Useful Links
2010 Annual Dinner Speaker
This year's speaker was Dave Bunting MBE who gave a very inspiring talk on an expedition to the West Ridge of Everest. Amongst many other things in a busy mountaineering career, Dave has written a book about training and preparation for mountaineering and expeditions of all kinds. See Amazon for more details of Dave's book.
2010 Annual Dinner Sponsors
Go Outdoors (Wigan) donated a Montane pertex smock. In addition to on-line sales, their store in Wigan carries a wide range of outdoor clothing and equipment.
The North West Face climbing wall and gear shop donated a 70m super-dry rope. The club makes regular use of The North West Face climbing wall for our Monday evening indoor climbing meets.
The Adventure Centre, Warrington, donated a pair of Seal Skinz, waterproof socks. They operate two specialist websites retailing tents and outdoor equipment.
Needle Sports donated a £25 Voucher. Needle Sports is the premier technical gear oriented shop in Keswick, Cumbria. Stephen Reid and his staff are all keen climbers and have been most helpful to club members both in person and on-line through their website.
David Lloyd Health and Fitness Club (Warrington) donated one week's family membership to their excellently appointed sports and fitness centre in Great Sankey.
The Coledale Inn donated one night's bed & breakfast for two. The Coledale needs no introduction to members, their hospitality is legendary.
Plas y Brenin donated a taster session consisting of climbing, skiing and canoeing. Plas y Brenin is run by the Mountain Training Trust, a charity for the provision of training and promotion of safety in the hills. They also do good cake.
Local Climbing
Our best local climbing venue is Pex Hill Quarry in Cronton near Widnes. Location information and other links are available on UK Climbing and additional route information and more pictures are available from the Wetpaint Pex Hill Wiki.
Additional photos and video is available on our blog in this article about a recent meet at Pex Hill.
Useful services near the club hut
Our local, when we are away, the Coledale Inn.
Great breakfasts and packed lunches for the lazy, or the culinarily challenged, available from Braithwaite General Store.
The BMC
The BMC is the national representative body for rockclimbers and mountaineers in Britain. They deal with access and conservation issues, equipment and safety, and provide insurance services for climbers.
Local Climbing Walls
All the walls listed here have interesting and unique features that make them all worth a visit when you can't get out on the real thing.
The North West Face in Warrington is the club's nearest climbing wall and is where we hold our indoor climbing meets.
Awesome Walls, Liverpool and also Stockport.
Accommodation and Camping
In the UK
Outdoor Alternative, Rhoscolyn. Excellent facilities at an outdoor center for pre-booked groups only. Convenient for Rhoscolyn, Gogarth and Holyhead Mountain.
Seal Shore, Arran. Excellent facilities including undercover cooking and dining area. Much used on recent club trips to Arran.
Bryn Tyrch Farm Campsite, Capel Curig. Campsite with some bunkhouse accommodation. A bit spartan, but cheap and convenient.
Eric Jones Café, Tremadog. Climber, and biker, friendly cafe with camping, bunkhouses and self-catering cottage. Exceptionally convenient for climbing at Tremadog.
Abroad
Mountain Pursuits offer luxury catered chalet accommodation for both summer alpine and winter sports holidays in the Portes du Soleil area. The english speaking owners are recommended by a member of the club and their winter prices include, amongst other things, minibus travel to the slopes, some ski guiding and WIFI internet access.
Climbing Information
UK Climbing is a popular news and information website for climbers. It can be a useful source of information but there is also a lot of gossip and chit chat in the forums which can be distracting.
Steve Pardoe, although not a member of St.Helens MC, is a regular visitor to The North West Face in Warrington and has a useful and well illustrated site with trip reports and background information on climbing and mountaineering.
Anyone interested in Himalayan mountaineering and possibly even "the big one" should check out this site which records the on-going history of the British on Everest.
Dave MacLeod's Blog is a useful source of inspiration and advice for anyone wishing to improve their climbing, whatever grade you currently climb.
TV Mountain is a great resource for anybody looking for ideas and inspiration for Alpine mountaineering and Winter Sports. If you are looking for topos and photos of Alpine routes it is worth checking the TV Mountain archive.
Health and Medicine
Julian Saunders is an Australian Osteopath and Sports Physiologist who is also a rock climber and dispenses advice on injury prevention and self-treatment in the forthright manner that we expect from his countrymen. He has had a number of articles published in the American magazine Rock & Ice which are still available for download from the Athlon website.
Members interested in seeking alternative remedies for their climbing and other ailments may be interested in Acupuncture Care run by Deborah Connor and based in St. Helens. In addition to training as a nurse, she is fully qualified and licensed to practice acupuncture and has even travelled to China and studied at Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Debs as she prefers to be known is a keen climber herself and often trains at the climbing wall Warrington. Club members should remember to ask for a discount.
Another source of on-line injury and treatment advice is Physio Bench. In addition to their paid service, Physio Bench also has free articles offering general advice on injury treatment and prevention.
Walking and Trekking
Mountain-is-Good.com is the work of David Roux and has a lot of useful information, including maps and photos, about the French network of "Grand Randonee" long-distance footpaths.
Disclaimer
Members and visitors to this site are reminded that these links are provided purely for the members' convenience. Inclusion on this page should not be construed to imply any recommendation or endorsement by the club of either the companies, other commercial organisations and individuals concerned, or the products, services and information supplied. It is your responsibility to interpret all advice, and information, in the light of your own skills and experience.
For all technical matters regarding the website e-mail web-admin@sthelensmc.org.uk