On Saturday 21 January, Mr Stockton and I took a group of students to ‘Awesome Walls’ in Stoke. As the name suggests it is a very impressive indoor bouldering facility, not a rope in sight. Because of this it has a very relaxed atmosphere, where the students can wander around and attempt any of the challenges knowing that if they come off the wall it is not too far down and below is a very thick mat to land on.
After a briefing and tour around the building all of the students started on easy climbs and progressed throughout the day. Bouldering can be a lot more tiring than climbing if you do not rest between problems, as Oliver Chappel and Slava Lozin soon found out. Enya Collier and Jennifer Brown were still going well after most had finished, showing great enthusiasm and stamina. Joe Herbert attempted a 6b problem (as seen in the photo) which looked very impressive and Sky Usher was so determined to complete a 5a problem that she was refusing to leave until she had conquered it, all of which was great to see.
By the time we drove up the school drive most were asleep in the bus, a sign of a good day.
Alan Witcomb