Now I remember reading somewhere this week, it was probably some post/feature/news item on UKC, as I have been meant to be focusing on my research presentation, however displacement activities really took over, for instance my room is cleaner than its ever been, bound to only improve as the written proposal is due in soon! Anyway, back to what I read whilst having a ‘cognitive break’ from my presentation on UKC. Basically, it came up with the assumption that if you lived/climbed in mainland Europe under the big blue sky and overhanging rocks, we’d instantly become better as a climbing nation because of the amount of climbing we can do.
Now putting aside that even if Wales had a European climate we’d all still have to work, and that would mean we’d only be able to climb evenings and weekends. Given that Europe has such good weather, I am making the assumption that they don’t really have the same ‘indoor’ facilities as us. Given Llanberis is a sleepy backwater, there are three excellent public walls (Beacon, Indy and Brenin) as well as Bangor University’s excuse for a wall and the private torture chamber and home of homoerotica (take it from me girls we’re talking tops, backs out paradise) ‘The Mill‘. That’s all in the sticks of North Wales, when you hit the big cities it becomes an upside down wonderland!
I would like to suggest the argument that given that a) it must rain in Europe sometimes (it ain’t no dessert), b)There crags aren’t flood lit so you can’t climb in the evenings for at least 1/3 of the year and c) the lazy so and so’s siesta in the afternoon; that in fact the UK is way better for climbing than Europe because we have indoor artificial plastic, and when push comes to shove if you want to get good then you need to train after work all year round.