blog
Wed 8th Sep Young Climbers Festival 2010 Report
On Thursday 26th August, The Climbing Works held its 2nd Young Climbers Festival, an event to mark the end of the holidays and to thank all those who participate in our regular kids clubs or holiday...
Tue 7th Sep Berghaus Competition Wall & British Team Training
Last weekend we had the British Bouldering Team in for a rehearsal before the European Championships which take place on the 17-19th September. The days consisted of getting on the Berghaus...
Thu 2nd Sep British Team Training
On Sunday the British Bouldering Team will be in for a training session on the Berghaus Competition Wall. This is all in aid of being on top form before they head off to the European Championships in...
Mon 30th Aug Special Bank Holiday Shoe Offer
Get this offer early! 20% OFF Boreal Storms & Five Ten Freeriders These technical shoes are perfect for those looking to take it up a notch as we enter the Autumnal bouldering season. Boreal Storm:...
Fri 27th Aug Painting the New Wall
The wall build has been finished and today has been all about sanding, texturing and painting. It will all be dry by Monday so expect some new problems from Tuesday onwardsMatt adding paint to his...
Thu 26th Aug Sterling Ropes
Ropes you say? R.O.P.E.S? Yep. The Climbing Works is stocking ropes. Why? Obviously we don't use or need them in here, but when the chance comes along to be one of the first UK retailers to stock...
Wed 25th Aug The Great Climb on TV
This weekend sees some major climbing action on the BBC. Going back to the old school days of first ascents shown live on national telly, BBC Scotland are once again trying to attempt 'The Great...
Tue 24th Aug Safety First
Just to make you all feel that little bit better, the grand fromage's (Percy, Sam & Graeme) along with Lu & Sara all sailed through their First Aid refresher courses. Little things like this...
Mon 23rd Aug A Sad Farewell
On Sunday we heard the incredibly sad news that Chloe Graftiaux had fallen while descending from the L'aiguille Noire de Peuterey in the Italian Alps. We knew Chloe from her first visit to Sheffield...
Mon 23rd Aug A Quiet Monday...Sort of
We've started the week like the way we finished off the last one, busy! Percy has continued on with the wall building as you can see below. This should be all built by Friday and newly set for next...
Fri 20th Aug A Wave of Change
Those who follow our Twitter account will have read this morning about the mass of sound coming from drills, saws, hammers, scraping ladders and the movement of holds. It has been a very busy morning...
Thu 19th Aug Something New
For those who climb in here regularly you might have noticed that the last few circuits have 1, finished at 35. And 2, not used the wavy wall near the kids boulder. The reason behind this was not us...
Tue 17th Aug New Font Guide & Swedish DVD
We've just got in the brand new Fontainebleau guide from the legend that is Jacky Godoffe. Jacky has done Font guides before, with his famous Purple and Blue off-piste circuit guides. This new...
Mon 16th Aug Winter Bouldering League Dates & New Circuit
Even though we're currently wearing shorts in the office, we're well ahead in our planning for the Winter season. Foremost in our mind is the return of The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering...
Thu 12th Aug BMC Learning To Train Workshop
On Wednesday 25th August The Climbing Works will be the venue for the BMC's Learning To Train workshop. This is an event for those who work in climbing coaching and are looking to improve their...
Tue 10th Aug New Brown Circuit Completed
The new Brown circuit has now been finished. 35 problems in the Font 5 to 6b range. These have replaced the Whites and give you a somewhat more slopey circuit to climb on compared to the old...
Thu 5th Aug Young Climbers Festival 2010
On the 26th August The Climbing Works will have its annual Young Climbers Festival. This is a perfect opportunity for kids 7-14 years old, who are regular climbers, to have a Summers day they won't...
Tue 3rd Aug New Circuits / New Videos
Last week we set 2 circuits at the opposite end of the spectrum; the Font 3-4 Greens and the Font 7a-7c Yellows. As you would expect both are getting a good hammering with the Green finishing holds...
Tue 27th Jul What To Do With Kids This Summer
School is out and you're probably wondering what to do with the kids in the next 5 weeks or so. Here at The Climbing Works, we aim to help with our range of Kids and Family sessions running...
Tue 20th Jul It's Been A While
Since we last blogged a fair bit has been happening at The Climbing Works. This has actually been the reason behind the lack of blogs as we've been so busy chasing our own tails we've had little...
Thu 8th Jul New Reds Being Set & WC Bouldering Film
As you may have noticed there is alot going on at The Climbing Works this week. We have a temporary reception as the old one gets refitted. This was supposed to be finished on Monday but small...
Fri 2nd Jul IFSC World Cup
Tonight is the technical briefing before the World Cup and The Climbing Works is awash with International WAD's. The British team are here of course, as well as the sole Irish competitor - the...
Wed 30th Jun Party Post-Cliffhanger
As stated yesterday, The Climbing Works will be organising and DJ'ing the Cliffhanger Warm Down on Sunday night after the IFSC bouldering world cup. Tickets are FREE (but you must have one for entry)...
Tue 29th Jun IFSC Bouldering World Cup at Cliffhanger
This weekend sees the penultimate round of this year's IFSC Bouldering World Cup taking place at Cliffhanger in Millhouses Park, Sheffield.This years bouldering world cup has been an amazing year...
Thu 17th Jun Partial Closure UPDATE: 3rd & 4th July
Over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th July, The Climbing Works will have a partial closure because of our sponsorship of the IFSC Bouldering World Cup. This event will be taking place at Cliifhanger in...
Wed 16th Jun Purple Spotty Video & Comp Wall Reset
As promised, there's a new video of the purple spotty circuit as set by Percy and Sam. You can watch these two test some of their new creations below...and maybe get some beta. You can also view the...
Tue 15th Jun A Little Bit of Fresh Paint
This week see's a little bit of fresh paint going on two of the main pillars within The Climbing Works. They were looking a little 'worn' so we thought we'd brighten them up for the Summer. As you...
Fri 11th Jun New Purple Circuit & Cliffhanger Info
Percy and Sam have finished off the Purple Spotty's today with 40 brand new problems in the 6a to 6b range. The 20 or so that were set yesterday already got a good hammering last night so it's going...
Sat 5th Jun Stew & Dave on top of the world
Well not quite on top of the world but competing at 8000ft after only a couple of days acclimatisation it's getting pretty high. Add in a bit of jet lag and you can appreciate what a good job the...
Wed 2nd Jun The Climbing Works International Festival 2011: Dates & Film
The 4th CWIF took place in March and was a huge success. We had over 200 people enter and we must have turned away at least 50 other people in the 7 days in the run-up to the event. You can watch the...
Mon 31st May Vienna, Colorado, Cliffhanger
The Bouldering World Cup circuit moves on from Vienna to Vail this weekend.Cliffhanger is the penultimate round of this years circuit and if you want to see some mutants performing their amazing...
Sat 29th May Stewbacca into the final
Our totally impartial IFSC Delegate is not allowed to rejoice about the fact that Stew Watson has qualified for his first ever Bouldering World Cup final out here in sunny Vienna.Graeme will not be...
Fri 28th May Men's Quals over In Vienna
Well Graeme managed to get himself on the webcast microphone reminding some Australian friends of The Works that England hold the Ashes & are World T20 Champions. And the Aussies aren't.What happend...
Thu 27th May Check Graeme out on the IFSC webcast from Vienna
Graeme will be trying to spoil the webcast from the IFSC Bouldering World Cup which starts tomorrow in Vienna. The webcast is free and can be seen here Hopefully the Austrians will stop him getting...
Wed 26th May Climbing Shoes Special Offers
We've got some very special offers at the moment in The Climbing Works Shop that are certainly worth checking out. On the climbing front we have 50% OFF the classic Scarpa Visions. These were a...
Tue 25th May Pink Circuit Completed - Videos
Percy and Matt finished off the last remaining problems yesterday to complete a new 40 problem circuit in the Font 6b to 7a+ range. This now means we have 11 circuits on the main walls plus a new...
Fri 21st May Berghaus Competition Wall - Video
Earlier this week Percy finished off the current Berghaus Competition wall reset. These problems replaced the CWIF final problems that went up in late March. You now have 25 problems to go at from...
Thu 20th May Something for the Weekend?
It's nearly the weekend and you're sitting in work on a warm, muggy day (well, it is in Sheffield). If you're looking for something to take you away from that boring work, or something to get you...
Mon 10th May Comp Wall Setting
The old comp wall has been stripped and some new problems have been set. There's not much to get on yet, and what there is, it's brick hard. The rest of the wall will be set later on in the week so...
Tue 4th May Vote on Thursday May 6th
On Thursday the UK will have the 2010 general election taking place. It also sees local council elections occur in many districts. This is your chance to have your say on how you would like your...
Fri 30th Apr Bank Holiday Fun
This weekend see's the first of the Bank Holiday's and as per usual, the forecast is rather mixed. No worries if you're stuck in Sheffield as we'll be open as normal over the weekend and will have...
Mon 26th Apr The Bish is Back
After an extra, volcano enforced, week in the Portugese bouldering destination of Sintra, Percy has arrived back and set to work on stripping the Purple's. There should be a new circuit up by the end...
Thu 22nd Apr Phyiso from The Clinic tonight
The Clinic are back in their corner beside the campus board tonight, once again giving Sheffield climbers some help in identifying and treating any lingering injuries.It's all FREE so if you've got a...
Wed 21st Apr New White Circuit Completed plus Mammut Grit Trailer
Sam and I finished setting the White circuit this morning, and along with Lu, tested them this afternoon. You now have a new 40 problem circuit in the Font 4-5+ category, sitting below the Blacks and...
Mon 19th Apr Travel Chaos & Registering To Vote
Soooooo many things to write about today Registering to Vote: With the General & Local Elections coming up on May 6th we are encouraging ALL our customers to vote. We don't care who you vote for or...
Wed 14th Apr I Want One!!!
Over the last few weeks the Peak District has been host to the Mammut Pro Team. This collection of uber wads have been sampling the delights of Peak Gritstone, both boulder & trad, and as usual with...
Wed 7th Apr Yellow Spotty Circuit & Easter Fun
Yesterday Sam finished off the final few problems on the new Yellow Spotty circuit. In the Font 4-5+ grade range, this is a perfect range and style for those doing adult improver sessions or those...
Mon 5th Apr Holiday? What Holiday?
It may be Bank Holiday Monday for the masses but for The Climbing Works it's a normal day with new problems being set by Percy & Sam. This time it's a new Yellow Spotty circuit with the grade being...
Thu 1st Apr Easter
Just a reminder about our Easter opening times: Good Friday: Noon - 10pm Easter Saturday & Sunday: 10am-8pm Easter Monday: Noon-10pm Percy is just finishing the new yellow circuit (Font 7a-7c'ish)...
Mon 29th Mar Easter Opening Times, CWIF links & New Yellow Circuit
After a bit of a rest and recuperation last week after the CWIF, we've started the process of changing and resetting some new circuits. As the rain comes pouring down in Sheffield and the forecast...
Mon 22nd Mar The CWIF: Results
What a day!!!! Saturday was just an astounding competition. The 30 problem qualification circuit tested all the skills of the climbers while the Semi's & Finals on the Berghaus Competition wall...
Mon 22nd Mar CWIF Photos
We've uploaded a number of photos to our Picasa account so if you want to relive the event, or if you missed out completely, go check them out. No descriptions on them yet but we'll aim to add...
Sat 20th Mar CWIF - Semi Finals about to begin
c. David Simmonite After an amazing morning of big moves, hard falls and technical slabs the 200 competitors have been whittled down to 16 men & 16 women. You can view the semi final list here...
Fri 19th Mar CWIF Testing Begins plus Important Points for Everyone Competing
The semi's & main final problems have been set with a big blue tarp covering the Berghaus competition wall - all set for unveiling tomorrow at 4pm. This morning the routesetters have been busy...
Wed 17th Mar CWIF After Party
Saturday is going to be a big day for everyone involved in The Climbing Works. Usually, after a big day of work, you go home and have a cup of tea. You do this because you're tired, it's relaxing and...
Tue 16th Mar CWIF Update
Today the Berghaus Competition Wall was stripped with all the holds and volumes coming down. This will all be back in action for the CWIF semi-finals which will begin at 16:30 on Saturday On the...
Mon 15th Mar CWIF Week - It All Starts Today...
This morning Percy & Sam got to work stripping the circuits in preparation for this Saturday's CWIF. The yellow circuit will be the main competition circuit but also coming down was the spotty yellow...
Mon 15th Mar CWIF Timetable plus the Holdz!!!
We've had alot of people asking about the CWIF in terms of times and what is going on during the day. You can read the timetable for the day in pdf format from our website now. This is a rough...
Thu 11th Mar New Green Spotty Circuit & CWIF update
Sam has finished the green spotty circuit which is made up of 20 slightly longer than normal problems. Nothing harder than 6a on the individual problems themselves but the new green spotty circuit is...
Wed 10th Mar Works Update
So much going on in The Climbing Works so a quick overview:Sat 13th March: We will be CLOSED ALLDAY for BUCS climbing championship. Open as normal on the Sunday.CWIF: We currently have 4 places left....
Tue 9th Mar BUCS Closure - Sat 13th March
Just another reminder that we will be CLOSED ALLDAY on Saturday 13th March.We're hosting the British University & Colleges Sports Climbing Championship on that day with over 300 students arriving to...
Mon 8th Mar Ron Lecture & CWIF update
The Ron lecture was an amazing success with Ed Douglas doing a brilliant job in eeking out all the stories from Ron's past. Listening to Ron, you'd think he was just a normal climber, listen closer...
Sun 7th Mar Ron Fawcett Lecture - TONIGHT
The Ron Fawcett lecture is on tonight with doors opening at 8pm and the lecture itself starting at 8.30pm. It's going to be a cracker night as Ron is joined by Ed Douglas (co-writer of Rock Athlete)...
Sat 6th Mar Ben's Groove SS at Caley
With the weather being so good Sam managed to get out to Caley a few weeks ago to enjoy the excellent Gritstone conditions. Putting all his hard training in here to good work he managed to do the...
Fri 5th Mar Ron Fawcett Lecture - The Ale!
Sunday nights Ron lecture was always going to be good. The man has enough stories for a dozen talks. Add to this that Ed Douglas (co-write of Ron's book, Rock Athlete) will be on hand to ask the...
Wed 3rd Mar BUCS & ShAFF
On Sat 13th March we will be CLOSED ALLDAY because we're hosting the BUCS (University) climbing championships. We will reopen as normal on Sunday 14th March.No matter what the weather or how busy you...
Tue 2nd Mar The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League Overall Results
After an amazing 4 rounds and £1000 given out in prize money, The Climbing Works winter bouldering league has come to an end. Thanks to everyone who turned out for each round, this year had the...
Mon 1st Mar While I've Been Away...
2 weeks away from the office in the home of bouldering itself, Fontainebleau, it's kind of strange (but nice) to return to Sheffield and the Works. So while I've been away there's been alot going on...
Thu 25th Feb Its all going off....
Graeme is currently off 'at a meeting' in Bali (yes, seriously!) but took time out from his 'busy schedule' (probably on the beach, or propping up a bar somewhere) to email me the latest...
Mon 22nd Feb Going Back to the Old Ways
Sam & Percy have been busy today setting a new red circuit. They should have it all finished by tomorrow.If you've tried to contact us in the last few days by email, you may be wondering why we...
Mon 22nd Feb New Red circuit and more.
Yes, we're back on the case and there are currently about 26 new red problems to go at - the last 14 problems will be set on Thursday. The grade range is simular to the last lot - between Font 6c+...
Mon 15th Feb New slab is ready to go.
Its all finished and ready for action - check out the pictures for the before and after views. I think it looks a bit better now. I'm off to put some holds on it - will be ready to climb on by...
Fri 12th Feb A Colourful Slab
The slab has now been painted and as usual we've gone for some bright colours. Remember to watch the 2010 Climbing Works Tour:
Thu 11th Feb A Tour of The Climbing Works
Every year we like to do a film tour of The Climbing Works to showcase our little wall. Today we've uploaded the 2010 version which you can view below. You can also watch the old tours and...
Wed 10th Feb Slab Pictures
As promised yesterday here's a couple of pictures of the new work on the slab. The middle feature may look its a bit of vert wall...but its not. What it is though, is a very steep slab with a...
Tue 9th Feb Slab Work
Percy has finished most of the work on the slab with some painting and other remedial work to complete the makeover. We will get the photos on here tomorrow but the slab now has a proud new feature...
Mon 8th Feb A Master Bender
Most definitely the quote of the week, early on a Monday morning, from a Mr P. Bishton. He was talking about his work on the new slab but it still made me laugh.Percy will continue to work on his...
Fri 5th Feb Big Ron, New Greens, Slab & Crack
Percy has started work on the slab and has already left a feature that many are sure to enjoy... Ohhhhhh, look at that crack.....mmmmmmmhhhhh The work should all be finished by the middle of...
Thu 4th Feb New Greens, A Little Slab Work & Another HUGE Holds Sale
As you may know from previous blogs, we're resetting the Greens today. By early evening we should have 25 or so ready to go. The rest will be set tomorrow giving you a new circuit in the Font 3-4...
Wed 3rd Feb Tweet tweet
A month into the new decade The Climbing Works has decided to add to their web 2.0 collection and can now be found on twitter. We've been thinking about tweeting for quite a while but have now...
Mon 1st Feb Change
Today the Green circuit has been taken down. It was ripe for a change so a new green one will grace the walls by the end of the week. Remember we will be hosting the Ron Fawcett lecture on Sunday...
Fri 29th Jan Ron Fawcett Lecture
We're very happy to announce that big Ron will be giving a lecture in The Climbing Works on Sunday 7th March. Ron Fawcett was one of the key players that transformed rock-climbing in the 1970s. His...
Thu 28th Jan New Circuit
The Purple Spotty circuit has now been finished with the problems in the Font 6a-6c range. The topo for the Berghaus competition wall has also been completed and is now resting on the mats waiting...
Tue 26th Jan Purple Spotty
We were hoping to have the full circuit completed yesterday for the new purple spotty's. Unfortunately problems with our cleaners meant Percy and I spent our morning hoovering instead of setting. It...
Mon 25th Jan Scarpa Instincts
New into store today are the Scarpa Instincts Lace. Alot of you may recognise them from the feet of myself, Percy or Sam who have been using them for the last few months in the Works and outside....
Fri 22nd Jan Woodseats Road Closure
Just a quick public announcement to help you out if travelling to The Climbing Works over the next 2 weekends. This Sunday (24th Jan) & next Sunday (31st Jan) Woodseats road will be partially...
Thu 21st Jan New Circuit & Physio
The Browns have disappeared into the holds room and the purple spotty's have returned to the wall. Percy has started setting today so by tomorrow you should have another 40+ problems in the Font...
Thu 21st Jan An Unusual Visit
Today we had the pleasure of having our local MP Meg Munn& the Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe visit The Climbing Works. We've had Meg in before for a chat and a look around, this time she...
Wed 20th Jan First international entrants for the CWIF (Updated Wed 20th Jan)
As some of you may know, The Climbing Works is hosting the CWIF event again for the 4th consecutive year. The event has grown and grown in popularity, and it looks like we might even have to cap the...
Mon 18th Jan Round 3 Results
Another Friday night comp, another big crowd. The competition wall was busy with people on every problem. Even with the event expanded to 4 hours some people still ran out of time. Out of this big...
Sun 17th Jan The Asgard Project: Review
I had been looking forward to watching The Asgard Project, especially after Leo Houlding's excellent lecture at The Climbing Works back in November. We received the DVD earlier on in the week and...
Fri 15th Jan Friday Night Comp - Round 3
Tonight sees R3 of the Winter Bouldering League take place on the Berghaus Competition Wall. The boys are currently setting away, 25 problems from Font 5 to 7c including the 2 cash (£125) bonus...
Thu 14th Jan Comp Wall & Fun in the Snow
Percy & Sam are currently setting and testing problems for Friday nights R3 of the bouldering league. As usual expect weird volumes, big moves and dirty crimps. Everything you need for a great...
Wed 13th Jan Jan Hold Sale - Update
Due to a very large response to yesterdays blog, we've decided to do a one-off night of selling holds. This will take place on Wednesday 20th Jan at The Climbing Works between 6-8pm. You can come...
Tue 12th Jan Climbing Works Jan Hold Sale
Recently we set a whole new purple circuit on brand new revolution holds. We pride ourselves on having a versatile range of holds from different companies. This means we can set problems that cover a...
Mon 11th Jan R3 of The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League this Friday
Friday 15th January sees the 3rd round of The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League take place. It starts at 6pm and will finish at 10pm. It's open to all with 25 newly set problems, between font 5...
Wed 6th Jan Winter Bouldering League - R3
As Sheffield, and most of the UK, is enjoying a winter wonderland of snow and cold weather, it seems somewhat appropriate to remind you of the upcoming Round 3 of The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering...
Tue 5th Jan Return of The Insulated Roof
Today see's the return of our insulated roof. It is temporary but it does make a difference at this time of year. By the looks of the weather forecast it will stay till at least the end of the week...
Tue 5th Jan A Cheese Board in the Peak
With all the snow that fell last night, Sam & Percy decided to have a bit of a cheese board session in the peak this morning. They got fresh tracks and even a bit of tree action. Unfortunately...
Mon 4th Jan Added Bonus
For those who think they've done the whole Purple circuit, think again. Percy has been busy this morning and added 6 new problems to the walls opposite the Campus Board. This now gives you a 47...
