NEWS

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.

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

After the final score count on the 25th March, the top competitors from the aggregate 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.

Join us for an exciting night of climbing action complete with glittering prizes! More information to follow soon...

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

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.

We currently have two places remaining on a Climbing Wall Leader Award (CWLA) training course running on the 9th December. This one day course is aimed at CWA and SPA holders who want to teach lead climbing on artificial walls. Click here for more info.

Cost is £90 and candidates will need to be pre-registered for the award with their home nation Mountain Leader Training Board. Call Beacon Climbing Centre to book.

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)

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. These courses are great way to get involved and we’ll have more information available shortly…

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.

Looking for a new activity to try out over the summer holiday? Why not visit Beacon Climbing Centre and join one of our Open Taster Sessions?

Beacon 1.5 hour Taster Sessions are a great introduction to indoor climbing and are suitable for nearly everybody. Beacon offers climbing at all levels of difficulty including climbing suitable for small children, so almost anyone can turn up and have a go. No previous experience is required, full instruction is provided and Beacon caters for all abilities and all ages from 5-18 years.

Beacon Open Taster Sessions will be running every Tuesday and Thursday from the 21st July during the summer holidays. Each session will start at 12 noon and finish at 1:30pm and offer great value at £25 per person.

Prior booking is not essential for these open sessions, although places can be booked in advance to avoid disappointment. Check out the young climbers section of the website for full information.

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

Please remember that the climbing centre opening times have now changed.

The new opening times for every weekend are 10am - 7pm.

Later weekend opening times will resume next autumn when the evenings become cold and dark again!

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