Climber Magazine May/Jun21 Back Issue

SPRING IS HERE
Welcome to another fantastic issue of Climber. With the spring weather upon us and the country hopefully moving forward in opening up and ending restrictions we can all start to look forward to getting out climbing more. I for one am itching at the prospect of getting back on rock for the fi rst time in ages, albeit at a lower level than I was hoping to be. But that’s what happens when you’ve not climbed for shy of four months. All my plans for being climbing fi t to hit the ground running have been thrown out of the window at the start of the year for the second year in succession – last year was a layoff after surgery. Before you say anything, yes, so has everyone else’s plans and it could be much worse. I can’t begin to imagine what people who have lost loved ones have been going through and if you have been affected, you truly have my heartfelt sympathies.
One of the hardest things about jumping back on the rock is redefining your expectations of what’s possible and making sure you are safe in doing so. To that end, Mark Reeves has written some timely advice in his Climber’s Coach slot where he focuses on climbing after a lay-off and being kind to yourself. Start slowly and tick a few easier routes to get yourself back in the fl ow and the habit of good ropework and good protection placement is the way forward. Mark also wrote the easy climbs article about Penmaenbach Quarry, a great venue with a stunning view above the A55 on the North Wales coast. The sport climbing is excellent and even includes grades down to F2 so what’s not to like? Though you may have to wait a little while longer for restrictions to lift if you don’t live in Wales.