Climbing Geekery
Rope Talk: Why use double ropes?
Is one rope not enough? In trad climbing, double ropes is standard, but why? ...
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Rope talk: Single, Double, Half, Twin – What’s the difference?
Ropes can be confusing when we are starting out climbing. It can take a bit of time to become familiar with the terminology, but it’s important, because the rope is one of your key bits of safety kit as a climber. If you aren’t sure...
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Getting Started with Zoom
Want to join online events but not sure where to start with Zoom? We'll get you up and running in no time!...
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Climbing in the Olympics – how it works
The Olympics is coming. And climbing is in it this time round. Get everything you need to know, here at Womenclimb, so you go into your competition viewing with all of the intel. ...
Read MoreYoga Studio app// review
UPDATE: In light of changes to the Yoga Studio App, please be aware that the app is no longer a one-time purchase app and operates on a subscription model. Previous purchasers of the app have paid for the app and subsequently had their access revoked, subject to paying a monthly subscription.
We can no longer recommend the app on the basis that the fundamental basis of our original review has changed. Please see comments below, from customers.
Ever thought about taking up yoga as a way of improving your flexibility and core strength, but can’t seem to get yourself to a class? There’s loads of free yoga apps on the market for smart phones so we’ve reviewed Yoga Studio to see if paying for a yoga app is really worth it.
What is Mountain Rescue??
If you live in an area of Britain with or near a national park the chances are you live in an area with a Mountain Rescue Team (MRT). Mountain Rescue is typically associated with areas such as the Lake District, Wales, and highlands of Scotland, but there are also teams operating in areas such as the South Pennines, Dartmoor and the Scottish borders – all providing search and rescue cover. Emily Thompson is a member of Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) and explain a bit more about what MR is and what you need to consider if you want to become and MRT member.
Womenclimb Adventure Sports Quiz
So, as part of our Get Outdoors month, we’re promoting all things outdoors. Play our fun quiz – test your knowledge of Adventure and Extreme sports. Maybe you’ll find something new to have a go at. Whatever you do, let us know about it.
What you’ll need: A pen and paper or your phone/ tablet/ computer ready for you to type
The Womenclimb Adventure Sports Quiz
Why should I go bouldering?
If you don’t understand bouldering, or are unsure about what it’s all about, then follow our contributor Emily Thompson on her journey of discovery, starting this week, with her thoughts on feeling like a fraud, having never been bouldering and having piles of insecurities about giving it a go. This is a live activity – Emily is reporting on her journey as she does it, so we have no idea how it will turn out or what she will discover. To learn more as her journey unfolds, sign up now to our newsletter and we will let you know when the next instalment is out.
The Best British Climbers?
Last year I was asked to put together a list of climbers ‘of note’ to help a member of staff working in an outdoor centre. The centre had a series of rooms, all named after male climbers and she wanted to encourage the inclusion of notable female climbers. If you’re curious about who’s on the list, read on. You might disagree, leave us a comment if you do!
A Type II fun Adventure…
‘It’s an example of ‘Type II’ fun’, she said. If you’ve never heard of it, Type II fun is something pretty special. Read on: Ella Williams, outdoor instructor, reveals her favourite climbing experience to us and explains why it means so much to her:
A Rough Guide to Climbing Grades
Are you new to the glorious world of climbing ? Bamboozled by the numbers and letters that are thrown around by people who sound like they know what they’re talking about? Fear not! Here’s our Handy Guide to Climbing Grades:
15 Knee Surgery Tips for Climbers
There are all types of knee surgery, from ligament repairs and reconstructions to cartilage trims and kneecap scrapes. Two of the Womenclimb team have been in for knee surgery in the last 12 months (August 2015 and Feb 2016) for meniscus repair and ACL reconstruction respectively. They have put together their top tips to help climbers who have knee surgery.
Climbing without an ACL
For my entire climbing life, I have climbed with an ACL injury. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments in the knee, forming a cross shape with the Posterior Cruciate Ligament. It provides crucial stability to the knee, preventing the knee from twisting and rotating. You can find out more in this Youtube video about what the ACL is and what it does.
Background – how I tore my ACL
Climbing Injuries // Meniscus Tear Repair: Pt 1
The trials and tribulations of a meniscal repair – Knee Surgery Recovery
In August 2015 Beth Thomas went into hospital to have a repair of torn cartilage (also known as meniscus) in her left knee. This article series is about her journey, from hospital to getting back to climbing. Thank you to Beth for sharing. We would love to hear your comments about her journey – please tell us what you think about her story.
Climbing Injuries // Meniscus Tear Repair: Pt 3
In August 2015 Beth Thomas had a repair of torn cartilage (meniscus) in her left knee. This is the final article in the series that charts her journey from hospital to getting back to climbing. We would love to hear your comments about her journey – please tell us what you think about her story. If you want to read the first parts you’ll find them here: Climbing Injuries // Meniscus Tear Repair: Part 1 & Part 2
Climbing after an operation
4 months on
Climbing Injuries // Meniscus Tear Repair: Pt 2
Training and Complications after Knee Surgery
In August 2015 Beth Thomas went into hospital to have a meniscus repair for torn cartilage in her left knee. In her last article she talked about the first part of her journey to recovery and the first weeks after her meniscectomy. Today she talks a bit about the realities of her recovery – the workarounds and the setbacks. Tell us what you think. If you’ve not read the previous article you can find it here: Climbing Injuries // Meniscus Tear Repair: Pt 1
The lowdown: Anodised Climbing Gear
A trad rack of assorted anodised and non-anodised nuts, cams, slings, carabiners and more!
Is there a difference between anodised and non-anodised climbing gear? If you’ve been into a climbing shop recently or been trad climbing you will probably have seen loads of nuts hanging around – some just silver and others in bright shiny colours. The coloured ones may look very nice, but why would you spend extra money on anodised climbing nuts or anodised friends/ camming devices?
Ten Tips for Winter Adventure
There are those times in winter when we have a perfect sunny day, no wind and stunning vistas for miles around. Then there are those days when we have 40mph winds with a cloud base hovering at the car park and the only view around is your mate and an expectant look as if to say “are we actually going out in this today?!”
Ten Questions to ask yourself before a Winter Climb
If you’re new to Winter Climbing, you might want to get into a routine of asking yourself key questions, before a climb, to prompt yourself to stay as safe as possible.
We’ve compiled a list of some important questions:
Winter Climbing: Terminology
When starting out climbing it can be incredibly confusing trying to decipher what people mean when making reference to the types of climbing you can do outside, in winter. Here we try to demystify some of the terms.
Winter Climbing can be defined as climbing, in winter conditions, using
Winter Climbing Grades
Winter Climbing has its own grading system. The Scottish System is different to the system used in continental Europe. Rather than expanding on this here, I refer you to the Mountaindays website, which has a good clear explanation of Scottish Winter Climbing Grades and Alpine...
Read MoreWinter Mountaineering, Mixed Climbing and Ice Climbing – What’s the difference?
In our efforts to give a succinct overview of Winter Climbing, we thought it would be useful to provide other short definitions as follows:
Winter Mountaineering is generally considered to be something different to Winter Climbing and to be larger in scope or scale than ‘climbing’.
Fundamentally, mountaineering most often involves summiting a mountain. It also often refers to longer ‘classic’ lower grade routes – usually no harder than Grade II, very occasionally graded II/III.
It is usual to climb a mountaineering route with a single axe, although on the harder ones many people now carry a second tool ‘just in case’!
To Hex or not to Hex
I have been in the market for a set of hexes for some time now. What I’ve found is that even when I have cams and nuts, I quite often feel that I need a nut that’s just a little bit bigger – to slot into a gaping hole and protect me from a fall.
So when I saw someone selling their hexes for £20 I jumped at the offer. When I arrived to collect them I realised with much consternation that they all looked like this: