Grammar School News

Climbing wall - new routes, new clubs!

New challenges in the Wave Wall

The three school climbing clubs started this week with a mixture of experienced and beginning climbers. Even though the temperatures are still high, climbing is very popular on our outside climbing wall.

The Saudi climate is hard on climbers and equipment. Last year's sandstorms didn't do our ropes any good and most of them have been retired. Fortunately we should be getting a new supply from America this week.

After the club on Tuesday we put up a new route on Wave Wall - Lime Green. This has't been climbed yet and looks as though it might be particularly hard. There is a prize of SR50 for the first DBGS student to climb it 'clean' - without a fall or using a hold of the wrong colour.

Some of the other routes on Wave Wall are quite hard too. Blue black swirls (graded 6b) has a couple of challenging moves at about 7m, but has been climbed by Matt Barber and Mueen Nazir, amongst others. Turquoise, perhaps the hardest route on the wall and graded 7a is as yet unclimbed by any student, although Matt and Mueen have both been close to completing it. There is also a SR50 prize for the first clean ascent.

Over the next few weeks we will be putting up quite a few new routes and setting challenges at all grades.

New and experienced climbers should check out Neil Gresham's climbing website. Neil Gresham is the UK's most experienced and best known climbing coach. The website will be of particular help to the IGCSE climbing students. You can find it here Neil Gresham's Climbing Masterclass. The ABC of Rock Climbing is also useful, and you should check out Indoor Climbing.

New climbers should check out Grog's Animated Knots and should aim to be able to tie the Figure 8 Follow Through (or rethreaded figure of eight) by the next class.

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