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 …
12/06/11 Environment and Navigation As part of its commitment to maintaining high standards AMI requires its members to engage in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). These workshops provide CPD credits. Wales can guarantee interesting weather and this Sunday did not disappoint. Torrential rain ensured that the day would be a challenging one. The rain never let …
When asked the question, ” what are you and the family doing for the half term break”. I answered, “Going camping in wales with a group a climbing group called Craggers”. Most of them responded, are you mad, it’s freezing, or words similar to that. Even i was thinking, maybe they’re right, i must be …
The spring trip to the peak district was a great opportunity to get out of Brighton and for the uninitiated to get to grips with grit. The outcrops above the village of Hathersage offer a great introduction to climbing outdoors with grades to suit all levels, although the grading can be quite a surprise. The …
“I am a single parent of four children, two girls and two boys aged 12, 10, 9 and 7…there was no sense of hierarchy but a lovely calm community spirit. I was very impressed with how brilliantly Buster interacted with the kids at camp. He organised lots of games for them to play. He was …
Standing by a gate in rural Oxfordshire, waiting for one of the instructors to let me into the woodland site, I was already in bushcraft mode, checking out the shaggy ink cap mushrooms at my feet and noticing the subtle change in hue of the leaves above my head, as the trees ease themselves into …
Good grief, as Snoopy might say. What was envisioned as quite a small scale activity ended up with 25 people signed up. We put some people on a waiting list, some people didn’t come (early start, very nice weather?) but then people we didn’t know were coming, turned up, so an attendance of about 20 …
On the 16th of January 2011, my 8 year old son Benji and I went on a Craggers organised trip to the High Sports climbing wall in Redhill. We met at the Brighton Unemployed and Family centre and all travelled together by minibus. There was a good mix of children and adults and it was …
Still fresh after all these years. We have been running the Adventure Camps for a long time now but each one is unique. I have been thinking about this recently and wondering why this is. It is the people, or more accurately the human dynamics. It is the way people who have been on previous …