blog
Thu 31st Dec Happy New Year
It's New Years Eve and the end of that weird timezone between Christmas and New Years. That period were some people are still off work, the kids are at home, days become muddled and no-one is quite...
Wed 30th Dec New circuits for Crimbo!
There is a new Purple circuit that has been set as of yesterday - 41 problems from Font 6a+ to 7a set by me and Sam. As its Christmas, the new circuit has been set with a brand new load of Revolution...
Wed 23rd Dec Opening Times over Christmas
Just a reminder about our opening times this festive period: Over the festive period, The Climbing Works will be open as usual apart from these days & times: Christmas Eve: 10am - 5pm Christmas...
Sun 20th Dec White Circuit Winners
The last White Circuit was a little different from the norm. Not only did it go from 3+ to 7b+ but we also promised prizes for those who handed in circuit topos. We had a huge response with over 50...
Sat 19th Dec The New Slide
The new & improved kids slide got installed on Friday.For such a momentous occasion we had to do something special. The Queen was busy so we got the King of Grit Ron Fawcett to christen the slide....
Fri 18th Dec New Heating System
After the new chalk extraction system we've recently installed, we've now responded to customers requests and installed a new heating system into the Works. The photo below is Percy checking the...
Tue 15th Dec Get Strong This Christmas
With all the mince pies, chocolate and general over-indulgence that goes on in December it can be quite easy to lose that finger strength that has taken you soooo long to build up. Time is also in...
Mon 14th Dec The Party
What a Friday night. It was big in so many ways. Thank you all for coming and helping to make it such a great night for all of us. It is greatly appreciated. We'll see you all for next years 4th...
Fri 11th Dec Overall scores after 2 rounds of Works Bouldering League
You can now view the overall scores of the Winter Bouldering League on our website here>> The White circuit has now been finished. 40 problems starting at font 3, going up to font 7b. Enjoy.
Thu 10th Dec Extracting the ....
...chalk dust has always been an issue in here. It's the same at pretty much all climbing walls (the busy ones anyway). We started with windows and then moved onto industrial extraction filters. Even...
Wed 9th Dec Christmas & New Year Opening Times
Over the festive period, The Climbing Works will be open as usual apart from these days & times:Christmas Eve: 10am - 5pmChristmas Day: CLOSEDBoxing Day: CLOSEDOpen as usual 27th-30th DecNew Years...
Tue 8th Dec West Side Story
This infamous problem at Burbage West has claimed many scalps. Many of them visiting foreign wads. It's a classic and a rite of passage on the grit. For some, it's a multiple year project, for others...
Mon 7th Dec Works Winter Bouldering League: Round 2 Results
Friday 4th Dec saw the 2nd round of The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League. After the 1st round which saw a lot of tops on the cash prize, it was no surprise that this months was a little...
Sat 5th Dec Fingerboard Article
As it's winter, alot of climbers turn their attention to training, with fingerboards being one of the most popular, and efficient, ways to get stronger. But for many people it's a minefield of...
Fri 4th Dec Works Winter Bouldering League: Round 2
Round 2 is on tonight from 6-10pm. Percy & Sam are currently testing their new creations so expect some beautiful and dirty problems. The boys have had some new holds to play with from the guys at...
Thu 3rd Dec Happy Birthday To Us
So today marks our 3rd Birthday. We're pretty happy about that. Today though is not the day to celebrate. That will occur on Friday 11th at our big birthday party in Sheffield. Remember tickets are...
Tue 1st Dec Stuff Going On This Week
Alot of things going on this week at The Climbing Works. First, a little look at the recent past. Sam & Percy completed a new yellow spotty circuit last Friday so you now have a new 40 problem font...
Thu 26th Nov 200,000
Last Saturday we had the 200,000 customer through our front door. This is something we are pretty chuffed about. So chuffed that we have a bottle of champagne ready and chilled for that special...
Wed 25th Nov Between The Trees
Every Autumn a raft of climbing films come out to showcase the biggest names, the biggest sends and the new, cutting edge areas. Sometimes these films can disappoint. Don't get me wrong, films like...
Mon 23rd Nov White Circuit - Final Chance to Win
In 1 week the White circuit will disappear from the walls of the Works. This circuit has been incredibly popular with the increasingly difficulty of the problems being something different from the...
Sat 21st Nov Yellow Circuit Completed
Sam & Percy have finished setting the yellow circuit so there is now 40 new problems in the font 7a-7c range. Most of them are in the middle of that grade range so it should give you something to...
Fri 20th Nov Yellow Circuit Completed
Sam & Percy have finished setting the yellow circuit so there is now 40 new problems in the font 7a-7c range. Most of them are in the middle of that grade range so it should give you something to...
Thu 19th Nov The Works Birthday Party - Dec 11th
The Climbing Works will be 3 years old on the 3rd December this year. Just like in previous years we are going to throw a huge party in Sheffield on Friday 11th December to celebrate. Just like in...
Wed 18th Nov Bouldering League R1 Film
Round 1 of the Works Bouldering League was a huge success and with round 2 only a few weeks away we thought this short film of R1 would keep your psyche levels high. If you've never been to one...
Tue 17th Nov New Yellow Circuit in Progress
Sam & Percy have started work on the new Yellow circuit. Expect plenty of filth in the 7a to 7c range when they are done. They should have it all finished in the next few days. Elsewhere in the...
Mon 16th Nov 25% Extra FREE!!!
That's right, 25% Extra FREE all this week....and next week, next month and possibly even more next year. What do you get for free, well more wall. You've actually been getting 25% more for the...
Thu 12th Nov Re-setting and the White circuit
Sam has been very busy over the last few days stripping and setting new circuits. On Tuesday he got to work on the circuit board. After returning from Spain, he knows all about endurance routes! He...
Mon 9th Nov Bouldering League R1 - Results
(ph. Norman Gilman) Round 1 was a fantastic success with over 100 people picking up a scorecard and taking part in the competition. 25 problems from font 4 to 7c meant there was something for...
Fri 6th Nov Friday Night Comp
As I write this, R1 of the Winter Bouldering League is nearing its end. The remaining competitors who, somehow, still have energy are rushing to finish their respective problems. Trying to figure...
Thu 5th Nov Blank Canvas
And then there was nothing....again. The competition wall has been stripped and once more Percy and Sam have a blank canvas to create some brutal masterpieces for Friday nights Winter Bouldering...
Wed 4th Nov 48 Hours
That's all the time the latest comp wall creations will be available to climb before disappearing back into the holds room ready for a new set for the first round of the Winter bouldering league at...
Tue 3rd Nov So. Many. Problems.
This morning Sam and Percy are busy setting 25 new problems for Wednesday's armed services bouldering competition. This will take place between 1230 and 1630 so the comp wall will reopen for...
Sun 1st Nov Lectures, comps, and more comps....
Don't forget, tonight Leo Houlding is lecturing at The Climbing Works. Me and Pickles will be heckling from the back.....Also this week The Climbing Works is hosting not one, but two bouldering...
Thu 22nd Oct Bad Parking
A certain Sheffield resident, ex-climber (who's middle name is Charles), wall & hotel owner came to visit another business located beside us, leaving his car in a No Parking zone. This left us with...
Wed 21st Oct Leo Houlding Lecture
Today we got a visit from Leo, managing to catch up with him a little about the Asgard Project, hearing some of the tales from the trip. From even this short chat, it was clear that it was a pretty...
Tue 20th Oct Back to Black
The Black Circuit has now been taken down, with the holds now clean (thanks to benky grip wash), Percy will start setting on Thursday and should be finished by Friday. You should have a lovely new 40...
Wed 14th Oct 'Tis the Season
Yesterday I managed to get out for an early morning mid-week circuit session at Stanage Plantation. Clambering around in the beautiful morning sunshine reminded me of why I live in Sheffield and why...
Mon 12th Oct Reel Rock Tour & Grit Flick DVD
Autumn is the pristine time for Grit and Limestone routes, cold crisp dry days means you can choose your rock type and project in the knowledge that it's going to be good. Autumn is also the season...
Fri 9th Oct New red circuit
As the title might suggest, I have finished another circuit. This time it was the turn of the red holds to get a re-vamp, so there are now 40 new problems graded between Font 6b and 7a+ for you all...
Mon 5th Oct New White Circuit topo
The new 47 problem white circuit topo is now available from the website. Please print off your own copy and keep it with you as you tick the problems. It also helps in finding them all as they are...
Sun 4th Oct New White circuit, and other stuff....
Yes, the new white circuit is done. 47 problems starting easy and then getting slowly harder and harder - number 1 is about Font 4, whereas number 47 is "7b+" (see the comp wall for an explanation of...
Fri 2nd Oct Boreal Crux Offer
We've got a new shoe offer at The Climbing Works this week. The classic Boreal Crux's are now ONLY £55 (RRP £75). The Crux has been in the Boreal range for a while and is a great shoe for those...
Wed 30th Sep Leo Lecture
On the 1st November Leo Houlding will be giving a lecture at The Climbing Works. As part of the lecture, you'll hear about his recent Baffin Island trip (with Big Pickles in tow) and the Asgard...
Sun 27th Sep New title for Big Pickles
Yes, he's back and he's slightly frostbitten! Current holder of the title "Britains Manliest Man", one of the original building team of The Climbing Works, all-round nice guy, and actually called...
Sat 26th Sep Climbing Works gets HRT
No, not Hormone Replacement Therapy (we're not old enough for that, yet!), but HRT climbing holds for a new white circuit. The holds are winging their way to us from darkest Bulgaria as I type this...
Mon 21st Sep Beastmaker Boards Now In Stock
As the title says, we now have Beastmaker 2000 fingerboards in stock instore and online. These things of beauty (and pain) have been extremely hard to get as the beastmaker lads have had such a...
Fri 18th Sep New Green circuit
As the title may suggest to many, The Works now has a new Green circuit set by me and Sam today. The grade range is from Font 3 to 4+ and there are 40 problems for you to try. Get down and try the...
Thu 17th Sep British Team Training...and New Prow Problems
Last weekend the British Bouldering Team spent 2 days thrashing themselves in The Climbing Works as part of a team training program. The first day involved alot of tests to identify strength and...
Wed 16th Sep Shop Offer - Boreal Mutants
We've got a new special offer on this week online and instore on Boreal Mutants. They were £75 , not get them for£55. These shoes are a great choice for bouldering being a mix of a slipper and...
Tue 15th Sep Bored? Board?....ahhh Motherboard
Once again the Works has been alive with the sound of drills. Today Sam has been stripping the Green circuit (a new one to be finished by Friday) while we've had the beastmaker boys in playing with...
Sun 13th Sep A little beta
The new brown circuit has been up for the last week or so and it has already had a good hammering from our customers. For those who would like to either see some of the problems on offer...or want a...
Tue 8th Sep New Brown Circuit & Wall
The works was a very busy place this morning. Percy finished off his part of the new ships prow (see pics below) with Sam currently painting and coo-varing it. This mighty beast should be open for...
Mon 7th Sep Cliffhanger on TV tonight
Just a reminder that Cliffhanger (the Sheffield version, not the movie) including the British Bouldering Championships will be on Sky TV this week. The times and dates are below Timetable: Monday...
Sun 6th Sep Busy Week
It's going to be a very busy week in The Climbing Works with the sounds of drills, saws and the coffee maching going full tilt, omni-present over the next 5 days. Tomorrow (Monday) see's Percy...
Wed 2nd Sep Rest day!
Yes, I'm having a rest day, so its been a six thirty start this morning with Annie who has just learnt to walk so now wants to walk everywhere all the time! All this 'resting' gives me time to ponder...
Fri 28th Aug Young Climbers Festival
Yesterday The Climbing Works held its first ever Young Climbers Festival. It was an end of summer event for all the children who participate in our regular children's sessions or holiday courses over...
Wed 26th Aug The Climbing Works Winter Bouldering League
With the nights drawing in and a bit of a chill in the air it's time to start thinking about the oncoming Winter season. As always we're going to have our Bouldering League with 25 new problems on...
Mon 24th Aug Cliffhanger on TV
In early July, Cliffhanger once again took place in Sheffield Millhouses park. A stunning success, it featured numerous sports and activities that drew a huge crowd on both the Saturday and Sunday. ...
Fri 21st Aug Crushing Foreigners
With another visitor to these shores (this time a 15 year old Japanese kid) ripping up the grit...in August, I thought it be good to recall the work done by Team America on the grit last year. When...
Fri 21st Aug New Blues
A very Blue week this week. There is a new Blue circuit (grades 2+ to 4) that has been set today and has already had a good hammering this afternoon thanks to the showery weather. Also, we're all...
Fri 14th Aug And You Thought You Trained Hard
As it's the weekend, we thought we'd give you something to watch to make those last few hours of work disappear a little quicker. The video is an interview with 3 of the top Spanish lead climbers...
Wed 12th Aug Adult Advanced Improver Sessions Commence Tonight
We first started our free adult improver sessions last winter. First, it was only on a Wednesday night, then we added Friday, then we had to kick out some of the regulars who were just getting too...
Mon 10th Aug Yellow Circuit Ongoing
The new yellow circuit has been added to today with about a dozen new problems added to the current yellows. The grade is in around 7a to nails so they should give you some 'pleasure' in working out...
Fri 7th Aug Oh, A New Topo.....And A Little Playtime
For all those Competition wall afficiondos, the new Berghaus Comp Wall topo is now online to download on the Website. 30 problems from Font 4 to 7c. As it's a weekend, we thought we'd give you...
Thu 6th Aug We've got spots...
The new Purple spotty circuit is done - 34 problems from Font 6b to 7a to test all of your bouldering skills. Enjoy!
Tue 4th Aug World Cup Circuit...
Just in case there is not enough hard problem's up at the moment Sam, Ned Feehally (British Bouldering Champ) and David Mason (Bouldering team member) have set a World Cup training circuit. 10...
Mon 3rd Aug Coming up this week...
There will be 2 new circuits set by the end of this week all things being equal. The yellow circuit is having a revamp, as is the purple spotty circuit. The grades will be the same as last time, so...
Tue 28th Jul New problem's on the Comp wall
There are now 30 new problem's on the Berghaus comp wall ranging from font 5 to 7c, enjoy.
Wed 22nd Jul Comp wall clean up
I've been away for a few days sampling the delights of the Shropshire climbing centre and re-setting their circuits along with Longy, Big Pickles and the Weasel (picture at bottom of the page!)...
Fri 17th Jul Blox
Fresh into The Climbing Works shop are some new tee's and hoodies from a new Sheffield based company called Blox. Blox is the brain child of one Aide Jebb. He setup the company under his own steam...
Thu 16th Jul Another New Circuit!!!
We're certainly not having any down time here in the Works with ANOTHER new circuit going up this week. This time it's the Spotty Greens that are getting changed. In their previous state the Spotty...
Wed 15th Jul Backstage at the British Bouldering Championships
Brian has been keeping you all up to speed with last weekends action from the British bouldering championships which were held at the Cliffhanger event, so I won't bore you with it any further. I...
Tue 14th Jul New Red Circuit
Sam has just finished setting the new red circuit which consists of 40 problems in the Font 6c-7c range. Some of the problems were set by Percy just after the refurb but the vast majority are brand...
Mon 13th Jul British Bouldering Championship
What a weekend!!! Two days of madness at the British Bouldering Championships with The Climbing Works staff and cheeses heavily involved in both organisation and competing. The main Senior Male...
Mon 13th Jul Come On You Reds!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So it's not footy season yet but i've been staring at the computer a little too long today. With Cliffhanger over with, Sam has got to work on the big reset after the bigger refurb. He has...
Fri 10th Jul Setting and Coaching
Just been back down to the Cliffhanger wall to give the guys an illy 'coffee lift' (well we do have the best coffee in Sheffield according to a lot of our customers) and to check on their progress. ...
Thu 9th Jul Cliff Hanger Update
The weather forecast is looking a little iffy for the weekend so a visit to Cliffhanger and the British Bouldering Championships is looking even a better decision. Yesterday I showed one picture of...
Wed 8th Jul Cliff Hanger
As you should know by now, Cliffhanger 2009 takes place this coming weekend (11-12th July). Just as in the previous two years, it will host the British Bouldering Championships for both Juniors (Sat)...
Mon 6th Jul New Black Circuit
On Friday Percy finished the black circuit so once again you now have a full, 41 problem, new circuit to go at. The grade is around the Font 6a-6b mark with 'Graeme's arete' (#11) taking many many...
Fri 3rd Jul CWIF 09 Vid
On the 7th March 2009, The Climbing Works held it's 3rd annual international bouldering competition. Once again, the Works leads the way, hosting this year's ONLY UK bouldering international,...
Thu 2nd Jul 1 Million!!!!!
not dollars (unfortunately) but pageviews on climbingworks.com since we first started counting just over 2 years ago. It's not hugely impressive in terms of the web - we're not twitter, facebook or...
Tue 30th Jun Cliffhanger
Coming up on the 11th and 12th of July is the welcome return of Cliffhanger. Showcasing dozens of events and sports it's a fantastic weekend of activity for anyone interested in the outdoors. From...
Mon 29th Jun Back in Black.....
....the name of the classic AC/DC album. And our black Core circuit has also been a classic, but its time for a change, so the new black circuit will be set this week. I have already set 14 problems,...
Fri 26th Jun Even more new problems this week.
OK - it's finally finished! The new sections of wall are all finished, the paint is dry, and all of the problems that were removed to make way for the new additions have been reset. That's 100 new...
Mon 22nd Jun Masters Wall
An apt name for the new painted / graffiti wall we think. As you can see from the photos below, Craig has finished his mural and Percy will be resetting on it from today. We're going to call this the...
Fri 19th Jun All Finished - Day 5
It has been a long week for us. A fun week but definitely long. This morning Percy, Sam and 'Britian's former Manliest Man' Pickles set to work putting some holds on the new walls. As I write the...
Thu 18th Jun Watching Paint Dry - Day 4
This morning saw the last touches of paint going onto the new walls. Now it's simply a case of letting them dry before we start setting tomorrow (Friday). We're also waiting for some new matting...
Wed 17th Jun Paint, Paint, Paint - Day 3
Today was the last day of build with Percy and Longy getting creative with the last bit of ply. The result was some more sick features guaranteed to provide some quality problems...and probably lots...
Tue 16th Jun Day 2 of the Refurb
Day 2 in the big brother house...wait, sorry, been inhaling too much paint fumes today. Start again. Day 2 in The Climbing Works refurb and you can really notice the change. There's a lot of new...
Mon 15th Jun And So It Begins - Day 1
So day 1 is over and what a day! All the cheeses were in action today with Percy and 'Mr wall builder extraordinare' Andy Long getting to work on the new prow wall feature. The rest of us got to work...
Fri 12th Jun Going On's
The last 2 days have seen a load of plywood, scaff and wood arrive to The Works in anticipation of next weeks work. Also to come is a load of paint so you'll be getting a fresh cleaning looking...
Mon 8th Jun New Comp Wall
Percy and Sam are currently testing their new creations on the Berghaus Competition Wall. 25 new problems across the grade range. Enjoy.
Sun 7th Jun Coming up this week.....
A lot of people have been asking me whats going to be happening at The Works in the next few weeks so here's an update. Tomorrow (8th June) we will strip and reset the comp wall with a whole load of...
Thu 4th Jun The Real Thing DVD
The Real Thing DVD is now in stock in The Climbing Works store and online. For those old enough, it needs no introduction...except that it is now, finally, on DVD!! If you don't own the original...
Wed 3rd Jun Return to The Works
I've been away from The Works for a bit of a holiday home, 10 days in fact. It was to involve a trip to one of the best crags in the U.K, Fairhead, but a shoulder injury in early May put paid to...
Thu 28th May Our Sam and Lu giving some tips on Tradding
Have a look at Katherine Schirrmacher's interviews with Sam and Lu over on www.lovetoclimb.co.uk about how they mentally prepare for hard, bold trad climbs.In particular Sam is telling us about his...
Mon 25th May The crazy pink tufa!! and other stuff
We have just had a strange delivery from our man Steve from Holdz. He brought us an enormous tufa that stretchers the full length of the comp wall. This massive feature will be great for anyone...
Sat 23rd May Bank Holiday Monday Opening Hours
With the 2nd Bank Holiday upon us once again, we hope you're having an enjoyable one.This Monday we'll be open our normal hours. That's 12-10pm.This weekend we're open 10am - 8pm as normal.
Fri 15th May CWIF 2010
The Climbing Works International Festival 09 was an astounding success. It was simply a stunning day showcasing competition climbing at its best. Saturday 20th March 2010 will see the fourth...
Fri 15th May Shop Changes
Today has been a busy day. Not only has the heavy rain brought the masses in on a friday afternoon, we've been busy doing shop stuff. When I say we, I really mean Lu. She's been hard at and has...
Thu 14th May Where art thou summer??
With the rain descending once more from cloudy & cold Sheffield skies, it bodes ill for a decent UK summer. The heady warm, dry spell we received in mid April seems like a long time ago. With the...
Tue 12th May Pimp My Ride
The Works van has had a bit of a face lift, courtesy of the main man. Check it out - and give us a honk if you see it out on the road! Also the topo for the new yellow circuit is up in the wall,...
Mon 11th May New Yellow Circuit
The new yellow circuit is finished. 38 problems, all between the grade of Font 6c to 7b+, with the majority in the 7a region. Its not a circuit for your specialist has it has a bit of everything to...
Sun 10th May Plywood Masters
Here's a 'heads up' to any of you who are interested in competing in one of the countries best bouldering competitions. The infamous Plywood Masters competition is scheduled to take place next...
Fri 8th May Bar Work
So here's the photos of the new bar at the Works. As you can see it's a pretty hefty bar and it's already had some abuse from Andy Earl who was down on the limestone for the day. The coloured tape...
Thu 7th May The Works Finally Has A Bar
That's right, as Percy mentioned earlier in the week, the Works now has a bar. Graeme got very excited when he read Percy's original blog, but unfrotunately for Graeme, it's a pull up bar.As it's the...
Tue 5th May Home is where the crag is
I've now lived in Sheffield for nearly 3 and a half years and with so many crags within driving distance (not just around Sheffield but also Yorkshire, North Wales and Pembroke) it sometimes...
Fri 1st May The Works gets a Bar!
Yep, you read it right. Next week will see the installation of our new bar area. However, before you get all excited, its not going to be that type of bar. Oh no, this one is going to be a great big...
Wed 29th Apr It's All About Hydration
One of the key things for performance sports, whether that's bouldering or cycling, is making sure you're hydrated. This is pretty common knowledge of course but that doesn't stop most climbers being...
Mon 27th Apr New Yellow Purple Circuit
A new week and a change in the weather. The last few weeks of beautiful sunshine has broken here in Sheffield and today we're back to April showers. To combat that wet feeling we've got a new...
Fri 24th Apr Yellow Spots
Percy is currently finishing off the new circuit as I write. That gives you 40 new problems around the Font 6a grade range to enjoy over the weekend.Percy and Graeme working hard cleaning the holds....
Fri 24th Apr Lots of Comp videos
The IFSC has just set up a Facebook group with lots and lots of photos and videos from international comps.Have a look here if you are interested - you might even spot some of our reception staff...
Thu 23rd Apr A Kind of Magic
Percy has spent the morning stripping the walls of all the spotty yellow holds bringing them to the miracle that is Benky Grip Wash. Before this 'black magic' arrived, routesetters and their...
Wed 22nd Apr New Problems on the Comp Wall
Percy has set some more new problems on the comp wall to add to the already set 25 last week. We'll update the topo in the next few days to reflect the new additions. He's set some longer ones for...
Mon 20th Apr Stuff for a sunny Monday afternoon
Its a beautiful afternoon, and I've just finished setting a couple more problems on the comp wall so now I'm out of here for an hour or two to ride my bike around the Peak. Which reminds me that...
Sat 18th Apr Climbing up rocks!
Thats what I've been doing today, and it was great to be out and about on the crag. Now we all know how unforgiving the rock can be on your body and your skin, so to remind you of quite how hard the...
Wed 15th Apr Berghaus Competition Wall Reset
Fresh from a new blue and purple circuit last week, Percy & Sam got to work on the competition wall on Easter Monday. The last comp wall was the remains of the CWIF with some added extras and was...
Wed 15th Apr Even more new stuff.
Yep - there's a comp wall full of new problems to try down at The Works. After last months horror-show problems that were left on after the CWIF and the BUCS competitions, normal service has been...
Sat 11th Apr Here it is - the KUNG FU KHAZI!
Craig has done it again - this time the men have something new to look at when they're 'using our facilities'! The new blue cicuit is also finished. Comp wall reset on Monday. Happy Easter!
Fri 10th Apr Easter Opening Hours
As we've been getting a few phone calls regarding if, and what times, we're open this weekend, we thought we should publicize it a bit more...Good Friday: 12 - 10pmSaturday: 10am - 8pmEaster Sunday:...
Thu 9th Apr It's all going off!
We thought we'd take advantage of the traditional lull in climbing wall activity over the Easter holidays to do a load of work in The Works. However, our plans haven't quite worked out as the wall...
Wed 8th Apr Stump Cream Back in Stock!!
Those of you who use anti-hydral cream will be glad to know that we have it back in stock. And because we have now a new supppier that is cheaper we have passed on the cost saving to you. So stump...
Wed 8th Apr Vote for Rab
Attention BMC members As you will have seen from the most recent issue of Summit there will be a rarity at the forthcoming AGM, a contested election for President. We at The Climbing Works think it...
Tue 7th Apr New Shop Goodies
New in the shop are some new shoes from FiveTen and a new DVD - Pure. Pure is all about Bouldering and includes some amazing footage from around the World. The storyline and feel is similar to...
Mon 6th Apr New problems this week.
Rather like painting the Forth Road Bridge, the job of routesetting at The Works is one that is never finished. This weeks list of jobs includes setting a new Blue circuit to replace the rather...
Mon 6th Apr New circuits.. and northumberland
Sam despatching the Crack at Bowden Doors 7c+/8a Michelle and Ian have re-set the Kids boulders with new mini circuits and up problems to keep all them youngsters busy over Easter. Lucinda and I had...
Thu 2nd Apr It fell off the back of a lorry, Officer...!
Last weekend I was working at the Skymasters event in the NEC, Birmingham. 4 days of work with Steve McClure setting the routes for the event, which was a great success.The view of the crowds for the...
Mon 30th Mar New Purple Spotty Circuit
After our new green circuit last week, we've moved up a few grades and started work on a new purple spotty cirucit. The old circuit has been stripped and cleaned (with the magic that is Benky Grip...
Thu 26th Mar New Green Circuit
Percy and Sam finished the new 40 problem Green circuit yesterday so for those operating in the Font 4-5 range then you've got some great new problems to go at. Next week will see a new purple...
Tue 24th Mar Work in progress
We haven't blogged for the best part of a week (mostly due to Brian being on holiday and me being away in bonny Scotland) but we're back, so here's an update on whats been going down. The campus...
Tue 17th Mar Photos From The CWIF
We're in the process of sorting out and uploading the tons of photos that we've got from the CWIF. We've got a full gallery on our website with the competition broken up into the setup, the...
Mon 16th Mar Words of wisdom
Just got back from a weekend in Austria at the IFSC seminar - a useful meeting but not as much fun as the brief liason with snowboarding off-piste through pretty dense trees at Garmisch-Partenkirchen...
Wed 11th Mar Closure this Saturday, 14th March
This Saturday sees the BUSA / BUCS come to town with competitions held all over Sheffield with thousands of students competiting in numerous different sports. As part of it, The Climbing Works will...
Tue 10th Mar CWIF Report
A good climbing competition has to have some essential ingredients. Firstly you need talent in the form of some of the best climbers in the world. Then you need some intriguing, insane structures...
Mon 9th Mar Recovery
What a weekend!!! As you may have read from Percy's last blog, the CWIF was almighty success with around 200 competitors and a finals that was one of the best ever held in the U.K. We've spent the...
Sun 8th Mar The day after.......
Well, its all over for another year. I'm too tired to write a proper blog now - that can wait until tomorrow. However, CWIF 2009 was amazing - one of the best international comps ever held in the UK....
Fri 6th Mar The Day Before....
So with one day to go to the mighty CWIF, the finals and the semi finals have been set and the boys are currently working on the new yellow qualifying circuit. 30 problems from 5 to 7b+ or so. These...
Wed 4th Mar A Blank Canvas
Today has seen both the comp wall and the yellow circuit stripped all in preparation for Saturday and the C.W.I.F. Jacky, Percy & Tonde doing some planning... Sam got to work on the comp wall...
Wed 4th Mar Chris Sharma at Malham
This weekend The Climbing Works saw a flying visit from Chris Sharma who was mid lecture tour, so on Monday I took him up to Malham Cove in North Yorkshire. After nearly two hours of battling with...
Tue 3rd Mar Name-droppers anonymous
After blogging yesterday morning, this fella called Chris Sharma popped into the Works for a pre-Malham coffee. Then we found out that another young boulderer called Tyler Landman was going to join...
Tue 3rd Mar The training is working!!!
Sam's training at The Works is starting to pay off... Check out his scarpa blog for more info.
Mon 2nd Mar CWIF preparations....
Its going to be another busy week down at the Works this week as we get ourselves ready for the CWIF on Saturday. Our regulars will have noticed things like the volumes wall being stripped and...
Fri 27th Feb Decreasing the volume
Some of you might have noticed that the "volumes" wall in the Works doesn't currently have any volumes (or any holds) on it at the moment. Don't panic though, the volumes are all away for a refurb in...
Fri 27th Feb BIG RON ALERT
This is your big chance, everybody! Tonights the night. For one night only, and as part of the SHAFF weekend, the main man of British rock climbing, Ron Fawcett, will be giving a lecture.So what, I...
Tue 24th Feb New Black Circuit & CWIF update
Today Percy & I have set a new black circuit of 41 problems around the Font 6a mark. Some are low in the grade and some are 'stiff' for the 6a tick. With every new circuit we're going to try and...
Sat 21st Feb A Word From Our Sponsors
Next week we will be getting the new delivery of Moon clothing for Spring Summer 2009. In anticipation of this, and to raise your general climbing psyche levels, check out the videos below of Moon...
Fri 20th Feb A Bit of Time..
..to get our breath back and have a bit of a 'relax moment'. The last couple of weeks have been incredibly busy in here and coming up at the start of March there's another couple of very busy...
Tue 17th Feb Whats green, spotty and very long?
You can all make up you're own punchlines to that question! In this case I'm referring to the new green spotty circuit that Sam and I have set this morning. It replaces the old "Mountain" circuit...
Mon 16th Feb Bergahus Bouldering League: Overall Results
You can now read the overall results from The Climbing Works Berghaus Bouldering League on our website. Overall winner was Dawid Skoczylas, aka Polish Dave. Female winner was Leah Crane while the...
Mon 16th Feb 45
Continuing on from last week, today has seen the Beastmaker boys back in to set on the new 45. Not only do we have the 'Ned' in, but also the 'Dan'. What this means is the continution of the setting...
Mon 16th Feb Sheffield Walls Bouldering League
This year saw the first Sheffield Walls Bouldering League with the last round being held at The Climbing Works on Friday 13th Feb.The overall and male category winner was Roy Moseley who won by a...
Sun 15th Feb The C.W.I.F
In just under 3 weeks time (Saturday 7th March) we will be hosting our annual Climbing Works International Festival, aka the C.W.I.F. Andy Earl in the Semi's in 2008. Photo Alex Messenger This...
Fri 13th Feb Friday Night Comp
The last round of the Berghaus (& Sheffield Walls) Bouldering League is currently going on as I write this, with around 80 competitors taking on Sam's and Percy's creations. As usual we've got the...
Thu 12th Feb Setting
Before setting came the stripping...not that kindof stripping! This morning Percy & Sam braved the arctic temps in here and stripped the Competition wall of holds and features. The holds went into...
Wed 11th Feb 1-4-7
From this morning the Campus board is back open with 4 different rung types to train on. At the moment its only 1 to 7 as we wait for some new rungs to arrive to bring it back up to the old...
Tue 10th Feb The Work Continues
Sam & Percy today went back to work on the new training facilities situated at the Campus board area. The new 45 with all the woodwork completed and with its first undercoat of paint on Sam and...
Mon 9th Feb E9 Kids Clothing Offer
If your kids are turning strange shades of blue because of the recent cold weather you'll want to check out our latest offer instore and online - E9 kids clothing reduced by 50%!! These fleece...
Mon 9th Feb A Busy Week
This Friday night sees the final round of the Berghaus Bouldering League at The Climbing Works. This is also the final round of the first annual Sheffield Walls Bouldering League so it will be a big...
Thu 5th Feb Snow Day
With fresh snow falling overnight it looks like our insulated roof might last a little longer. Also with the fresh snow, we've recruited a new employee - a door man in fact. Not sure how long he will...
Tue 3rd Feb New Insulated Roof
Unfortunately the insulated roof won't be around for too long, just as long as the snow stays around. With the significant covering in Sheffield causing mayhem on the roads yesterday, the snow has...
Wed 28th Jan Moon Board
Work is moving on with the new Moon Board in the Works. Here's a picture of the wall so far - there is still a fair bit of work to do, but it should be ready to climb on within the next two weeks.The...
Mon 26th Jan Busy day.
Well, its been a busy day at The Works. I have installed the 45 degree board - well the basic structure is in, but it'll be a bit longer before its open. We'll have to wait for new matting, a swanky...
Sat 24th Jan You can't put a price on safety!
OK - here's a short weekend update on what has been a manic week of work. Firstly, you may notice when you come into the Works that we are in the process of fencing off the storage area above our...
Thu 22nd Jan Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
For those who haven't seen the posters or seen the website then this is going to make you happy. On Sunday 8th Feb, Jerry Moffatt will be giving a lecture at The Climbing Works to help publicize...
Wed 21st Jan More new stuff.
The new bits of wall are all reset and have been seeing a good amount of traffic, so its time for a new circuit. This time the Yellow/Purple spots circuit is due for a re-vamp, so it will be taken...
Mon 19th Jan Round 3 Results
The results of Friday's Berghaus Bouldering League R3 is now available on the website. You can also read Percy's blog from Saturday for the fight for the credit crush £50. One of the funny things...
Mon 19th Jan Fontainebleau wonderland...
After spending a week in the magical forest of Fontainebleau, I remembered some of the early board ( in the Pub ) meetings with Percy and Graeme. Most of our inspiration and ideas were based the...
Sat 17th Jan The Credit Crush!
Well, last nights bouldering competition went stormingly well with a very big turn out of climbers taking part. The results should be up on here at the start of next week. There were a lot of very...
Fri 16th Jan R3 Comp Tonight
Tonight sees Round 3 of the the Berghaus Bouldering League. As usual it starts at 7pm and finsihes at 10pm. Scorecards cost £2 plus your usual entrance fee. Tonight we have a special £100 cash...
Wed 14th Jan Painted & Ready To Set
So within 3 days we've built 2 huge new volumes on 2 parts of the circuits walls and created a new part to the old slab on the comp wall. These have all now been painted and are currently drying...
Tue 13th Jan New Walls
Yesterday saw Percy get to work on the comp wall slab. Today he's gone to the opposite side of the Works and set to work on the Clinic Wall as well as the flat wall opposite the kids boulder. As it's...
Mon 12th Jan Changes
It's a big week in The Climbing Works. We've got new walls going up, maintenance and R3 of The Climbing Works Berghaus Bouldering League. Monday morning started with Sam & Percy in the toilets...
Sun 11th Jan Bargain Hunt TONIGHT!
Tonight at The Climbing Works we will host a lecture by Gaz Parry - climbings very own David Dickinson! Come on down - it'll be a bargain! This Tuesday we will be doing a little bit of work on...
Sat 10th Jan Look What Came In The Post....
Some new tools have just arrived in the post. We've got a sander, plainer and various other wood working tools. I wonder what all these tools could be used for.....Find out next week.
Fri 9th Jan Gaz Parry Lecture
This Sunday night sees Gaz Parry take centre stage as the next night on our Winter lectures tour. Gaz will be showing slides from his recent trip to the Karakorum and their attempt on the infamous...
Wed 7th Jan A Day Out In The Snow
While Percy & Jason were busy setting the new brown circuit, I took the chance to use the advantages of this fine job and head out into the Peak District to see if I couldn't make good use of this...
Tue 6th Jan New Brown Circuit
There is now a new 41 problem Brown circuit that has been set today by Jason Pickles and myself. Obviously it should've been a 40 problem circuit, but once again I displayed my magnificent counting...
Sat 3rd Jan Business as usual
Yep, its back to business as usual so the celebrate we'll be setting a new Brown circuit next week. The existing circuit will be taken down on Monday ready for resetting on Tuesday, so its time to...
