One very cold snowy Wednesday morning (perfect for practicing!) four of us who are going on the Scotland expedition met up bright & early at Brighton station to go on a nav &rope adventure. We caught the train to hassocks and navigated immediately to a cafe. The cafe had a big table that we were able to spread our maps out on. Tony set…
For Craggers providing fun and adventure is central to everything we do. What people might not be aware of is the extensive training volunteers receive to ensure that what we do is not just exciting but safe too. Volunteer training focussing on various skills takes place throughout the year. The July training is specifically…
The Adventure Camp just seems to go from strength to strength and remains as fresh and exciting as it did at its inception at the end of the last century. This freshness is due both to the energy brought to the event by new participants and new volunteers and the new activities we seem to…
At 11am on Christmas Eve a small group of us went for a walk in wild park. For me wild park is one of the most outstanding (and often overlooked) beauty spots in Brighton. It is really accessible and is Brighton’s largest local nature reserve. There is always something worth seeing there, from the great…
I log roll down the 40 degree snow slope, firm, double handed grip on the ice axe head. Four, five rolls – my feet are grabbed and thrown violently up and round turning the roll into a wobbly Catherine wheel. Make star shape to stabilise. Hurtling down slope head first on my back; semi sit…
It had been raining for the entire week and was still pouring down when we set off on the bus for an early autumn weekend camp. I definitely looked like a towny, pitching a borrowed tent in the dark by the light of the torch on my phone, but at least the rain had stopped…
I have spent several nights in a tent already this year but this was to be my first time out in the forest, alone and under a basha rather than in a tent. I had found my bivi spot sooner than expected and with the Earth’s tilted axis spinning us towards the solstice and stretching…
Folded uncomfortably into the front seats of Dan’s van, the eight hour journey to north Wales seemed even longer than usual. We had two objectives; Buster and Dan were to learn the basics of multi-pitch trad climbing and I would attend a CPD workshop. The rain clouds, which had threatened us throughout the trip, failed…
Ice Axe arrests We all got ready and left the hostel early in the morning while it was still dark. We walked and climbed for over an hour into the Cairngorm mountains, in the cold morning light, to a good spot for training in winter skills. It was a bright and sunny day, the snow…
Thanks for organising a gorgeous trip (if you could do the laundry too that would be ideal…) We had a truly fantastic time in a lovely place in the world with great company. Carys said her best bit was climbing and Tara’s favourite part was playing super heroes. My best bit was being out and…
The BMC Youth Climbing Series is a series of fun climbing competitions specifically for young people with the emphasis on enjoyment. It is perhaps the most popular competition for young people attracting hundreds of entrants across the country. There are three regional rounds in each of the BMC Areas followed by a Grand Final…
It is when you are fumbling to clip the rope into the quickdraw, while all the strength is leached from your arms, that the difference between top roping and lead climbing really becomes apparent. Emma, Dan and Ross need experience of lead climbing to be able to do the Climbing Wall Award (CWA) and…
There have always been good links between Brighton Explorers Club (BEC) and Craggers. In the past BEC has lent us winter kit, helped us build and then demolish, the first Craggers climbing wall and provided volunteers on various trips and at the wall. I decided to give something back by putting on a workshop for…
On the 12th of June 2012. I, Dan and Tony went to Wales on the train, we went to consolidate what I had learnt on the previous trip. On the previous trip I learnt to do trad leading, and I lead a few of the famous routes that I had heard of before I…