Author: Dominic Oughton

It was one of those evenings when there’s no way anyone in their right minds would try to go climbing – unless it was an evening meet. As it was, meet leader Deakin called it right – there was dry rock and climbing to be had, despite the blizzard of halestones! We managed a few classics like Mather Crack, Alcove Crack and Electric Circus, a couple of bolted routes on the viaduct, and more importantly shared the discovery of outdoor climbing with a great bunch of (very hardy!) MUMCers. Grand evening!

Summer arrived just in time for the Hobby evening meet, with temperatures soaring into the 20s – toasty! Especially good timing as we’d designated this as a joint meet with the MUMC. Nothing like a bit of sunshine to bring out the crowds, and the crag was absolutely rammed – there were around forty climbers in the quarry and all there for the meet. Especially good to catch up with all the MUMCers who’d braved the train and the bike ride up from Stalybridge. Also great to welcome some Associate Members and a bunch of potential second generation Rucksackers along. Hopefully see you all again next week at New Mills Torrs.

The usual ‘early season’ Hobby Meet this year will have the extra attraction of being specifically open to Associate Members and the MUMC – not that AMs aren’t welcome on EVERY Wednesday Evening Meet, but you’ll be EXTRA welcome on this one! If you haven’t been to Hobby (or Hobson Moor Quarry as it is more accurately known https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=151 ) then it is a really user-friendly venue. It’s the nearest decent bit of rock to Manchester (a few mins from the end of the M67 ); easy access (just minutes from the car); catches the evening sun; and has classics of all grades from VDiff upwards. A great place to get a first taste of climbing outside; well protected routes ideal for getting back into placing gear after a winter on the wall; and trickier options if you want to push the boat out! A few pics below to get you inspired! No need to bring a partner – if you’ve got a harness, and know how to tie into it, I’ll make sure you get something done. Even better, it’s then just a few minutes walk down to the Waggon and Horses https://goo.gl/maps/SUwvo8MtM1Q2 for some post-climb refreshment and banter.[…]

The BMC are hoping to get feedback on their Organisational Review at the forthcoming Peak and NW area meetings ( this Wednesday and next Monday respectively!) Your chance to have your say – see below for more details https://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmc-organisational-review-april-update

The (almost) full gang of 22 sunrockers are now  settled into our cosy wooden houses in Prades (we’re just waiting for Paul and Elaine who have had to dig themselves out of Hayfield before catching the Santander ferry!) and cracking on with the business of sunrocking. There’s been plenty of rock and a surprising amount of sun (given the shoddy forecast a few days ago and 6″ of snow last week!)  Here are a few photos to give you a gist of the fun and you can follow day by day progress on our blog at https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/category/rucksack-club/sunrock-2018/

Hiya SunRockers! We’ve got about 20 signed up and I’ve now booked the accommodation, so here’s an update: Dates: Saturday 3rd to Saturday 10th March Accommodation: We’ll be staying at Xalet de Prades: www.xaletdeprades.com This is somewhat like the place we stayed in Finestrat in 2017, in as much as it is a collection of posh wooden houses. We’ve currently got 2 of the large ones plus options on a couple of extras for flexible additions depending on numbers. We’ve also get dedicated use of a communal room for eating / meeting / socialising plus a bit of spa time included, and there’s a restaurant on site if we fancy a break from cooking (or indeed fancy sacking cooking all together!) Price approx. £130 for the week. In terms of location, this is pretty central: Vilanova de Prades 14mins; Cornudella 19mins; Arboli 33mins; La Mussara 23mins; Mont-Ral 33mins Flights: Ryanair are currently showing £60 return Manchester to Barcelona on those dates – search skyscanner.net for more options Climbing: The Sierra de Prades aka ‘Costa Dorada’ or ‘Tarragona’ includes iconic crags like Siurana, Margalef, Montral, Arboli and La Mussara amongst the offerings, see http://www.climb-europe.com/RockClimbingSpain/Sierra-de-Prades.html . With over 5,000 routes in the[…]

Hello SunRockers! The votes are in, and there’s plenty of interest in more sun and rock in 2018, with most of you happy to ‘go with the flow’! Of those who had a preference, the clear majority are in favour of Plan B so next year’s SunRock Meet will be in the Sierra de Prades in Catalunya in mid-March – exact dates to be confirmed shortly.  Here’s a bit more information to whet the appetite: The Sierra de Prades aka ‘Costa Dorada’ or ‘Tarragona’ includes iconic crags like Siurana, Margalef, Montral, Arboli and La Mussara amongst the offerings, see http://www.climb-europe.com/RockClimbingSpain/Sierra-de-Prades.html . With over 5,000 routes in the area, there are plenty of options. Flights into Barcelona are regular and cheap – from £40 return!  I’m now starting to explore accommodation options, so it would be useful to get an idea of numbers. Please let me know whether to ‘count me in’; ‘keep me posted’ or ‘stop tempting me’. We’re unlikely to find somewhere quite so palatial as our usual Costa Blanca pad so it’ll be first come first served if we have a capacity issue, though I’ll try to find nearby overflow options if needed. Cheers Dom and Helen  www.rockaroundtheworld.co.uk 

… and of course there’s still time to sponsor him in support of the Club’s “unofficial charity” The Christie at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jakeoughton

Helen and I caused great consternation by confessing that this was our first visit to The Pits. The local Greenfield cognesenti couldn’t understand how we’d managed 25 years in the vicinity without a trip. We were just waiting for the right evening! When better than a Rucksack Club evening meet and a good turn out despite earlier rain. Gorgeous light, great company and good climbing – no giveaways!  Andy’s lead of Spanner Wall was the high point of the evening (tough even on a top rope)  and Jeff’s ascent of Plumb Line was a great effort, despite the dodgy shoulder.  Climbing until the sun went down.  Grand!