OLDER NEWS

Cath Luke from Mountain Training has written an excellent report on the Mountain Training Blog about the BMC FUNdamentals of Climbing Workshops held last week at Beacon Climbing Centre.

The BMC FUNdamentals of Climbing workshops are aimed at anyone who coaches or leads climbing sessions, indoors or outside, so whether you're a parent or youth worker, a full-time climbing coach, a SPA or CWA award holder or an MIA / MIC working out on our high mountain crags, or guiding in the Alps, these workshops will broaden your knowledge and provide valuable personal and professional development.

Three different one-day workshops are available, all of which form part of the training pathway for Mountain Training's new coaching awards. Find out more about the BMC FUNdamentals Workshps for 2013 on the BMC website here.

The May 2013 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Check out the inspirational movie of the month featuring one of the world's best crack climbers Beth Rodden, get full information about the latest climbing competitions, find out about job vacancies at our climbing centres and much more...

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock and Beacon indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

The Beacon Climbing Centre is looking for enthusiastic and energetic Instructors to run climbing sessions on CrazyClimb at our centre in Caernarfon. Climbing experience and qualifications are desirable but full training will be provided for the right candidates. Work will be mostly weekends and during holiday periods. Applicants must be aged 18+.

Applicants should send a CV and covering e-mail to the Centre Manager, Leo Nathan at leo@beaconclimbing.com

Closing date for applications is Friday 10th May 2013.

Wales' best young climbers competed at Beacon Climbing Centre last Saturday during the Welsh National Final of the 2013 BMC Youth Climbing Series. The Series is an extremely popular fun climbing competition for youngsters of all abilities and attracts hundreds of entrants across the country.

There are five age categories, with separate girls and boys competitions, that follow the IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) system based on year of birth. Each competitor is required to complete 3 routes and 3 bouldering problems during each competition.

Two rounds have previously been held in both the North and South Wales areas, with the top 3 in each category from the Welsh National Final then eligible to compete in the Series Grand Final, on the 15th June at EICA Ratho, Scotland.

Full results for the events can be found here.

Find out more about the BMC Youth Climbing Series here.

Check out photos of the Welsh National Final on our facebook pages here.

Thanks to event sponsors DMM Climbing and Beta Climbing Designs for donating a great set of prizes for the competition winners. DMM also very kindly provided every competitor with a karabiner laser etched with their name.

The BMC Youth Climbing Series regional rounds and finals are run by volunteers and we would like to thank all those involved for their time and efforts during the duration of the Series.

If you are interested in teaching or supervising climbing, Beacon Climbing Centre offer regular Climbing Wall Award(CWA), Single Pitch Award (SPA) and Climbing Wall Leading Award (CWLA) training and assessment courses throughout the year.

The CWA is specifically designed for climbers who wish to supervise and be responsible for groups at indoor and outdoor climbing walls, covering the supervision and management of top rope climbing and bouldering, and techniques such as group supervision, climbing equipment suitability, climbing safety and basic climbing movement skills.

The SPA is for adults wishing to supervise others on single pitch crags and climbing walls. During SPA Training you will learn how to become an effective supervisor, encourage others to enjoy their climbing safely, and will cover topics such as choice of venue, rope management, correct use of equipment, group management, emergency procedures, crag etiquette, access and conservation.

Experienced instructors already holding a CWA or SPA certificate and wishing to gain further qualification can progress by undergoing CWLA training. This is the nationally recognised qualification for teaching and supervising lead climbing on indoor climbing walls and artificial climbing structures.

The next available course dates are…

CWLA training course: Mon 06 May 2013 £90 per person

CWA training course: Sat 18 - Sun 19 May 2013 £125 per person

SPA training course: Sat 01 Jun - Sun 02 Jun 2013 £125 per person

If you require more details about any of the instructor courses at Beacon Climbing Centre, please phone us on 0845 450 8222 or email info@beaconclimbing.com. You can also visit the Instructor Courses section of the website for comprehensive information.

Beacon Climbing Centre is now operating a student night every Tuesday with entry to the centre for only £4 with a valid student ID card.

Additionally, until Christmas we are also offering students a £40 mega deal on a 10 entry climbing centre pass. The £40 is paid in advance and the 10 entry pass then allows entry to the climbing wall on any day and at any time for only £4 per visit for a total of 10 visits.

For those with little or no previous climbing experience, we'll also be running a series of introductory climbing courses specifically aimed at students. Ask at reception for further details.

Looking for a really fun birthday treat? Indoor climbing at Beacon Climbing Centre is the perfect way to celebrate with friends, providing a unique and exciting experience!

Choose from a 1 hour CrazyClimb® session or a 1.5 hour Climbing Wall session, and then make your Birthday Party even more memorable with party food afterwards! Our birthday party climbing sessions include lots of age appropriate fun, games and climbing activities and Beacon Climbing Centre offers climbing suitable for all ages including climbing suitable for small children, so everyone is sure to have a great time!

Check out the Birthday Parties section on the Beacon Climbing Centre website for comprehensive information.

Party Packs

Party Bags

Looking for a really fun and exciting gift for somebody special? Beacon Climbing Centre Gift Vouchers are now available and are the ideal gift for special occasions, allowing the recipient to redeem the voucher however they wish.

Available in denominations of £10, £20 and £50, Beacon Gift Vouchers can be used to pay for CrazyClimb sessions, climbing wall entry including 10 entry passes and unlimited use passes, or any of the wide range of Beacon Climbing Centre Taster Sessions and Courses on offer for both youngsters and adults.

Beacon Climbing Centre Gift Vouchers are supplied with a funky Alien Gift Card (envelope included) and can be purchased at the reception desk within Beacon Climbing Centre, or over the telephone on 0845 450 8222.

The BMC FUNdamentals of Climbing workshops are aimed at anyone who coaches or leads climbing sessions, indoors or outside. And they have a new workshop for 2013!

Whether you're a parent or youth worker, a full-time climbing coach, a SPA or CWA award holder or an MIA / MIC working out on our high mountain crags, or guiding in the Alps, these workshops will be useful to you. They will broaden your knowledge and provide valuable personal and professional development.

Three different one-day workshops are available, all of which form part of the training pathway for Mountain Training's new coaching awards. Book online now!

Each workshop costs £65 for BMC members and £80 for non-members. Not a member? Take advantage of our half-price membership offer and join the BMC for less than £15!

FUNdamentals of Climbing 1

The FUNdamentals of Climbing 1 focuses on the important themes that underpin climbing movement and is part of the training pathway for the Assistant Climbing Coach Award.

• agility, balance and coordination
• awareness of the body's centre of gravity
• and the relationship between weight transfer and economy of movement.

Programme for FUNdamentals of Climbing 1 workshop

Guidance Notes for the FUNdamentals 1 & 2 workshops

Workshop Outline for the FUNdamentals 1 & 2 workshops

FUNdamentals of Climbing 2

The FUNdamentals of Climbing 2 builds upon the first workshop, looking at how specific techniques can be coached and is part of the training pathway for the Climbing Coach Award.

• precise and accurate footwork
• ways of using different handholds
• body positioning and use of straight arms on vertical and slightly overhanging rock
• techniques to climb steep rock

Prior attendance of a FUNdamentals of Climbing Workshop 1 is required for this workshop.

Programme for FUNdamentals of Climbing 2 workshop

Guidance Notes for the FUNdamentals 1 & 2 workshops

Workshop Outline for the FUNdamentals 1 & 2 workshops

FUNdamentals of Climbing 3

This workshop covers the fundamental types of physical training for climbing, helping coaches to identify appropriate physical training regimes and is part of the training pathway for the Climbing Coach Award.

• an overview of how the body's energy systems work
• theory and practicals on training regimes to develop strength, endurance and strength endurance
• body conditioning exercises

Programme for FUNdamentals of Climbing 3 workshop

Visit the BMC Community Site to find out more about the people delivering and developing the workshops.

Beacon Climbing Centre will be hosting the Welsh National Final of the BMC Youth Climbing Series this Saturday from 9:30am. Climbing within the centre will be exceptionally limited for non-competition climbers although CrazyClimb will be operating as per usual.

If you are hoping for a climbing session on Saturday, we’d recommend attending the centre from late afternoon (after 3-4pm) once the competition has finished. On the plus side, we’ll be setting loads of new routes and bouldering problems for the competition, available for everyone to try from Saturday afternoon!

Click here to find out more about the BMC Youth Climbing Series.

Note: North Wales Round 2 at Indy Climbing Wall has changed from 16th March to 17th March.

The BMC Youth Climbing Series is a popular and fun competition for young climbers of all abilities, with three regional rounds and a national final. The series is extremely popular and attracts hundreds of entrants across the country.

The competition is open to all young people born within a range of years, so whether you're new to climbing, or already have some experience, this could be just the competition for you.

Categories...

There are five categories, with separate girls and boys competitions, that follow the IFSC (International Federation of Sport Climbing) system based on year of birth. The categories are called Youth A, B, C, D and E.

In 2013 these are...

Youth A - those born in 1996 & 1997
Youth B – those born in 1998 & 1999
Youth C – those born in 2000 & 2001
Youth D – those born in 2002 & 2003
Youth E - those born in 2004 & 2005

Events...

There are three regional rounds in each of the BMC England Areas followed by a British Final when the top 3 climbers in each category from BMC Wales, the two Areas from Scotland and Northern Ireland take part.

Each event comprises 3 routes and 3 boulder problems for each category. In categories A and B routes are led. In all other categories they are top roped.

To be eligible for the Grand Final it is necessary to take part in at least two regional rounds in the Area that a climber lives. If a series is not organised in their region climbers may enter the series in the region nearest to them.

Wales/Cymru: BMC Cymru/Wales holds two rounds in each of their North and South areas and then hold an all BMC Cymru/Wales Final. The top 3 in each category from the BMC Cymru /Wales Final then go through to the Grand Final.

Scotland hold their own MC of S Youth Climbing Series run by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. They have two areas: Scotland North and Scotland South. The top 3 in each category in each of the two areas in Scotland go through to the Grand Final.

Ireland: Mountaineering Ireland run their own MI Youth Climbing Series in Ireland and, like Wales, the top 3 in each category from their final go through to the Grand Final.

Regional Rounds
Round 1 - 16th February - Beacon Climbing Centre, Caernarfon (arrive 9:30am)
Round 2 - 17th March - Indy Climbing Wall, Anglesey
Round 3 - 20th April - Beacon Climbing Centre, Caernarfon - Welsh National Final

Grand Final
Grand Final - 15th June at EICA Ratho, Scotland.

Further information...

Click here to find out more about the BMC Youth Climbing Series including all the dates and venues for each round across the UK.

The April 2013 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

It's a bumper month for films with Autana and Push It showing at the Beacon Climbing Centre film night on 13th April, Climbing the Devil's Tower going out on S4C on 18th April and the feature length Grit Kids now available to view online. You've also got some great events to look forward to including BMC Movement Masterclasses with Naomi Buys at Beacon and Big Rock, Nick Bullock speaking in Chipping Norton and a Boreal Climbing Shoe Demo Day at Big Rock.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock and Beacon indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

This is brilliant... going out on S4C April 18th 9pm, this 30min documentary follows 75 year old Jeremy Trumper and legendary adventurer Eric Jones (of Tremadog Cafe fame) on their quest to climb The Devil's Tower in Wyoming. And if you miss the broadcast date, you can also view on S4C catch up here.

Jeremy Trumper is a farmer. He’s 75 years old and has an obsession with the devil! A true wonder of the climbing world. The Devils Tower in the cowboy state of Wyoming is an American National Monument and a prominent location in Stephen Spielberg's iconic UFO film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Together with his friend and mentor the legendary Eric Jones, the two evergreen adventurers set out to prove that "you're never too old to achieve your dreams!"

Join us at Beacon Climbing Centre on Saturday 13th April for an awesome climbing film night featuring two incredible films: Autana and Push It.

Autana is the epic new film from adventure climber Leo Houlding and film maker Alastair Lee. Jen Randall's film Push It documents her first ever big wall climb, El Capitan in Yosemite and was the winner of the People's Choice at Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival 2012.

An adventure unlike any other, original, experimental, entertaining and visually stunning, Autana follows Leo Houlding and fellow climbers Sean Leary and Jason Pickles deep into the Amazon in their attempt to make the first ascent of the east face of the remote tepuy; Cerro Autana. 'Indiana Jones would have been proud'.

WINNER OF THE GRAND PRIZE AT THE KRAKOW MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 2012
WINNER OF THE BEST MOUNTAIN FILM AT THE TORELLO MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 2012
WINNER OF THE BEST MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE FILM AT THE KENDAL MOUNTAIN FESTIVAL 2012

The action begins with a covert journey via military check-points and secret ports through Amazonas State. Our team of clandestine climbers disguised as tourists travel down the Orinoco River to the remote village of Ceguera where they make a traumatic psychotropic visit to the local Shaman to gain access to the sacred mountain.

From here sweltering humidity, porter chaos and an assortment of jungle nastiest are just a part of this spectacular journey of self-discovery and big wall hunting. Follow our team of redoubtable characters as they find their way up the jungle infested rock face and as they are amazed not only at the climbing but a luxury wall camp in the incredible Autana Cave system just below the summit of the tepuy (the highest elevated cave system in the world).

Push It is the story of filmmaker Jen Randall and her new-found climbing partner Jackie Sequeira preparing for their first ever big wall - El Capitan in Yosemite, which goes far from smoothly from start to finish. Along the way, Jen visits some of her climbing heroines for inspiration, including Mina Leslie-Wujastyk bouldering in Magic Wood, Switzerland, Natalie Berry sport climbing in Malham, Yorkshire, and a local hero Vicki Mayes trad climbing in Dunkeld, Scotland. Two years in the making, overcoming broken bones, awful weather, a lack of funds and several crisis of confidence, this is a film about testing your limits and chasing adventure.

"Randall’s production is not only another opportunity to marvel at the skill of elite athletes, be it men, or much less often, women. It’s a much more complex story built around the notions of journey and female camaraderie. It’s an open invitation for everyone to keep pushing it."

Venue: Beacon Climbing Centre
Address: Cibyn Estate, Caernarfon, LL55 2BD
Date: Saturday 13th April
Time: 8:00pm (bar opens from 7:00pm)
Tickets: £7 Available online through the Beacon website here, at reception or on the door.
Main Feature: Autana 58mins, Push It 31mins

If you're looking to improve your rock climbing, indoors or out, then come along to the BMC Climbing Movement Masterclasses - run by top climber Naomi Buys. Sponsored by Cotswold Outdoor these excellent masterclasses will be touring the UK in April 2013, arriving at Beacon Climbing Centre on 13th April.

The masterclasses are guaranteed to inspire and give you some top tips. Why not come along and get some expert analysis from Naomi? Naomi will cover climbing movement skills: footwork precision, economy of movement and the utilisation of existing strengths. The classes are for those who climb in the grade range of French 5 to 6b+. There will be a maximum of six climbers per two hour class. The minimum age of Masterclass attendees is 16 years old.

Session Times

The same class will run twice a day so you can either do a morning class or an afternoon one. The morning class runs from 11:00am to 1:00pm and the afternoon class from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Cost

£26 per class per person for BMC members.

£34 per person per class for non-members.

Climbing wall entry is included in the cost.

All bookings are through the BMC and full information including online booking can be found here www.thebmc.co.uk/masterclasses

Looking for something fun to try during the Easter school holidays? Visit Beacon indoor climbing centre for an exciting day out for all the family!

With spectacular climbing walls up to 17m high, the World's first CrazyClimb installation, a dedicated kids' climbing area, numerous viewing balconies and a superb café with free WiFi, everyone over the age of 2 can enjoy Beacon.

No previous experience is necessary to get started and indoor climbing can be experienced on your own or with friends and family. It's the perfect antidote to boring gym regimes for adults and a great way to prove to kids that exercise is actually very exciting!

Opening Times

Beacon Climbing Centre is open 7 days a week throughout the Easter period including Bank Holidays: weekdays 10am-10pm and weekends 10am-8pm.

The World's first CrazyClimb!

You may have tried climbing before, but not like this! It's fun, it's weird, it's wacky, it's totally CRAZY! Tackle a wall covered with large purple blobs, try shimmying up a drain pipe, climb aliens by grabbing their nostrils… we've got 11 different challenges to attempt and each one offers a completely different and completely crazy experience! Come and have a go and see if you can complete them all!

1 hour Supervised CrazyClimb^® Sessions (advance booking is required)

During School Holidays: Every day 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

These sessions are fully supervised and include a safety briefing prior to the start of the climbing session.

Visit our CrazyClimb website page here for a complete overview of our CrazyClimb^® challenges including pricing information and online booking.

Indoor Climbing Rocks!

Never climbed before except up stairs or trees? Beacon has climbing suitable for all ages with hundreds of different colour coded climbs from really easy to really hard. The aim is to climb up using only the designated coloured holds - like join the dots but way more fun! Choosing the correct sequence of coloured holds and reaching the top provides an unbeatable feeling!

Get started with an indoor climbing Taster Session! Suitable for anyone from age 5+, these offer great value at £20 per person for 1.5 hours.

1.5 hour indoor Climbing Taster Sessions (advance booking is required)

Every Saturday 12:00 - 1:30pm

Every Tuesday 12:00 - 1:30pm During school holidays only

Every Thursday 12:00 - 1:30pm During school holidays only

Visit our Taster Sesson website page here for the latest dates, pricing information and online booking.

Suitable for all children under the age of 6, our low level Kids' Climbing Area offers a variety of exciting climbing challenges surrounded by impact absorbing rubber crumb playground matting and is a really fun way for younger climbers to get involved. Climb up, down and around Tommy the Elephant, climb up and along the colourful low-level traverse wall or hide out in the play house! No specialist equipment or training is necessary although parental (or an appropriate adult) supervision is required.

When: The Kids' Climbing Area is open all day during climbing centre opening hours.

Price: £2.50 per person, no time limit

All children must be supervised by a parent or an appropriate adult. Advance booking is not required.

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate Final was held on Wednesday 20th March at Beacon Climbing Centre, with 38 of our dedicated climbers competing for the top spots.

Route setters Ollie Cain, Mark Dicken and Dave Noden produced an eclectic set of 25 problems ranging from the technical, powerful, tenuous to the utterly bizarre. Starting at 6.30pm, competitors had 2.5 hours to complete as many of the problems as possible in 'redpoint' style format as per the bouldering aggregate - unlimited attempts were allowed for each problem, with a successful ascent earning 1 point.

Well done to all the competitors for putting in so much effort during the Bouldering Bash and over the preceding months. We hope you all enjoyed the bouldering aggregate this year and hope to see you all taking part next time!

More photos on the Beacon Climbing Centre Facebook pages here.

Thanks to our aggregate sponsors DMM Climbing and V12 Outdoors for donating a great set of prizes.

On Saturday 23rd March from 8:00pm at Beacon Climbing Centre, alpinist and author Andy Cave presents an inspiring journey of climbing exploration, from Bridlington to Pakistan, from Shetland to China. Lashings of drama and humour guaranteed as Andy relives some of his greatest climbs and travels. Includes brand new dramatic film footage of the recent desperate new alpine route Ecstasy, shot by Alistair Lee. Not to be missed.

All proceeds from the talk going to support the essential work of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.

At 17 Andy discovered rock climbing and was instantly hooked. He dreamed of climbing the world's hardest routes, though many laughed at his ambition. Just three years later, he succeeded on the north face of the Eiger. After four years as a miner Andy quit his job so he could dedicate himself to climbing and has never looked back, climbing hard routes on rock and ice, in the UK and far abroad in the greater ranges.

"One of the greatest mountaineers of his generation." Observer
"A natural story teller." Joe Simpson

His story has been read by tens of thousands in his two award winning books, Learning to Breathe and Thin White Line. He has appeared on radio and TV, as both presenter and subject, and has inspired many with his journey of an ordinary boy growing up to achieve remarkable things.

Venue: Beacon Climbing Centre
Address: Cibyn Estate, Caernarfon, LL55 2BD
Date: Saturday 23rd March
Time: 8:00pm (bar opens from 7:00pm)
Tickets: £8 and available on the door.

The Beacon Climbing Centre winter bouldering aggregate will end on Sunday 17th March. After the final score count, the top male and top female competitors (regardless of age) will be invited to fight it out at the Grand Bouldering Bash on Wednesday evening 20th March with cash prizes awaiting the winners!

Final Winter Bouldering Aggregate score now available here!

If your name is highlighted, you've made into the final!

Everyone is welcome to spectate and everyone present on the night (both competitors and spectators) will each receive a free raffle ticket for our Mega raffle, with additional tickets available for purchase at £1.00. This year those attaining 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the aggregate will each receive 6, 4 and 2 free tickets respectively! We've got a load of superb prizes with all proceeds from the raffle going to the North Wales Bolt Fund.

The climbing will take place from 6:30pm until 9:00pm, giving finalists 2.5 hours to attempt the bouldering bash problems. The 50 competitors will be allowed unlimited attempts on each problem, with a successful ascent earning 1 point as per the aggregate. Be tactical and have fun!

At 9:30pm, after the final scores have been added up, the raffle will be drawn followed by the aggregate prize giving ceremony. Join us for an exciting evening of competition and celebration!

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

Beacon Climbing Centre has teamed up with Cordelia Molloy (LSSM Dip.) to offer professional Sports Massage therapy. Cordelia is a member of the ISRM (Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage) and registered with the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council).

Professional, effective sports and remedial massage for relief from stress and tension, muscle and joint pain, injury rehabilitation and prevention, improved flexibility and recovery.

For climbers really looking to optimise performance, resting for appropriate lengths of time between climbing sessions and body conditioning, are incredibly important (and often overlooked) aspects of any training schedule. Combining sport massage as part of your training can significantly reduce the risks of overuse injuries and also aids recovery by reducing muscle fatigue. If you are already suffering from muscle fatigue or specific climbing related injuries such as sore shoulders, sports massage is an incredibly effective method of relieving fatigue and injuries, allowing you to achieve a high level of performance.

Consultation and treatment £35
Clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and appointments available at other times.
Call Cordelia on 07951 448 669 to book an appointment

Beacon Climbing Centre will be hosting a La Sportiva Climbing Shoe demonstration evening on Tuesday 12th March 6pm.

Produced and designed in a small mountain town at the foot of the Dolomites, La Sportiva has been producing footwear for 80 years. With this heritage they can focus on the future and meld new technologies, ideas and innovation with their rich knowledge of shoe making to give you the most amazing products on the market such as the incredible Futara detailed in the video clip below.

They offer an extensive choice of climbing shoes to satisfy all types of foot morphology, from the more technical and demanding to those who have just started climbing. The collection also offers a different model for each style and climbing technique thanks to the various construction systems, fit and fastenings.

If you are looking for a new pair of climbing shoes or are interested in understanding the technical features and benefits of the latest models, then this La Sportiva demonstration evening is a great opportunity to try before you buy! There will be loads of shoes in multiple sizes to test out including the new Futura and a member of the La Sportiva team will be on hand throughout the evening to offer expert fitting advice and technical guidance. We hope to see you there!

Visit the La Sportiva website for full information about the entire range of La Sportiva climbing shoes.

The March 2013 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Don't miss world renowned solo climber Alain Robert lecturing at Beacon on Saturday 9th March from 8:00pm, BMC Movement Masterclasses with Naomi Buys at Beacon and Big Rock in April and the Winter Bouldering Aggregate finals at the end of March!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock and Beacon indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Unmissable! World renowned solo climber Alain Robert is lecturing at Beacon Climbing Centre on Saturday 9th March from 8:00pm... Tickets available online through the Beacon website here.

Dubbed 'The Human Spider', Alain Robert is arguably one of the most daring climbers the world has ever seen. Overcoming vertigo and countless injuries which have left him officially 60% disabled, Alain Robert has scaled over 70 skyscrapers worldwide: from the Petronas Towers in Malaysia to Taipei 101, from Chicago's Sears Tower to Canary Wharf in London - all climbed solo without the use of any safety equipment. Reward and punishment have been received in equal measure - the flamboyant Frenchman has gained international fame and raised thousands of pounds for charity, but has also been arrested, beaten and prosecuted.

While many people ask whether it is madness to undertake such perilous ascents without the use of a rope, Alain's view is that it is madness not to follow your dreams. This inspiring lecture offers an insight into the man who has conquered fear and exceeded his own limits: the world's greatest urban climber.

Venue: Beacon Climbing Centre
Address: Cibyn Estate, Caernarfon, LL55 2BD
Date: Saturday 9th March
Time: 8:00pm (bar opens from 7:00pm)
Tickets: £10 Available online through the Beacon website here, at reception or on the door.

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for February have now been counted and you can check your ranking here...

Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for February

The aggregate ends on 17th March and after the final score count, the top 25 male and top 25 female competitors (regardless of age) will be invited to fight it out at the Grand Bouldering Bash on Wednesday evening 20th March with cash prizes awaiting the winners!

With 2 weeks remaining, the leader board could still see plenty of changes and it's certainly not too late for a last minute ticking spree to gain a place in the final. All the problems have now been set, bringing the total number of problems to 193, with plenty of lower grade additions to help bump up your score.

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

Interested in climbing and looking to try something new? Why not check out the Vertical Dance Taster Workshop running at Beacon Climbing Centre on Tuesday 5th March from 6:00pm - 9:00pm?

Vertical Dance uses climbing equipment to suspend the performer above the ground. During the workshop, participants will learn harness techniques particular to vertical dance and undertake technical exercises that focus on understanding the effect of the 'vertical floor' on the body so that they become more comfortable with a new spatial orientation. Having developed control of their orientation in still positions, participants are encouraged to work with the pendulum of the rope and to explore the possibilities of flight.

Visit www.verticaldancekatelawrence.com for further information.

Want to know more about indoor climbing at Beacon Climbing Centre in Caernarfon? Take a look at our new promotional video....

Beacon Climbing Centre Promotional Video courtesy of Andrey Andonov

You can also explore and navigate around Beacon Climbing Centre with our virtual tour. Click the image below to get started (opens in a new window) and follow the instructions below to aid navigation.

Instructions:	Navigate through the centre using the Map in the top left corner.
	or Navigate by clicking on hotspots denoted by the symbols.
	or Navigate using the mouse by pressing the left button and moving the mouse.
	or use the control panel at the base of the window to control the tour.

Beacon Climbing Centre Virtual Tour courtesy of Keith Robertson

North Wales Schools Bouldering Competitions will be taking place throughout March 2013 in association with The Outdoor Partnership and the 5x60 programme - an initiative that aims to increase the number of secondary age pupils taking part in sport or physical activity for 60 minutes, at least five times a week.

The counties of Anglesey, Gwynedd (split into 6 schools for North Gwynedd and 6 schools for South Gwynedd), Conwy and Denbighshire will all be having regional selections for a school team of 10 climbers, with the winning school from each county invited to attend the final on the 13th March at the Indy Climbing Wall in Llanfairpwll. The bouldering competitions are based on team effort with the top 6 scores from each team of 10 climbers making up the school team total, and follow on from a successful trial held on Anglesey in 2012 which saw over 60 young climbers competing.

The North Gwynedd competition was held at Beacon Climbing Centre on 26th February with 56 pupils taking part from 6 different schools across the region. Well done to Ysgol Friars for gaining the top spot and to Kieran Forrest and Josie Ball for flashing every problem!

The South Gwynedd competition will take place at Harlech Climbing Wall on 28th February, with the Anglesey Competition at Indy Climbing Wall on 6th March. The Denbighshire competition was held on 16th February at Prestatyn Climbing Wall.

Results for North Gwynedd at Beacon Climbing Centre

For more information please contact Mark Jones, the Outdoor Activities Development Officer for Gwynedd by email MarkAndrewJones@gwynedd.gov.uk or phone 01766 890852.

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for January have been counted and you can now check your ranking here...

Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for January

The Aggregate will end on Sunday 17th March so you've got just over 5 weeks remaining to continue sieging problems to improve your score! We're currently up to problem 166 with 7 new additions in the upstairs bouldering room ranging from V3 to V8 set by Ollie Cain. Additional problems are due to be set next week so keep checking our website and facebook pages for the latest info!

After the final score count, the top 25 male and top 25 female competitors (regardless of age) will be invited to fight it out at the Grand Bouldering Bash on Wednesday evening 20th March with cash prizes awaiting the winners! More details to follow shortly...

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

On the 24th February from 8:00pm, DMM Pro-Team climbers James McHaffie and Calum Muskett will be joining forces to present an evening lecture at Beacon Climbing Centre on free climbing big walls in Yosemite. All proceeds from the talk going to support the essential work of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.

James, aka Caff, has a startling track record of hard trad onsights and flashes; a 30+ tally of E7/8s climbed in the best possible style and seemingly with the minimum of fuss. Caff grew up in Keswick in the Lake District, the son of Ray McHaffie, a prolific climber and renowned upland footpath builder. A climbing life might have seemed the obvious choice, but an early fright put him off the idea. In fact Caff did not start until he was 15 years old, when a happenstance visit to a climbing wall stirred him sufficiently to ask his dad to take him out again.

Calum is one of the most talented young Welsh climbers around. Growing up in Bethesda he was scrambling and walking in the mountains from an early age. Calum was particularly taken with trad climbing and showed remarkable promise almost immediately. Only two and half months after he started climbing he had lead his first E5, Waves of Inspiration in the Dinorwig Slate Quarries. When he was 14 he onsighted The Cad E6 6a on North Stack Wall at Gogarth and has subsequently lead Rare Lichen E8/9 6c on Clogwyn y Tarw.

Tickets cost £6 and are available on the door.

The February 2013 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Check out the latest range of Beacon Climbing Holds, learn how climbing hardware is manufactured by taking a virtual tour of the DMM climbing equipment factory and get involved with the latest activities at Beacon and Big Rock Climbing Centres.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock and Beacon indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Looking for something fun to try during the half-term school holidays? Visit Beacon indoor climbing centre for an exciting day out for all the family!

With spectacular climbing walls up to 17m high, the World's first CrazyClimb installation, a dedicated kids' climbing area, numerous viewing balconies and a superb café with free WiFi, everyone over the age of 2 can enjoy Beacon. No previous experience is necessary to get started and indoor climbing can be experienced on your own or with friends and family. It's the perfect antidote to boring gym regimes for adults and a great way to prove to kids that exercise is actually very exciting!

The World's first CrazyClimb!

You may have tried climbing before, but not like this! It's fun, it's weird, it's wacky, it's totally CRAZY! Tackle a wall covered with large purple blobs, try shimmying up a drain pipe, climb aliens by grabbing their nostrils… we've got 11 different challenges to attempt and each one offers a completely different and completely crazy experience! Come and have a go and see if you can complete them all!

1 hour Supervised CrazyClimb^® Sessions (advance booking is required)

During School Holidays: Every day 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

During Term Time: Weekdays 4:30pm and Weekends at 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

These sessions are fully supervised and include a safety briefing prior to the start of the climbing session.

Visit our CrazyClimb website page here for a complete overview of our CrazyClimb^® challenges including pricing information and online booking.

Indoor Climbing Rocks!

Never climbed before except up stairs or trees? Beacon has climbing suitable for all ages with hundreds of different colour coded climbs from really easy to really hard. The aim is to climb up using only the designated coloured holds - like join the dots but way more fun! Choosing the correct sequence of coloured holds and reaching the top provides an unbeatable feeling!

Get started with an indoor climbing Taster Session! Suitable for anyone from age 5+, these offer great value at £20 per person for 1.5 hours.

1.5 hour indoor Climbing Taster Sessions (advance booking is required)

Every Saturday 12:00 - 1:30pm

Every Tuesday 12:00 - 1:30pm During school holidays only

Every Thursday 12:00 - 1:30pm During school holidays only

Visit our Taster Sesson website page here for the latest dates, pricing information and online booking.

Suitable for all children under the age of 6, our low level Kids' Climbing Area offers a variety of exciting climbing challenges surrounded by impact absorbing rubber crumb playground matting and is a really fun way for younger climbers to get involved. Climb up, down and around Tommy the Elephant, climb up and along the colourful low-level traverse wall or hide out in the play house! No specialist equipment or training is necessary although parental (or an appropriate adult) supervision is required.

When: The Kids' Climbing Area is open all day during climbing centre opening hours.

Price: £2.50 per person, no time limit

All children must be supervised by a parent or an appropriate adult. Advance booking is not required.

The Beacon climbing hold range has recently undergone a minor revamp and all of our climbing holds (excluding the system sets) are now available in a choice of 9 different colours (subject to availability).

Specifications have also been uprated and all Beacon Climbing Holds now feature a...
• dual bolt washer for countersunk or cap head fixing bolts.
• secondary fixing point to prevent spinning (takes normal wood screw).
• safety coil - prevents parts of the hold falling should it break in use.

Our 2013 climbing hold price list is now available to download below and includes hundreds of different climbing hold styles to choose from suitable for climbing centres, kids' climbing walls and home training wall use.

	Download the 2013 Beacon Climbing Holds Price List here

Explore and navigate around Beacon Climbing Centre with our new virtual tour. Click the image below to get started (opens in a new window) and follow the instructions below to aid navigation.

Instructions:	Navigate through the centre using the Map in the top left corner.
	or Navigate by clicking on hotspots denoted by the symbols.
	or Navigate using the mouse by pressing the left button and moving the mouse.
	or use the control panel at the base of the window to control the tour.

Beacon Climbing Centre Virtual Tour courtesy of Keith Robertson.

The Outdoors Show is the UK's Number 1 show for outdoor enthusiasts and in 2012 attracted over 85,000 visitors. Whether you're interested in walking, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, camping, photography, canoeing, cycling, mountain biking, sailing or anything else outdoorsy – you're sure to find plenty of interest and have a great day out.

Get great deals from our retailers, find out about fantastic new products, information from the leading outdoor organisations, listen to our amazing collection of speakers, check out our Everest exhibition, try your hand at new activities plus even more!

The 2013 Outdoors Show takes place 17-20 January at ExCeL, London alongside The Active Travel Show, The London Bike Show and the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show. With one ticket giving you access in to all four shows, there's even more to see and do representing excellent value for money and a fantastic day out!

Over the past 11 years many thousands of people have had their first taste of climbing at The Outdoors Show. With the aim of introducing more and more of our visitors to the fantastic sport of climbing, The Outdoors Show 2013 will have a great climbing offering with a number of walls and routes suitable for beginners and more advanced climbers. In addition to the exciting climbing activities, Mountain Training will be present to offer an insight into careers in the outdoors and Mountain Rescue Team personnel will be present to offer an insight into operating safely in outdoor environments.

CrazyClimb^® brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls (climbing supervision by High Sports)

Offering fun, weird, and completely wacky vertical climbing challenges, CrazyClimb is the latest indoor climbing activity from Beacon Climbing Walls. The wacky climbing challenges include racing the clock on the speed climb, tackling a wall covered with spinning discs instead of normal holds and much more! You don't need any previous climbing experience so anyone can have a go!

Urban Adventures Net Course brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls

Europe's leading supplier of artificial acrobatic park structures offers an exciting low level rope course designed to test balance and agility. Can you make it from start to finish without falling off?

Mobile Climbing Wall brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls

Never tried climbing before? Have a go on the 7.3m high climbing wall! Featuring 4 separate climbing faces, each with a unique climbing challenge, this is the ideal opportunity to have a go! The climbing wall uses simple automated belay systems so you can just clip in and climb - no complicated rope work or previous experience required!

Ice Climbing brought to you by DMM

DMM's Ice Climbing wall is always an extremely popular feature of The Outdoors Show. The Ice wall will be returning in 2013 offering you a chance to conquer the basic techniques needed in this high adrenaline sport with AMI (Association of Mountaineering Instructors) workshops available to offer you expert guidance.

Climbing Masterclasses brought to you by DMM

You don't have to be a world class athlete to benefit from expert tuition. Anyone can improve their training, technique and performance with a little help. 1 hour performance masterclasses are available with DMM sponsored athletes Libby Peter, Lucy Creamer and Ben Bransby. Spaces are limited so booking via the DMM website is essential. Please note: Courses are only open to those 18 years or over.

The Adventure Stage

The Adventure Stage will feature illustrated talks from top British mountaineers, climbers, adventurers and explorers. All talks are free of charge on entry and seats are available on a first come first served basis, with standing room also available. Top names include DMM sponsored climber and mountaineer Nick Bullock, Wild Country Sponsored climber Tom Randall and IFMGA World Mountain Guide Kenton Cool.

In addition to The Climbing Village activities you can also have a go at balancing on a slackline, take part in Operation Commando with the Royal Marines, check out the 60 Years on Everest exhibition and much more!

Book your ticket now at www.theoutdoorsshow.co.uk

Outdoor Show Opening Times...

Outdoor Show Ticket Prices...

Get in shape for the New Year with a 3 month unlimited Beacon Climbing Centre pass for only £100 (or £85 for student/concession*). But be quick... you've only got until 31st January 2013 to take advantage of this deal!

Whether you want to get fit on routes for the coming season or increase your bouldering aggregate score with more frequent visits, the unlimited climbing pass enables you to visit Beacon Climbing Centre as often as you like for 3 months from date of purchase.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival is one of the largest and most prestigious mountain festivals in the world. Held each year since 1975 in Banff, Canada, the festival draws some of the world's best film makers and accomplished outdoor heroes to celebrate adventure, the environment, mountain culture and the outdoors through film.

Hot on the heels of the festival each year, the best films head off on the Banff Mountain Festival World Tour with stops in around 285 communities and 30 countries across the globe. Through the big screen you see highlights of incredible adventure sports, visit remote cultures and some of the world's last great wild places.

Venue: The Hall, Venue Cymru
Address: The Promenade, Llandudno, LL30 1BB
Date: Saturday 26th January
Show time: 7:30pm (doors and bar opens at 6:30pm)
Tickets: £12/£10 concession. Tickets can be purchased online at www.venuecymru.co.uk

Films...

CROSSING THE ICE
Two Australian set off across the ice to be the first adventurers to tackle the perilous journey across Antarctica to the South Pole and back again, completely unassisted - just two men dragging their food and shelter across more than 700 miles of barren ice. As they set off on their odyssey, they discover an eerie similarity to Captain Scott's race to the pole: there's a Norwegian on the ice. He is tackling the same route, is more experienced and has a head start. A remarkable quest with an inspiring and emotional conclusion.
Directed by Justin Jones, 44 minutes
Banff Awards - Grand Prize; Best Film on Adventure & Exploration; People's Choice Award

REEL ROCK: HONNOLD 3.0
Alex Honnold has become known as the boldest solo climber of his generation. In this dangerous game, how does he balance pure ambition and self-preservation? From bouldering first ascents to climbing massive walls without ropes and setting speed climbing records, Honnold wrestles with this question in preparation for his biggest adventure yet - the Yosemite Triple. He now challenges himself to climb Mt Watkins, El Capitan and Half Dome in the infamous Yosemite National Park, 95% of it without ropes - all within a 24 hour period!
Directed by Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Alex Lowther, 33 minutes
Banff Award - Best Climbing Film

FLOW HUNTERS
A group of some of the world's best paddlers experience adventure and risk as they explore some of New Zealand's most extreme white water. This film combines stunning cinematography and beautiful river runs with the heart stopping dangers of running big rivers.
Directed by Jon Forder, 9 minutes

LILY SHREDS TRAILSIDE
It's not too often that mountain bike films feature animals. However Lily, a Jack Russell Terrier, is the star of this film, carving out some new lines in Utah America and proving that downhill mountain bike trails need not be just enjoyed by human riders.
Directed by Ross Downward, 4 minutes

ERNEST
A short portrait of one of the last of a vanishing breed of mountain men, Ernest Wilkinson from Colorado, as he explains what your best survival tool is in the mountains. Surprisingly, Ernest's lessons are just as relevant in the mountains as they are for the rest of our lives.
Directed by Samuel Bricker, 5 minutes

REEL ROCK: WIDEBOYZ
American "off-width" crack climbing has spawned a counter-culture of rough and tumble characters who aren't afraid to bleed their way up a route. Two proper British lads, Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, crossed the Atlantic to test themselves on some of the gnarliest wide cracks in the US, including the first ascent of the world's hardest off-width known as Century Crack. Their stunning success shocked both themselves and the American climbing world.
Directed by Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, Alex Lowther, 12 minutes
Banff Award - Best Short Mountain Film

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS (Banff Edit)
The world of mountain biking has many communities. And while different riders follow different lines, they all end up in the same place. Tire to ground, foot to pedal, hand to bar - people drawn together by the trails of dirt. Featuring spectacular cinematography and the stunning backdrop of the Swiss Alps, the forests of British Columbia and an urban mountain bike park in the US.
Directed by Darcy Wittenburg, 15 minutes

SNOW FILM (Details coming soon)
A snow sports film for this programme will be announced shortly!

On the 22nd of January from 7pm, DMM Pro Team Climber Nick Bullock will be hosting an entertaining evening lecture at the Beacon Climbing Centre with all proceeds from the talk going to support the essential work of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.

The lecture will include short stories from several historic expeditions and routes, with tales from his recent book Echoes, including the first ascent of 'Mindless Finish' to 'Pic and Mix' in Scotland, steep ice in Canada, rock horror on the Lleyn Peninsula and climbing The Slovak Direct in Alaska. All with stunning pictures, films and music!

Tickets cost £6 and are available on the door.

Parental guidance may be required! In Nick's words...

"Please be aware there will be strong language and hopefully much banter and even maybe a tad of mayhem. Please don’t come along expecting factual, sensible and suitable for your gran, I don’t do suitable for your gran, well, not unless your gran is pretty open minded and likes strong langauge..."

Come and join us for an entertaining evening, and help raise money for the Team!

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate is now up to problem 144 with 12 new additions from Mark Dicken on the Technical Slab in the downstairs bouldering area. With grades ranging from V0-V8, it’s time to test your skills on tiny holds and teeter your way to the top!

Problems 1-21 have now been removed and more problems are due to be set on Monday by local professional route setter Alex Mason. Check our website and facebook pages next week for further updates!

If you haven't already signed up to the Winter Bouldering Aggregate and you're looking for a fun and motivating way to keep fit over winter, check out our Winter Bouldering Aggregate webpage here for full information and then get stuck in!

The Outdoors Show is the UK's Number 1 show for outdoor enthusiasts and in 2012 attracted over 85,000 visitors. Whether you're interested in walking, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, camping, photography, canoeing, cycling, mountain biking, sailing or anything else outdoorsy – you're sure to find plenty of interest and have a great day out.

Get great deals from our retailers, find out about fantastic new products, information from the leading outdoor organisations, listen to our amazing collection of speakers, check out our Everest exhibition, try your hand at new activities plus even more!

The 2013 Outdoors Show takes place 17-20 January at ExCeL, London alongside The Active Travel Show, The London Bike Show and the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show. With one ticket giving you access in to all four shows, there's even more to see and do representing excellent value for money and a fantastic day out!

Over the past 11 years many thousands of people have had their first taste of climbing at The Outdoors Show. With the aim of introducing more and more of our visitors to the fantastic sport of climbing, The Outdoors Show 2013 will have a great climbing offering with a number of walls and routes suitable for beginners and more advanced climbers. In addition to the exciting climbing activities, Mountain Training will be present to offer an insight into careers in the outdoors and Mountain Rescue Team personnel will be present to offer an insight into operating safely in outdoor environments.

CrazyClimb^® brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls (climbing supervision by High Sports)

Offering fun, weird, and completely wacky vertical climbing challenges, CrazyClimb is the latest indoor climbing activity from Beacon Climbing Walls. The wacky climbing challenges include racing the clock on the speed climb, tackling a wall covered with spinning discs instead of normal holds and much more! You don't need any previous climbing experience so anyone can have a go!

Urban Adventures Net Course brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls

Europe's leading supplier of artificial acrobatic park structures offers an exciting low level rope course designed to test balance and agility. Can you make it from start to finish without falling off?

Mobile Climbing Wall brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls

Never tried climbing before? Have a go on the 7.3m high climbing wall! Featuring 4 separate climbing faces, each with a unique climbing challenge, this is the ideal opportunity to have a go! The climbing wall uses simple automated belay systems so you can just clip in and climb - no complicated rope work or previous experience required!

Ice Climbing brought to you by DMM

DMM's Ice Climbing wall is always an extremely popular feature of The Outdoors Show. The Ice wall will be returning in 2013 offering you a chance to conquer the basic techniques needed in this high adrenaline sport with AMI (Association of Mountaineering Instructors) workshops available to offer you expert guidance.

Climbing Masterclasses brought to you by DMM

You don't have to be a world class athlete to benefit from expert tuition. Anyone can improve their training, technique and performance with a little help. 1 hour performance masterclasses are available with DMM sponsored athletes Libby Peter, Lucy Creamer and Ben Bransby. Spaces are limited so booking via the DMM website is essential. Please note: Courses are only open to those 18 years or over.

The Adventure Stage

The Adventure Stage will feature illustrated talks from top British mountaineers, climbers, adventurers and explorers. All talks are free of charge on entry and seats are available on a first come first served basis, with standing room also available. Top names include DMM sponsored climber and mountaineer Nick Bullock, Wild Country Sponsored climber Tom Randall and IFMGA World Mountain Guide Kenton Cool.

In addition to The Climbing Village activities you can also have a go at balancing on a slackline, take part in Operation Commando with the Royal Marines, check out the 60 Years on Everest exhibition and much more!

Book your ticket now at www.theoutdoorsshow.co.uk

Outdoor Show Opening Times...

Outdoor Show Ticket Prices...

Please note our new opening times applicable throughout the year...

Weekdays 10am-10pm

Weekends 10am-8pm

The January 2013 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

The New Year kicks off with some awesome events including The Outdoors Show in London and the Banff Mountain Film Festival Tour screening across the UK. Don't miss out!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock and Beacon indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Get in shape for New Year by getting involved with the Beacon Winter Bouldering Aggregate! With 200 climbers currently participating and 131 bouldering problems of every grade currently included, the bouldering aggregate is designed to provide endless sessions of fun bouldering during the winter months.

More problems are due to be set on Wednesday 9th January (on the technical slab opposite the circuit boards) and if you haven't already signed up, get started now by purchasing your aggregate score sheet from reception for just £2.00 (all proceeds donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund). Increase your confidence and motivation, meet new friends and improve your overall climbing ability!

Check out the latest Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for December here!

Aggregate Spot Prizes for December!

A Chalk ball will be going to:

Those in 10th place

Tom Hewitt
Charlotte Milner
Rhona Loxton
Gwyn Jones
Lizzie Short
Geraint

Best Clean Joke

Ali Chant

Most improved neatness of box ticking

Ruby Wood

Aggregate Spot Prizes for January!

A Chalk ball will be going to:

Those in 20th place
Best compliment
Most witty (clean) put down
Most apt new years resolution

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

Climb Rochdale, formerly part of the ClimbUK group incorporating Big Rock Climbing Centre in Milton Keynes and Beacon Climbing Centre in North Wales, is now under new management with the climbing centre now owned and operated by Pink Climbing Centres Ltd in association with Pink Adventures and Stuart Holmes Climbing Coaching. Pink Climbing Centres Ltd acquired Climb Rochdale in late December 2012 and ClimbUK wish the new management team all the best with their new venture.

Since acquiring Climb Rochdale in 2010, ClimbUK has improved the centre's facilities considerably including completely reconfiguring the ground floor internal layout to create better access and more useable space for the provision of a new reception area and a new cafe, and the construction of a new 3-dimensionsal plywood bouldering wall with a full overhanging arch designed and constructed by ClimbUK's manufacturing division, Beacon Climbing Walls.

Pink Climbing Centres Ltd are committed to further development plans and Climb Rochdale will continue to operate as a friendly, professionally run climbing centre with a superb variety of roped climbing and bouldering for all ages and abilities. Existing members are able to use the climbing centre without the need to re-register.

Climb Rochdale is now open for business under the management of Pink Climbing Centres Ltd with additional information about the climbing centre available at www.climbrochdale.com.

Beacon Climbing Centre offers climbing suitable for all ages and all levels of ability. Our qualified and experienced instructors will introduce youngsters to fun climbing in a friendly environment, at a level appropriate to their age.

UPDATE: Due to increased demand and in an effort to guarantee space for all youngsters whilst allowing continuity and progression, Cheeky Monkeys and Great Apes Sessions will now run every week during term time and will need to be booked as a half-term block. We've also added additional Great Apes sessions so youngsters can now choose between Monday or Friday sessions.

Cheeky Monkeys age 5-7

A really fun and exciting introduction to indoor climbing, these sessions enable young children to participate in climbing games which help promote awareness, coordination and balance.
When: Every Tuesday from 5:00pm - 6:30pm during Term Time
Price: £9.50 per session

Great Apes age 7-10

The ideal way for children aged 7 to 10 to get involved with indoor climbing! Youngsters attending Great Apes will aim to attain the National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme (NICAS) standard Level 1-2 whilst having plenty of fun in an instructor supervised environment.
When: Every Monday from 5:00pm - 6:30pm during Term Time or Every Friday from 5:00pm - 6:30pm during Term Time
Price: £9.50 per session

Rockhoppers age 11-16

Following the National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme (NICAS), Rockhoppers is run for secondary school children aged 11 to 16 and is a great way for youngsters to get started with indoor climbing. Under the guidance of our experienced and friendly instructors, young climbers can learn the basics of the sport, keep fit, meet new friends and have lots of fun.
When: Every Thursday from 5:00pm - 6:30pm during Term Time
Price: £9.50 per session

Young Leaders age 11-16

For experienced young climbers who are registered for their Level 4 and 5 National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme (NICAS) standard. During these sessions, youngsters will learn about advanced aspects of indoor climbing including lead climbing, training regimes and improving their wider climbing knowledge.
When: Every Wednesday from 5:00pm - 6:30pm during Term Time
Price: £9.50 per session

Bouldering Club age 10-17

Low-Level climbing for experienced youngsters aged 10 to 17 years old who enjoy climbing and wish to improve their skills in a fun and sociable environment. Formal instruction is not included but the sessions are fully supervised by a Beacon Instructor meaning advice, guidance and feedback on climbing skills and techniques is readily available.
When: Every Saturday from 10:00am - 11:30am
Price: £8.00 per session

You can also check out the Young Climbers section of the Beacon website here.

Need a respite from the festive mayhem or winter weather? Beacon Climbing Centre is open for extended hours throughout the Christmas Holiday period.

With spectacular climbing walls up to 17m high, the World's first CrazyClimb installation, a dedicated kids' climbing area, numerous viewing balconies and a superb café with free WiFi, a visit to Beacon is a lot more fun than watching the usual raft of repeats on Christmas TV!

Existing members can enjoy the huge number of new bouldering problems recently set for our Winter Bouldering Aggregate or work off that 10,000 calorie Christmas dinner with some roped climbing.

If you've never climbed before, why not use your free time over Christmas to have a go? No previous experience is necessary to get started, all ages are welcome and indoor climbing can be experienced on your own or with friends and family. It's the perfect antidote to boring gym regimes for adults and a great way to prove to kids that exercise is actually very exciting! Check out the schedules below and get involved!

The World's first CrazyClimb®!

CrazyClimb^® offers fun and completely wacky climbing challenges and is the latest indoor climbing activity for you to try! You'll find 11 challenges to attempt including shinning up a drainpipe, climbing aliens by grabbing their nostrils and making faces at your friends through a see-through climbing wall. Come and have a go and see if you can complete them all!

1 hour Supervised CrazyClimb^® Sessions (advance booking is required)

Every day 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

These sessions are fully supervised and include a safety briefing prior to the start of the 1 hour climbing session.

Visit our CrazyClimb^® website page here for a complete overview of our CrazyClimb^® challenges including pricing information and online booking.

Indoor Climbing Rocks!

Never climbed before? Beacon has climbing suitable for all ages with hundreds of different colour coded climbs from really easy to really hard. The aim is to climb up using only the designated coloured holds - like join the dots but way more fun! Choosing the correct sequence of coloured holds and reaching the top provides an unbeatable feeling!

Get started with an indoor climbing Taster Session! Suitable for anyone from age 5+, these offer great value at £20 per person for 1.5 hours.

1.5 hour indoor Climbing Taster Sessions (advance booking is required)

Saturday 22 December: 12:00 - 1:30pm

Thursday 27 December: 12:00 - 1:30pm

Saturday 29 December: 12:00 - 1:30pm

Thursday 03 January: 12:00 - 1:30pm

Saturday 05 January: 12:00 - 1:30pm

We can also offer Private Taster Sessions at a time and date to suit your requirements. Visit our Taster Session website page here for further information and online booking.

Professional, effective sports and remedial massage for relief from stress and tension, muscle and joint pain, injury rehabilitation and prevention, improved flexibility and recovery.

Beacon Climbing Centre has teamed up with Cordelia Molloy (LSSM Dip.) to offer Christmas Sports Massage Vouchers for only £30 (assessment and 1 hour treatment). Cordelia is a member of the ISRM (Institute of Sport and Remedial Massage) and registered with the CNHC (Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council).

Combining sport massage as part of your training can significantly reduce the risks of overuse injuries and also aids recovery by reducing muscle fatigue. If you are already suffering from muscle fatigue or specific climbing related injuries such as sore shoulders, sports massage is an incredibly effective method of relieving fatigue and injuries, allowing you to achieve a higher level of performance.

Buy your voucher at Beacon Climbing Centre, and then contact Cordelia to arrange an appointment for whenever suits you - vouchers are valid for 6 months.

Based in Cwm-Y-Glo and Llanberis
Cordelia's Tel:  07951 448 669
Facebook link: www.facebook.com/cordeliamolloymassage

Looking for a really fun birthday treat? Indoor climbing at Beacon Climbing Centre is the perfect way to celebrate with friends, providing a unique and exciting experience!

Choose from a 1 hour CrazyClimb® session or a 1.5 hour Climbing Wall session, and then make your Birthday Party even more memorable with party food afterwards! Our birthday party climbing sessions include lots of age appropriate fun, games and climbing activities and Beacon Climbing Centre offers climbing suitable for all ages including climbing suitable for small children, so everyone is sure to have a great time!

All Birthday Party bookings now include a FREE A5 Party Pack! These colourful packs contain everything you need to help make your Birthday Party awesome including: 12 party invitations (more available on request) for your friends with a climbing information sheet and easy to follow directions to Beacon Climbing Centre, a catering options form, a consent form and a booking confirmation form.

You can also download the literature from the Birthday Party Pack and print the documents out at home!

	Information Leaflet A4 double sided
	Party Invitations A4 double sided - 2 per page
	Catering Options Form A4 single sided
	Consent Form A4 single sided
	Booking Confirmation Form A4 double sided

Check out the Birthday Parties section on the Beacon Climbing Centre website for comprehensive information.

The bouldering aggregate has now been set to 127 problems with some hard new additions from DMM climber Pete Robins on the right hand side of the circuit board in the downstairs bouldering area. Mat Smith has set the left hand circuit board with an array of awesome V3s, a V7 and a superb juggy circuit ideal for using Alpkit Fig4s. Look out for some additional problems to be set early in the New Year... more info coming soon.

If you haven't already signed up to the Winter Bouldering Aggregate and you're looking for a fun and motivating way to keep fit over winter, check out our Winter Bouldering Aggregate webpage here for full information and then get stuck in!

The December 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other interesting climbing stuff!

Check out the opening times for Big Rock and Beacon Climbing Centre, open throughout the Christmas holiday excluding 24th, 25th and 26th December, watch in awe as 10 year old Ashima Shiraishi dispatches some of the hardest bouldering problems around, explore the new Beacon Climbing Centre with our awesome virtual tour... and much more!

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Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock and Beacon indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Beacon Climbing Centre is currently hosting the 2012/13 BMC Leading Ladder (more information here) meaning we've got a load of awesome new competition routes for you to try, irrespective of whether you wish to compete in the competition.

Guest setter James ‘Caff’ McHaffie has produced a brilliant set of routes with a 6a and 7a on the gently overhanging 15m wall and a set of harder routes up the main 17m lead wall including a 7b, 7c, 8a and a fierce looking 8b. Caff is one of the UK’s most accomplished rock climbers, having onsighted over 30 routes graded E7 and above, made numerous sport route onsights of 8a and above, completed a successful ascent of The Big Bang (9a) at Lower Pen Trwyn in North Wales in August 2011, and more recently Meltdown (8c+/9a) in the Llanbers Slate Quarries.

Mark Dicken has also produced a superb set of BMC Leading Ladder routes at more amenable grades including a 5+, 6a+, 6b, 6b+ and 6c on both the main 17m wall and the opposite 15m face. And finally Streaky was busy all day yesterday on the main 17m wall, producing 2 routes in the 6a-6b range.

That's 13 new routes to try in total so we hope you're inspired to get stuck in! Enjoy!

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate at Beacon Climbing Centre is now in full swing with nearly 200 climbers participating. We've currently got 89 problems to try with more problems due to be set on Wednesday by Leo Nathan and Emma Twyford. It's still not too late to get started, although we will start removing some of the first sets of problems next week so be quick! Remember that the aggregate works numerically so the lowest numbers will be taken down first and the highest numbers represent the newest problems. Try and tick the lowest numbers first before they are removed!

If you haven't already signed up, simply purchase your aggregate score sheet from reception for just £2 (all proceeds donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund) then just tick off the problems as you climb them!

Check out the latest Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for November here!

Aggregate Spot Prizes for November!

A Chalk ball will be going to:

Those in 4th place

John Stringer
Tamsin Slinn
Alex Kitts
Kieran Forrest
Zoe Wood
Osian Maloney
Harmony Haston – Wilson
Paul Jenkinson
Emma Sunerton - Burl

Best Drawing of an Elephant

Zed Jones

Most Colourful Sheet

Kat Dyke

Most well looked after Sheet

Alexio

Aggregate Spot Prizes for December!

A Chalk ball will be going to:

Those in 10th Place

Best Clean Joke

Most improved Neatness of Box Ticking

Best Xmas Elf (drawing of – no stapling to..)

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

The bouldering aggregate now totals 114 problems with 8 new additions to the right hand side of the downstairs bouldering area courtesy of Ollie Cain.

The steep circuit boards in the downstairs back bouldering area will be completely stripped during the course of Wednesday and Thursday this week, and a complete set of new problems added. This does mean the removal of the first set of aggregate problems, set back in early October.

If you haven't already signed up to the Winter Bouldering Aggregate and you’re looking for a fun and motivating way to keep fit over winter, check out our Winter Bouldering Aggregate webpage here for full information and then get stuck in!

Looking for a way to stay motivated and improve or maintain fitness? The BMC Leading Ladder is back for 2012/13, retaining the extremely successful format used over previous years.

This fun lead climbing competition runs at 37 UK walls until the end of March 2013, with each round running for a 16 day period - 2 weeks including 3 weekends. That means that you can travel around the country and take part in leading competitions right throughout the winter - and all at your own pace.

Beacon Climbing Centre will be hosting the event from Saturday 1st December to Sunday 16th December with 10 new competition routes to try.

How does it work?
Each competition will have 10 routes ranging from F5+ to F8a, with 3 ability categories to choose from: A, B or C.

• A is for climbers who lead indoor routes in the grade range F5+ to 6b.
• B is for climbers who lead indoor routes in the grade range F6b to 7a.
• C is for climbers who lead indoor routes in the grade range F7a to 8a.

The routes are clearly marked and anyone using the wall may climb them. But if you want to take part and record your score, you need to buy a scorecard for £1 from the host venue. Scoring is based on number of attempts required to successfully complete each climb, with a National Final to be held on 27th April 2013.

Full information including a list of dates & venues can be found on the Beacon website here.

It’s getting a bit cold… but we’re doing our best to look after you all! Menai Heating is currently in the process of installing an awesome biomass boiler system to Beacon Climbing Centre, fuelled by wood pellets, with installation due for completion within a few weeks.

Wood is a renewable resource and as wood pellets are increasingly produced in the UK, the environmental impacts of transporting this fuel are also lessened - and of course, the impact of transporting wood pellets is significantly less than the damage caused by obtaining foreign oil and transporting it literally half way around the world. Every little helps.

Interested in climbing and looking to try something new? Why not check out the Vertical Dance Taster Workshop running at Beacon Climbing Centre on Tuesday 4th December?

Vertical Dance uses climbing equipment to suspend the performer above the ground. During the workshop, participants will learn harness techniques particular to vertical dance and undertake technical exercises that focus on understanding the effect of the ‘vertical floor’ on the body so that they become more comfortable with a new spatial orientation. Having developed control of their orientation in still positions, participants are encouraged to work with the pendulum of the rope and to explore the possibilities of flight.

Visit www.verticaldancekatelawrence.com for further information.

Streaky and Emma Twyford have been busy in the Upper Bouldering Mezzanine and you can now find 20 awesome new bouldering problems to try from V Easy to V9.

If you're taking part in our Winter Bouldering Aggregate, there are now 73 problems to try throughout the centre across all grades with more problems due very soon.

The existing set of problems will remain until December so there is still plenty of time to get started if you haven't already signed up. Simply purchase your aggregate score sheet from reception for just £2 (all proceeds donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund) then just tick off the problems as you climb them!

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

The November 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other interesting climbing stuff!

If you're looking for a way to stay motivated and improve or maintain fitness, why not take part in the 2012/13 BMC Leading Ladder now underway across the UK, or get involved with the Winter Bouldering Aggregate at your local ClimbUK indoor climbing centre. Finally, don't forget to check this month's awesome movie of the Swiss Machine Ueli Steck taking on the North Face of the Eiger in under 3 hours. Mind blowing!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Check out the new Little Rockers climbing club at Beacon Climbing Centre! This pre-school club is open to young children age 3-4 and aims to encourage physical activity in early years children in a really fun and sociable environment with group games and exciting climbing activities. The sessions will be conducted bilingually whenever possible and the price includes a drink and snack for the children.

When: Every Monday from 12:30pm - 1:15pm (meet in our cafe from 12:00)

Price: £9.00 per child including a drink and snack.

Full information and online booking on our website here.

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate at Beacon Climbing Centre started mid-October with nearly 150 climbers currently taking part! The aggregate now includes 53 problems to try across all grades with more problems due to be set today by Ollie Cain and Emma Twyford.

The existing set of problems will remain until December so there is still plenty of time to get started if you haven't already signed up. Simply purchase your aggregate score sheet from reception for just £2 (all proceeds donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund) then just tick off the problems as you climb them!

Check out the latest Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores for October here!

Please remember that the aggregate works numerically so the lowest numbers will be taken down first and the highest numbers represent the newest problems. Try and tick the lowest numbers first before they are removed! Good luck everyone!

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

It's back! Our infamous Winter Bouldering Aggregate, running throughout the winter months until the end of March 2013, has now started with the first 40 problems available to climb!

This friendly bouldering competition is suitable for all abilities and all ages and includes loads of bouldering problems of every grade. Last year's event attracted over 300 entries, and if you're looking for a really fun way to enjoy indoor climbing over winter, the bouldering aggregate provides endless session of exciting climbing to keep motivation and enthusiasm high.

New problems will be set every month to ensure that you will always have a fresh challenge to undertake and you will be able to fully take advantage of the awesome bouldering facilities at the new Beacon Climbing Centre! Scoresheets only cost £2.00 (all proceeds donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund) and taking part is an excellent way to increase your confidence and enthusiasm, meet new friends and improve your overall climbing ability.

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information.

Don't let the winter weather stop the fun. Visit Beacon indoor climbing centre during the the half-term school holidays for an exciting day out for all the family!

With spectacular climbing walls up to 17m high, the World's first CrazyClimb installation, a dedicated kids' climbing area, numerous viewing balconies and a superb café with free WiFi, everyone over the age of 2 can enjoy Beacon. No previous experience is necessary to get started and indoor climbing can be experienced on your own or with friends and family. It's the perfect antidote to boring gym regimes for adults and a great way to prove to kids that exercise is actually very exciting!

The World's first CrazyClimb!

CrazyClimb offers fun and completely wacky climbing challenges and is the latest indoor climbing activity for you to try! You'll find 11 challenges to attempt including shinning up a drainpipe, climbing aliens by grabbing their nostrils and making faces at your friends through a see-through climbing wall. Come and have a go and see if you can complete them all!

1 hour Supervised CrazyClimb^® Sessions (advance booking is required)

During School Holidays: Every day 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

During Term Time: Weekdays 4:30pm and Weekends at 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

These sessions are fully supervised and include a safety briefing prior to the start of the 1 hour climbing session.

Visit our CrazyClimb website page here for a complete overview of our CrazyClimb^® challenges including pricing information and online booking.

Indoor Climbing Rocks!

Never climbed before except up stairs or trees? Beacon has climbing suitable for all ages with hundreds of different colour coded climbs from really easy to really hard. The aim is to climb up using only the designated coloured holds - like join the dots but way more fun! Choosing the correct sequence of coloured holds and reaching the top provides an unbeatable feeling!

Get started with an indoor climbing Taster Session! Suitable for anyone from age 5+, these offer great value at £20 per person for 1.5 hours.

1.5 hour indoor Climbing Taster Sessions (advance booking is required)

Every Saturday 12:00 - 1:30pm

Every Tuesday 12:00 - 1:30pm During school holidays only

Every Thursday 12:00 - 1:30pm During school holidays only

Visit our Taster Sesson website page here for the latest dates, pricing information and online booking.

Through the winter months, Beacon Climbing Centre runs a series of workshops, aimed at local instructors and volunteers, covering a wide range of climbing related topics.

These 2 hour evening sessions run at Beacon Climbing Centre are designed to help local climbing instructors develop their skills and fulfil their requirement for continued personal development.

You can find a full itinerary of winter 2012 Instructor Workshops on the Beacon website here.

Thanks to all the competitors who participated in our Open Day Bouldering Competition! We had 40 awesome problems to try courtesy of our setters Tom Booth, Ollie Cain, Mark Dicken and guest setter Alex Mason.

Point were award from 1-9 depending on the difficulty of the problem, ranging from 1 point for the easiest through to 9 points for the hardest.

Join us on Saturday 13th October for the Beacon Climbing Centre Open Day! Expect an action packed day with loads of climbing related activities for everyone including...

Half price entry for all climbers. Experienced climbers can use the bouldering walls and roped climbing walls for half the normal entry fee throughout the day! If you're not already a member of Beacon Climbing Centre, check out our registration guidelines here. Spectator entry is free!

FREE CrazyClimb^® Sessions. 11am-6pm. Offering fun, and completely wacky climbing challenges, CrazyClimb^® is the latest indoor climbing activity for kids and adults! We'll be running free 20 minute sessions starting every half hour from 11am-6pm. Not heard about CrazyClimb^®? Check it out on the Beacon website here!

Try Climbing for FREE. 11am-6pm. Never climbed before? Have a go for free during our Open Day and experience the exhilarating challenge of indoor climbing! These sessions are suitable for all ages from 5+ and all participants will have the opportunity to attempt 2 climbs.

Bouldering Competition. 10am-6pm. Open to all ages, you'll have 3 hours from collecting your score card to tick as many of the 40 problems as you can, with more points awarded for the more difficult climbs. Full information within the competition section of our website here and entry is free! The Beacon Winter Bouldering Aggregate will also begin with these 40 problems so you can pick up you scorecard for £2.00 during our Open Day and get started early!

Speed Climbing Competition. 12-6pm. Try and beat the time set by DMM Pro Team climber Pete Robins! Pete will set the target time at 12 noon and we'll be offering a cash prize for the person that gets the closest time, with a bonus for anyone beating the time! Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team (LLMRT) will be operating the competition and the £2 entry fee will go directly to the Rescue Team. You can also take part in the LLMRT raffle and win some great prizes!

DMM Stand and Test Rig. Times to be confirmed. Check out all the latest climbing equipment from World renown Llanberis based climbing equipment manufacturer DMM. Pick up free stuff and watch DMM equipment get tested to oblivion on their test rig. Very cool!

FREE Masterclasses Sessions. Times to be confirmed. If you're looking to improve your climbing ability and knowledge, why not join one of our free Masterclass sessions with a DMM Pro Team climber? These 30 minute sessions will be running throughout the day and will give you the opportunity to pick up some expert guidance and advice.

Vertical Dance. Performances at 11am and 6.15pm. Vertical Dance uses climbing equipment to suspend climbers above the ground. 'Roped Together' tells the story of a climbing partnership of yesteryear and 'Amser panad' is a new spectacle created specifically for the new Beacon centre where the dance troupe regularly train. Vist www.verticaldancekatelawrence.com for further information.

V12 Outdoor MEGA Sale. 10am-6pm. Looking from some new outdoor clothing or climbing equipment? The V12 Outdoor store located within Beacon Climbing Centre will be holding a one day mega sale with some amazing bargains up for grabs!

Film Lounge. 10am-6.30pm. Get inspired for climbing by checking out our awesome selection of classic Al Hughes climbing movies including Upside Down Wales, Stone Monkey and The Meltdown, playing on loop in Caffi Barcud (located upstairs in Beacon Climbing Centre) throughout the day.

Andy Kirkpatrick lecture. 7pm-10pm. If you want to die laughing, don't miss Andy Kirkpatrick's new lecture: 'Higher Education - lessons learnt from high places" describing climbing El Cap with his 13 year old daughter. Quite simply the hottest ticket on the UK's climbing and mountaineering lecture scene, Andy's absorbing, irreverent and incredibly funny lectures are guaranteed to captivate the audience, providing silence at the scary bits and tear inducing laughter at the funny bits! Tickets are £10 in advance or £12 on the day. Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team have organised this event and will be taking payments direct... click here to book online. Tickets can also be purchased from Beacon reception.

After hours Party. From 10pm. Starting immediately after Andy Kirkpatrick's lecture, DJ Tom Booth will be kicking off our party with some awesome tunes. Entry is free, so if you can't make it during the day, join us for the party!

The Speed Climbing Competition route has been set on Line 1 at 5b so you can now come and practise prior to the competition during our Open Day on Saturday 13th October!

DMM Pro Climber Pete Robins will set the competition time at 12 noon and you'll then have until 6pm to try to beat him! Entry will cost £2 per try, with all the money going to Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.

£75 is up for grabs for the closest time to Pete’s or £150 for the best time if he gets beaten! Get your practise in for free before Saturday!

After feedback from both our staff and our customers, the coloured bouldering system at Beacon is now due to change starting from our Open Day on Saturday 13th October.

In future, bouldering problems will be set in any colour to enable a much greater range of climbing holds to be used throughout the grade boundaries. We’re confident that this will allow our setters to create more exciting problems and a higher density of problems to cater for all levels of difficulty.

The colour coding denoting difficulty will be retained but will now be shown by 2 coloured discs on the starting holds and another on the finishing holds.

The October 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other interesting climbing stuff!

Don't miss the Beacon Climbing Centre Open Day on 13th October - an action packed day with loads of climbing related activities for everyone including FREE climbing sessions, competitions and the unmissable Andy Kirkpatrick lecture. You'll also find details of the 2012/13 BMC Leading Ladder and details for the 2012 REEL Rock Tour now screening across the UK.... read on!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

If you're a regular visitor to Beacon Climbing Centre, why not take advantage of our unlimited use passes? We now offer 3, 6 or 12 month passes, each offering unlimited use from the date of purchase. Get yours at reception now!

*Over 65's, unemployed or full time students. All must have current proof of status.

Check out the Car Boot Sale for outdoor sports kit at The Heights on Sunday 7th October, starting from 10am.

Only £10.00 per pitch and free entry for buyers, with over 30 cars spaces available and additional indoor and outdoor table top spaces.

It's going to be a great opportunity for buying and selling so come along and tell your friends too!

Click to enlarge

Don't miss The 2012 Reel Rock Film Tour screening at Theatr Colwyn at 7:30pm on Friday 5th October.

Featuring a series of inspirational short films with mind blowing action bordering on the insane, the Reel Rock Tour brings the best in climbing and adventure films to local audiences across the globe.

The 2012 Reel Rock Film Tour brings you four of the best new adventure and climbing films from the world's leading adventure film makers including...

Wide Boys
The Brits show the Americans a thing or two about climbing! Crack climbing has spawned a counter-culture of rough and tumble characters in the US who aren't afraid to bleed their way up a route. So when two British lads, Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, cross the Atlantic to eat up the gnarliest wide cracks in the US - including the first ascent of the world's hardest "offwidth" crack known as Century Crack - it came as quite a shock!

The Shark's Fin
Legendary alpinist Conrad Anker nurtured a 20 year obsession with The Shark's Fin, a spectacular unclimbed granite buttress on the 6,310 metre Mt Meru, in India. In 2008 Anker, with Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk, endured a gruelling 18 day push to get within hundreds of feet of the summit, only to be turned back. Three years later, the trio makes tough decision to return, despite Anker's deep family ties, and Ozturk's ski accident just six months before the trip, which resulted in a fractured skull, a broken neck, and serious doubts about going back.

Honnold 3.0
Alex Honnold has become known as the boldest solo climber of his generation. In this dangerous game, how does he balance pure ambition with self-preservation? From bouldering first ascents to climbing massive faces without a rope and setting speed climbing records, Honnold wrestles with this question in preparation for his biggest adventure yet - the Yosemite Triple. In under 19 hours he climbs Mt. Watkins, El Cap, and Half Dome, 95% of it without ropes.

Dura Dura
Chris Sharma has been the "king" of sport climbing for 15 years, and has created a mecca for hard routes near his home in Catalunya, Spain. Now, the Czech wunderkind, 19 year old Adam Ondra, has come to Sharma's home turf to take the torch. Sharma and Ondra battle to establish one of the world's most difficult routes, while Sasha DiGiulian and Daila Ojeda shred women's standards with strong ascents of their own.

Venue: Theatr Colwyn
Address: Abergele Road, Colwyn Bay, LL29 7RU
Date: 5th October
Show time: 19:30
Tickets: £10/£8.50 concession.Tickets can be purchased online at www.reelrock.co.uk

With inspiring films and great prize giveaways, it's a night not to be missed!

Mark Reeves, author of 'How to Climb Harder' will be offering climbing coaching at Beacon Climbing Centre starting from September 3rd and running throughout the winter months.

These sessions represent superb value for money at £10 per session including entry to the climbing and are the perfect way to increase your confidence and motivation for climbing by exploring new climbing techniques and developing your personal climbing skills.

Please note that Beacon Climbing Centre will be closed all day on Wednesday 26th September until 4pm due to the Inter Services Climbing Competition. The centre will be open as usual throughout the evening from 4pm - 10pm with loads of new routes to try following the competition. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused!

The September 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other interesting climbing stuff!

Big Rock is holding a Birthday Event on 29th September with loads of awesome climbing related activities, Beacon has a similar Grand Opening Event scheduled for 13th October, we've got loads of different kids' climbing clubs starting in September and you'll even find a super-inspiring interview with the World's best known professional climbing, Chris Sharma. Read on!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

CrazyClimb^® at Beacon Climbing Centre has proven exceptionally popular with hundreds of youngsters and adults attempting the wacky challenges! Now the summer holidays have ended, we've put together a new schedule, including daily supervised sessions and NEW open sessions for existing climbing centre members. Check out the new schedule below and come and have a go, it's unlike any indoor climbing you will have experienced previously!

When

1 hour Supervised CrazyClimb^® Sessions (advance booking is required)

During School Holidays: Every day 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

During Term Time: Weekdays 4:30pm and Weekends at 10:30am, 12:00, 1:30pm, 3:00pm and 4:30pm

These sessions are fully supervised and include a safety briefing prior to the start of the 1 hour climbing session.

Open sessions (for fully registered climbing centre members ONLY. Booking is not required)

During School Holidays: Everyday from 5:30pm - 7:30pm

During Term Time: Monday and Friday from 5:30pm - 7:30pm

These sessions are NOT supervised by a Beacon instructor. All under 18s must be signed in and supervised by a fully registered member.

Group and Birthday Party use

CrazyClimb^® can also be booked for Groups and Birthday Parties to suit your requirements. Please contact us.

Want to know more about CrazyClimb^®?

Visit our CrazyClimb website page here for a complete overview of our CrazyClimb^® challenges including pricing information and online booking.

Check out the awesome new bouldering area at Beacon Climbing Centre! Now opened for business, you'll find over 50 new problems to try on multiple angles, including the large free standing central boulder which offers some brilliant arete style problems. You can even indulge in a spot of Beacon nostalgia by climbing on the wave feature, cunningly imported from the old climbing centre!

Left: Sophie testing out the problems during route setting.

Right: Sophie and Helen during our photo shoot. Massive thanks to you both! Big up to Fraser, Josie and Archie Ball too, hiding in the background!

Left: Lots and lots of new problems to try thanks to Ollie, Vaughan, Streaky and our guest setters!

Right: Anyone recognise that Wave feature in the corner?

After 18 years based on the Ceunant hillside, the Beacon Climbing Centre has now relocated to a huge new modern facility, conveniently located on the Cibyn Estate in Caernarfon on the main A4086 Llanberis road. Full directions are available on our website here.

Opened on 23rd July, our mega new centre features a large open plan design with numerous viewing balconies and offers some of the best indoor climbing facilities in the UK, including the World's first CrazyClimb^® installation and a new premium cafe with spectacular views overlooking the main climbing area.

Overview of our new climbing facilities...

• The World's first CrazyClimb^® installation
• Main lead climbing walls up to 17m high with a maximum 7m overhang
• 15m high speed climbing wall - race the clock!
• Gently overhanging and vertical walls for more technical roped climbing
• Bouldering area with a huge variety of angles
• Additional bouldering areas, due Autumn 2012
• 11m long and 5m wide bouldering 'routing roof', due Autumn 2012
• Dedicated kids' climbing area
• Group instruction area
• Warm up and stretching area
• Caffi Barcud
• V12 Outdoor shop
• Viewing balconies
• Conference facilities
• Loads of free parking spaces

Roped Climbing

The new lead climbing walls extend up to 17m high with a maximum 7m overhang, dwarfing the 12m high walls at the old Beacon Climbing Centre and offering numerous awesome routes guaranteed to offer a full workout and a rapid introduction to forearm pump! Hello Mr Lactic. Opposite the main leading wall, you'll find a 15m continuously overhanging wall, currently offering some brilliant and pumpy face style lead climbing, but with the additional potential to be configured as a speed climbing wall. Numerous additional routes can be found throughout the centre with superb technical and challenging climbing on gently overhanging and vertical climbing walls.

Bouldering

Our new bouldering area includes a full overhanging arch and offers a large array of climbing on a variety of angles, from vertical to very steep indeed. Further development of the bouldering areas is ongoing and will see the construction of a huge bouldering area beneath the existing mezzanine due for completion in Autumn 2012 in time for the start of the Winter Bouldering Aggregate, and set to include an 11m long and 5m wide bouldering 'routing roof' that will allow route style forearm pump sans harness. The dedicated kids' bouldering area encourages even the youngest children to get involved and features a colourful low level traverse wall and the delightfully named Tommy the Elephant.

CrazyClimb^®

Climbing for many of us isn't just about keeping fit and training and we have injected a huge amount of fun into the new Beacon Climbing centre with the inclusion of the World's first CrazyClimb^® installation. Weird, wacky and incredibly good fun, CrazyClimb^® at Beacon Climbing Centre offers 11 unique climbing challenges each using a convenient TruBlue autobelay system. Try shimmying up drain pipes, back footing up chimneys, tackling a wall with large purple blobs instead of normal holds and much more!

Full information about CrazyClimb^® is available on our website here.

The new Beacon Climbing Centre opens on the 23^rd July. The existing site in Ceunant will close on the 20^th July. Find out exactly where the new centre is located by checking out the map and full directions on the Beacon website here.

Situated on the Cibyn Estate in Caernarfon on the main A4086 road between Caernarfon and Llanberis, Beacon Climbing Centre is easy to get to by bus or car. Sat nav postcode LL55 2BD

The World's first CrazyClimb^® installation opens at the new Beacon Climbing Centre on 23 July 2012 and you can now check out full information regarding this exciting addition to our facilities on the Beacon Climbing website here.

CrazyClimb^® is unlike any indoor climbing you will have experienced previously and offers fun and completely wacky climbing challenges for all ages!

Our CrazyClimb^® installation will feature 10 different challenges for you to attempt including racing the clock on the Speed Climb, climbing aliens by grabbing their nostrils and making faces at your friends through a see-through climbing wall.

Aliens Difficulty rating 3-dimensional fun suitable for everyone, even the youngest children. Climb up using the alien faces for hand holds and foot holds - it doesn't get any dafter than this!	Eye Spy Difficulty rating The double sided see-through wall allows two people to climb identical routes! Keep an eye on your friends every step of the way, and maybe pull a few faces too!	Speed Climb Difficulty rating A straightforward climb with lots of big yellow holds but how quickly can you climb it? A large digital timer creates a sense of urgency and allows you to compare times with your friends.

Visit our CrazyClimb^® website page here for a complete overview of our CrazyClimb^® challenges including pricing information and online booking.

The August 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and offers a detailed overview of the new Beacon Climbing Centre.

Located in North Wales, the new Baecon Climbing Centre features a large open plan design with numerous viewing balconies and offers some of the best indoor climbing facilities in the UK, including the World's first CrazyClimb installation and a new premium cafe with spectacular views overlooking the main climbing area. And don't forget that your ClimbUK membership is valid at all 3 ClimbUK indoor climbing centre - no need to register separately for each centre!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

The new Beacon Climbing Centre will be open every day from 10am during the school summer holidays.

Opening times until 4th September are...

Weekdays 10am - 10pm

Weekends 10am - 7pm

The old Beacon Climbing Centre at Ceunant is now closed and the new centre on the Cibyn Estate in Caernarfon is opening on 23rd July.

The staff spent yesterday evening testing out some of the routes (and the cafe!) prior to opening on Monday!

Left: James 'Caf' McHaffie testing out the hardest route - a Gaz Parry 8a+. Looks nails!

Right: Caf still hanging on. Heinous sloper!

Left: The awesome kids' play area!

Right: Looking over Tommy the Elephant towards the cafe balcony

Left: Mark Dickens and Joe Chorley testing routes

Right: Joe Sterling from our wall building team setting off - check out that wild red blobby route!

Left: Joe Sterling high up on the blobs and making it look easy!

Right: The new bouldering area with neat carpeting to reduce chalk dust.

Enjoying the new cafe with spectacular views from the balcony

Check out full information regarding the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

With the new Beacon Climbing Centre opening on the Cibyn Estate in Caernarfon on Monday 23rd July, the existing Beacon Centre in Ceunant will permanently close from 6pm on Friday 20th July.

The entry fees have been reduced for the last few weeks, and you still have just over 24 hour to take advantage of £5 entry!

The old Beacon Climbing Centre has been the hub of the North Wales indoor climbing scene for the last 18 years and I'm sure many of you have nostalgic memories of the place - from shuffling gracelessly up the offwidth in the school room, tackling the snake in the main leading room, or ticking that aggregate problem you've been trying for ages with your friends.

Now is your last chance to visit, prior to the mega new Beacon Climbing Centre opening on the Cibyn Estate in a few days!

Full information about the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

The July 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Our headline news this month is the opening of the new Beacon Climbing Centre on 23rd July - only 2 weeks to go! You can also find details of our Peak District climbing trips, including an awesome Peak District movie courtesy of Mammut and following on from Callum Coldwell-Storry's incredible movie featured last month, you can now read the trip report of his and Neil Chelton's epic ascent of the 1200 metre East Face of the Central Tower, Torres Del Paine, Chile... "It was like camping on a busy airplane runway, except not as safe"

Click the image below to view the newsletter

Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Only a few days left to go now until the new Beacon Climbing Centre opens on Monday 23 July! Don't forget, the old Beacon Climbing Centre at Ceunant closes at 6pm on Friday 20th July so if you want a nostalgic last visit, you better be quick!

Left: The rubber floor matting has now been finished in the main climbing room. Lots of awesome new routes to try on the 17m high wall...

Right: ... and more to try on the 15m high wall!

Left: CrazyClimb! Check out the new CrazyClimb section on the Beacon website for more pictures.

Right: The CrazyClimb Aliens grinning at the camera.

Left: Hello Tommy!

Right: Matting being laid underneath the bouldering arch - makes falling off more comfortable!

Check out full information regarding the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

Beacon Climbing is currently in the process of constructing our new state of the art climbing centre on the Cibyn Estate just outside Caernarfon and due to open on 23rd July 2012. Located a few miles from our existing site, the new centre on the Cibyn Estate is conveniently placed on the main Llanberis to Caernarfon road and offers very easy access by car or public transport.

The new building is significantly larger than our existing site, giving us the scope to develop what we hope will be one of the best indoor climbing facilities in the UK, featuring a vast array of climbing and bouldering walls with complementary facilities including a large cafe, viewing balconies, an equipment shop courtesy of V12 Outdoor, meeting rooms, a lecture theatre and more.

Construction of the new Beacon Climbing Centre is well under way and we currently have a camera installed within the main room taking a still image every 15 minutes.

View the latest time lapse video below to check for yourself exactly how work has been progressing on the new climbing centre, and keep an eye out for movie updates due every few weeks!

Thanks to Cwmni Da for setting up the time lapse equipment!

Last updated 04 July 2012

Leading climbing walls will extend up to 17m high (our current walls are a mere 12m) with a maximum 7m overhang so if you haven't been in contact with Mr Lactic Acid recently, you'll soon get plenty of opportunities. If climbing as quickly as possible is your chosen tactic to avoid Mr Lactic, you'll even be able to race the clock on our 15m high IFSC style speed climbing wall.

For climbers preferring the low stuff to the high stuff, our new bouldering walls will offer a vast array of climbing angles and styles including free standing boulders, technical aretes and a full overhanging arch. We're also building an 11m long and 5m wide bouldering 'routing roof', just to show that you don't even need to use a rope to get ridiculously pumped arms.

Overview of our new climbing facilities...

• Main lead climbing walls up to 17m high with a maximum 7m overhang.
• Gently overhanging and vertical walls for more technical roped climbing.
• 15m high IFSC certified 'speed climbing wall' - race the clock!
• Extensive bouldering areas with a huge variety of angles.
• 11m long and 5m wide bouldering 'routing roof'
• The UK's first CrazyClimb installation.
• Dedicated kid's climbing area
• Group instruction area.
• Warm up and stretching areas
• Viewing balcony and drop in cafe.
• Meeting room and Lecture Theatre.
• Offices to rent
• Loads of free parking spaces

Climbing for many of us isn't just about keeping fit and training and we've injected a huge amount of fun into our new centre with the inclusion of the UK's first CrazyClimb installation. Weird, wacky and very silly, CrazyClimb offers a whole series of unique climbing challenges from shimmying up drain pipes, back footing up chimneys, tackling a wall with large purple blobs instead of normal holds and much more.

The new Beacon Climbing Centre will have 11 challenges in total, each using a TruBlue autobelay system, removing the need for ropework or a belayer and we've no doubt that CrazyClimb will appeal to both adults and children!

Check out our CrazyClimb slideshow!

Investment opportunities linked to long term climbing centre memberships are also available - please contact steve@beaconclimbing.com.

It is now less than 1 week to go until the new Beacon Climbing Centre opens on Monday 23rd July and we're now just adding the finishing touches!

Left: Adding the finishing touches to the main leading area by laying the rubber matting

Right: Route setting now completed courtesy of Gaz Parry, Streaky, Mark and Tom.

Left: The matting is currently being fitted to the bouldering area and route setting has begun.

Right: View for the other side of the bouldering arch.

Left: Tommy the Elephant unveiled!

Right: The reception area now almost complete.

Check out full information regarding the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

The new Beacon Climbing Centre is nearing completion and due to open on 23rd July 2012.

We're currently offering a very limited number of 100 entry passes for the bargain price of £560. These allow 100 visits to Beacon at a significant saving over the standard entry fee and have the added benefit of no expiration date.

This offer ends on the 30th June so please contact us by phone on 0845 450 8222 or email info@beaconclimbing.com immediately if you wish to purchase a pass.

Less than 2 weeks to go now! Route setting has started in the main roped climbing area and the bouldering mezzanine is taking shape with panelling almost complete!

Left: It looks like a climbing wall! Route setting has now begun on the main lead climbing wall.

Right: And on the speed climbing wall area. Very handy using the Cherry Picker!

Left: The view from the cafe balcony overlooking the main climbing area. Having a cup of tea in the new centre will definitely be more interesting!

Right: The bouldering mezzanine beginning to take shape with the wall building team hard at work. Go guys!

Left: The top floor bouldering area includes a full overhanging arch.

Right: View from the other side of the arch. It looks awesome!

Check out full information regarding the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

It is now less than 3 weeks until the new Beacon Climbing Centre opens on the 23rd July!

Construction is going well and you can check out progress by viewing the latest images from the inside of the centre taken yesterday. With multiple viewing platforms, it will be possible to spectate from almost any part of the centre, giving the centre a really open atmosphere.

Left: Looking over the kids' bouldering area including a wrapped up Tommy the Elephant (we'll let him out soon) from the cafe balcony.

Right: The view from the opposite direction: stairs up to the bouldering mezzanine, the kids' bouldering area and the cafe balcony in the background.

Left: The bouldering mezzanine taking shape. Hopefully we'll get the panels bolted on later this week.

Right: Another view of the bouldering mezzanine with CrazyClimb in the background.

Left: Our new reception area taking shape downstairs.

Right: And our smart new cafe taking shape upstairs. We're all looking forward to testing out the new coffee machine!

Check out full information regarding the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

The June 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Mr and Mrs Calvern Jones get married after meeting at the Beacon Climbing Centre and our incredible movie of the month captures the essence of big wall climbing and the raw emotion associated with escaping death by the narrowest of margins... "Unbelievable. You would not believe how close we have come to dying in the last 2 hours..."

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Subscribe here if you wish to receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

One month to go until opening on 23rd July and it's beginning to look like a climbing centre!

Left: The bouldering areas now taking shape. The panel work will begin shortly.

Right: If you hear some frantic tapping in a few months, let these guys out!

Left: The new 17m high lead climbing wall now complete - just need to add some climbing holds!

Right: Neil and Nick inspecting the climbing modules. Looks like they escaped from their tomb after all...

Left: The kids' bouldering area taking shape. Tommy the Elephant is hiding under all that bubble wrap...

Right: Tommy the Elephant!

Check out full information regarding the new Beacon Climbing Centre here.

Construction is really coming on, with the roped climbing walls almost completed - just a few more panels to bolt on

Left: The new 17m high lead climbing wall - that's an additional 6m higher than our existing walls!

Right: Our 15m high IFSC speed climbing wall - time to race the clock once the holds are added!

The supporting structure for the bouldering areas has now been erected and work has begun constructing the panels.

Left: Mezzanine bouldering up here. Check out CrazyClimb in the background

Right: And ground floor bouldering down here!

We'll take some more photos next week so you can keep checking on progress. In the meantime, check out our latest Time Lapse movie here: last updated 13 June 2012.

Dispel the myth that exercise is boring! Indoor climbing at Beacon is exhilarating, challenging and fun! Beaon Taster Sessions are the ideal way to get started and we are now running an additional open Taster Session every Saturday.

Indoor climbing offers an alternative and exciting sporting activity for all ages and abilities, and with age appropriate instruction available to suit anyone and everyone, Beacon is the ideal venue for learning and developing climbing skills, keeping fit and having fun. It's the perfect antidote to boring gym regimes for adults and a great way to prove to kids that exercise is actually very exciting!

Almost anyone over age 5+ can enjoy Beacon. You don't need any previous climbing experience or any specialist clothing or equipment. Beacon can be experienced on your own or with friends and family and offers a fun alternative to the gym, or a really exciting activity for the kids.

Price

£20 per person.

The price includes entry to the climbing wall and all instruction and equipment required.

Places are limited and booking is required.

When

Every Saturday 12:00 - 1:30pm

We also operate climbing Taster Sessions on other days - full information on our website here.

For more details about Taster Sessions at Beacon Climbing Centre or to book by phone please contact us on 0845 450 8222.

Check out the Car Boot Sale for outdoor sports kit at The Heights on Sunday 27th May, starting from 10am.

Only £8.00 per pitch and free entry for buyers, with over 30 cars spaces available and additional indoor and outdoor table top spaces.

It's going to be a great opportunity for buying and selling so come along and tell your friends too!

Between the 13th and 15th of July, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru in partnership with Galeri, Caernarfon will stage a unique show/performance that will take place around the Peblig ward in Caernarfon. Prior to the performances in July, the Vertical Dance troupe will be rehearsing twice a week at Beacon Climbing Centre.

Bethel born Bethan Marlow will be coordinating the spectacle on behalf of Galeri and Theatr Genedlaethol. Bethan commented:

"This will be an opportunity to bring the community together, for people of all ages to share ideas, learn new or develop skills and perform! These opportunities are rare, so I would encourage the local community to get on board and be part of this special event."

The one thing that makes this so unique is the fact that the people of Caernarfon will be responsible for shaping the story, route and some will even perform in the show. This will give people from ages 11+ an opportunity to work with professional artists and tutors to develop skills and give people a chance of working with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Wales’ national Welsh language theatre company.

Visit claenta.com or join the facebook page here for regular updates on this unique project.

Timetable

Please note that Beacon Climbing Centre will remain open as usual every day over the bank holiday weekend.

We will also be open from 10am (rather than the normal 11am) on the Bank Holiday Monday and Tuesday.

Please note that the electricity supply at Beacon Climbing Centre will be interrupted on Saturday 26th May due to power line maintenance work. If you wish to visit Beacon on Saturday, we recommend phoning us on 0845 450 8222 to check whether the centre is open. Unfortunately this also means that we have had to cancel Saturday’s Kids Bouldering Club. Normal opening times will resume on Sunday 27th May.

The May 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Watch the new Beacon Climbing Centre as it gets built and check out the FREE feature length bouldering movie "Tomorrow I Will Be Gone" courtesy of Outcrop Films'

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If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page or on the menu bar on the website.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?
Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?
If you have a particular climbing tip, website link, awesome climbing movie or any other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you'll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Beacon Climbing Centre is hosting the Army Climbing Championship on Thursday 24th May from 9:00am until 5:00pm. Consequently, the main leading climbing and top roping wall will be closed to the public during these times. All bouldering areas will be open as usual throughout the day. Good luck to the competitors!

The April 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in. Check out the movie of Sasha DiGioliam climbing 9a in the Red River Gorge and find out what's happening at all the ClimbUK centres during the Easter Holidays.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip, website link or other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Please note that Beacon Climbing Centre opening times will change from the end of March, with reduced opening hours at the weekends.

The Climbing Centre will open 10am-10pm on Saturday March 24th and Sunday 25th, but from Saturday March 31st, the new opening times for weekends are 10am-7pm. Weekday opening times remain 11am-10pm throughout the year.

Late weekend opening times will resume next October when the evenings become cold and dark again!

After 18 months of protracted negotiation, Beacon Climbing Centre has finally acquired the old Barcud Studio on the Cibyn Estate in Caernarfon.

Construction of the new Beacon Climbing Centre will begin immediately with a planned completion and opening date in June 2012. The new centre promises to offer some of the best indoor climbing facilities in the UK including…

• Main lead climbing walls up to 17m high with a maximum 7m overhang.
• Gently overhanging and vertical walls for more technical roped climbing.
• 15m high IFSC certified 'speed climbing wall' - race the clock!
• Extensive bouldering areas with a huge variety of angles.
• 11m long and 5m wide bouldering 'routing roof '!
• Warm up and stretching areas.
• Group instruction area.
• The UK’s first CrazyClimb installation.
• Kids play area.

Investment opportunities linked to long term climbing centre memberships are also available - please contact steve@beaconclimbing.com.

The Winter Bouldering Aggregate Final was held on Friday 30th March at Beacon Climbing Centre, with 33 competitors fighting it out to gain the top spots.

The route setters had been busy all day producing a superb set of 25 problems designed to test our competitors to the limits of their mental and physical capabilities! In amongst the regular climbing problems, additional challenges included a few slab horrors, the Fig4 bolt head traverse, a crazy dynos and swinging across the room using suspended balls!

Some truly valiant climbing was witnessed as the competitors thrashed themselves for 2.5 hours attempting to complete as many problems as possible within the time limit. The final bell rang at 9pm and scores were quickly added up. Event sponsors DMM and V12 supplied a fantastic set of prizes with the top competitors receiving their rewards for the hours spent ticking away over the winter months and their performances in the final.

Thanks to all the competitors, the Beacon staff, and the Aggregate sponsors. We hope you all enjoyed the winter aggregate this year and look forward to seeing you in the new Beacon Climbing Centre next autumn!

The final scores are available in pdf format here.

Check out our Facebook pages for more event photos here.

Left: Jason Reeve pulling down hard in The Cave.

Centre: Anya Draper getting stuck into the blue slopey volumes!

Right: Overall Winner Ollie Cain stomping up the steep walls.

Left: Ruby Wood demonstrating the Fig4 traverse.

Centre: Craig Davies cranking up one of the toughest problems in the Cave.

Right: Katie Haston concentrating hard!

Left: Beacon Climbing Centre's Gareth pulling down hard.

Right: Marianne spotting Kieran Forrest in The School Room.

Left: Martyn Eade setting up for the crazy yellow dyno.

Right: Sophie Richards brightening up our photos!

The final scores for the 2011/12 Winter Bouldering Aggregate have now been added up!

Winter Bouldering Aggregate final scores here!

All the male and female competitors highlighted in yellow on the pdf are eligible for the Grand Bouldering Bash Competition on Friday 30th March - full details in the news article below.

Turn up from 6pm (warming up a bit beforehand is a good idea..) to collect your personalised score card and attempt the 25 competition bouldering problems.

The end of the Beacon Climbing Centre winter bouldering aggregate is in sight!

After the final score count on the 25th March, the top 25 male and top 25 female competitors will be invited to fight it out at the Grand Bouldering Bash on Friday evening 30th March with cash prizes awaiting the winners!

Everyone is welcome to spectate and all aggregate members present on the night will receive a free raffle ticket for our Mega raffle, with additional tickets available for purchase. This year those attaining 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in the aggregate will receive a block of tickets for the Mega Raffle! We've got a load of superb prizes with all proceeds from the raffle going to the North Wales Bolt Fund.

The climbing will take place from 6:30pm until 9:00pm with 25 bouldering problems to attempt. The 50 competitors will be allowed unlimited attempts on each problem, with a successful ascent earning 1 point as per the aggregate. At 9:30pm, after the final scores have been added up, the raffle will be drawn followed by the aggregate prize giving ceremony.

Join us for an exciting night of climbing action complete with glittering prizes!

The March 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in. Take advantage of FREE climbing at Big Rock, check out the new climbing movie from Outcrop Films and much more...

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip, website link or other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Winter Bouldering Aggregate scores have now been added up for February and you can check your ranking by downloading the score sheet below.

UPDATE: The aggregate now has 228 problems with the addition yesterday of 4 new problems in The Valley and 5 in The Cave courtesy of Ollie. Problems 1-100, 103, 105, 107-116, 120, 122-137, 139 and 148 have now been removed. No more problems will be set now prior to the end of the aggregate on 30th March.

Check out the latest scores for February here!

It's now less than 3 week to go until the aggregate ends with the Beacon Boulder Bash, but there is still time to continue working through the problems to improve your score!

After the final score count on the 25th March, the top competitors from the aggregate will be invited to fight it out at the Bouldering Bash on Friday evening 30th March with cash prizes awaiting the winners!

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

The Beginners' Guide for Climbers £9.95 (by Sophie Mitchell) now available at Beacon Climbing Centre.

Aimed at young climbers learning to climb through the National Indoor Climbing Achievements Scheme (NICAS), this fantastic book will help youngsters understand the fundamentals required to become a safe climber. Illustrated with colourful cartoons, the book gives step-by-step instructions on the basic skills required for Levels 1, 2 and some of 3, of the scheme and is fully endorsed by NICAS.

The knowledge, technical skills and attitude required to become a safe climber are clearly described, with the cartoons clearly showing the best way to learn vital skills. Young climbers can learn to tie on, how to belay and what some of the confusing climbing terms mean. The back cover of the book even folds out and includes an illustrated harness card and a piece of cord so that readers can practice the knots described in the book!

A perfect book for youngsters, providing a fun way to guide them through the initial stages of their climbing development.

If you are interested in teaching or supervising climbing, Beacon Climbing Centre offer regular Climbing Wall Award (CWA) scheme training and assessment courses throughout the year.

The CWA is specifically designed for anyone wishing to supervise groups at indoor and outdoor climbing walls, and covers techniques such as group supervision, equipment suitability, safety and coaching movement skills. Successfully completing the training and assessment course is the best way to get involved with teaching on climbing walls.

The next available course date is…

CWA training course running 17-18th March £125 per person [only 4 places remaining]

Please contact us on 0845 450 8222 or email info@beaconclimbing.com to book onto a course.

View the full Climbing Wall Award information on our website here.

Well done to all the youngsters who competed in Round 1 of the BMC Youth Climbing Series at Beacon Climbing Centre on Saturday.

Full results for the event can be found here…

http://indoorsout.co.uk/index.htm#brycs2012results.htm

Dates of the remaining Rounds for the North Wales area...

Round 2 - 17 March 2012 - Indefatigable Climbing Wall, Angelsey

Round 3 - 21 April 2012 - Summit Centre, Trelewis - Welsh National Final

Find out more about the BMC Youth Climbing Series here

The February 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in. Check out the video of Basque climber Iker Pou climbing one of the worlds hardest rock climbs!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip, website link or other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

UPDATE: Please note that although the BMC website states that youngsters wishing to compete must register 1 week in advance, we are able to accept registration on the day at Beacon Climbing Centre.

The BMC Youth Climbing Series is a popular and fun competition for young climbers of all abilities, with three regional rounds and a national final. The series is extremely popular and attracts hundreds of entrants across the country.

There are three regional rounds in each of the BMC Areas followed by a British Final when the top 3 climbers in each category from each of the BMC Areas, BMC Wales, the two Areas from Scotland and Northern Ireland take part.

Dates of the Rounds for the North Wales area...

Round 1 - 25 February 2012 - Beacon Climbing Wall, Ceunant
Round 2 - 17 March 2012 - Indefatigable Climbing Wall, Angelsey
Round 3 - 21 April 2012 - Summit Centre, Trelewis - Welsh National Final

Enter the North Wales area online here

Find out more about the BMC Youth Climbing Series here

The bouldering aggregate is now up to problem 202 with the latest additions including 2 new problems in The School Room (2x Pink/Black) and 5 new problems in The Cave (2x red, 2x yellow and 1x white). Problems 1-86 and 92-95 have now been taken down.

Rumours have reached my ears about problem 202 being disproportionately hard for a yellow – tip: heel hook on the big half dome side pull out left. Hope that helps!

The aggregate will end with the Grand Bouldering Bash on Friday 30th March (further info here) leaving only 5 weeks to get as many problems done as possible! Good luck everybody

We're now up to problem 183 in the winter bouldering aggregate with problems 1-70, 85-86 and 92-95 now removed.

New this week, you'll find 11 awesome problems in the School Room courtesy of Mark Reeves and another 8 around the Tree/Warm Up area courtesy of Mark D and Ollie.

Only 2 months left to go before the Grand Final so keep on ticking!

Check out the latest scores for January here!

Please remember that the aggregate works numerically so the lowest numbers will be taken down first and the highest numbers represent the newest problems. Try and tick the lowest numbers first before they are removed! Good luck everyone!

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

Whether your passion is walking, climbing, travelling, photography or camping, or you just enjoy getting outdoors and trying something new, you're sure to have a great day out at The Outdoors Show. Highlights include a massive range of gear, exclusive discounts, celebrity and expert speakers, professional demos and the Climbing Village.

With the aim of introducing people to different aspects of climbing, The outdoors Show 2012 has a climbing offering like never before...

CrazyClimb brought to you by Beacon Climbing Walls

Offering fun, weird, and completely wacky vertical climbing challenges, Crazy Climb is the latest indoor climbing activity from Beacon Climbing Walls. Don't get scared, get crazy! Our wacky climbing challenges include shinning up a drainpipe on the side of our Crazy House, climbing aliens by grabbing their nostrils and making faces at your friends through the see-through climbing wall!

You don't need any previous climbing experience so anyone can have a go at the hilarious crazy climb challenges! Each challenge uses a fully automated belay system which gently lowers the climber to the ground from any point on the climb. Come and have a go!

Climbing Walls in association with the National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme

For many, the climbing wall is their first introduction to the absorbing world of climbing. The National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme provides the structure and motivation for new climbers to develop their skills in order to help them get the most out of their climbing as well as having their achievements recognised.

You will be able to pre book a session with our NICAS instructors to come away from the show with the first part of your qualification.

Ice Climbing brought to you by DMM

DMM's Ice Climbing wall is always an extremely popular feature of The Outdoors Show. The Ice wall will be returning in 2012 offering you a chance to conquer the basic techniques needed in this high adrenaline sport.

Climbing Masterclasses brought to you by DMM

You don't have to be a world class athlete to benefit from expert tuition. Anyone can improve their training, technique and performance with a little help. Performance masterclasses are bookable with DMM sponsored athletes Libby Peter and Lucy Creamer via the DMM website.

The Climbers Retreat and Stage

Grab a pint, coffee or a slice of cake while listening to speakers including leaders from the AMI (Association of Mountaineering Instructors) and other climbing organisations.

In addition to The Climbing Village activities you can also have a go at balancing on a slackline, zooming across the show on the Go Ape zipwire and much more!

Four shows for the price of one! The Outdoors Show runs alongside The Active Travel Show, The London Bike Show and the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show, and with your ticket valid for entry to all four shows, it's a fantastic, affordable day out for the whole family.

Book your ticket now at www.theoutdoorsshow.co.uk

Outdoor Show Opening Times...

Outdoor Show Ticket Prices...

ClimbUK are offering some great New Year deals on Beacon Fingerboards and Beacon Climbing Holds at The Outdoor Show running next week from Thursday 12th January to Sunday 15th January.

In addition to launching CrazyClimb, the new climbing installation offering exciting and wacky climbing challenges, Beacon Climbing will have an array of climbing hold sets and fingerboards available to purchase at very special prices exclusive to those attending The Outdoor Show.

We will be offering Beacon Fender Fingerboards for only £50, Beacon Classic Fingerboards for only £25 and plenty of other climbing hold sets!

Loads of new climbing holds have been added to the Beacon Climbing range over the last few months and most holds are now available in a choice of 9 colours. The fingerboard range has been extended with the addition of the CNC cut Vector 2 plywood fingerboard and the new Fingerboard Doorway Mounting System. Compatible with most fingerboards, the neat Doorway Mounting System allows convenient slide in/slide out mounting for easily removing the board when not in use.

Check out the full range of Beacon Climbing products in our new 2012 mini brochure available to download here.

We’ve just received a massive delivery of Beacon Climbing Holds and are currently in the process of getting these sets added to the website stock system – we’re hoping to get this done by then end of the week. All climbing hold sets can be ordered online and now is the perfect time of year to get into training mode for the coming season!

And finally… Get 20% off all Beacon Climbing holds and fingerboards during the week following the outdoor show! Simply place your order at www.climbukshop.com between 12-22 January using offer code 'out12'.

Get in shape for the New Year with a 3 month unlimited Beacon climbing pass for only £99. Only a few days left to take advantage of this deal: offer ends on 13th January 2012!

Whether you want to get fit on routes for the coming season or increase your bouldering aggregate score with more frequent visits, the unlimited climbing pass enables you to visit Beacon as often as you like for 3 months from date of purchase.

Happy New Year to you all. Back to school or back to work, the aggregate scores for December 2011 will brighten up your day! If you feel that your performance is sub-standard do not fear! Simply blame it on too much Christmas pudding and mince pies. If you want to get a few more sessions in to bump up your score check out our £99 unlimited 3 month climbing pass here.

Look out for some new aggregate problems next week!

Check out the latest scores for December here!

Please remember that the aggregate works numerically so the lowest numbers will be taken down first and the highest numbers represent the newest problems. Try and tick the lowest numbers first before they are removed! Good luck everyone!

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information regarding how the aggregate works.

The January 2012 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in. This month we're even giving away FREE tickets to The Outdoor Show!

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip, website link or other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Need a respite from the festive mayhem? Eager to offset the consumption of 12,000 calories on Christmas day? Want to show the staff your new hand knitted jumper from granny?

We would love to see you over the Christmas period! Just make sure we are open when you plan to visit...

Prestatyn Climbing Wall held its annual bouldering competition on Sunday, attracting over 40 competitors including lots of Beacon regulars. Check out the full results below.

The full results can be downloaded here.

Winter is coming! If you’re looking to get fit for pulling on ice tools, we now have Alpkit Figfour Dry Tools available to hire at Beacon Climbing Centre for only £1.50 per session (plus deposit, normally car keys). We've even set 3 dedicated boulder problems for use with the tools - looks for the climbing holds with the red FigFour logo tags.

Designed to allow climbers to replicate the physical action of using tools outdoors during dry tooling, mixed climbing and winter climbing, Alpkit Figfours accurately replicate the actions of using tools without damaging indoor climbing holds or the wall panels.

Winner of the “Innovation for Extremes Award” in 2009 and voted as one of the top 50 most innovative outdoor products in the last 50 years, the Figfours are a great way to train winter climbing muscles and damn good fun!

In addition, if you just fancy doing something completely different at the climbing wall, they also present much lower stresses on finger tendons and use completely different muscle groups compared to regular indoor climbing. Why not have a go?

Find out more at www.alpkit.com/dryice

Please note that Beacon will be closing at 6:30pm on Friday 9th December for the staff Christmas Party.

Beacon Climbing Centre was host to the North Wales Youth Academy Trials on Sunday 4th December, with 37 young climbers travelling from across the region to take part. The trials were run as a competition to gauge individuals' ability and interest in the Academy.

The Youth Academy will aim to develop children and young people, within any climbing discipline, ensuring the young climbers are happy, safe and prepared to compete in National level youth competitions.

Membership of the Academy will be open to children and young people aged 8 - 17 years of age who reside in North Wales who have attained a standard in their climbing that is significantly above the average amongst their peers, or who have shown particular attitude and maturity towards progression and are keen to apply themselves to improving further.

The competitors were organised into five age related categories (8-9 years, 10-11 years, 12-13 years, 14-15 years and 16-17 years) with separate categories for boys and girls. Competitors were required to complete 3 boulder problems with a maximum attainable score of 60 points per problem, and 3 routes with a maximum attainable score of 100 points per route, giving a maximum attainable score of 480.

Selection for the Academy will be determined by current performance (as decided in the competition) and potential (as decided by a panel of climbing experts). The youngsters were consistently displaying high levels of enthusiasm and tenacity across the age categories with some fine climbing performances on display, and a great deal of camaraderie. Well done kids!

The full results for the trials can be downloaded here.

The concept of the Academy has been well received and the organisers are working with potential funders to set it up and run the first event early in the New Year.

Finally, Beacon would like to give a special thanks to all the volunteers who helped during the event and to the parents and families who travelled to support their children.

This Trial is a fun event organised by the Beacon Climbing Centre on behalf of the North Wales Youth Climbing Academy, and is for young climbers aged between 8 and 17 on the day of the trial who are resident in North Wales (see the PDF info sheet below for details).

Registration for the event must be done in advance through the North Wales Youth Climbing Academy. You can find a link to the registration form below. Please complete the registration form and return to the Beacon Climbing Centre prior to 4th December.

The event will cost £7 per competitor, paid at Beacon on the day. Competitors will be expected to arrive at 9:30am on the day of the event, climbing will start at 10:00am.

Academy Selection...

• Selection for the academy will be determined by the academy coaching team by majority vote.
• Selection will be determined by performance at the trials. In exceptional cases, prior form may be taken into consideration at the discretion of the coaching team.

More information and the application form here.

The December 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help!

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip, website link or other piece of news that you would like to share, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Over the winter months Beacon run a series of professional development workshops, aimed at local instructors and volunteers. More information on the Beacon website here.

We've still got a few places remaining on next Monday's NICAS Induction Workshop...

The NICAS (National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme) is a UK wide scheme designed to introduce individuals to climbing on artificial structures and to accredit their achievements. This session will introduce instructors to the scheme, how it is taught and, if appropriate, how the scheme could be run at their own climbing walls.

• NICAS Induction
• Cost: £50 per person

• Monday 21st November 2011 (6-10pm)

These sessions are recognised by the MLTA and are designed to help local climbing instructors develop their skills and fulfil their requirement for continued personal development.

Problems 1-14 of the winter bouldering aggregate have now been removed to make space for a new series of awesome and challenging problems courtesy of Matt. Good luck ticking everyone!

The BIG purple traverse is also back and requires a full traverse around the entire main bouldering room. Problem 101 in the bouldering aggregate, we like to give you all a well-rounded work out so thought a little endurance training wouldn’t go amiss… enjoy!

Climbing offers a great social experience, but can be frustrating if you have been unable to team up with one of your regular belay partners. Fortunately, Beacon now has a new auto-belay system, allowing you to climb routes without the need for a belayer! Check it out on your next visit to Beacon.

The constant tension whilst climbing, combined with the slow and controlled rate of descent is a superb method of building confidence during roped climbing. Auto belay systems are also a superb endurance training tool, enabling you to climb routes continuously without having to worry about taking turns with a belay partner.

And finally…

Stephen Hawking

…So the next time you visit Beacon, the staff may have been replaced with humourless chunks of metal.

Ex British Bouldering Champion Gaz Parry visited Beacon this week and has set 14 brilliant bouldering problems for the winter aggregate.

Gaz is a highly experienced competition climber and professional route setter, having won the British Bouldering Championships 6 times. With years of experience, his bouldering problems are always guaranteed to be both interesting and challenging across the grade range.

With Gaz’s new problems, the total number of aggregate problems now stands at 84, so if you wish to enter the aggregate, you had better get started soon! Full aggregate information is available on our competition page here.

And if you don’t wish to enter the aggregate, then come along anytime and enjoy a great set of new bouldering problems to enhance your motivation!

Through the winter months, Beacon Climbing Centre runs a series of workshops, aimed at local instructors and volunteers, covering a wide range of climbing related topics.

These 2 hour evening sessions are designed to help local climbing instructors develop their skills and fulfil their requirement for continued personal development. They are now recognised by the Mountain Leader Training Association (MLTA - more info here) and count as 0.5pts for mandatory CPD.

You can find a full itinerary of winter 2011 Instructor Workshops on the Beacon website here.

It's that time of year again... cold, dark and wet.

Luckily the 2011 winter bouldering aggregate will commence on Sunday 2nd October, providing endless sessions of fantastic bouldering.

Scorecards can be purchased from Beacon reception for £2 with all proceeds donated to the North Wales Bolt Fund. The bouldering aggregate has proven to be exceptionally popular and is an excellent way to increase your confidence and motivation, meet new friends and improve your overall climbing ability.

Check out the dedicated aggregate website page for full information.

Over the winter months Beacon also run a series of professional development workshops, aimed at local instructors and volunteers. More information on the Beacon website here.

These courses form part of the MLTA's continuing professional development and are hosted at Beacon Climbing Centre. 

• More information and booking forms can be found on the MLTA website www.mlta.co.uk.
• Cost: £40 for MLTA members, £50 non-members.

Dates for October and November
15 October MLTA workshop: Effective Coaching for Climbing Instructors
22 October MLTA workshop: Long Term Development of Young Climbers
23 October MLTA workshop: Coaching Movement Workshop
06 November MLTA workshop: Mental Skill Techniques for Climbing Instructors

Through the winter months, Beacon Climbing Centre runs a series of workshops, aimed at local instructors and volunteers, covering a wide range of climbing related topics.

These 2 hour evening sessions are recognised by the MLTA and are designed to help local climbing instructors develop their skills and fulfil their requirement for continued personal development.

• Monday evenings 7.00pm - 9.00pm (except NICAS Induction) ·
• Cost: £10 per person (except NICAS Induction £50)
• Minimum SPA/CWA trained or site specific trained  

Dates for October and November
31 October Instructor Training Workshop: Group Management (7-9pm)
21 November Instructor Training Workshop: NICAS Induction (6-10pm)

Well done to all the youngsters who took part in our Back to School Bouldering Competition on Saturday 1st October!

Our route setters had put in some seriously hard work over the previous 24 hours, producing a great set of really fun bouldering problems. All the youngsters showed a fantastic level of enthusiasm, with some great climbing performances on display.

The full results from the competition can be downloaded here.

Due to the premature arrival of winter, the climbing centre will revert to later opening times during the weekends from October 1st.

The new opening times for every weekend will be 10am - 10pm.

Weekday opening times remain the same at 11am – 10pm.

The October 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help.

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip or other piece of advice that you think would benefit the world, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Aged 7-17 years and love climbing? Enter our hugely popular annual Back to School Bouldering Competition on Saturday 1st October!

No matter whether you have been climbing for ages or are just starting out, climbing competitions are a great way to increase your confidence and motivation, meet new friends and improve your overall climbing ability.

Registration starts at 9:30am and closes at 10:00am
Warm up from 10:00am – 10:30am
Competition starts at 10:30am

Entry fee £6 in advance, £8 on the day

The Climbers...

• Separate male and female categories.
• Four age groups for those born in
  1. 1994 & 1995
  2. 1996, 1997 & 1998
  3. 1999, 2000 & 2001
  4. 2002, 2003 & 2004
• All entrants must have some climbing experience

The Competition...

• The event comprises of 6 boulder problems for each category.
• There will be no isolation – boulder problems will be demonstrated if requested.
• Climbers will have up to three attempts at each boulder problem within a time limit.
• An attempt ends if a climber steps back down to the ground.
• Scores for all climbs are totalled to give overall scores for the competition.

Technical Considerations...

• Judging will be broadly along similar lines to the BICC (British Indoor Climbing Championships) events.
• The climbing order for the first climb is random.
• For subsequent climbs the order is rotated so the same climbers don’t go first again.
• All holds will be marked with tags or tape to aid identification.
• The highest (or furthest) hold used, held or touched will determine route points gained.

Download the entry form here.

The Beacon route setters are carrying out a complete reset of the bouldering areas during Thursday 29th and Friday 30th October in preparation for the Back to School competition on Saturday 1st October. We will also have a load of new problems ready for the start of the Winter Bouldering Aggregate on Sunday 2nd October.

We'll try and keep as much of the bouldering area open as possible but do expect a bit of disruption!

Thanks for your understanding!

Thanks to the all the young climbers who took part in the U18 Summer Bouldering Aggregate and congratulations to the winners. Prices will be awarded on Saturday 10th October during the morning Saturday Bouldering Club.

1st Place Sam Davis

2nd Place Callum Metcalfe

3rd Place Hannah Swann

The final scores are available in pdf format here.

What is a Wad Index?

The Wad Index is a means of taking your age into account when comparing your abilities.

This means for example, that if you are in the infants but still nailing red problems, you are officially slightly awesome.

The September 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes loads of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help.

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip or other piece of advice that you think would benefit the world, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Beacon Climbing Centre’s planned move from its existing location to the Cibyn Estate in Caernarfon is in progress with planning permission granted and funding allocated. Unfortunately overall progress is slower than originally anticipated due to property transfer delays, with the new Beacon Climbing Centre now likely to open in Spring 2012.

There will be no 'closed period' - when the existing Beacon Climbing Centre closes, the new Centre will open the next day! The new Beacon Climbing Centre will have lead routes up to 16 metres high, a cafe with a great view of the climbing wall, meeting rooms, a lecture theatre, plentiful group facilities, a shop, baby rock gym area, and office / clinic space to rent to other business users.

Until the new Centre opens, it is business as usual at our existing location, with loads of new routes planned for September, a back to school competition in September, and the start of the winter bouldering aggregate during the first week of October. All customers can be assured that their season tickets / ten entry passes will carry over to the new premises when the relocation takes place.

Update on progress will be provided monthly, so keep checking the website for details.

If you missed the original news article regarding the relocation of Beacon Climbing Centre, you can find it here.

UPDATE: All scorecards will be collected on Tuesday 6th September. Only a few days left to go so keep on ticking! Good Luck!

Starting next week on Monday July 4th, our friendly summer bouldering aggregate is designed to provide hours of fun and challenging summer holiday bouldering for our under 18 climbers.

With loads of bouldering problems of every grade, and a regular rotation of the problems, the summer holiday aggregate is an excellent way to improve your overall climbing ability, burn off your friends and have the proof in print on your aggregate score sheet!

Simply download the aggregate score sheet here, then tick off the problems as you climb them!

For every problem climbed you will be awarded 1 point, so even if you climb the hardest problems, you still need to climb the lower grade problems to stand a chance of winning. Each problem in the aggregate is given a number, which is displayed next to the starting holds so when you have climbed it tick that number off on your sheet.

New problems will be set regularly throughout the holidays, and the problems will last for approximately 2-4 weeks before disappearing, so you will need to climb regularly to rise up the leader board!

At the end of every session, please return your score card to reception when you leave, otherwise your points will not get recorded.

The rules…

Each problem is colour coded depending on its level of difficulty (displayed on the bouldering info board at the centre). The starting handholds are indicated by double tags, as is the finishing hold. The coloured holds are used for both hands and feet - smearing on the blank wall is fine, and arêtes and volumes are allowed.

Each problem must be climbed "clean" from the start tags and finished with both hands on the last hold in a controlled manner. If possible please ask another climber to tick the box on the score card when you complete a problem. We rely on your honesty - we will not be checking up on you all the time... but remember big brother is watching.

Please note that Beacon Climbing Centre will remain open as usual every day over the bank holiday weekend.

We will also be open from 10am (rather than the normal 11am) on the Bank Holiday Monday.

This autumn, Beacon Climbing Centre will be launching a Youth Academy, an exciting venture aimed at encouraging the progression of talented young climbers under 18 years.

We invite applications from any young climbers who have attained a standard in their climbing that is significantly above the average amongst their peers, and are keen to apply themselves to improving further.

Young climbers who gain a place in the Beacon Youth Academy will receive tailored coaching sessions, and discounted entry rates during regular climbing sessions.

If you are under 18, and would like to be considered for a place in the Youth Academy, please contact Mark or Leo at Beacon Climbing Centre by email info@beaconclimbing.com or phone on 0845 450 8222.

Congratulation to August Newsletter Comp winner Tom Hartland. A Beacon Classic Fingerboard is on the way to you!

The correct answer to the competition question:

In 1990, British climbing legend Jerry Moffatt established the UK´s first 8c sport climb at Lower Pen Trwyn in North Wales. What was the name of this historic climb?

Answer: Liquid Ambar

Watch out for another competition in the September newsletter.

View our previous newsletters here.

The August 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes a load of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in. We are also running a competition to win a fantastic Beacon Fingerboard.

ClimbUK will be running a competition to win a fantastic Beacon Classic Fingerboard in the next ClimbUK newsletter due for release 1st August. If you wish to take part, please follow the link to subscribe to the newsletter here.

Our monthly newsletter includes loads of climbing centre related news and events from Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale, and also keeps you up to date with the latest Beacon Climbing Hold designs.

View our previous newsletters here.

On 23rd July, Beacon Climbing Centre will be operating the ClimbUK mobile climbing wall in Llanberis from 10am-5pm during the International Snowdon Race day.

The 7.3m high mobile climbing wall features four unique climbing faces, allowing four people to climb simultaneously, and offers great fun for all the family. The Mobile Climbing Wall will be located at the main race start on the playing fields behind Llanberis Community Centre in Padarn Park. There will be plenty of other attractions include stalls, a fun fair, a bouncy castle and much more so join us for an action packed day.

Starting at 2pm, the 10-mile Snowdon Race is one of Europe’s toughest endurance challenges, and involves running from the edge of Lake Padarn in the village of Llanberis to the highest summit in Wales and England and back down.

Full details of the race can be found at www.snowdonrace.co.uk

Aimed at families but open to all ages big and small, this Active First Aid Training course aims to introduce participants to the basic skills needed to deal with a first aid incident in a safe and effective manner.

Active First Aid Courses are delivered by Katherine Wills, a qualified physical education teacher with 30 years of hands on first aid experience. Their popularity has been due largely to a progressively practical approach, which results in a course that is not only lively and enjoyable but also extremely relevant and valuable.

First Aid Course information… Friday 19th August 1:30-5:00pm at Beacon Climbing Centre Some refreshments included   First Aid Course pricing… £15 for Under 18s £25 for Adults

Pre-booking is essential. Please contact Beacon Climbing Centre on 0845 450 8222 to book a place, or email info@beaconclimbing.com

The July 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes a load of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help.

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip or other piece of advice that you think would benefit the world, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

Never climbed before or only done a little, but really want to get involved?

On Tuesday July 5th, we will be offering a full day outdoor Taster Session for beginners on the superb crags of North Wales, priced at only £75 per person.

This session will be a great opportunity to venture out and fully experience what climbing has to offer. Suitable for anyone aged 18 or above, a variety of venues are used and we can guarantee a great day out in spectacular surroundings.

The open Taster Session will run from 9:30am - 5:00pm including a lunch break.

For more details or if you wish to make a booking, please contact us by phone on 0845 450 8222 or email info@beaconclimbing.com.

Well done to all the young climbers who competed in the BMC Youth Climbing Series final at Wolf Mountain Climbing Centre, Wolverhampton over the weekend.

Beacon Climbing Centre regular Hannah Swan (aged 9) gained a spot on the podium with a fantastic performance, placing 3rd overall in the 8-10 girls category. What Hannah lacks in size, she makes up for in strength, flexibility, and a little stubbornness! Congratulations Hannah!

Archie Ball (aged 9) also performed exceptionally well gaining a respectful 11th place at his first UK final – and securing a spot in the BMC Talent Academy in the process. A live wire and regular Beacon comedian, Archie is certainly one to watch in the future. Well done Archie!

What is the BMC Youth Climbing Series?

Held annually, the BMC Youth Climbing Series is a popular and fun nationwide competition organised by the BMC, Mountaineering Council of Scotland and Mountaineering Ireland for young climbers of all abilities.

There are three age categories (8-10 years, 11-13 years and 14-16 years) with separate competitions for boys and girls. It is perhaps the most popular climbing competition for young people, attracting hundreds of entrants across the country.

Three regional rounds are held in each of the 11 areas (7 BMC England Areas, BMC Wales, 2 Scotland Areas and Northern Ireland) with each round comprising of 3 routes and 3 boulder problems for each category. The top 3 climbers in each category from each of the areas will then take part in the British final.

No matter whether you an experienced young climber or have recently starting out, the Youth Series climbing competitions are a great way to increase your confidence and motivation, meet new friends and improve your overall climbing ability. Although the 2011 Series has now finished, the next series will begin in early 2012 and participation is highly recommended for any enthusiastic youngsters!

Full Youth Series information can be bound on the BMC website here.

Long-term members of the Beacon may remember the plethora of wooden holds that used to populate the walls within the steep bouldering cave...

We've been feeling a bit nostalgic recently, and now Beacon's resident strong man Matt Smith has set 3 excellent wooden problems in the cave.

Requiring fingers of steel, these new problems are ideal to push your limits and provide a brilliant fingery workout - just make sure you warm up thoroughly first. Wooden problems are also ideal for training in warmer conditions since wooden climbing holds don't abrade the skin as much!

The two right-hand side problems (looking in) have both been ascended, but let us know if you manage the left-hand side problem and we'll credit you with a first ascent!

From Monday 6th June, Beacon Climbing Centre will be hosting weekly parent and toddler sessions at the climbing wall.

These sessions will take place every Monday between 10:00am and 1:00pm and will give parents the opportunity to go climbing without have to hunt for a babysitter.

Beacon Climbing Centre: Keeping young hoodlums off the streets.

During these sessions, a dedicated play area will be set aside in the route climbing room allowing the little ones to play safely, while parents can group together and take turns supervising and climbing. Attending is a great opportunity for parents to meet other climbing parents, and for the little people to make new friends and watch in awe as mummy or daddy climb really, really high stuff.

We will provide an array of toys and you’re welcome to bring your own too. A member of staff will be available to lend support and provide free hot drinks.

The June 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes a load of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help.

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip or other piece of advice that you think would benefit the world, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

After weeks of glorious weather the rain has finally arrived, dampening down our BBQs and turning all our climbing projects into waterfalls. Oh dear.

Fortunately our route setters have been busy and have produced a superb set of 7 bouldering circuits, each named after a famous welsh route.

The circuits vary from easy to elite with each circuit contains 10 boulder problems. Set with improvement in mind, the circuit problems are slightly longer than usual, focussing on fitness and technique.

We all love ticking lists, so rather than heading to Tesco to do the shopping, download the tick list here then head to the sanctuary of the Beacon and tick away. The fridge may be empty, the kids/dog/cat may go hungry, but at least you’ll be stronger and fitter…

Our May 2011 edition of the ClimbUK newsletter is now online and includes a load of indoor climbing centre related news, events and other climbing stuff you may be interested in.

Click the image below to view the newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to our mailing list and receive the newsletter by email at the beginning of each month, follow the subscription link on the newsletter page.

ClimbUK an unfamiliar name to you?

Whilst you are probably familiar with one of our indoor climbing centres, you may not have heard of the ClimbUK brand before. ClimbUK is the collective name for Big Rock, Beacon and Climb Rochdale indoor climbing centres, the Beacon Climbing Walls manufacturing business and the Beacon Climbing Hold Shop. Whether you want to climb at an indoor centre, build an indoor climbing centre, or set up a climbing facility at home, ClimbUK provides the facilities and expertise to help.

Fancy contributing?

If you have a particular random climbing word, climbing tip or other piece of advice that you think would benefit the world, please let me know! Email tommy@beaconclimbing.com and you’ll receive full credit in the next newsletter if your contribution is used.

After 17 years based in the old Marconi building in Ceunant, Beacon Climbing Centre is planning to move to Barcud Studio on the Cibyn estate in Caernarfon.

The new location is significantly larger and much more accessible, with easy access from Llanberis Road and extensive car parking areas.

At 16m high at the apex, the new centre will be 4m higher than the current walls, and will include extensive 4.5m high bouldering facilities, low level traverse walls suitable for all abilities and a new adventure area. The ethos of the new centre will very much be inclusion for all, and the new Beacon Climbing Centre will offer a high quality experience for all ages and all abilities.

In addition to the climbing facilities, we are also planning to offer lecture and meeting rooms, and much improved catering facilities.

Beacon Climbing Walls has been involved in the design and construction of innovative climbing walls nationwide, and we aim to utilise our extensive experience to build one of the best climbing centres in the UK. If everything goes to plan, we hope to begin construction shortly and aim for a completion date in September, ready for the start of the winter season.

Keep checking Beacon News for further updates.

Thanks to everyone who attended the Beacon Boulder Bash yesterday evening.

Our route setters Mark and Tom had been hard at work all afternoon and had produced a stunning set of competition problems requiring strength, tenacity and Jedi powers to succeed... And maybe air conditioning given the warmest weather of the year so far!

With over 50 climbers and spectators filling the bouldering rooms, and the allure of glittering prizes awaiting the winners, psyche was running high, problems were sent, and the occasional thump followed by a loud curse echoed through the rooms.

The final bell rang at 9pm and scores were quickly added up. Event sponsors DMM, V12 and Pete's Eats supplied a fantastic set of prizes with the top competitors receiving their just rewards for the hours spent ticking away over the winter months.

A final big thanks to all the competitors, the Beacon staff, and the Aggregate sponsors. The event has been a huge success and we really look forward to seeing you all again next year.

The final scores are available in pdf format here.

Check out our Facebook pages (in a few hours!) for more event photos here.

Left: Little Tom clearly demonstrating the effects of too much beer and chips.

Centre: Local retail legend, Pete Edwards sleeping inbetween attempts.

Right: Big John crushing another problem.

Centre: Pete Edwards now awake and climbing hard.

Centre: Poison Pixie reveals her identity.

Right: Ray Wood: A man best avoided.

Left: Overall winner Katy Forrester with a well deserved smile.

Centre: Beacon Centre Manager Leo accepting bribes.

Right: Becky Chamings: a very very happy raffle winner. Thank you DMM.

Please note that Beacon Climbing Centre will remain open as usual every day over the long weekend.

If you need to work off celebration excesses or are feeling lazy from watching hours of Royal Wedding TV coverage, then a good work out at Beacon is just the thing!

And congratulations to the happy couple!

This Easter, why not bring your Cheeky Monkey to Beacon Climbing Centre?

Beacon Cheeky Monkey Sessions last for 1.5 hours and are a great introduction to indoor climbing for 5-7 year olds. The entertaining sessions include lots of games and things to do, and aim to introduce climbing in a fun and friendly way.

Cheeky Monkey sessions run each Sunday (17th April, 24th April and 1st May) through the Easter holidays from 10:30am-12:00 and cost £8.50 per child. Pre-booking is essential.

If you child is aged 7-10 and is interested in learning about climbing or taking their climbing further, the Great Apes Club is for them.

This is a NICAS club (National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme) and will take them step by step through the necessary skills and techniques required to become an accomplished little climber.

There are three sessions in the Easter Holidays (16th April, 23rd April and 30th April) running every Saturday from 10:30am-12:30pm. Each session costs £8.50 per child.

First time in Great Apes? Sign up for all three for £27 (price includes your NICAS Workbook).

Pre-booking is essential for both Cheeky Monkeys and Great Apes Club. If you require more details about either club or to make a booking, please phone us on 0845 450 8222 or email info@beaconclimbing.com

We still have places available on a Climbing Wall Award (CWA) training course running 14-15th April. Get in touch ASAP to participate.

The CWA is specifically designed for supervisors responsible for groups at indoor and outdoor climbing walls and covers techniques such as group supervision, equipment suitability, safety and coaching movement skills.

View the full CWA information here.

Kicking off at 7pm on the 8th April 2011, the Beacon Boulder Bash will pit the top competitors from our winter bouldering aggregate against each other.

The top Male and Female competitors will have 2 hours to complete as many of the 20 specially commissioned boulder problems as they can.

Everyone is welcome to spectate and DJ Tom Booth will be in residence to psyche up both competitors and spectators alike.

All aggregate members present on the night will receive a free raffle ticket for our Mega raffle, with additional tickets available for purchase. We've got a load of superb prizes courtesy of DMM, V12 Outdoor and Pete's Eats, with all proceeds from the raffle going to the North Wales Bolt Fund.

At 21:30, the raffle will be drawn, followed by the aggregate prize giving ceremony. As the Beacon closes, the party will move down the road to the Y Fricsan/The Snowdon Inn located just outside Cwm-y-Glo on the A4086.

Join us for a night of climbing action, superb tunes, glittering prizes and a great party!

Learn about the winter bouldering aggregate here...

Directions to Y Fricsan here...

The final scores are available in pdf format here.

The Beacon Bouldering Aggregate may be over, but the fun doesn’t stop here...

Those who gained 1st, 2nd and 3rd have had their accounts awarded with 10, 6, and 4 free Beacon Centre entries respectively.

All those highlighted in yellow on the pdf are eligible for the Boulder Bash Competition on the 8th of April. Turn up for 7pm (warmed up a bit beforehand is a good idea..) to collect your personalised score card!

The sharp eyed of you may have noticed we’ve increased the quantity of climbers for the Boulder Bash, this means 52 of you will be competing for the Prizes (We’re playing with a full deck!).

Beacon Climbing Centre now stock a range of Natur raw energy bars in our cafe. Handmade in Llanberis with a very tasty combination of completely natural ingredients, a Natur bar is the ideal quick energy fix during your climbing session.

For those who have signed up for the Beacon aggregate, the latest scores are now available! There are still a few weeks to go, so plenty of opportunity to keep ticking away at the problems to improve your overall score.

Download the latest score sheet here

For those new to climbing or unaware, the aggregate is a friendly bouldering competition for all abilities run over the winter months at Beacon Climbing Centre. All our aggregate information is now online on our website and can be found here.

Don't forget about the Beacon Boulder Bash on 8th April! We will be pitting the top aggregate competitors against eachy other during a night of climbing action, superb tunes, glittering prizes and partying!

In association with the Llanberis Mountain Film Festival, local climbing coach and author of "How to Climb Harder" Mark Reeves is offering two coaching workshops to help develop your climbing.

Climbing Technique Workshop

Saturday 19th March 2011. 11:00am - 1:00pm

A workshop aimed at helping novice and intermediate climbers improve their movement technique. This is a practical workshop so bring your climbing equipment.

Climbing Mind Games Workshop

Saturday 19th March 2011. 2:00pm - 4:00pm

This workshop is aimed at intermediate and improving climbers to help address key mental skills required for success. Includes an introduction to imagery, the use of self talk and planning for success.

These workshops will take place at Beacon Climbing Centre and can be booked through the Climbing Centre at a cost of £20 per person per session. All sessions are restricted to a maximum of 6 people.

You can also book and pay at V12 Outdoors or Joe Brown shops or websites.

NB. If you are not an existing registered member of Beacon Climbing Centre, some form of ID will be required to gain entry to the wall.

Beacon Climbing will be present inside the trade marquee at Electric Mountain on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 19th March. Come and say hello!

In association with the Llanberis Mountain Film Festival, Beacon Climbing Centre will be running a fun bouldering competition over the duration of Friday evening and Saturday. The competition will run as follows...

1. The competition will start at 7:00pm on Friday evening and finishes at 3:00pm on Sunday.
2. Competition entry costs £2 (in addition to wall entry charges). Competitors can have as many sessions trying the problems as they like over the weekend, but will have to pay entry to the wall for each day.
3. There will be 20 problems. Competitors can attempt each problem as many times as they like with a successful attempts earning a tick. When competitors have finished they hand their sheet to Beacon reception.
4. All the entrant's names go into a hat and we pick out 3 prize draw winners.
5. Prizes: 1st prize = Beacon Fender Fingerboard,  2nd prize = Beacon 10 entry ticket, 3rd prize = Beacon Cellar Dweller Holds Set. If a winner has no phone number recorded, or is not someone we know whom we can readily get a prize to, we will pick another.
6. Beacon will phone the winners names from each category (Male-Open, Female-Open, Male-U16, Female-U16) and the prize draw winners through to LLAMFF reception.

Beacon Climbing will be present inside the trade marquee at Electric Mountain on Friday 18th, Saturday 19th and Sunday 19th March. Come and say hello!

Beacon Climbing Centre hosted the BMC Youth Climbing Series Welsh National Final on Saturday 5^th March, with 44 competitors travelled from all over Wales to participate in the competition - a testament to the popularity and quality of the Series, and the motivation and talent of our young climbers.

The National Final comprised of 3 routes and 3 boulder problems, and with the top 3 competitors from each age category eligible to go through and compete in the British Final, stakes were high!

Standards were outstanding with many of the competitors completing flash ascents of both the routes and boulder problems. With the top competitors in the age 8-10 girls, 8-10 boys and 11-13 boys all completing the 3 routes and 3 boulder problems on their first attempt, a Super Final was necessary in each of these categories to further challenge the competitors and rank the field.

Highlights included Hannah Swann (aged 9) flashing a 6b route and Chris Shepherd competing in the age 14-16 category flashing both a 7a route and a V6 boulder problem.

Event sponsor and team kit provider DMM supplied a fantastic array of prizes with the top competitors duly awarded for their success.

The full results from the competition can be downloaded in pdf format here.

The BMC Youth Climbing Series regional rounds and finals are run by volunteers and we would like to thank all those involved for their time and efforts during the duration of the Series.

The National Final at Beacon Climbing Centre was a resounding success and it was fantastic to see such a large turn out of enthusiastic and talented young climbers. A special thanks to all the parents and families travelling to support their children; we hope to see you all again next time!

Check out the competition photo gallery on Facebook now!

Starting Friday 19th November, Beacon will again be running dry-tooling sessions in preparation (and hope!) for another great winter season.

We will be setting plenty of routes, boulder problems and training circuits and this year also have a set of Alpkit Fig4s to play with. So, dust off your axes, dig out your big boots and come on down!

We've just finished setting our new training board in the bouldering area.

It's set on a 3.5m, 35º board with loads of holds from fat slopers to tiny crimps, so there's loads of potential for coming up with problems and circuits. It's also set with left/right symmetry so for every problem you come up with there is a mirror image!

Come in and check it out!

Over the winter The Beacon runs a series of Instructor Training Workshops aimed at local instructors and volunteers who work with groups at indoor climbing walls. They cover a wide range of topics including problem solving, climbing games, teaching leading indoors and the delivering NICAS scheme, and are a great opportunity to catch up on some CPD after the busy summer months.

The workshops run on Monday evenings, normally between 7-9pm, and cost just £10. Full details can be found on our website here, with the 2010/11 dates at the bottom of the page.

The series kicks off this coming Monday, 18th October, at 7pm with 'Emergency Assistance', a two-hour workshop on preventing and dealing with common problems on an indoor wall. To book just call the centre.

The Winter Aggregate 2010-11 Commences the 3rd of October!

This winter heralds a new direction for the aggregate, and ushers in a new age of fun and fair play. Hundreds of problems, Spot prizes galore, Funky new volumes, Brand new ranges of holds..

Come and compete, complete and have a laugh! Each month the leader board will be tallied and after the grand count at the end of March, Prepare to Party, for it’s…

The End of winter Grand Bouldering Bash! 8th April 2011

An evening of celebration and competition, with the cream of the aggregate invited to battle for the top dog with cash prizes for the great and good. There will be a live DJ set and a Mega Raffle of donated prizes for all aggregate participants present, spectators and competitors alike.

After much hard work the new Beacon Climbing website is up and running giving you all the information you need about what we do at Beacon Climbing.

You can get info about the Beacon Climbing Centre in north wales, find out about our innovative 3-dimensional plywood climbing walls or check out our new ranges of climbing holds in our online shop. It's all here!

There will be regular updates via our blog, plus we're on twitter too, so keep in touch.

The Beacon Team