I know that warming up and cooling down are important to my continued climbing ability, and yet I don’t always do it and I rarely see other people at the climbing wall or on the crag doing it.

I hold a Bachelor of Education degree in Physical Education, have taught it for many years, including GCSE and for those activities I have always warmed up and cooled down, and encourage everyone under my instruction to do so, and yet climbing doesn’t seem to generate a warming up culture. Outdoor climbers think the walk to the crag is enough and indoor climbers tend to start on easy routes, but even this often isn’t the case.

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 […]

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 […]

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. A good start for their practice Duke of Edinburgh expedition. Day 1 took them up William Clough and onto Kinder […]