On Thursday 29th August, we hosted our 9th Young Climbers Festival. The day was split up into a morning and an afternoon session. In the morning we saw over 60 9-14 year olds competing for a spot on the podium, and in the afternoon there was just under 50 5-8 year olds. This was the most popular year yet, with spaces booking up before registration had even closed. Despite the number of children filling the centres, the atmosphere remained calm and the support between competitors in their individual groups was amazing to see.

With an early start of 8am, the 9-14 year olds were revved up by our coaches and joined in a big group warm up. The warm up set the tone for the day, with an emphasis on fun, as 60+ participants dressed in blue, chased the coaches around The Climbing Works. Climbers were then split into smaller groups of 4-6 and allocated a coach for the session. There were 20 pink problems to try and 2 hours 15 minutes to get round them. The route setters did a fantastic job of creating a selection of different styles including the usual off pieste favourites, with a bold jumping one and two entertaining swinging problems.

When time was up, the coaches had a short amount of time to add their teams scores up before the final. The top 5 male and female competitors for the morning sessions earned a spot in our CWIF style final. The competitors had 4 minutes on each of the three problems, with 4 minutes rest in between each bloc. The audience provided some fantastic support for all of the climbers as they battled their way up some extremely tricky problems. In the end there could only be one winner, and after a tough final, we saw Joe take the win for the boys, and Fae for the girls.

After the finals, was the much anticipated presentation, where the individual team results were announced. Everyone who attended received a participation medal, a prize and a certificate for their performance. These certificates included, team motivator, biggest smile, biggest wipeout, funky beta, dedicated climber, most improved, inspirational performance and stylish technique. Then within each age catergory, we had a podium with more medals and some fantastic prizes donated by our sponsors.

After a quick turn around it was over to The Mini Climbing works for the afternoon session. The excited 5-8 year olds again joined in a big group warm up and were then split into smaller groups with a designated coach. This time the 5-6 year olds had 10 problems, and the 7-8 had 12, with an hour and a half to try as many as they could. The blocs were tricky and the competitors tried extremely hard to get as many points as they could. For a lot of
these children, it was their first ever climbing competition and we saw some amazing determination from them all. We even saw the introduction of our Monkey space for one of the problems and enjoyed watching the climbers swinging around on it.

When the time was up, the coaches gathered in score cards and again allocated spot prizes to each competitor. Each age category had a presentation with there individual awards and prizes, followed by the podium. The mini works was filled with cheers from parents, coaches and the rest of the competitors as each climber stepped up to receive their award.

All in all, the event was a massive success and there were smiles all round. The competition is a favourite among staff, young climbers and parents. It is brilliant to see the on-going support we get for this event from parents and are fantastic sponsors, as without them it wouldn’t be possible. A huge thanks to parents, climbers, our coaches, our setters, Emma Wood for her fantastic graphic design work, Dom Worrall for the photography and of course our sponsors who provided all the amazing prizes.

(Big thanks to Scarpa, Rock Tots, The North Face, Beta Climbing, Core and Decathlon)

Male and Female Finalists 2019

Male and Female 13-14 Yrs

Male and Female 11-12 Yrs

Male and Female 9-10 Yrs

Male and Female 7-8 Yrs

Male and Female 5-6 Yrs

Written by Ruth Harrington

We'll need all of our existing customers (who registered on a paper registration form before the 15/04/2019) to register on our new sign in system from this Monday, May 13th.

Many of our existing registered customers have already done this over the past few weeks, but if you haven't already done so please fill out your forms in advance to save time on your next visit here:

Once you have completed a form online or on a tablet at reception please talk to a member of staff to complete your account set up. If you completed a form online please check your emails (including spam / junk folders) as you need to click a link in the confirmation email to confirm the registration.

Supervised Guests - Novices & ALL Under 14s

Novices & under 14s supervised by Adult Climbers & Adult Supervisors will now need their own account to use the centre from Monday 13th May onwards.

Adult Novices can complete their form here:

Under 18 Novices & all Under 14s should have a form completed by their parent / legal guardian here:

More details about the changes can be found here.

Climbing Works Customer Re-Registration

We’re currently switching to a new entry system.  This will allow us to reduce our reliance on paper forms, will add customer photos to accounts to reduce misuse of accounts and will enable customers with full memberships and pre-paid entries to use a quick check in at the main reception to reduce queuing at busier times.

We’ll require all of our existing customers to register onto the new system, to ensure that we have all of your details up to date.  We are currently using the existing database to process new entries up until 13/05/2019, at which point we will be recording entries on our new system.

To register on the new system please fill out a digital registration form either on a tablet at reception, or online via our website here (using PC, smartphone or tablet), then talk to a member of staff on your next visit so we can transfer that information to your new account. If you climb here regularly please do this at a quiet time on your next visit to reduce queuing, as ALL customers will have to do this on their first visit from the 13/05/2019.

Pre-Paid Full Memberships and Entries

If you have an existing full membership (month, 3-month or annual) or pre-paid entries (a 12 for 10) then we will be able to transfer these over to your new account on your 1^st visit after the 13/05/2019.

We’ll be introducing a quick check in for Adult & Junior Climbers with Full Memberships & Pre-Paid Entries.

Customers supervising Novices will still need to talk with our staff on each visit as you’ll need to add your names to a Daily Novice Supervision sheet.

Changes of terminology

Some of the terminology that we use to describe our customers is changing; the term Member will now only refer to registered customers with pre-paid month, 3 month or annual Full Membership.

• Adult Climber (or Adult Unsupervised Climber)
  • Able to climb without supervision in the Climbing Works, Mini Works & Unit E.
  • Can sign in and supervise up to 2 Adult or Under 18 Novices (or 1 Under 5 Novice at weekends and during school holidays) in the Climbing Works and the Mini Works.
• Junior Climber (or Junior (14-17) Unsupervised Climber)
  • Able to climb in Climbing Works and Mini Works without supervision.
  • Can climb in Unit E with the additional specific consent of their parent / guardian when accompanied by another Junior Climber or Adult Climber.
  • Cannot supervise Novices.
• Adult Supervisor (or Adult Mini Works Supervisor)
  • Can sign in and supervise up to 2 Under 18 Novices (or 1 Under 5 Novice at weekends and during school holidays) in the Mini Works.
  • Would need to be signed in by an Adult Climber if they want to climb themselves.
• Adult Novice
  • Can climb under the supervision of an Adult Climber in the Climbing Works and the Mini Works.
• Under 18 Novice
  • Can climb under the supervision of an Adult Climber in the Climbing Works and Mini Works, or an Adult Supervisor in the Mini Works.

Unit E Access for Junior Climbers

Junior Climbers (14-17 year olds registered to climb without supervision) will be permitted access the climbing area, but not the gym / training room, of Unit E from 13/05/2019 on completion of a ‘Junior Climber – Unit E Consent’ form by their parent or guardian where they agree that they and the Junior Climber understand the additional risks involved with climbing over there.

Novices

Novices will need to fill out a digital registration form (on the tablets at our receptions or online through our website on a PC, smartphone or tablet), then talk to a member of staff to be added onto the entry system.  They’ll then report to reception with their supervising adult on each visit to be checked in and get signed in on the Daily Novice Supervision sheet.

Registration Fees

• New Adult Climbers or Junior Climbers - £3
• Existing Adult Climbers or Junior Climbers - FREE
• Adult Supervisors - Included in induction fee
• Adult Novice or Under 18 Novice - FREE

We will be operating extended opening hours over Easter weekend as follows:

Good Friday (19/04):

Main Centre: 10am - 10pm

Mini-Works: 10am - 8pm

Easter Saturday & Sunday (20/04-21/04):

Main Centre: 10am - 8pm

Mini-Works: 9.30am - 6pm

Easter Monday (22/04):

Main Centre: 10am - 10pm

Mini-Works: 10am - 8pm

Our entry prices will stay the same so you can get off-peak / midweek entry options as normal on Friday & Monday.

Enjoy!

Schools Bouldering Championships 2019

Our 2019 Schools Bouldering Championships were our biggest yet, partly due to the introduction of our Greater Sheffield Competition, but also due to the growing level of enthusiasm from schools and climbers.  The finals took place just a few days after the CWIF (Climbing Works International Festival) which led to a very busy few weeks at The Climbing Works! 

This year we had 601 competitors across primary and secondary attend our qualification rounds, and 170 attend our finals. For Sheffield Schools, we invited 6 students from the top 10 scoring primary and secondary schools to our championships on the 8^th March. As we were in the first year of Greater Sheffield competition, every school that attended a qualification round were invited to bring 6 students to their final on the 7^th March.

The final

Each school had 2 hours to try 12 blocs ranging in difficulty, set specifically for the competition. Points were awarded for getting to the top in the fewest amounts of attempts. Bonus points were also awarded for those who didn’t make it to the top, but were able to reach the bonus hold. Every bloc was topped at least once, and we even saw a tie break between the top 5 Sheffield Primary females and top 4 males. 

As with every year, some competitors are regulars at our kids clubs and it is amazing to see how psyched they are for the competition. What is even more rewarding to see, is the competitors that have never climbed before their qualification round and how hard they push themselves. Opening the competition up to Greater Sheffield this year was an extra challenge for us, but very worthwhile. We even saw one school show their commitment by travelling an hour either way on public transport from their school in Barnsley.

The results for each competition were as follows...

Greater Sheffield Primary team results             

1st - Grindleford

2nd - Bamford

3rd - Fitzherbert C o E

4th - Longstone

5th - Birdwell

6th - Sitwell Junior

Greater Sheffield Secondary team results

1st - Lady Manners 

2nd - Hope Valley College

3rd - Wickersley

4th - Eckington

Sheffield Primary team results

1st - Hunters Bar

2nd - Ecclesall

3rd - Westways (qualification round results taken into consideration)

4th - Dore (qualification round results taken into consideration)

5th - Carterknowle

6th - Dobcroft

7th - St Wilfrids

8th - Parson Cross

9th - Woodseats

10th - Heritage Park

Sheffield Secondary team results

1st - Tapton

2nd - Silverdale

3rd - Notre Dame

4th - Bradfield

5th - Mercia

6th - Forge Valley

7th - Firvale

8th - Bethany 

9th - Westfield

10th - Hinde House

Schools were also sent individual Male/Female results.

For our 2020 competition (date still to be confirmed), due to the increased popularity we will be opening registration in September. We would strongly advise schools to book their qualification rounds early as we expect these to book up fast.

We would like to say a massive thank you to all the teachers, parents and pupils who make the event such a success. We would also like the thank this year’s sponsors (Core, Moon, Wild Country, Beta, The North Face, Five Ten, Decathlon) who provided us with some amazing prizes!  And of course, a big thank you to all the coaches and staff for all their hard work over a very busy period!

Information and 2020 dates will be sent out to schools in September. Please contact Ruth@climbingworks.com if you did not attend this year but wish to be contacted with information about next years competition. 

Written By Ruth Harrington

The Circuit Board will be reset on Thursday 28th March 2019.

In order for this to happen we'll need to strip the holds on Tuesday 26th to give us time to clean and dry them before setting.

Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause!

Competitor registration is now open!

Find it here.

Spectator tickets

Spectator tickets for the finals with mixed seating and standing room on a tiered stage at the competition wall will be fully ticketed this year with all proceeds going to CAC & The Sheffield Hospitals Charity.  Tickets will be £4 and will be released at the following times:

20:00 on Friday 15th February

12:00 on Saturday 16th February

Spectator info & finals tickets

We may be able to release some more tickets on Saturday 2nd depending on any cancellations & if we end up with more room than anticipated.

We’re making some changes to our pricing structure from 1/2/2019.  Please see below for more details.

Changing entry types

We’re streamlining a few entry types as our entry options had spiralled somewhat! Under 8 pricing is gone, but we limited the price increases to U14s & introduced an U14 Off Peak rate.  Student Wednesdays are gone, but if you get in before 1pm it’s cheaper on super off-peak now anyway. Any new options are in green in the table below, anything we're removing is in red.

Full memberships by standing order will stay at the current rate until your renewal date.

Family memberships

Minimum 1 parent & 1 child.
These have changed so you’d pay the standard price for the first membership (adult or concession) and then extra family members are ‘bolted on’ at a reduced rate. This means it’s now comparatively cheaper to have 1 child than 2 and 3 children than 4.  For comparison the prices for the old style memberships calculated with the new bolt on system are included in brackets in green in the table below.

For customers paying by standing order this price change will take effect at renewal.

Why?

While we always try to keep our prices as low as possible unfortunately our costs, such as staff pay, suppliers & service providers, continually increase over time.

Since opening in 2006 we have continually updated and remodelled sections of wall in the main centre and expanded and updated the training facilities available to you, including the Beastmaker Motherboard, Beastmaker 1000 Board and a remodelled training area.

In 2012 we opened the Mini Works the first large scale facility aimed primarily at younger climbers.

In December we expanded into Unit E, offering a further climbing area focused on harder competition & project focused bouldering and a strength & conditioning suite.

For reference our standard entry price will have increased from £6.50 in December 2006 to £8.50 in February 2019.  If we’d increased our entry prices continually based on UK inflation from 2006 to 2018 we’d be at around £9.14 for a standard entry.

In terms of adult annual memberships these have increased from £300 in 2006 to £405 in 2019, again if based on inflation these would be at around £434.

Have a great 2019 and thank you for your custom & support over the past 13 years!

IMPORTANT!

Guest Supervision Changes for under 5s

Starting 1^st Oct 2018

Where guests include under 5s

Maximum 1 guest per adult member at weekends & school holidays

    (School holidays – the standard advertised dates for both Sheffield & Derbyshire schools & Bank Holidays, displayed at reception and on our website)

 Maximum 2 guests per adult member midweek during term time

Where guests are over 5

Maximum of 2 guests per adult member at all times (unchanged)

Examples

Weekends and holidays

You are permitted to supervise a single 4 year old (but no other guests at the same time).

You are permitted to supervise a 5 year old and a 9 year old at the same time.

You wouldn't be permitted to supervise a 4 year old and 9 year old at the same time.

Midweek in term time

You would be allowed to supervise a 4 year old and a 9 year old at the same time.

Non-Climbing U18 Guests – Clarification

The Climbing Works still considers non-climbing U18s (such as a ‘babe in arms’ or an older child reading a book etc) to be guests requiring supervision as you are still responsible for their safety and behaviour while they are on our premises.

If you are wanting to supervise a 2^nd climbing guest at the same time as having a non-climbing guest then you would need a second adult to stay with them at all times and ensure that they do not enter the matted climbing area.

In the event that you needed to tend to a non-climbing minor under supervision of another adult (such as feeding or changing a baby) then you would need to bring your climbing guests with you off the mats.

Why?

The Mini Works was originally intended to expand the climbing available to provide a space away from the busy main centre where we’d be able to expand on our regular children’s coaching sessions, where we could set circuits of problems specifically for U18s and well offer more bouldering for beginner to intermediate adult climbers.

Since opening in 2013 our regular coached sessions have expanded massively as well as the number of customers supervising children outside of our regular sessions.  The majority of the time this works well, but at busier times, particularly wet weekends, we’ve noticed conflicting centre usage with an increase in supervision of pre-school children who are less able to understand instructions and are consequently more difficult to manage in a climbing environment.

While the centre is quieter (i.e. midweek during term time) we feel it is reasonable that a supervising member should be able to effectively supervise 2 guests including under 5s. These midweek sessions coincide with our existing parent toddler sessions on Monday, Wednesday & Friday & Rock Tots which runs on Tuesdays & Thursdays.  These parent toddler sessions are a great opportunity for parents to come in and supervise preschool children alongside other members with children a similar age or climb themselves while taking it in turns to supervise kids with other climbing parents.

At busier times, particularly wet weekends and school holidays, we have concluded that a supervising adult would only reasonably be able to supervise a single preschool child closely enough to ensure that they don’t enter the landing zone of other centre users, which as you should already be aware would increase the risk of injury to a falling climber as well as the supervised guest.

The intention of these changes is not to restrict your use of our facilities or reduce your enjoyment, but to improve the safety and enjoyment of both your guests & other centre users.

Kind regards,

The Climbing Works Team

On the 30th August we hosted our 8th annual Young Climber's Festival. We had over 100 climbers this year, all having fun and trying hard. This couldn't have been possible without the wonderful support from our sponsors at Moon Climbing, Scarpa and Core Climbing.  Click the link below for a full report on the event. 

Young Climber's Festival 2018 Report