come in all shapes and sizes, from cuts and bruises, to tendon, ligament and muscle injuries to broken bones and even death. Warming up appropriately and controlling the environment you are in are the two major preventative options. All too often you see climbers walking to the bottom of the crag and jumping […]