BMC North East Summer Gathering. The June gathering of climbers in the BMC North East Area  will take place on Thursday 6 June 2013, starting at 7.30pm, at the Newcastle Climbing Centre. Following the successful Crag Lough clean up  last year it is proposed to repeat the event again this year with the BMC providing a BBQ and Beer! It is also expected that another similar event may be held up at Ravensheugh this summer if there is enough willing volunteers. As usual this is an open meeting for anyone interested in climbing to attend and have there say. More details regarding this event can be found on the BMC Community website. Reported 18th May 2011

Winners! Congratulations to Paul Ogden and Kate Watson winners of a tense final at the Durham Climbing Centre Spring Bouldering Competition. The 20 qualifiers were great fun with a good mix of technical and powerful problems. The final was contested on six further excellent challenges, three each for the male and female. All the boulder problems were set by Gaz Parry with the help of James Hunter. Over £60 was raised from donations for Climbers Against Cancer which DCC will top up to £100. Full results from Durham Climbing Centre website soon. Reported 11th May 2011

Jordan Buys climbs 9a at Malham. Last week Jordan Buys made the third ascent of Steve McClures ten year old route Rainshaddow which had its 9a grade confirmed by Adam Ondra two years ago. Jordan first tried the route in 2011 and was getting close to redpointing it in 2012 but the terrible weather thwarted his ambitions. As the weather improved an injury hampered any further attempts. Jordan created the crux moves on his board so he could train specifically for the route even when the crag wasn't in best condition. Keith Sharples wrote this report on UK Climbing "Jordan's ascent of Rainshadow, the third after Adam Ondra's second ascent in 2011, is the first repeat of a Steve McClure F9a by a Brit - a worthy prize and one which a number of top sport-climbing Brits have been vying for some time now." Jordan had this to says about his ascent during an interview with Alex Messenger of the BMC "It is smack bang in the middle of Malham Cove in Yorkshire. It's about 20-odd metres long and extends Raindogs, a classic 8a. It is some of the best rock I have ever climbed on; if any small section of it was a route or boulder problem on it's own then it would be well sought after! As it is, you get one big classy beast." You can read the full interview with Jordan on The BMC website. On his 8a.nu score card Jordan simply commented "The best climbing day of my life so far!"  Reported 10th May 2011

New Hard Trad Route at Kilnsey by Nik Jennings - Exodus E8 6c Climb Warlord Direct to the thread then instead of moving right into the groove/corner of Warlord continue direct up the bulging face to finish as for Smarter Martyr/Massala Martyr.
first ascent by Nik Jennings 10th May 2013. Nik had this to say on UKB "I've kind of lost perspective on how hard the first boulder problem is because I've done it so many times, but a friend did it while I was trying the route and thought it was Font 7b. If it is Font 7b then the second boulder problem would be comfortably Font 7c/+ territory, it's much harder than the start. Anyway I don't know if those numbers and details add up to E8" The full story can be found here on UK Bouldering. Reported 10th May 2013

More Sad News - Bowden Doors. Dan Varian has put up a few new problems at Bowden Doors recently but has commented on his Beastmaker Blog that Bowden Doors is becoming a victim of its own popularity. Dan reflects "Its no crime covering a boulder in chalk, but leaving it there after you go expecting people to appreciate finding problems in this state is thoughtless at best." He goes on to say "...sometimes if its quite glassy sandstone a thin layer of chalk can help but on the grainy rock at Bowden Doors its a case of the less chalk the better as it means the rocks pores can bite the skin and even absorb a bit of sweat."  Then on a more positive note Dan continues "the rest of the county is unaffected pretty much and there are dozens and dozens of crags on much better rock to pick from, many of which need traffic to keep them clean, or do it to give Bowden a bit of breathing space." Read his full article on his Beastmaker Blog. Reported 9th May 2013

The Infamous Ornithology Tree has Finally Fallen Down. Peak Scar is a superb and accessible summer evening venue, especially early in the summer before the trees come into leaf. "Way back one summer evening in the early 1970's I borrowed the Green North York Moors guide from the local library and Peak Scar was one of the first crags I visited. I found the crag easily enough but found it trickier to suss out the climbs! I sat down on a convenient block below the first clean wall of steep and imposing limestone looking for the obvious jutting feature of Pianississimo. After quite some time I began to realise that I was sat on it!  Well a similar feat has befallen the aged tree on Ornithology"  reports Steve Crowe. Ornithology, which was graded Severe when the tree was still there, crossed the huge roof by scrambling up the old tree. Well the tree has now joined the battleship on the ground at the bottom of the crag. "The infamous tree on ornithology has fallen down. I found it rotting on the floor when I went down for a look to see if the crag was dry recently, what a shame." Sam Marks Reported 8th May 2013

Climb North East Junior Bouldering Ladder 2013 - Round Three.
This competition which takes place at Climb North East is suitable for juniors aged from 7 up to 14. Over 12 weeks there will be 3 rounds, each round set with 30 specifically designed problems suitable for children with shorter reach in mind. Each round of problems will be up for just under 4 weeks where each competitor will have chance to try the problems as many times as they wish. Children will also be introduced to the bouldering ladder in the regular kids sessions and the coaching academy session on a Thursday. There will be 4 age categories, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14. There will no extra cost to enter this competition, just the normal entrance fee (and optional £1.00 donation) All scores will be recorded and can be viewed on this page once the competition has started. The points system will be 11 points for flash (1st attempt) and 10 points anytime after. The rules for the competition will be up in the centre and if there is anything you don't understand feel free to ask at the reception. http://www.climbnortheast.co.uk/events/junior-bouldering-ladder-2013/index.php  "In connection with the competition we are trying to raise awareness for CAC (Climbers against cancer) and hopefully raise some funding to help this wonderful cause. Check out the website at www.climbersagainstcancer.org. Everyone who would like to get involved in the competition will need a scorecard and this is where we are asking for a £1.00 donation to help." Kevin Milburn, Climb North East manager. Reported 8h May 2013

There's Less than a Week to Go to ASBO 13.  The ClimbNewcastle Annual Spring Boulder Open (aka ASBO), the highlight of the North East Competition scene, is a competition with a difference. It enjoys the format and the fun of the Winter Bouldering Series during the day and then adds a spectacular final in the evening. ASBO 13 takes place on Friday 3rd May 2013 and you can enter the fun competition any time between 12 and 8:30pm and/or come down to spectate from 9pm for the finals. Entering the ASBO costs nothing more than your normal entry fee. Plus... you get a free ASBO 13 Outdoor Research t-shirt if you are one of the first 200 through the door! ClimbNewcastle and the 200+ competitors would like to thank all the sponsors of the Annual Spring Boulder Open: Outdoor Research, Scarpa, Volx Holds, Deuter and Mark Savage Photography for making this spectacular event possible. Details of all the up and coming events can be found on our events page here.  Reported 28th April 2013

Flying visit to Font - Air France Foul up! Sunderland strong man and popular route setter Paul Ogden has recently returned from a fantastic fortnight in Fontainebleau in a foul mood! Rather than take his partner and 8 month old child overland Paul decided that he would drive out with his gorgeous German Shepherd Bena for company while Joanne and baby Freddie would enjoy a luxurious flight using Air France. However when they tried to travel home Air France conspired to make life difficult for him and his young family. Joanne and baby Freddie were, incredibly, booted off their return flight despite having reservations to allow an "Air France Club Member" to take their seat! Joanne had to endure an overnight stay in a "grubby" hotel in Paris and then had to be up early and travel back across Paris to the airport to be ready for another flight the next day. Air France has since apologised and offered compensation but Paul understandably stated firmly to the staff at the gate "I don't want Air France's money, I want Joanne and Freddie to fly tonight on their reserved flight! I want my son and his mother safely home in their own beds so I don't have any more stress before my long drive north tomorrow." Check out the Air France official website...families and children are priority... is that a joke? Once he has recovered Paul will be resetting the Black circuit at Durham Climbing Centre next week. Reported 25th April 2013

Free Bootcamp with Erica Helsinki. Come and try out the fat blasting bootcamp  in the heart of Sunderland for free! Erika Helsinki is bringing her super effective HIT Bootcamp to Sunderland City Centre during April 2013. Duration: 30 minutes (trust me, it's long enough!) Location: Mowbray Park (meeting point is the band stand) Cost: £5 pay-as-you-go or £39 per month (+ first session is free!) Reported 22nd April 2013

New Moors Bouldering Guide Out Soon. With mint conditions returning all across the North York Moors, the finishing checks are being carried out now, prior to the publication of Lee Robinson's forthcoming Bouldering Guide which is dedicated to the delights of climbing on the North York Moors. "The guide is getting very close to completion so you better be quick and polish off those projects pronto. I’m sending you some screen grabs to give folks an idea of how it's going to look. Oh, by the way, Mike Adams has put up another 8a at Arnecliff Woods, it's a lovely place!" Lee Robinson. For the latest news visit the Betaguides blog here. Ravenswick is a very accessible roadside quarry with a quick drying limestone wall that provides superb short day or evening training. Details of climbing and bouldering at Ravenswick can be found here on climbonline.co.uk. Reported 18th April 2013

ClimbNewcastle have just finished resetting the pink circuit and at Font 5a -7a they are bound to be very popular, however be warned they provide a much stiffer challenge than the recent excellent green circuit! Friday night is free coaching night at ClimbNewcastle and this week Jamie is on duty and is armed with all the beta! More details about the ASBO (The 5th Annual Spring Bouldering Open) on the 3rd May 2013 can be found on our events page here.  Reported 12th April 2013

Youth Bouldering Competition at Sunderland Climbing Centre. Following on from the success of the Easter entertainment, Sunderland Climbing Centre at Southwick is hosting its first dedicated youth bouldering competition over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend 3rd - 6th May 2013. There will be 30 interesting and challenging problems up to 7a+. Get training now on the popular new purple circuit 6a - 6c+ that was set this week by local technician Steve Crowe!  More information about up and coming events and special offers can be found on their website at: www.sunderlandclimbingcentre.co.uk. Reported 11th April 2013