Climbing in Pembrokeshire

Last week we had a few days off at last! And it was a joy to be out on the crags climbing in Pembrokeshire for fun! As we hadn’t been on the limestone in a while, we spent a few days down there. Initially with Alun, but Bramble also got out of his kayak and came with us one day! Great company and some new places explored, and steep, adventurous routes done!

Climbing at St Govans

Climbing at St Govans

Steep ground Climbing in Pembrokeshire

Steep ground Climbing in Pembrokeshire

Climbing through the Blow Hole

Climbing through the Blow Hole

After a few days personal climbing in Pembrokeshire, I had a great day teaching lead climbing skills to Steve and Nikki. Being strong indoor climbers they picked up all the new skills quickly, and both did their first lead climbs in the Porth Clais area. Amazing weather and good company, hopefully they will both be back out on the cliffs again soon!

Steve on a course lead climbing in Pembrokeshire

Steve on a course lead climbing in Pembrokeshire

After a busy Monday to Friday it was a quick trip to North Wales for the weekend… I was attending a “Train the Trainers” course at Plas Y Brenin. Run by Mike Raine, this course is aimed at those delivering training to candidates going through the national governing body awards, such as the SPA and ML. The goal is to get like minded people to explore different teaching styles and models, using mock clients. An interesting couple of days, and a joy to be in the hills in such amazing weather!

Teaching ML rope work in Snowdonia

Teaching ML rope work in Snowdonia

Coasteering and Climbing in Pembrokeshire

 

This last week has been a good one! The water has been as good as it gets; clear, calm, clean and some good low tides – great for some Coasteering and Climbing in Pembrokeshire! I have been working for TYF as well as getting plenty of climbing in… These September days, once the school holiday crowds have gone, truly are magical in Pembrokeshire…

We’ve had some great days Coasteering at both St. Nons and Abereiddy, with some lovely low tide explores, as well as some bigger swell adventures! Plenty of seals around too, with the pups appearing on the beaches. Be aware if you see any to keep your distance and stay quiet, don’t linger too long as the mums might not come and feed them whilst you’re there…

Coasteering at Abereiddy

Coasteering at Abereiddy

In the "tumble dryer", Coasteering at Abereiddy

In the “tumble dryer”, Coasteering at Abereiddy

 

After a few days in the water I was glad to be on dry land, accompanying a school group on a coastal walk, looking at map skills along with environmental issues, with the fantastic weather giving us awesome views over to Strumble Head, one of my favourite vistas in Pembrokeshire…

Looking over to Strumble Head

Looking over to Strumble Head

A weekend away climbing in South Pembrokeshire completed a really brilliant week! We did some fantastic climbs on Range East, and some new routes, but what will linger in my mind longest is the Lemon and Dill sauce we had at the Stackpole Inn! Amazing and highly recommended! We spent the day in the sun climbing in the Blockhouse Buttress area, slightly off the beaten track (due to it’s long by Pembrokeshire standards 20 minute walk in!), the area contains some fantastic routes, so go check them out!

Climbing on Range East

Climbing on Range East

 

Alun and Sophie following a route at Blockhouse Buttress...

Alun and Sophie following a route at Blockhouse Buttress…

Trad Climbing Starter Kit

So, you’ve taken the plunge to start Trad Climbing! It’s probably going to be the start of a life-long obsession, so you’re going to need some good kit! Go into your local climbing shop and you will be confronted by a vast array of funny shiny metal things, and probably a sales assistant looking to sell you all the latest flashy kit. It can be a bit bewildering, but actually it’s pretty simple if you know what you are looking for!

Starting Trad Climbing - What climbing kit do I need?

Starting Trad Climbing – What climbing kit do I need?

Shoes need to be comfy but snug, there’s a good possibility you’ll be spending more time in them now, on the sharp end, so perhaps give yourself that little bit of extra room, at least until you know exactly what suits you. If you find the right pair they can be tight AND comfy!  We most definitely should be wearing a good helmet when we are trad climbing, if you’ve not already got one, check it fits well with and without a warm hat or Baseball cap for those bright days). The cycling style “polystyrene shell” types (eg Petzl Meteor) are amazing and light, but the “harder shelled” helmets (eg Petzl Elios) might take a bit more abuse…

Your fancy sport climbing belay device wont be any good here, stick with the normal belay plate, such as the DMM Bug, or Petzl Reverso.  Your harness wants to be fully adjustable, you might be climbing in a T-Shirt on the sun soaked sea cliffs of Pembrokeshire, or the windy chilly mountains of Snowdonia fully laden in fleeces and waterproofs, the other consideration is does it have plenty of well distributed gear loops for all the stuff we are about to clip on it?!

Now how about the rope… I covered this in last weeks sport climbing article so will gloss over it a bit here. You need a single rope, 50 or 60m. Simple! Shorter and you wont have enough for longer pitches (remember you use lots of the rope in the belay) and too long and you’re just carting around extra rope (unless you’re off sport climbing abroad, then go for a longer one!) . When you start multi-pitch climbing there might be better alternatives (half ropes), but for now, lets stick with singes… Don’t get too bogged down looking at the elongation, falls tested etc etc… They’re all going to do the job well, but some will last longer than others, may be dry treated and handle nicer through your belay device… I would persoanlly say I’ve found Mammut to be the best, but there are other options out there.

Now for the fun (but expensive!) stuff – the ‘rack‘! You will most likely have a set of draws, some slings and crabs if you’ve been sport climbing already, and so hopefully your already at least part way to owning you own rack, but I will go through all the bits and pieces here so you can have a stress free shopping experience…

This starter rack is aimed at someone who is going out and climbing on simple, shorter climbs, if you start multi-pitch or sea cliff climbing there is yet more kit to acquire, and when you start leading trickier climbs there is different kit you may benefit from, but that’s for another article. For now, it’s the simple, basic stuff. If we learn to use well and form the solid foundations to keep us safe in our climbing careers, it will last for a long while… Not sure what those skills may be? Check out our courses here….

Trad Climbing Starter Kit

Trad Climbing Starter Kit

There will be a big difference in the cost of the kit you are buying between the budget and premium brands. It does all have to pass the same safety tests to be sold in the UK. You may come across some very cheap stuff on the internet from eastern Europe/China, this might not be 100% safe, and perhaps hasn’t got the UIAA/EU kite mark seal of approval and CE stamp (but may have a dodgy China Export C E mark!!!), so probably best avoided. The same goes for second hand stuff. Anything with fabric in it, is in my mind, a big no-no, you just can’t be sure of its history. Metal is less prone to having unseen faults, but this is stuff you will be using for years to come so why bother trying to save money when it might just save your life?! Buy new, buy decent, be safe!      

Quickdraws, or draws, are what we clip to the protection we place in the rock, and then to the rope. Basically a short sling with a snap gate at each end. If we carry around 12 of these, you can see how the weight will soon start to add up massively. For this reason I would go for a nice lightweight draw. You often get them in packs of 5, and in different lengths. You don’t want too many short ones, as they give us less chance at extending the gear enough to avoid rope drag. DMM do some excellent sets at varying lengths, look at the Spectre or super light Phantom draws. The middle and longer sizes are best, the short ones are more aimed at sport climbing. Its probably best to stump up some cash and get 2 sets of 5 so you have ten dedicated draws in total. It sounds a lot and seems expensive, but relate it to how much protection you can put in to keep you safe! Also worth getting, are a couple of sling-draws, these are 60cm clings with a snap gate at each end, giving you a couple of really long extenders put on crucial bits of gear to avoid drag. Go for dyneema as it’s so much lighter. There is a fancy way of folding them up so they are short on your harness, google it or get in touch with us! Some people will fix the snap gates on with rubber bands, I’d rather leave them loose and have them fully useable for other things.

Trad Climbing

Trad Climbing

Right, lets talk nuts. These are the wedged shaped metal objects you insert into cracks, then clip the draws onto these. They are your bread and butter of protection. Too many people rush out and buy all manner of fancy kit and skip through the important stuff. Spend time climbing with nuts and nuts alone, learn to place them well and efficiently, and one day it will save your life. Don’t do this and, well, what’s the worst that could happen?! I see far too many people placing utterly useless protection that wouldn’t hold a bag of peanuts let alone a ten stone human flying through the air. All you need to start out are a set of decent nuts. Go DMM or Wildcountry, both do a 1-11 set. You will want more eventually (or just buy 2 full sets now!), but for smaller easier climbs that’ll do, plus a couple of snap gates (go oval wire gates, not too many wires in each) to rack them on. They are now lighter than ever, and colour coded, so learn what colours equate to what size crack, place loads, keep yourself safe, test placements on a top-rope to see what works, and always think “what’ll happen if I fall of now?”…  I’m a huuuuuge fan of the DMM offset nuts, and would wholeheartedly recommend getting a set of those too! Also worth looking at, for the easier traditional routes, is a set of slightly larger hexes to cover the cracks that your biggest nuts won’t work in. DMM do the Torque Nuts, Wild Country do the rock-centric’s, and don’t forget a snap gate to rack them on.

Eventually you’ll want to get some cams/friends, but I recommend dialling in passive protection (nuts etc) first. There is more judgment involved when placing cams (active protection) and I routinely see climbers placing them poorly. Certain rock types may require more cams (parallel cracks of gritstone for example). Many companies do sets of sizes 1-3, including half sizes, which is a great starting point, but initially I wouldn’t worry about going smaller or bigger.

When you’re setting up at the top after leading a route, you will be placing enough gear to make yourself a solid, bomber belay. You will ideally have a d shaped screw-gate carabiner for each of these, so lets say 3, plus 1-2 HMS carabiners (go for something big, like the DMM Boa) for clove-hitching yourself to the belay. We wont get into the debate over snap-gates/screw gates here, you’re just starting out, so be belt and braces, make everything perfect, give yourself a margin for error, and when you know the ins and outs of what you’re doing then you can make an informed decision.

You will need a few 120cm slings, maybe a 240cm one, for threads, spikes or equalising two bits of gear, go for dyneema as it’s much lighter and more compact, plus a snap gate each…

You will need to retrieve stuck bits of gear (both leader and second should carry a nut key). There is a change you might start thinking about abseiling, and perhaps getting a specific abseil rope. perhaps it’s the best way off of the route you’ve just done, maybe you’re sea-cliff climbing.. Either way, you need to back yourself up with a prussic loop, get two, made out of 5mm cord, tied with double fisherman’s with plenty of tail on the end, around 35cm long once tied, plus a carabiner to rack them on.

As you can see, this kit soon adds up to a big old rack! Hopefully it’s a bit clearer now as to what to get. It is undeniably an expensive hobby to get into, but the amount you will hopefully be using it will make it all worth while! Looked after well it will last for years. Learn how to care for, clean and inspect your kit properly. It is there to save your life! Many people will have a regular climbing partner who they assemble their rack with to share the cost, some join clubs to use the club rack. Remember to join the BMC, they give you discount in some of the outdoor shops, public indemnity insurance, and help us look after and maintain our access to crags. They are our collective voice.

Now you’re embarking on the quest to become a trad climber, there are many new skills to learn, you need to go out and have some adventures, and you will forge memories that will be imprinted on the brain for many years. But remember, this is a dangerous hobby and it has the potential to all go horribly wrong. Learn the basics really well, don’t push your grade and rush ahead too soon, and remember to lower your grade and expectations from indoors or sport climbing. Stay safe, have fun!

Looking for a Learn to Lead Trad climbing course? Get in touch!

Not quite a Trad Climbing starter rack! Gearing up for some Big Wall Climbing in Yosemite...

Not quite a Trad Climbing starter rack! Gearing up for some Big Wall Climbing in Yosemite…

Next time I’ll look at kit for multi-pitch and sea-cliff climbing…

If you come on a course with us you’ll receive a 15% discount voucher for V12 in Llanberis – one of the best climbing shops going!

Sport Climbing Kit

In this article I’m going to cover what kit you might need if you were starting Sport Climbing. We’ve looked at basic climbing kit in a previous article so I wont go into detail on that here, but rest assured I’m sure what you’ve already got will be more than sufficient for moving to lead climbing at least initially! I’ll drop in any differences as we go along if it’s relevant.

There are lots of new skills to learn for sport climbing, such as lowering off, how to clip properly, what to do if your rope isn’t long enough and the climber can’t get to the ground! If you need any coaching, book on a course with an MCI like myself…

Sport Climbing - how would you get your quickdraws back on a steep route like this?!

Sport Climbing – how would you get your quickdraws back on a steep route like this?!

There is a huge choice of belay devices out there, and some are pretty useful when it come to sport climbing. Your trusty old bug from the last article, will 100% do the job, and you certainly don’t need to replace it with another expensive bit of kit, but an “assisted breaking” device, such as the iconic Gri-Gri, can make your life easier. When someone is taking lots of falls, or resting lots on the rope (as seems to happen all too often when it’s me sport climbing!), the belayer may appreciate that little bit of help… (especially if the climber is as heavy as I am!) Now it’s super important to remember these devices, and there are lots out there, are NOT automatic fall holders – merely “assisted breaking” and have all been known to slip. So get amazing at using them properly, developing your skill as a belay doesn’t stop once you’ve learnt simply how to belay, and there are a whole host of new techniques and skills to learn. So borrow a mates Gri-Gri, check out the Click Up, the Mega Jul, The Eddy and the Smart – and see what works for you and learn all there is to know about your chosen device!

Your harness, so long as it has gear loops, will most likely still be perfectly serviceable, and will definitely do the job. Something to bear in mind if your really getting into it and pushing your grade, there are some superlight sport specific harnesses out there. If every little bit of weight loss counts for you, they have thinner tape, less buckles – but generally wont be amazing for other types of climbing due it being less adjustable and less durable.

To go along side the harness, sport climbers often use something called a lanyard… There’s different options here and it can be a contentious subject – some people opting not to use one at all. If you want to discuss all the pro’s and con’s at length get in touch! I’ll touch in it a little here:

Traditionally a lanyard is length of sling attached to your harness to allow you to clip into a belay station or lower off and be attached via your harness immediately. With this set up, bear in mind that a sling has no shock absorbency in it, meaning that if you fell on it once its clipped into an anchor, it would at best hurt, at worse be catastrophic. They are designed to take a static load, and are simply for hanging on. Don’t EVER be in a fall situation clipped into the anchor directly by a sling. A lot of people will use this method, but there are newer (BETTER!) options out there.

So if you want a lanyard, why not use a length of dynamic rope, in a custom made set up like the Petzl Adjust Connect? Easy peasy to adjust, is dynamic – what’s not to like?!

Another option if you’re just going to lower off a single pitch route is to not bother with a lanyard at all and use the draws in an appropriate way. Different options for different situations – but use something dynamic and understand the system!

Chappers leading a Sport Climb near Wanaka in New Zealand

Chappers leading a Sport Climb near Wanaka in New Zealand – note the use of the Daisy Chain – maybe in the past I might have used these but they stay firmly in my Aid Climbing kit now!

So if you’re starting leading, you obviously need a rope! There is an overwhelming choice out there, but all you need is the right length of single rope. I will go into more detail on the different rope types in a later article, but a single rope is one that you use on its own and clip it in to all the protection. It is shown on the rope marker as the number 1 in a circle. If you’re indoor on a wall that is 12 meters high, all you need is double that length, so you can be lowered to the ground from the top, make sense? Ropes usually come in 30m, 50m, 60m and 70m lengths, giving you an idea of the length of route you could do! If you’re just climbing indoors you could get away with a short rope (some walls are pretty big mind!) whereas if you’re thinking of a trip to Kalymnos, a 70 or even 80m might be more appropriate. Check the route length in the guidebook before you set off, a good habit to get into is to tie a knot in the other end of the rope so it cant pass through the belay device if it’s too short..

We clip quick draws onto the bolts, and attach our ropes to these. There are sport climbing specific “draws”, which tend to be beefier (and much heavier), but any draw will do, and I would go for an all round one for other climbing unless you’re going to specialise… Cutting the weight down will make your life easier when it comes to other types of climbing. How long a draw do you need? Short draws are fine for sport, but you’ll occasionally appreciate some longer ones and I’d get a bit of a mix for your progression to trad climbing anyway. We will look at why in a later article, but basically it’s all about rope drag! You will need enough for however many bolts there are on your chosen route. Get 10 and see where to go from there. DMM do an excellent range of each… Check out the pic below of the sneaky reachy draw as well! A great option if you have a grip clip you cant quite reach…

Useful sport climbing quickdraws - note the extra reach gained from the stiffness of the draw on the right.

Useful sport climbing quickdraws – note the extra reach gained from the stiffness of the draw on the right.

A few other bits and pieces we need, firstly a couple of screw gate carabiners for clipping at the top if you want to top rope or work the route so we don’t wear out the fixed bolts and lower offs. Some people use 2 quickdraws for this, making sure the gates are opposite. As we are climbing outside, it is prudent to wear a helmet, despite the fact you rarely see sport climbers and the guys in the magazines wearing them. Along side the risk of hitting your head in a fall (sport climbers often get inverted in falls), the tops of many UK sport climbs are tottering piles of choss! Luckily the lower offs are usually placed below these sections! A clip stick is something to think about, reducing the risk of a ground-fall from the first couple of clips, and enabling you to clip your way up a route that you may want to work. I often take an old snapgate or maillon to put on a bolt if I cant get to the top and have to lower off, to save leaving any expensive kit…

Clip Stick - a vital sport climbing tool!

Clip Stick – a vital sport climbing tool!

So there we have it, a whistle stop tour of the kit you might need if you are getting into sport climbing. Sport climbing is easy tov get into – safe-ish, means you get a lot of climbing done in a day (or non at all if you’re working a route!) and there are some amazing destinations both a short haul away and further afield in some exotic locations.. Either way, there’s climbs out there at every grade and amazing adventures to be had, so et the right kit, get the right skills, and have fun!

Drop us a line if you’d like to learnt the skills on the amazing Gower Coast (Pembrokeshire is RUBBISH for Sport Climbing!)

Coaching Sport Climbing in Spain

Coaching Sport Climbing in Spain

If you come on a course with us you’ll receive a 15% discount voucher for V12 in Llanberis – one of the best climbing shops going!

Sunny climbing/mountain action in April!

These last few weeks I’ve been pretty busy! We’ve just had our first cloudy day here in Pembrokeshire in what seems like ages so I thought I’d reflect back on what has been a memorable few weeks…

In the week before Easter we ran a 5 day Learn to Lead Climb Course for Jack and Dave, and spent the week climbing loads of classic routes, then came the Bank Holiday, and the start of the properly great weather! 4 days off in a row for some personal climbing and 4 GIANT ice-creams in a row from the amazing Gianni’s in St. Davids – if you’ve not been there check them out – the best and most random flavours of ice-cream! Soph and I did loads of great routes and explored some new areas…

Soph climbing at Keyhole Buttress

Soph climbing at Keyhole Buttress

Once the Bank Holiday fun was over I met up with Dan for a days climbing, and as he was already an experienced lead climber it was basically just a day out climbing for fun – work should be like that everyday!

Dan leading Red Wall

Dan leading Red Wall

Beth came out with me for a couple of days, she was mega psyched to climb loads and learn how to keep her son safe on the crags, a really nice person and very keen to learn made for a awesome couple of days and some great routes.

Beth seconding at Caerfai

Beth seconding at Caerfai

Next up was a trip to Snowdonia to work on a Mountain Leader Training course with Phill George. Phill and his other instructors are mega experienced and very laid back, so they are always a pleasure to work with. The candidates we had were all very competent, so yet again, a really easy week teaching micro nav, ropework, night navigation, leadership and expedition skills was had! Our final day of exped over the top of Lliwedd and the views to the coast were truly magical…

On top of Lliwedd on an ML training expedition

On top of Lliwedd on an ML training expedition

Back to the sea-side now for a weekend with local climbing instructors teaching them sea-cliff rescue skills to improve their personal climbing. Over the 2 days Dan, Johnny, Matt, Ricky, Ben and Alex learnt all sorts and gained a valuable day of professional development for their Mountain Training log books… It’s great fun teaching these high end skills and I think it’s so important for climbers venturing onto sea-cliffs and multi-pitch climbs to learn them.

Ben picking Matt up on the abseil to rescue him!

Ben picking Matt up on the abseil to rescue him!

Most recently I have just spent 3 days with Andy and his son Igor, on holiday over from the Alps (lucky them!) they were keen to do heaps of climbing and for Andy to learn how to keep Igor safe when they go out climbing together… We did dozens of routes, all of which Igor (11) got up with ease – very impressive climbing from him this week, all by the sea, in glorious weather. On my last day with them I managed to sneak in a few solo climbs afterwards, then an awesome sunset surf!

Andy belaying Igor at Pen Y Cyfwyr

Andy belaying Igor at Pen Y Cyfwyr

A fantastic few days with these guys has left me feeling really positive and psyched for the summer of climbing! Now I’ve got a bit of time off to catch up on admin and get out climbing for myself, there’s a few cliffs I’ve got my eye on some new lines – so maybe the next update will be some new routes!