Get yourselves down here and get climbing.

Harrogate Climbing Centre (HCC) offers both indoor climbing and bouldering, as well indoor and outdoor climbing courses and qualifications. On offer are taster courses for people new to climbing, beginners courses and courses for climbers to develop their skills and even leader courses.

HCC's 14 meter multi-angled climbing wall.

The main indoor climbing wall is a whopping 14 meter multi-angled wall, designed by Entre-Prises. Climbing grades range from 3+ to 8a. There is also a bouldering section which features problems from V0 – V8, as well as a Fr7b stamina circuit.

Climber and owner of the Harrogate Climbing wall, John Dunne, told the BMC:

I wanted to bring Yorkshire’s premier climbing centre to the heart of Yorkshire’s best climbing; so when I found the perfect building just south of Harrogate town centre, I jumped at the chance of turning it into a modern climbing facility.

Only ten minutes’ drive from Almscliffe on a rainy weekend, the focus of Harrogate Climbing Centre is to provide for climbers and boulderers of all levels. We have applied all the lessons we have learnt from our experience at the Manchester centre, and used them to develop a climbing wall you’d have to travel a long way to beat!

Climbing for Everyone!

Everyone is welcome to come and climb. Climbing is available for corporate groups as well as kids, schools and youth groups. Life membership only costs £10 and entitles members to concessions on entry and the option to purchase discount packages. If you do not have your own climbing gear, you can hire it for a small fee.

Under construction. HCC's new climbing wall.

Harrogate Climbing Centre

Hornbeam Park Avenue
Hornbeam Park
Harrogate
HG2 8QT

Tel: 01423 815024
E-mail:
info@harrogateclimbingcentre.com
Website:
harrogateclimbingcentre.com

HCC Opening Times:

Mon-Fri: 10-10pm
Sat:10-8pm
Sun: 10-6pm

If you’re not able to get to Harrogate to go climbing or bouldering, there are plenty of indoor climbing walls in the UK. If you are not sure what equipment is needed for safe climbing, have a look at our advice about climbing gear, which provides information about climbing harnesses, shoes, ropes, belay devices and other protection equipment.

Rock over climbing announce new bouldering centre to open in Manchester City Centre

ROCK OVER CLIMBING will be situated in the city centre (somewhere within a 3 minute walk from Victoria station) and will open early in 2010. It will be the largest dedicated bouldering centre this side of the Pennines, with over 250 routes set for all abilities. There will be something for everyone including kids, beginners, everyday climbers and the best climbers in the country.

There will also be:

• Competition wall
• Training wall and area
• Café
• Plenty of off-road parking
• Changing facilities
• Bike storage
• Chill out areas and fantastic atmosphere
• And much much more…….

In the meantime if you can’t wait to do some indoor bouldering or climbing have a look here to find your nearest indoor climbing wall.

The new Snowdon Summit Cafe under contruction, on a miserable day. Source: Flickr by Haversack.

the highest slum in Wales

to some its demolition in 2006 must have come as a relief.

Reincarnation of the Summit Cafe

The cafe and visitor centre, called “Hafod Eryri”, has been reincarnated at a cost of £8.4 million. The new design has come from Ray Hole Architects, who specialise in buildings for the leisure and recreation industry. First Minister of Wales, Mr Rhodri Morgan, who opened the new visitors centre on Snowdon today proclaimed that it

“does justice to that proud and very ancient mountain.”

Being the highest mountain in Wales and having access by train, the summit of Snowdon is popular destination for tourists, walkers and climbers. Over half a million people go to the top of Snowdon every year.

The steam train that goes up to the summit of Snowdon. Source: Flickr by The Ancient Brit.

Mountains Are Dangerous Places!

The weather conditions at the summit of Snowdon can become treacherous indeed, with 150 mph winds and temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees centigrade. The average rainfall is 5 m. Snow and ice conditions during the winter make ice axes and crampons essential: it is not uncommon for ill equipped walkers to fall to their death.

Squadron leader Spike Wright, the officer commanding Sea Flight 22 Squadron, is responsible for rescuing people who get into difficulty in and around Snowdonia. He told the BBC that

those hoping to visit the mountain and new centre should be prepared for the mountain’s dangers.

What do You Think of the Cafe and Visitor Centre?

The story of the rebuilding of the Snowdon Summit Cafe can be found on the Snowdon Summit Blog. There are also photographs during demolition, rebuilding and of the completed visitor centre.

Is the new design fitting for the ancient mountain or does it still look like slum? It reminds me of an airport terminal. What do you think? Click on the “comments” link below and let us know!

Not everyone is a fan of the new design. Professional Mountaineering Instructor and Climbing Coach, Mark Reeves thinks the new design is an eyesore and that

even award winning architects are shit at designing summit cafe/stations on the Snowdon.

Who needs a cafe up Snowdon when you can cook your own food? Source: Flickr by AlphaTangoBravo Adam...

Who needs a cafe at the top of a mountain anyway? All you need is some coffee, water and food and a camping stove and you can cook your own meal and brew! Click these links for advice on camping stoves and a round up of MSR stoves! Don’t forget to take some matches or a lighter!

Before commencing the round up, congratulations are in order for Snugpak. A Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category has been given to Snugpak! The sleeping bag manufacturer, who still manufacture in the UK, won the award for increasing their export business by 77% since 2006. They export to 28 different countries across the world, from Latvia to Australia and to the USA. Over 50% of Snugpak’s total production sold overseas.

We are thrilled to receive this award as recognition of our hard work and success at developing high quality, durable products that can withstand rigorous use in harsh and sometimes extreme conditions throughout the world.

Proclaimed Snugpak Sales Director Darren Burrell.

Snugpak: From Birds of Prey to Big Softies

CheapTents.com have been selling Snugpak sleeping bags on the internet since we first set up our online shop in 2001. Back in the early 1990′s, long before the internet became an everyday media, we were selling Snugpak sleeping bags in our Warrington shop, The Adventure Centre. Below is a scanned image from our 1993 printed catalogue. In the olden days Snugpak’s synthetic sleeping bags were named after birds of prey: Merlin, Hawk and Kestrel. We also stocked the Osprey and the Discovery.

Our 1993 Brochure - Snugpak Sleeping Bags

Snugpak Sleeping Bag Round Up

The current Snugpak Sleeping Bag range that we stock is called the Softie Chyrsalis range. The name “Softie” refers to the synthetic fill material used in these sleeping bags. Synthetic sleeping bags offer good performance at a reasonable price. “Chrysalis” is the name is the baffle system which is used to prevent heat escaping, keeping the inside of the sleeping bag warm.

Softie Synthetic Fill Material

The fill material that Snugpak use for many of its sleeping bags is called “Softie”. Softie is a superfine, high-thermal, polyester filling which uses superfine yarns bound with special resins to produce a luxurious down like feel.  Softie is made from “staple yarns”, which is where a continuous fibre is chopped up into staple lengths before spinning. Additionally, a more random effect is created by using curled, crimped and unaltered fibres. By incorporating a random element into the yarn the end product more closely resembles the structure of natural down.

Softie is easy to care for, washable and retains a lot of its thermal properties when wet.

Snugpak Softie Range

The different bags in the Softie Chrysalis range that we currently stock are called the Winter, Autumn, Kilo and Micro. All of these sleeping bags feature the Chrysalis Baffle System, are profiled and have an anatomically designed foot system. They also have variable length and unique rolling systems.

The warmest sleeping bag in the range is the Softie Chrysalis Winter, with a comfort temperature of -10°C. This should be warm enough for use during the Winter in most places in the UK. For the weight conscious backpacker it is on the heavy side at 1950 grams, but this is not a problem if you do not have to carry it very far. With a relatively low price tag, it offers good value for all year round camping. The compressed pack size is 26 x 24 cm.

The Softie Chrysalis Autumn is a three season sleeping bag. With a comfort temperature of -5°C it can be used for camping most of year when conditions are mild. The compressed pack size is 21 x 19 cm, about the same size as a football.

With a comfort temperature of +7 °C the Softie Chrysalis Micro is a summer only sleeping bag. Compared to the warmer Autumn and Winter bags, the Micro is much lighter at 1000 grams.

Snugpak Softie Chrysalis Kilo Sleeping Bag

The Softie Chrysalis Kilo bag features “Reflectatherm“, which is a metallised fabric fill material that is designed to reflect heat and retain warmth, providing at least 15% additional warmth. Reflectatherm is a highly breathable material which adds little to the weight or packsize.

The outer material of the Kilo Bag is Paratex Micro, which is a tough yet breathable ripstop material with a water repellent finish. The inner is Paratex Light, a fabric that is exceptionally breathable and able to wick moisture away.

With a weight of 1300 grams, it is unclear why it is called the Kilo bag!

We also stock the Navigator sleeping bag, which has a cotton lining and can be opened up into a quilt. It also has an outside pocket.

Snugpak Sleeping Bag Comparison Table

Image	Model	Temperature (°C)	Weight (g)	Packed Size (cm)
	Softie Chrysalis Winter Sleeping Bag	Comfort: -10 Low: -15	1950	26 x 24
	Softie Chrysalis Autumn Sleeping Bag	Comfort: -5 Low: -10	1400	21 x 19
	Navigator Sleeping Bag	Comfort: -2 Low: -7	1700	22 x 21
	Softie Chrysalis Kilo Sleeping Bag	Comfort: 2 Low: -3	1300	19 x 18
	Softie Chrysalis Micro Sleeping Bag	Comfort: +7 Low: +2	1000	16 x 16

What do you think?

Have you got a Snugpak Sleeping Bag? What do you think of it? Let us know using the “Comments” link below.

What is a Hubba?

The Hubba name is something we (MSR) came up with, based on the tent’s unique hub and pole frame. The “hub” is the circle that connects various tent poles sections together, thus cutting down on the total number of poles needed. In the photo below, you’ll see how the pole branches out into two legs–the sections join together at the hub.

Where the hubbas get their name.

So, for the original Hubba selection of tents, we used Hubba for the single-person tent, Hubba Hubba for the two-person tent and Mutha Hubba for the three-person tent. We were attempting to be clever with those names. 

What about the HP?

In 2008 the Hubba HP tents where released, this isn’t an affiliation between MSR and the manufacturers of the tasty brown sauce, which would be very odd and I’m not quite sure what the result would be!

What do you get if you cross a Hubba with HP Sauce?

The Hubba HP tents are “high performance” versions of the original Hubba tents. These tents are lighter, stronger and warmer, designed for people who need a warmer tent for early spring/late autumn camping, and for camping in sandy areas. They have exactly the same footprint, height and interior volume as the original Hubba series, but feature less mesh and more advanced fabric for increased protection from the elements. These tents are available in single, two-person and three-person versions.

The MSR Hubba range at a glance

Here’s a quick summary of the Hubba range, for more information have a look at our ultralight tent page.

All the Hubbas are 3 season tents although as I mentioned earlier the HP range do preform better in colder conditions.

Do you have any other bits of outdoor that you wonder how they got their name? Let us know and we’ll get in touch with the manufacturer for you and try to find out.

Get out your sexy underwear of course!

Ann Daniels displaying the sexy navigation aid - Source : Martin Hartley

This might not be the first things that springs to everyone’s mind, but  it is exactly what the Catlin Arctic Survey have been doing.

Due to the fact they are so close to the magnetic pole the team cannot use a compass and the freezing weather conditions are preventing the GPS equipment from working. Therefore the team have to rely on navigating using the position of the sun. When it is cloudy they rely on following the direction of the wind which is indicated by taking a pair of lacy underwear and hanging them from a ski pole much like a make shift windsock.

Ann Daniels said “The earth’s strong magnetic field on this part of the ocean means that the compass needle simply spins uselessly in its housing. As such, we’re currently relying on more traditional methods for day-to-day navigation, using the sun (for those few precious hours each day when it graces us with its presence), and using wind direction, as indicated by the panties…”

The purpose of this polar expedition, which is supported by the WWF and Prince Charles, is to capture accurate measurements of the thickness of the Arctic Ocean sea ice. This hard-won data will help their scientific team to predict more accurately than ever before how long the Arctic Ocean’s floating ice cap will be a year-round global feature.

The one question I have after all this is: why wear a thong on a 700 mile trek to the arctic? I’d imagine that something thermal would be much more appropriate, but maybe she was out to impress!

2009 is bigger and it’s better than ever before. Why?Without a shadow of doubt the best line up of adventure films and climbing speakers ever put together over a single weekend, anywhere, ever! Well that’s what we think…

The event takes place in the biggest independent cinema in the UK outside of London, and is packed full of great films.

Featuring lots of films packed full of adrenaline-inducing adventure sports, climbing and bouldering as well as some slower pace, thought provoking cultural and environmental films.

Perhaps one of the most talked about events happening is the Great British Grade Debate with the BMC in which a panel of the UK’s best climbers will discuss the grading system.

I’m going to keep my own opinions on grading quiet for now, but what does everyone else here think?

The BMC’s influence in policy decisions from lobbying and government consultations to considerations over the freedoms and interests of hill walkers, mountaineers and climbers.  It also has had significant lobbying power to the Marine Bill and Working at Heights Directive.

Significant points that the British Mountaineering Council maintains, include:

• The prominence of British climbing and mountaineering on the world stage.
• The health, fitness and economic benefits of our sport.
• The relatively low level of financial support we receive from government in comparison to other sport.

10 Downing Street Party!

The BMC team was accompanied by a selection of some of the most respected mountaineers and climbers, including Leo Houlding and Chris Bonnington, along with Sport England representatitves and Sports Ministers, Gerry Sutcliffe.

The BMC states:

BMC President Dr Charles Clarke kicked off the proceedings by thanking John Mann MP for orchestrating the event which had come about because of Gordon Brown’s interest in hill walking. He acknowledged the history and achievements of British mountaineering, as well as the BMC’s lobbying work and importance of the BMC’s 500-strong volunteers.

In response to this recognition and support, the BMC took great pride in thanking the Government…

The BMC would like to thank the Prime Minister for inviting the BMC to Downing Street, Gerry Sutcliffe for hosting the event, John Mann MP for his continued help in forging links with government and helping the BMC get its voice heard in government and everyone else who attended.

Sales through it’s own outdoor retail outlets has been part of the Berghaus growth strategy for many years now. Globally this can be seen more specifically in South Korea and Japan where there has been tremendous growth.   Berghaus states that the company now has 24 stores in South Korea, with ambitions to open up to 400 stores across the Asian region, and is in the process of finalising a contract with a major corporation to license the brand in China from 2009.  Not only are dedicated shops part of the strategy but so to are ‘shop in shop’ areas, where Berghaus will locate it’s goods on another shops premises – this is occurring across the UK and Europe.

Richard Cotter, Berghaus brand president, comments:

“It has long been an ambition of Berghaus to open up in London and Covent Garden was always the preferred location.  This is an outstanding opportunity for us to build on the success of the first flagship store, showcase the full spectrum of what the brand has to offer in London and raise awareness and drive demand for Berghaus across the south of England.

Berghaus’ London Flagship Store & Beyond!

The Covent Garden flagship store is going to be located just across the Thames near to London’s Beetham Tower – an area of London that is going through spectacular changes so well suited to such a development.

The Berghaus flagship stores are to be almost as much about the experience of shopping for outdoor gear as the gear itself, with extensive attention drawn to the textures, layout and features of the shopping environment.

If we are going to achieve the bold global objectives that we have set ourselves at Berghaus, we must deliver an exceptional and consistent retail experience through all channels and in all territories…

The name Bond…Berghaus Bond

Not only this but Berghaus are launching a special cinema advertising campaign prior to the new james Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

Let us know if there’s something you would like adding to the CheapTents.com blog.

We’re more than happy to add your achievements, events and anything else newsworthy to help the outdoor community.

Maybe you would like to recount a feet of bravery, news of an upcoming event or show-off about your biggest achievement!  or even share your opinions on gear through a gear review…

Contact us using the comments form below or via email.

And thanks from all of the CheapTents.com Team for reading this blog!