The Author looking suitably ‘clown Like’ Some members of the club are heading out to Kalymnos soon, so I thought we could post an article I wrote for our magazine a few years back. The WMC has a long standing relationship with the Greek Island of Kalymnos. Ever since the 1st Black Country pirates began running Rum to Kalymnos in the late 1700’s by canal boat it’s always had a place in our hearts. In fact this relationship works both ways and one of the original pioneers is im

Antonio taking over from Hamish to lead the second pitch, his first ever trad lead Last month I had the pain honour to organise the WMC weekend meet at the WMC hut, Tal-Y-Braich in North Wales. Organising such an event usually entails getting a count of who is going, how they are arriving, and if they can give a lift etc. After getting the details at the pub the Tuesday before the meet (the standard way of organising this type of event), I had a final count of 11 people atten

The weather this January was less than brilliant, but it didn’t stop our club member’s getting out and about! Below are a few photos from recent trips and day’s out. Myself, Julie Black and Alex Wellings went for a ride up Cannock Chase. We started at Milford Common and took some off piste tracks before eventually joining the end of Follow The Dog. A great, but rather muddy ride! Steve Bowater, Dan Jackson and Joe Cresswell made a trip to the hut and climbed Y Garn, via the D

This summer saw the return of the Alpine Meet to the WMC calendar. We visited the Italian Dolomites for two weeks, between the 5th and 19th of July. The picturesque Olympia Campsite a mile or so north of Cortina. Rob was the first to arrive, he beat us all and put us to shame using only his Pedal Cycle for transport and setting up his camp on Thursday. Chris Pearson arrived late afternoon Friday with Stan and me just ten minutes behind. Carol and Guy turned up on Saturday eve

At the top of Independence Slab, having finished our first climbs This weekend just gone, we had an incredibly successful meet at our hut in North Wales. The turnout was great, even if the weather wasn’t! On the Saturday myself, along with 8 others, went to Independence Slab, the Range on Holyhead. This is a lovely little crag for those looking for low grade sea cliff climbs and it works great with a group. Carol and Guy climbed “The Ramp of Pink Emulsion”, a fantastic 3 pitc

Little Tryfan busy on Good Friday evening Like Richard, Monika and Peter, we had aimed to miss all of the Easter crowds. On Friday we weren’t terribly successful though! Dan Jackson picked me up, and we went to collect Hamish. On the way over we could see the endless train of caravan’s on the M6, so we tried our best to avoid it. We ended up driving along the A5 and joining the M54 near Shifnal. We then took a lovely detour to avoid Llangollen and Corwen (A525 from near Wrexh

The BMC has issued a warning over some of the bolts in the Slate quarries in Llanberis after a bolt failed and subsequently Mark Reeves tested a number of bolts and found that some failed at very low loads. As with all bolts, it is worth treating them with caution. If you notice any are loose, then report them! If you would like to support the bolting in Llanberis, you can donate to the North Wales Bolt Fund, or go here for more information. #Wales #climbing #sport #Slate #bo

Click for full size Just a reminder, we continue to meet on the last Tuesday of each month at Wolf Mountain. Give us a shout on facebook if you are going! #climbing #indoor #meets #wolfmountain

Those of you who enjoy a bit of climbing indoors are invited to join us on Tuesday 29th January at Wolf Mountain from 7.30 to 9.30pm for the WMC evening with follow up drinks at the Great Western. And those of you who steer clear off vertical features are also welcomed 🙂 The more the merrier! #climbing #wolfmountain #Wolverhampton

Cliffs and Crags are a favourite spot for nesting birds The BMC negotiates and agrees seasonal climbing restrictions to protect nesting birds with a variety of conservation bodies. Climbers have a great reputation for observing these restrictions and this is a reminder that all of this year’s seasonal restrictions are now in force. Many of our cliffs and crags are also home to a variety of nesting birds, all of which have some degree of protection by various legislation. The

We have had a few more pictures added to the gallery from the recent club trip to the Peak District. Looks like it was a good trip with some classic routes been done Dale on the Chequer’s Butress A touch run out… #climbing #PeakDistrict #pictures

Dale recently organised a last minute budget trip to El Chorro in southern Spain. Four of us went for a week and it is a superb climbing venue. There is so much rock to be explored and it appears less popular than other venues such as Kalymnos. We stopped in Ardales, a short drive from El Chorro village but central to many crags, for the week. The high light of the trip was the ‘King’s walkway’ of ‘camino del rey’ a via ferrata along a disused and crumbling walkway, which we

Four of us left Wolverhampton at 19:20. It was 11 degrees, so the hope of any winter sports was low. By the time we reached Glencoe it was raining but cooler. The roads had been quiet, a sign the more sensible majority had stayed at home. Saturday Monika at the summit lift In true WMC style we got up and debated the few options we had. Neil, Monika and Richard left for the Nevis range ski centre while Matt, Andy and Sarah went for a walk. Seven of the eleven ski lifts were cl

The 2011 climbing restrictions poster is now available to download The UK is internationally important for a number of bird species, which are often vulnerable during the nesting period. The BMC works in partnership with conservation bodies to ensure any restrictions agreed are as minimal in extent and duration as possible, whilst still allowing birds to nest successfully. In many cases restrictions are lifted as soon as the chicks fledge the nest. The BMC asks all climbers t

Well its better late than never but the WMC 2011 meets card is finally here. We had a few technical glitches which have prevented us from publishing it in pdf any earlier but the clubs calendar was updated late last year so hopefully no one has missed out. You can download a copy of the meets card here. This month we have a slideshow in the pipeline, we are off to the club’s hut in Snowdonia and venturing to Scotland for some ice climbing at the end of February. Hopefully we

Its getting to that time of the year when the MOD all access to the western part of the Castlemartin firing range in Pembroke. As the area is a live firing range it is full of nasties such as unexploded bombs. Climbing is still restricted by and anyone wishing to climb within the range must attend one of the briefings held at the Castlemartin camp. In previous years a briefed climber could take an unbriefed climber onto the range but as of last year this is no longer the case

Recent developments, poor behaviour by some climbers and the rise in popularity of this excellent site have caused concerns for the owners of this Nature Reserve. Negotiations are underway to protect access to this nationally important climbing site, but some new restrictions could be imposed. Climbing has taken place here since at least the 1950s, and today there is a great mixture of some long traditional routes as well as some of the longest and best quality accessible spo

Dave at high water belay on pitch 1 DW2 managed to ‘break his dream’ this Easter weekend by finally climbing A Dream of white horses (HVS 5a) on Wen slab, Gogarth. The route traverses the slab from the right and passes above spiders web arch in the back of the zawn. Climbing is atmospheric and a slip on the last pitch can leave you dangling in space. It only took him 8 years and 9 attempts. After the route was completed, he said: I’d gone to do the route on many occasions but

Sport England wants leading individuals in community sport to consider applying to join its Board. Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are seeking to recruit up to five new Board members, strengthening the team that oversees Sport England’s performance as it works to create a world-leading community sport system. These vacancies provide an opportunity for a suitably experienced member of the mountaineering world to play an influential role in the dev

Carol on Looning the Tube, Dinorwig Quarries The Dinorwig quarries are our local crag when we are at the hut. As some may be aware part of t quarry was closed for filming over the summer and Dali’s hole is becoming more and more popular. The owners of the quarries, First Hydro, have concerns about their liability. The BMC requests: Climbers are asked to avoid gathering in large groups at this very visible site [Dali’s Hole] and organised groups (club meets, youth groups, etc.