Info For Climbers

Useful Links For Climbers

Here are some links to websites we find useful when planning climbing trips.

Some Good Sites For Basic Weather Forecasts
Metcheck	A really user-friendly place to start.
BBC Weather Centre	The good old BBC. Easy to follow.
XC Weather	The mapping, animation, and general layout is very clear. Try this for size.
Yr Weather	This site is based in Norway but it is really thorough and is a good resource for any UK or Europe trip.
AccuWeather: UK & Ireland Weather	Similar to Metcheck in its ease of use. It has a big database of towns and villages. Always a good idea to get a second or third opinion when planning a climbing trip.

More Detailed Weather Links
Met Office : UK Forecasts	The rainfall tab is pretty cool for more accurate guess work.
Met Office : Rain Radar	A useful tool to study recent downpours – sorry, I mean dry spells!
Met Office : Mountain Area Forecasts	A section of the Met Office site dedicated to – well, it’s pretty obvious. Includes the Brecon Beacons and the Peak District.
MWIS (Mountain Weather Information Service)	Possibly the most detailed and useful forecasts for climbers. You can download each one as a pdf. This too includes the Peaks.
Metcheck : UK Climbing Forecasts	Very user friendly. The drop down menu has loads of climbing venues listed.
Mountain Forecast : mountain-forecast.com	Highly detailed with excellent mapping.

It’s a good idea to do your homework and check out what the weather has been/might be doing by looking at a few different sources. Remember that climbing in Britain is a bit of a lottery weather wise. Don’t be totally put off by a slightly rubbish forecast, I’m sure we’ve all had brilliant days when the weather guys said we wouldn’t. Having said that, if you’re planning for a winter climb then make sure you take note of the reports as getting the weather wrong can leave you in the mire somewhat.

Useful BMC Stuff (British Mountaineering Council)
RAD (Regional Access Database)	Keep up to date on any changes to bird bans and other access restrictions. The app is a must have.
Southern Sandstone	It's a fine idea to remind yourself of the codes of common practice if you're planning a visit to the Kentish sandstone. Keep an eye on the local news and volunteer meets too.
BMC Travel Insurance	Don't forget to get yourself covered for the next massive expedition (and those little weekend bouldering trips too).
BMC TV	An excellent resource for knowledge. Loads of short vids to help us learn the stuff we thought we already knew, you'll soon realise you don't! There's good stuff on injuries, safety in winter, good tips for trad leading, etc.

Tides
Admiralty EasyTide	An excellent, easy to follow way of avoiding an early bath (or ensuring it's a nice deep bath if DWS is your thing!)
Tide Charts	Another tide times site we're happy to use. See which one you prefer.

Winter Conditions
Scottish Snow Forecasts	Hmmm.. will you need to pack those snow shoes?
Metcheck Mountain Weather	Again there's a drop-down with loads of locations.
Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS)	Vital.
West Coast Mountain Guides blog	This is a great place to keep an eye on conditions and get some inspiration!
Abacus Mountain Guides blog	As above really. Some good links on their site too.
Baggy's Blog - Mark Baggy Richards	For winter conditions in Wales - A really useful way to keeping abreast of conditions in Wales - 'when' not 'if' they arise!

Webcams
MWIS Webcams	Mountain Weather Information Service webcams for the UK.
Steve Fallon - webcam links (Scotland)	A great links page on Steve Fallon's site for those who like to spy on Scottish mountains. It's also pretty good for checking conditions.

Links To Our Friends

These guys really are friends of Rock On, not just random people to make us look popular. Some are long term customers or former colleagues or climbing partners and we recommend them because we know they are good at what they do and we like them.

	Rock On are pleased to be long term sponsors for the Blokfest bouldering festivals. Check out the Blokfest website for details and venues.
	We're happy to recommend Ed and his team who will put together an all-inclusive trip to suit you perfectly. You can be collected by your instructor and driven to the crag! They'll check the weather and head for the sun. Sounds like a perfect climbing day out. You may even recognise one of the Rock On team as your instructor!
	Uzo Ehiogu holds degrees in Sports Science, Physiotherapy and a Masters of Science in Physiotherapy. He's a full member of the UK Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (MACP). Most importantly he's a climber, so understands the daft things we do to our bodies! He has clinics in London and at Redpoint, in Birmingham, and we are happy to recommend him.
	A really good way to get to Font for a weekends bouldering. They also organise trips to other collections of large stones here and there.
	Feet First are the only place we recommend you send your old faithful rock shoes for a resole. No climber worth her rand patch would disagree.