REMINDER Dave Graham Lecture 8pm 11th Oct

Don't forget about tomorrow night its not everyday you get the chance to hear and see a true world class climber in the flesh in Aberdeen! This promises to be a great and inspiring night we are reliably told Dave is a great talker who will have us all chapping at the bit to make our next big progression no matter what standard we climb at.

But its not just for climber tell your friends and family they shouldn't miss the opportunity to see a world class sports person on their door step in the North East of Scotland.

Those of you who make the effort will be richly rewarded, enjoy.

The Relentless Photo Incentive

Relentless Energy Drink is backing a Transition wide photography contest during the months of October and November 2008.

There are 5 categories:

Best Indoor skatepark shot
Best Outdoor skate/BMX shot
Best Indoor climbing shot
Best Outdoor climb/mountain shot
Best Overall Entry

Get your entries in before Monday 27th October and you could see your photo blown up and mounted on the wall within Transition….permanently.

We’ll be displaying all entries throughout the centre from the 31st October until we announce the winners on Friday 28th November.

The opening night exhibition will be on Halloweeen…make sure you head down to TE for a soiree that night.

Please provide us with your image in a digital format, saved in the highest possible resolution.

The outdoor shots should be taken at local spots and be recognisable to other users.

Good luck.

Bouldering League 08/09 Round 1 Results and aftermath

Well,

With over 60 competitors Friday's comp was a great success. All of the comp routes will be kept up until the next round on 7th November (they're marked in red on the route board). New problems have been put up over the weekend; so get down and give them a go!

All problems got sent on Friday which was a boost since there were some courageous fighting against the seemingly easier problems spitting the climbers off! Photo's can be found on the Transition Climbing Facebook page as its easier to throw lots and lots of photo's onto as well as folks leaving comments on them... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1537692485&ref=profile

Points were typically a maximum of 200 but with a bonus problem this year many managed to pick up some well earned extra's! Well done to all and we look forward to setting you some more interesting, fun and challenging problems!

The results are as follows:


BOULDERING LEAGUE 2008/9
Mens Elite
Name Round 1
Ally Coull 197
Marcus Bean 187
Andrew Gibbon 184
Piort Wisthall 181
Neil Morrison * 169
Brian McCreadie 167
Alessandro Bao 166
James Prowse 160
Chris Everett 159
Dave Ogden 157
Wayne Sherry 154
Stuart Munn 146
Ben Woodward 144
Mark Chambers 139
Tom Russel 136
Bruce Roberts 133
Stuart Adams 132
Gus Dixon 129
Andy Watt 125
David Milne 122
Michael Brockie 122
Paul Matthews 122
Alan Tait 121
Ryan Slater 121
Colin White 112
Geoff Knight 99

Womens Elite
Name Round 1
Anna Wells 202
Rachel Hutchison 182
Megan Nine 160
Claire Anderson 157
Eva Sparreboom 152
Lucile Franoux 145
Melanie Hayes 127
Mandy Ponton 100

Junior Boys
Name Round 1
Scott Wilson 192

Rhys Maslen 189
Liam Watson 169
Ollie Banks 163
Thomas McGrath 148
David Mann 138
Duncan Anderson 134
Dale Thomson 117
Bruce McKay 110
James MacDonald 92
Scott Field 62

Junior Girls
Name Round 1
Abbey Niven 147
Fionidi Parker 100
Kirsten Berry 92

For Fun
Name Round 1
Chris Carr 200
Jonny Aspden 195
Paul McVey 172
Jin Han 171
Joseph Hidson 157
Mike Jennings 148
Scott Gourlay 145
Kevin Morice 144
Lorenz 140
Sarah Woodward 139
Doug Niven 121
John Hunter 111
David Weir-McCall 83

Until next time...

Facewho? Facebook!

To keep in line with the world of the internet and all things technojiggery Transition Climbing is on Facebook.

Check it out for up and coming events, photo's, general chit chat and a million other things that would apply to randomness...

Share your experiences, photo's, banter and even videos...

Look out for Transition Climbing on the Facebook site and add us as your friend (if we don't find you first!!).

Cheers

October Holiday Camps

For the first time in history, Transition Extreme is offering kids an exclusive jam-packed week of alternative art, music and sport activities in our Extreme October Holiday Camp. The camp offers so much variety for all kids including skateboarding/BMX/inline skating, climbing, break dancing, martial arts, halloween costume making, badge and t-shirt design, drumming and art workshops and swimming. The week will culminate in an exclusive pre-Halloween party including face paints, a fashion show and lots of Halloween treats!

Extreme October Holiday Camp will be running for two weeks from 10am-4pm:
Week 1: Monday 13th-Friday 17th October
Week 2: Monday 20th-Friday 24th October
Kid’s sign up for either Week 1 or Week 2 (no daily rate offered).

Our ultimate aims are for kids to:
- build friendships
- learn new skills
- increase confidence and self-esteem
- discover hidden talents
- and generally have an unforgettable week at Transition Extreme.

Prices: £115 for one child for the whole week. £220 for two children. £325 for three children
Note: this discount is only applicable to siblings (same family name and booked at same time).
For further information or to book a place, please contact Reception on 01224 626279.

Transition will also be running individual sessions in both the Skate Park and Climbing centre for 8 to 17 year olds (separate from the above).

Getting ready for the Competition Season; Neil Morrison parts with words of wisdom

Bouldering Comps Top Tips
With our bouldering series running this winter we asked comp veteran Neil Morrison for his top tips. Along with Neil Shepherd from Arbroath, Neil organised the Vango Scottish Bouldering League back in the early 90’s with the two of them setting the problems. Neil’s first comp was actually organised by the other Neil at the Olympia Wall in Dundee. He won that and competed variously at Alien Rock, The Glasgow Wall, a couple of times in the Northern Indoor Bouldering League in England and an inter league comp in Keswick. He also took part in the North East Winter Woody Leagues’ which took place round different folks indoor boards. Creaky fingers have now forced on semi retirement so he can get back to setting devious problems.

Here's what Neil had to say:

Before the Comp
A couple of weeks before the comp get off that lead wall and get in some bouldering. Use all the angles and, with a mate or two, set your own problems using mixed holds and then try to flash them. This will give you a feel for working out new problems and sequences. Usually your mates will set problems that suit their strengths and you will set to yours, so trying each others problems will test you more. The existing problems are too familiar and won’t hone your comp skills. Also make sure you get in some serious stretching and practice those high steps and rockovers. An added bonus of moving over the wall is that you will gain familiarity with the holds on the wall. So that when you are looking up at that purple hold on a comp problem you will have an idea whether it’s a sloper or a crimp.

A couple of days before the comp take a rest, you want to be fresh and keen on the day of the comp. If you are big on your running avoid it for a couple of days before as it is bad for stiffening up those limbs.

On the day

Get their good and early so that you are not rushing about, stressed and playing catch up.
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Warm up before starting with stretching and a bit of exercise (you might look daft but run round the building 2 or 3 times) to get the heart pumping and the blood flowing. It is far too easy to get caught up in it all and get a cold pump which you don’t get over or worse you tweak something in your haste to get going. If you tweak something, STOP, get some ice and rest it straight away. You’ll only make it worse by continuing and will then have a longer lay off.
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Read the rules for the comp and the rules for each problem carefully so that you know what you are doing. e.g. If it says to finish with both hands in control on the top then make sure you do or you have not done the problem. Make sure you understand which holds are for what as some problems may allow the holds to be used for Hands and Feet only while others will use marked handholds but feet on any holds. Check if arêtes and blank panel surfaces are allowed or not.
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Do a recce of the problems so that you can work out which ones you are likely to do easily and which ones will be harder or simply too hard. Try to decide when you will try them in the comp. With the harder ones aim to have a go when you are warmed up and have had success on a few problems but before you are too knackered and powered out. Leave some of the easier ones for the end. Do the recce before the comp if you can or at the start as you work through a few of the obviously easy problems.
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Spectate, spectate, spectate. Watch others and you will get an idea of how to do problems. You might even see easy or successful ways of doing problems you thought were too hard. Try to team up with someone round about your own ability(or slightly better) and work round with them working out how to do each problem and sharing first goes at problems.
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Pace yourself, don’t go off like a greyhound. Ease into the comp and dot about the angles, don’t do all the slabs and vertical walls then leave yourself with the 45 degree board and ceiling at the end.
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Go for the flash and don’t wear yourself out trying to repeatedly crack a problem you have failed to get the flash on, you can come back to it later and try to pick up the points but save your energy for those Ten pointers.
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Keep eating and drinking throughout it to keep your energy levels up.
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Sit down when you are eating and drinking, it’s too easy and tiring to spent the whole time of the comp on your feet, buzzing about and tiring yourself out with nervous energy. Conserve your energy for when you are on the wall.
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Remember why you are in it and have fun.

Dave Graham Lecture and Masterclass 11th Oct

Dave Graham is a phenomenon. Exploding onto the scene only a few years ago he pretty much instantly established himself as one of the strongest climbers on the planet with very quick repeats and first ascents of many of the worlds hardest boulder problems and routes. On top of that Dave can talk! His enthusiastic philosophy on life, climbing and everything else is evident in the many climbing films he’s starred in and in his online writings (see his Blog - http://www.climbing.com/exclusive/problog/davegraham/). His lecture will combine all of the above in a whirlwind hour and a half highly energised performance, focussed on the progression of hard climbing and where it is headed.

Adventure Films showing in VUE

Vue Cinema are showing three short films together as part of an Adventure Film series from the 22nd September.

These films include:

King Lines (portrait or Chris Sharma and his climbing career; 40minutes)

Play Gravity (Snowboarding and Speedriding in Europe and Alaska 52minutes)

Farther Than The Eye Can See (Erik Weihenmayer’s historic attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest 75 minutes)

Previous series that VUE have shown were a good success and enjoyable viewing so get down there and go see them!

WINTER EVENTS 08/09!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The summer is almost gone and as you sigh and grunt with the prospect of bad weather and darker nights let Transition brighten your winter up with some great events. Here's a SMALL selection of what's to come:

First off the Transition Bouldering league:

Each round is on a friday with setting of the problems during the day.

Round 1 3rd October
Round 2 7th November
Round 3 12th December
Round 4 16th January
Final 13th February

The wall will be open for public access until 3pm on each of these days but there will be no access to the bouldering wall at anytime.
Each round begins at 6:30 so make sure you're in and warmed up in time. They will finish at 9:30 with raffle and prizes being given out after the scorecards have been taken in.

Cost of entry is £3 plus your regular admission rates (memberships and session passes can be used for admission).

Categories include; Junior Girls & Junior Boys (14 - 17yrs), Male & Female Fun and Elite ad well as Veteran.

All welcome, problems ranging from very easy to very hard, very wackey to very technical.

Secondly is the Dave Graham Lecture and Masterclass on Saturday 11th October.

Dave will be taking up to ten folks of any ability looking to improve and get some great tips on their climbing for a couple of hours then a lecture in Transition afterwards.

6pm to 8pm: Masterclass Price and booking date will be released soon.
8:15 ish: Lecture Price and booking date will be released soon.

Tickets will be available from Transition extreme for the Lecture. Booking for the masterclass will be available in the beginning of September through email (MORE INFO TO FOLLOW).

Cafe Promo/Social nights:

Friday 26th Sept, 31st Oct, 28th Nov, 19th Dec, 30th Jan, 27th Feb and 27th March.

Come on down to the wall and have a climb then fill yourself with some great food from around the world in the cafe from 8pm onwards. Refreshments will be available for those that wish to delve into a bottle or two of the foaming ale or you can bring your own.
Just remember not to try and go back intot the wall if you've had a wee drink!

So if you normally go out after your climb of you come down on a Friday anyway why not join in and have a laugh or just chill out.

Leading Ladder:

Heats: November and December
Final: January

Try your hand at named routes in the wall and compete in the Heats then in the finals! Lots of prizes and lots of fun. More info to follow.

Winter events

There's a new board up in the wall displaying our winter events calendar...

On it you'll find dates of lectures, comps, promo nights etc etc...

Further information for each event will be posted in the centre and on the blog nearer the time of the event.

Cheers