UKC

The nights are drawing in, the drizzle has set in, so it's time to start stamina training down the wall.

So would the Foundry or Awesome be the better bet?

What I want is gently overhanging crimpy routes and steep jugfests in the 6s. I'll be doing laps on these things (hogging the routes, you could say) sometimes at busy times. I am not at all interested in "technical" or "interesting" routes - this is training, I want to reach and pull with sufficient variety that I don't get utterly bored and that all the different muscle groups get worked, but beyond that, weird moves are just annoying. Don't want corners or grooves or dramatic changes of angle, not interested in vertical, and slabs are of course totally irrelevant.

Which has more of this kind of thing? Which gets busiest on a weekday evening? I've heard the bouldering's better at the Foundry - will want to do a bit of that - what do you guys think? Which gets reset most frequently? Is the route setting markedly better at one (not that bothered, but if it's actually annoying, then that's worth a mention).

I'll end up getting membership at one, but I doubt I'll get to visit each at peak busytime to make an assessment of which'll be best for my needs, so interested in your views.

Also, if you're looking for a stamina training partner in Sheffield this winter, give me a shout. I've got random days off and work 'til about 6.30 in the evening so it's all slightly inconvenient. Might want to do some sessions on harder routes (redpointing) too.

In reply to Jon Stewart:
Awesome for routes, Works for bouldering. Foun dry is goodish all round but not the best at either. For doing laps Awesome has more routes/wall-space of the type and grade you are after. It also has autobelays on this type of gently leaning wall. There are several guys who go to/live at Awesome who you could hook up with for this kind of training, and who also work odd hours or are retired but still going well.
They also have a facebook page for finding partners, but can't remember the exact name. You can find it on their website.

In reply to johncook:
Thanks, great reply. The autobelays on gently overhanging could come in handy, for those johnny-no-mates times. I live near the Works and will probably end up doing probably one session a week down there. If I do that, a couple of sessions stamina and get out bouldering once too, I should end up reasonably fit and strong by the spring (which will be a turnaround).

Ah - facebook page, good stuff. I think I might have to join facebook after years of resistance just for finding partners now I'm around on random weekdays.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Hey Jon. Agree with everything John has said.
Awesome for routes, and the works for bouldering. If you're going to get a membership for over the winter at one wall make I'd make it at Awesome.
There's a really good 10 degree overhanging wall for stamina training as well as all the other routes, and on a busy weekday evening you can still manage to climb without rubbing elbows with others mid route. Also the autobelays are actually pretty good at awesome walls unlike the foundry. Route setting is very good nowadays too and changes regularly. Bouldering isn't brilliant but there's a very good woody and campus board (if you can get keen for that).
It's actually quite a nice place to be, airy, clean, non cliquey and spacious.

Oh and I could defo be available for a few 4x4's.

In reply to deacondeacon:


Brilliant. Looks like Awesome it is


Even better! Was just about to get in touch to ask in fact - I'll text/email in the next couple of days to find out when you're free. Hope all's going well!

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Hi Jon,
Just about to embark on the same myself. Echo all the stuff above, the routes at Awesome are longer on the whole, and there are usually jug fests in the 6s which fit the bill. There's a lot more space and it's on the wrong side of the tracks which keeps the crowds down. Seem to be quite a few refugees from The Edge using the place. If sessions on campus or finger board are your bag, then they're in quite a nice space at AW. IMHO the bouldering blows.
A few caveats though. The bouldering at the Foundry is generally sublime and worth a trip in itself to mix it up. You know how good the Climbingworks is.
I'll keep an eye out for you.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Hey Jon, I'm around random weekdays and just started thinking about winter training. Awesome is great for routes but I normally end up on the auto belays as I'm a day time mid week billy no mates or the Works more often than not for a boulder.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:


Cheers Paul, good idea to mix it up for the bouldering - it's a lot more fun when you've got new stuff to try.

In reply to Jon Stewart:


Worthwhile, there's a few groups I've used to find partners. Yorkshire area for me obviously, but there's a few Peak area groups I've seen also.

In reply to patsaunders:


Excellent - I'll email you.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

May do that. Bravo on Malham 7c btw, that's pretty bloody good!

In reply to Jon Stewart:


Cheers. Fell in with a nasty crowd of sport climbers this summer Jon, and they were on it...

Hopefully I can climb better than E1 now.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

All of them? I get bored if I go to the same wall more than twice in succession!

In reply to Bulls Crack:

I'm talking about climbing 3x a week here, I need to get membership at one. Slight boredom is a fair trade-off for how much I'll save by getting membership. And when you're doing laps, it's not about the "challenge" of "onsighting" "routes" that provides the enjoyment/value. It's just about getting trad-fit so come spring I can hang on to the same holds for hours no matter how steep the ground, reversing up and down from the crux, over and over again, before eventually actually getting up the thing or falling off (or just giving up, but there's no excuse for that).

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Yep I appreciate all that...I still get bored though and have never had the will to take out membership of some depressing, cold greasy shed however well they actually can be made to work for you.

In reply to Bulls Crack:

I found when I started to approach indoors with more of a structured training mindset I started to enjoy it a lot more. I thought Leeds Wall was excellent, and apart from them not having any decent music, nor even a sufficient variety of rubbish music (to be fair, they played an old Mr Scruff mix which I liked, but they played it over and over until I didn't like it any more), I didn't resent their membership fee at all.

In reply to Bulls Crack:


They're not all like that though. I can go to a wall that is clean and bright with good coffee. With attractive girls (or boys) milling around. What's not to like?

If I want cold and greasy I can always train in some dismal limestone cave by floodlight and return home filthy ( which I also do on occasion).

In reply to deacondeacon:


Speaking of which, any idea if that bit by Shaun's roof in Blackwell Dale - or any of Blackwell Dale - stays dry after rain? Jerry's Traverse specifically. Looks like I might head out tomorrow for some soul destroying polished crimpy nonsense. I mean, it is absolutely crap, but needs must...

In reply to the disliker:

Are you the Leeds Wall dj?

In reply to Jon Stewart:

It can suffer from condensation so you won't know till you get there. Minus ten, toms roof, rubicon or The Tor would probably be better bets.
It's potentially dry tomorrow evening though and I'm heading out for some routes by floodlight, you're welcome to join us if you like

In reply to deacondeacon:


Cheers. May end up driving around a bit then, which is fine.


Interesting! But since I've got the day off I shall pass on twilight antics. Sounds fun though!

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Hi Jon,
just noticed that you're training for trad...
Shouldn't the full english / real ale tellytubby routine be on your agenda

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:


Focusing more on the red socks and ronhills this year.

In reply to deacondeacon:

True enough - they can be bright and boring too

I get round it by rotating walls during the off-season but I do find that walls have gone backwards in some way ie in interest and variety.

In reply to Jon Stewart:
I may get shot down here but.

The bouldering at the Foundry and Awesome walls is better than the Works for training for routes. The Foundry's wave is a great angle with positive finger holds and great features for foot smears/body tension stuff - well suited for laps. Also the woody is a good angle. However the auto-belays are a waste of space for training - they should move them to some stamina routes in the Furnace.

AW has some great 30 ish degree circuit boards and the auto-belays are really good for stamina laps.

Although the Works has entertaining problems they are not great for stamina training the circuit board only has one loop less than 7 which is so dirty its almost impossible to identify and follow the holds. The woody at 45degrees is suited to for climbing at much harder grades

In reply to kevin stephens:

Cheers. In general, I don't use bouldering places to train for routes - I just don't have the boredom threshold - but I like to do a session of indoor bouldering a week during the winter to keep finger strength up. I live near the Works, so I'll go there a bit, and I'm a member at AW now so I'll use that when I can be bothered to drive over - being much quieter than the Works is a plus.

Not tried the autobelays at AW, but that's a much better option for me for stamina training on todd, rather than circuit boards. Boards are just too intense for my level, and there's only so long you can spend on the same 20 jugs before the will to live departs - and for that you need the place to yourself anyway.

Was at AW for the first time today and thought it was a great wall. Usual complaints about the music, but if everyone was subjected to my taste, they'd hate that too (although there'd be a mixture of styles from over a few decades which can help).