 | | Where: | South African Rock | | What: | Awesome adventure rock climbing! | | Flag: |  | | Why: | Perhaps the most adventurous climbing destination in the world? | | When: | All year. | | Adventure: | Traditional and sport rock climbing, with even a little bouldering thrown in... |
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 | | Where: | Red Rocks, Las Vegas | | What: | Amazing long sandstone climbing next door to the lights of Vegas! | | Flag: |  | | Why: | Brilliant climbing - long routes. | | When: | Probably best in Autumn and Spring. | | Adventure: | World class climbing combined with a visit to one of the world's most awesome tourist destinations - Las Vegas. |
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 | | Where: | Kalymnos | | What: | Sensational limestone sport climbing. | | Flag: |  | | Why: | Ultra rough (sharp) rock, great weather, and on an unspoilt (yet) Greek island. | | When: | Probably best in Autumn and Spring. |
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| Climbing: | Loads of top quality sport climbs from French grade 4 right through to 9a (although most are in the 6s and 7s). The picture is Fouska, 7a. |
| Transport: | Forego the normal hot-rock hire car and hire a scooter to buzz the short distances to the crags. You can even walk everywhere if needed, although the scooter adds an excellent difference to the adventure! |
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 | | Where: | Ailefroide | | What: | Long rock climbs, sport rock, and alpine adventures. | | Flag: |  | | Why: | A better chance of good weather than the Mont-Blanc area. | | When: | Summer; the road is closed in winter. | | Adventure: | Orage d Etoiles |
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 | | Where: | Fort William | | What: | West Scottish winter climbing. | | Flag: |  | | Why: | Don't really know, it's miserable! | | When: | All year. | | Adventure: | Rock, ice, rain, mountain biking, and midges! |
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 | | Where: | Rjukan Ice | | What: | Ice-fall climbing in Norway's Rjukan valley. | | Flag: |  | | Why: | Ace and reliable winter ice action! | | When: | 21st Jan 2006. Dec to Mar, probably best in Feb. | | Adventure: | Our favourite route, Sabotorfossen (WI5). |
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| Food: | Take some food with you, the prices are high. But check your luggage allowance, budget airlines charge premiums for an excess. You may be able to pre-book a higher allowance. |
| Guide: | The Rock Fax guide (Heavy Water, Ice Climbing in Rjukan Norway) is invaluable, if a bit expensive (price per route) for a small guidebook. |
| Tip: | Follow the directions to and from Rjukan carefully, we only just made the airport with 2 minutes to spare on the way home! Ryan Air won't be nice, expect to pay full fare for another flight... |
| Money: | Currency is the Kroner, buy some before you go. |
| Travel: | If you book early Ryan Air offer silly low prices, we paid 2p each way! Rent a Wreck offers basic hire cars at affordable prices. |
| Accommodation: | We found the cabins at the Rjukan Hytte og Caravanpark reasonable and comfortable. |
| Heavy Water: | Crammed full of history; World War II, Heavy Water and the atomic bomb, the Heroes of Tele-mark, Ray Mears (?), etc. If you have time (and it's open, it wasn't for us) a trip to the Vermork plant has got to be worth a trip. |
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 | | Where: | Canmore, Canadian Rock | | What: | Rock climbing in the Canadian Rockies. | | Flag: |  | | When: | A short summer season (and it can be cold anytime). | | Adventure: | The picture is on top of Ha Ling (China Mans) Peak towering over Canmore. |
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 | | Where: | Icefields Parkway, Canadian Ice | | What: | Cascade ice-fall and sport mixed climbing in the Canadian Rockies. | | Flag: | | | Why: | Probably the world's best ice climbing destination. | | When: | Six years straight for two weeks in late Feb. | | Adventure: | Favourite route, Hydrophobia (WI5+). |
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| Tip: | Buy kit there in one of the Banff gear stores. The numbers on the price tags are the same as the UK, but thanks to the exchange rate, it works out at about half price. |
| Flights: | Flying to Canada is the most expensive part of trip. However, if you work out the cost per metre of ice climbed, it has to be the cheapest venue in the world. |
| Vehicle: | Visiting the Ghost River area? You need a 4x4 to get there. The guide says a normal car might make it - it won't! Whatever you get, be prepared for a lot of driving, the routes are wide spread, but well worth travelling for and the driving is easy on long straight roads. |
| Accommodation: | We have stayed at the Canmore Inn, which is really nice, and not too expensive if there are a few of you. Friends have stayed at the Bow Valley Motel which I'm told is reasonable and comfortable. |
| Springs: | Make sure you visit the hot springs in Banff, great after a long route. |
| Guide: | The Joe Josephson guide is essential. |
| Routes: | Take care on the big routes - they are big! A full rope of vertical ice is guaranteed to scare the knickers off anyone used to Scotland! |
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 | | Where: | Yosemite | | What: | Rock climbing in the famous Yosemite valley. | | Flag: | | | Why: | A mecca for rock climbers world wide! | | When: | Can be really hot in summer, go later if you can. | | Adventure: | Free rock climbing of the highest quality. |
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 | | Where: | Tuolumne Meadows | | What: | Rock climbing at Tuolumne Meadows, within the Yosemite National Park. | | Flag: | | | Why: | Yosemite's neighbour. | | When: | A higher cooler option when the Yosemite valley is a furnace in summer. | | Adventure: | Some of the best granite slab climbing in the world. |
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 | | Where: | Ouray Ice Park | | What: | Cascade ice-fall climbing at Ouray's ice park and beyond. | | Flag: | | | When: | Winter, probably best late February early March. | | Why: | Awesome natural ice climbs, and those in the ice park created from man made hose sprayers! |
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 | | Where: | Bishop Rock | | What: | Sport rock climbing in Bishop. | | Flag: | | | Why: | An escape from Yosemite should you get bad weather. Or maybe for bouldering? But, who travels to Yosemite to boulder? |
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 | | Where: | Skye | | What: | Scottish rock climbing on the isle of Skye. | | Flag: | | | Why: | Sea, Mountains and Sky on the isle of Skye - beautiful! |
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 | | Where: | Lake District | | What: | Lakeland adventures; rock, ice, mountain biking, etc. | | Flag: |  | | Why: | Biased I know, but the Lakes is the best place to be in the whole wide world! |
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 | | Where: | Ingleton | | What: | Caving and potholing in the Yorkshire Dales. | | Flag: | | | Adventure: | Swinging around on ropes underground when the rain stops climbing! |
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 | | Where: | Horton (pennyghent) | | What: | Classic rock climbing at Pennyghent. | | Flag: | | | Adventure: | Classic Rock's Red Pencil Direct got us here, but there's much more than this to do. But hurry, the whole crag is an unstable pile of blocks! |
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 | | Where: | Peak District | | What: | Peak District adventures; rock, mountain biking, caves and potholes, etc. | | Flag: | | | Why: | Some say grit stone is god's own rock. It isn't that, but it is good and the Peak is a beautiful place. | | Adventure: | Check out the purples of the heather on the moor in this picture... |
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 | | Where: | Tintern (wye Valley) | | What: | Wye valley rock climbing. | | When: | All year. | | Flag: | | | Why: | Some of the best inland limestone in the UK. | | Adventure: | Shorn cliff and Tintern Abbey (pictured) are super places - go! |
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 | | Where: | Cheddar Gorge | | What: | Rock climbing at Cheddar Gorge. | | When: | All year, but beware of the access restrictions (see beta). | | Flag: | | | Adventure: | The classic route Coronation Street strikes an awesome line straight up one of the highest sections of the gorge. |
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| Access: | Parts of the gorge are closed to climbers at times of the year when open top double decker buses are taking tourist up and down to see the sights. |
 | | Where: | Pembroke | | What: | Pembroke rock climbing. | | Adventure: | Great sea cliff climbing. | | Flag: |  | | When: | Watch out for MOD restrictions. |
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| Access: | Check MOD access restrictions here. |
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 | | Where: | Crickhowell | | What: | Caving and potholing in the Breckon Beacons. | | Flag: | | | Adventure: | There's some climbing here too! |
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 | | Where: | Symonds Yat | | What: | Wye valley rock climbing at Symonds Yat. | | Flag: | | | Adventure: | Or hire a kayak or canoe and enjoy the rapids in the river Wye below. |
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 | | Where: | Snowdonia | | What: | Rock climbing in North Wales. | | When: | All year, when the weather (and sport) are right... | | Flag: | | | Why: | Some of the most diverse climbing in the UK. |
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 | | Where: | Gogarth | | What: | Rock climbing on Anglesey. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Mid Wales | | What: | Rock climbing in Mid Wales. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Dartmoor | | What: | Rock climbing on spooky Dartmoor. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Cornwall | | What: | Cornish rock climbing (and surfing). | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | North Devon | | What: | Rock climbing in North Devon. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Swanage | | What: | Rock climbing at Swanage. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Aviemore | | What: | East Scottish winter climbing. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Fontainebleau | | Flag: | | | What: | Bouldering in the beautiful Fontainebleau forests. |
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 | | Where: | Villars | | Flag: |  | | What: | Ice-fall and rock climbing in the Swiss Rhone valley. |
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 | | Where: | Chamonix - Alpine | | What: | Alpine climbing near Chamonix Mont-Blanc. | | Flag: | | | Why: | Isn't it the self declared world capital of Alpinism! | | When: | All year, but it rains a fair bit. I think more than the Lakes! | | Adventure: | We loved the classic rock route Chappele de Glier. |
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| Travel: | We've tried flying (plus hire car) and the car all the way from home to get there. Not sure which is best, both have their advantages. Take your pick, sorry that's the best I can offer! |
| Accommodation: | For comfort, try this, not too expensive and very nice. |
| What else?: | All sorts of stuff! I think Chamonix is much more of a general tourist resort than we climbers notice most of the time. Last winter we even went to watch a France vs Canada ice hockey game! |
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 | | Where: | Chamonix - Adventuring | | What: | Alpine adventures based out of Chamonix Mont-Blanc. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Dolomites | | Flag: |  | | What: | Alpine climbing and via-ferrata from Cortina in the Italian Dolomites. |
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 | | Where: | Mallorca - Sport Rock | | Flag: |  | | What: | Mallorcan sport rock climbing. |
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 | | Where: | Calpe - Sport Rock | | What: | Sport rock climbing based out of Calpe. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | L'argentiere-la-bessee Ice | | When: | Ace, but not (in our experience) a very reliable winter venue. | | Flag: | | | What: | Ice-fall climbing from l'Argentiere-la-Bessee in the Massif Ecrin. | | Adventure: | Ancrage de Dent (WI5), CC Winter Ice Meet 2002. |
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| Conditions: | We didn't find very good conditions here. Although I know others have in other years, and it may also be the case that we went too early in the season. |
| No Ice?: | A fun option if the ice isn't in, is to sample some of the via ferrata! Yeah, it seems mad to run up those metal cables and stuff when it should be freezing... |
 | | Where: | Ama Dablam | | What: | Himalayan mountaineering. | | Flag: |  |
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 | | Where: | Namche Bazzar | | What: | Trekking in Nepal. | | Flag: | |
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 | | Where: | Crows Nest | | Flag: |  | | What: | First tree climbing adventures, age eight! |
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 | | Where: | Ocana Drop Zone | | What: | Skydiving in Spain | | Flag: | | | Why: | The Accelerated Free-fall (AFF) course is a bit cheaper than UK prices. | | When: | All year, hot in summer! | | Adventure: | Learn to skydive. |
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| Beta: | The Free-fall University sorted everything for us - car, flight, accommodation, insurance, etc. But it's just as easy to book (EasyJet, etc.) yourself. |
| Tip: | Arch and Relax! |
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