You might have been rock climbing for a while or scrambled a bit in the UK and keen to do something adventurous – how about trying a Via Ferrata? Via Ferrata can take you to places you’ve never dreamed of, and surprisingly, you don’t need to be a climber to have a successful Via Ferrata experience.
Belay glasses seem to be all the rage at the moment. They’re a save-all for your neck, according to the manufacturers and thankfully the cost of a pair has reduced dramatically in recent times. Today we review the Climbing Frog brand of belay glasses, which come in at less than half the price of some premium brands (with 10% off for 10 of our readers, so get in quick). But… do you get less bang for your buck or are these a winning pair of neck-saving specs? Beth and Emily from Womenclimb both tried them out independently; it’s time to find out their verdict:
I’ve known Wimberry Rocks all my life as Indian’s head. (Tip your head on one side and you’ll see what I mean!) Situated opposite Alderman Rocks on the opposite side to Dovestones reservoir, Wimberry is an impressive collection of bouldering and trad routes with over 240 routes from trad climbing on the main crag, to bouldering among the moraine down the hillside.
The West Penwith area in Cornwall is full of solid (mostly!) granite climbing and outstanding scenery. This place is not only packed with top class rock but also beautiful beaches and moorland coastline, making it accessible for families as well as groups of friends and couples. Bosigran has a great reputation for long low and mid-grade climbing and we were not disappointed….
Classic multi-pitch routes and incredible views. Sunny afternoon climbing- The main cliff gets the afternoon sun and dries quickly after rain. It is also useful for viewing Commando ridge (aka Bosigran ridge) which is opposite the main cliff.
Having scrambled around Alderman Rocks a couple of times before, I was confident heading there for my first climb of the season outdoors. I’m still fairly new to trad climbing, don’t lead and am still cautious about who I climb with and where. So it was good to go somewhere I felt I knew.
Despite its position high above the Chew Valley in Oldham, Alderman Rocks is a friendly crag with a good variety of easy and harder routes.
Beth Thomas, long standing Womenclimb contributor, tells all about the book Freedom Climbers, by Bernadette McDonald:
This is hands down the best climbing and mountaineering book I have ever read, fact or fiction.
If you want to chalk up less, have better grip and keep your hands healthy & strong, then see if you can get hold of some of this, before it sells out. FrictionLabs chalk is now available directly to climbers in the UK and around...
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Beth, our very own Womenclimb contributor set out to give you lovely readers a first hand account of the popular Yorkshire climbing venue of Almscliff.
Almscliff is an impressive grit stone crag in the heart of Yorkshire jutting out of a sea of finely combed fields and against a backdrop of distant viaducts and farmlands. The crag lies a few miles north of Leeds and Bradford and the parking is plenty with a 5-10 minute easy walk in on a footpath. It has an “unmissable” reputation, being a natural crag which is very accessible with a wide range of grades to suit beginners to seasoned trad legends. Read on to see if this venue should be on your ticklist….
If you read part 1 last month you will have a good understanding that, while I’m pretty outdoorsy and active, I was completely unaware of the point of bouldering and how it fits with my ambitions of climbing mountains. I set myself the challenge to give it a go – here’s how I got on. If you want to find out the challenge I set, and why, you can read my previous blog post Why Should I go Bouldering. I have no illusions about doing anything as advanced as this:
The amazing Esme Hart bouldering at the 2016 Paraclimbing Championships at Manchester Climbing Centre.
People do keep saying that bouldering will help me with my climbing, so I wanted to find out what all the fuss is about.
FrictionLabs is a US based climbing chalk company currently boasting to have manufactured the highest purity of magnesium carbonate chalk on the market. “Why is this so great?!”I hear you ask. Well, chalk is a combination of magnesium carbonate and calcium carbonate. The former traps moisture, leaving surfaces dry and the latter attaches water to the outside of the molecule, leaving surfaces moist. It is claimed by the team at FrictionLabs that this makes their chalk last longer, safer to inhale and is less likely to dry out the skin.
Very soon the UK is getting Friction Labs’ new chalk products. We’ve got our hands on some to test out and give you the lowdown. Our tester, Beth gives her fully tested review of the chalk ball, followed here by her review of the full fantastical selection of loose chalk. It’s true, there are many types of chalk. We never knew, but we do now and so can you:
Sheffield is a mecca for climbers with fantastic crags within easy reach of the city centre. When the sun isn't shining there are also three really great indoor climbing venues around Sheffield to continue to train. If you've visited one of these gyms why not write us...
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Comfort and feel. They are a comfort/performance hybrid so edging is really precise but could also wear on long multi-pitch routes. The blue and green show looks great too!
Them change the women’s fit from pink to something else! Better durability in the toe
| Criteria | Grade |
| Value for Money | 4 |
| Design | 4 |
| Comfort & Fit | 5 |
| Durability | 3 |
| Functionality | 4 |
| Total out of 25 | 20 |
Dear Editor, have you ever had a runaway weekend, when you have ignored everything but the call of the hills, and gone where the spirit moved you?
This sentiment, from Pinnacle club founder Emily Kelly, published in their first journal in 1924, echoes throughout the stories in this book and is surely at the heart of the club itself.
I was pretty excited when www.holdbreaker.com approached me to do a review of the Kailas 9a trousers, as it meant that I could check out some technical kit from an unknown brand. Unfortunately, my excitement turned to disappointment when they arrived and at first glance seemed to be sized for children.
However, stay with me here as this is not the end of the story!
It's normal to feel scared. Our fear protects us from danger. Sometimes, though, it isn't the most useful emotion, because it can become too intense and stop you from doing things that you will enjoy and benefit from. Emily Pitts, Womenclimb founder, talks about her...
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Weekly film entertainment, this week featuring the incredible Aleksandra ‘Ola’ Taistra, as she takes a step away from her usual sport climbing, on a mountain trip into the Polish Tatra range, bringing a new perspective to her climbing.
Ola on ‘Metallica’ in the Polish Tatra Mountains
Brighton is a seaside resort on the south east coast of the UK in Sussex. It has a vibrant climbing community focussed around two climbing centres. There is also fairly quick access to London, so check out our London guide too. Also of note are the lively and inclusive women’s climbing group, Vertigirls and the LGBT group Not So Trad, which has a strong female membership.
London is a big place and there are loads of places you can go to climb indoors. Sometimes having the incentive of knowing there's a women's club can be just what you need to go and climb more, or to climb better. The friendly staff...
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Our regular weekly film recommendation, this week featuring Katie Mundy, as she talks about how to get back into climbing after having a baby.
Climbing after pregnancy is different for everyone. See what Katie, owner of Eden Rock bouldering wall in Carlisle, tells us about her experience.
Each week we feature a film to inspire, excite and motivate you to go on an adventure.
Ellie Johnstone out running in the hills in winter
They films are free to watch. Some feature climbing, while others will showcase other great sports. If you want to find more films, just click on the ‘Reviews’ tab and scroll down to ‘Film’, where you will find even more awesome films to enjoy.
Sandwiched between the Peak District & Yorkshire Dales National Parks, and between the well known climbing areas of Sheffield & Manchester, West Yorkshire might not be the first place you think of for indoor rock climbing but it boasts 6 climbing walls to suit every ability, all within an hour’s drive of one another. These climbing walls are all close to Leeds, but accessible from other areas in West Yorkshire too. Hope you enjoy this great six. Why not visit and write us a review?
Itching to Climb, by Barbara James, is a book unlike any other I’ve read. It’s a non fiction, autobiographical book, a copy of which I found adorning the shelf of a lovely second hand bookshop in Caernarfon whilst visiting on a rainy day of a mountaineering club weekend. The story recounts the progress of this highly adventurous woman through life, talking though her jobs, one of which was as the first and only female civilian instructor with the British army, through her relationships and through family life.
Emily Allen was the youngest female to climb 8a in the UK. In July 2013 she climbed Aberration at Chee Dale. If you’ve never heard of her you should read her story – she’s really inspiring, having had a number of setbacks yet still achieving the outstanding performance at the age of only 14 years old. You can read more about Emily at Stoke Sentinal or on this superb UKC article. A while back she shared her favourite three mobile apps with us, so we are sharing them with you now:
[caption id="attachment_2407" align="alignright" width="195"] Photo: Paramo[/caption] I'm only a recent convert to Paramo clothing - let's face it many of their jackets look like they're better suited to bird watching than mountaineering, even if they are technically capable of the latter. Less fashionable, more older-ramblers attire. However,...
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Rockbusters run female-led and women-only climbing camps in Spain. Erin Lingle talks to us about what you'll get from this type of women-only climbing environment. There’s no denying that climbing experiences can be affected by gender. I’m often frustrated by the fact that men “naturally” have more muscles,...
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Savage Summit charts the lives of these five remarkable mountaineers. To say it is compelling is an understatement. I couldn’t put it down.