UKC

Hi.

I live in South Norwood. The Crystal Palace Wall us very small and us only open from 5pm onwards.

Mile End is the easiest to get to via Overground and by distance is The 1st Arch Wall.

The Reach is on The South East but I need to take two trains to get there.

What wall do you think is my 'local' wall?

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Your local wall is the one you get to the most often.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Looks like you have several locals. Concentrate on the one you visit most I'd say.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Talk to people at all of them.

In reply to Andy Hardy:

I climb at Mile End the most followed by The Castle as a close second.

In reply to Kevster:

I visit Mile End Wall the most but it is empty during the day.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:
Great idea

In reply to Mountain Spirit:
Hey Sav, do you still climb at Sutton?

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Do you open all your conversations with people in a such a deliberately obtuse way? Perhaps this is the reason you struggle for regulars to climb with.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

At walls, I think most people would agree that bouldering is more sociable than routes. You find yourself working problems with people at your level and get talking. If you get on with them, find out when they attend and try and get down there and work with them again. Be casual about it.

Some people boulder because they don't have partners for routes. Take your time and get to know them. Don't be in a rush to find partners. It's like many things, you know when it's right. If you enjoy your climbing and try hard people will gravitate towards you anyway. Concentrate on your climbing first and foremost and good things tend to happen. The more you understand about what you are doing and why you are doing it, the more you have to talk about and the more likely it is that you'll get to know people.

Best of luck

In reply to dilatory:

No I don't.

In reply to deacondeacon:
Hey Deacon,

No I don't climb at Sutton. I got banned for harassing Be!....

I mainly climb at The Mile End Wall now.

Sorry for cancelling on you a few years ago. I want to climb single pitch this year.

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Hi Sav

You could enquire around the walls to see if there is a local climbers or mountaineering club who do trips outside.

BW
Alex

In reply to alx:

Great idea.

Thanks.

In reply to Fishmate:
Hi.

I just boulder and traverse at the walls I go to but apart from The Castle they are usually empty and very quiet due to me climbing during the day. I do talk to people during my sessions though and they are regulars there during the day.

I also talk to the staff at Mile End Wall and I might go outdoor climbing with a lady called Becky and her student boyfriend Joe.

I understand what you are saying about the bouldering problems and I do talk to other climbers about how to solve the problem that I am doing. A climber who I think routesets there congratulated me on trying hard.

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Apologies for my overly snarky reply. Wrongly assumed this was one of the (many) UKC troll posts late at night when tired and grumpy. Good luck with your search!

In reply to dilatory:

Thanks

In reply to Mountain Spirit:


I bet the wall management love you!

In reply to Scotch Bingington:
I think I might have used the wrong words/wording?!

I climb during the day, the walls are empty and very quiet. Most people climb after work or education i.e. uni or college.

I do talk to the management at The Mile End Wall and Julie Haim who is a duty manager at The Castle. It seems they do enjoy talking to me as I mainly talk about climbing.

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

Can you not go in the evening when the walls are busier if you want to meet people?
jk

In reply to jkarran:

Hi.

I could but I think there wouldn't be many areas to climb. I am not sure about the situation with public transport either.....

What would I do during the day?

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:

I usually work.

In reply to Mountain Spirit:


So - you want to meet climbers at your local wall - but you don't want to go when there are climbers actually using the wall? That's an interesting dichotomy you have there. Let me know how you resolve it.

In reply to Helen Bach:

Hi Helen.

It wasn't my idea in the first place....

A while ago I put up a simple notice up at the Mile End Wall looking for climbing partners for seconding grit, slate, sport climbing and bouldering but it must have fallen of because when I looked last time I went it was nit there anymore.

Sav

In reply to Helen Bach:

To be honest, I have a similar problem. I have an autistic spectrum condition and find it very difficult and painful being in places which are noisy or crowded -- which includes climbing walls in the evenings. I have trouble finding space to climb, I worry about falling on people or being fallen on, and I get massively overloaded. So I can only climb at off-peak times.

I don't know whether Mountain Spirit has similar difficulties with crowds, but it is a problem for some people for various reasons (and yes, it makes it harder to get to know other climbers, although there's generally an assortment of "off-peak" people around).

In reply to slab_happy:
Hi.

I am not sure if Dyspraxia is an autism spectrum condition but I don't mind the crowds - it is the waiting and not having space to climb. I was told not to climb very near another boulderer and to keep a fair distance from boulderers whilst watching them climb - but this is just a standard safety protocol.

I remember when I used to participate in Blokfest climbing competitions I had to queue to climb most problems. I did talk to other climbers whilst waiting to climb.

Sav

In reply to Mountain Spirit:


I've heard it referred to as a "cousin" condition -- there's a lot of overlap, like there is with ADHD and other conditions. Some people get both diagnoses, many people on the autistic spectrum condition have dyspraxia-type co-ordination problems (I do), and some people diagnosed with dyspraxia seem to have some of the difficulties with social interaction and communication that people on the autistic spectrum do.

But obviously, these things affect different people very differently -- my sensory issues are pretty extreme even compared to some other people on the spectrum, for example.

The most important thing is understanding how your disability affects you specifically (and then finding ways of adjusting and working around it so you can have a good life).

In reply to slab_happy:
I agree.
I hope it doesn't appear my climbing a great deal!....
James McHaffie told me that both indoor and outdoor climbing would improve my coordination.

Which The Arch do you climb at?
There are three now!