Summer climbing season

Series of British Mountaineering Council events for competitive climbers

Whether you’re partial to scampering up a bouldering wall, traversing volcanic crags or simply watching other people dangle precariously by their fingertips, the British Mountaineering Council is kicking off the summer season with three large-scale events taking place over the next two months and catering for expert and amateur climbers alike.

12th - 14th June

Duddon Valley in Cumbria plays host to the Lakes Festival of Climbing, bringing climbers together who want to explore the higher crags of the Lake District. The weekend aims to encourage climbers to leave behind "the obvious honeypots of Langdale and Borrowdale" and instead explore Esk Buttress, Dow Crag and Scafell in the company of friends and like-minded mountaineers. Climber-friendly, budget accommodation is available around the area, and the BMC's local team will be on hand to offer you insider advice about the region. After you‘ve tired yourself out, they'll provide evening entertainment to relieve any aching limbs.

11th and 12th July

If competitive climbing is more your cup of tea, the British Bouldering Championships take place in July at Cliffhanger, the outdoor pursuits festival held in Millhouses Park, Sheffield. Over the course of the weekend around 200 of Britain's best boulderers will compete for the national championship; junior girls and boys on the Saturday, senior men and women on the Sunday. The competition consists of a qualifying round of ten bouldering problems, followed by a final round of five. In the qualifiers, entrants are scored on a points system according to the number of attempts they take to complete each problem; during the finals, the winner is determined by whoever tackles the most problems in the least number of attempts overall. Anybody can enter the competition, which will also form part of the selection process for the 2010 Senior British Bouldering Team.

18th - 19th July

The British Lead Climbing Championships take place a week later, on the new competition wall at Ratho, Edinburgh International Climbing Arena. During the qualifying rounds, competitors are asked to “flash” climb two routes; watching both the routesetters and their opponents climb prior to taking their turn. Successful entrants are subsequently isolated for the final round of the championship, before climbing the routes in approximately seven minutes. The two day event welcomes spectators and competitors and features the world famous Edinburgh Rat Race, involving teams of adrenaline-seeking rats scaling the Ratho aerial assault course and completing various challenges.

For more information, visit www.thebmc.co.uk