The Monastry Part 2

Part 2 is pretty simple really. Get a bank card and a trolly and buy some tools. This phase should have taken me about 2 days but with lots of travelling recently I've dragged it out to 2 weeks. Hopefully travelling should be cut back over the next month. Meaning, I can finally get through phases 3 and 4. If you're ever short of ways to kill yourself for 30mins, try this one. Walking from a shop to a warehouse with a 5m scaffolding tower under one arm and a complete multigym with weights under the other. It's a monster workout. And all in the name of saving money on hiring a van!

Reward is cheese.

The back of the Monastry begins to fill with toys.

The Monastry Part 1

Today finally represents day 1 of the project to build the indoor drytooling wall after weeks of faff, arm waving and hot air. First step was to walk around the warehouse with a tape measure, paper and pencil, sporting the obligatory 'wife-beater', builders arse crack and pencil on ear. The weather was rainy and the view was mostly industrial, so with no women to whistle at I got to work with measuring up.

The Monastry looking bare and extremely metallic.


The short story is that it looks like a bit of a challenge. With no sturdy walls to use and no power supply things aren't exactly off to a flying start. The main issue is going to be how to install some strength into the framework. The options are: a steel box-section frame, a 2-by-4 timber frame or building new walls from breeze-blocks. Lovely. Welcome to the Monastry.

Let's hope the real version stands up better than the cereal box model.

Does anyone remember the C64

Needs to be seen to be believed...

Clickable Link

Smurf up, dress down

New post added to the music appreciation section:

Clickable Link

Hopefully this summer will be long and sunny with countless evenings at beach clubs listening to great new music with good friends. Okay, this isn't really likely to happen very much. If like me you enjoy music around 130bpm with a fat bass line, then keep an eye on the link above. I'll be posting everything I learn on it through the summer.

My makeshift music studio for the time being.

The low down on Copenhagen

Today's one of those days. It was just a matter of time till it happened. It's been raining all day and I'm bored out of my brains. Whilst the sun is beating down theres something to be done or some place to go and visit. But now its indoors only and I find myself at the computer.

It's fair to say that essentially Denmark has no natural climbing to speak of. The island of Bornholm off the south east coast of Sweden is the closest thing I've seen so far. Besides that there are the crags of southern mainland Sweden for bouldering and some routes. Which pretty much leaves the indoor option :-(

The bulk of the action as expected is around Copenhagen. I've been around the various climbing 'hallen' over the last few weeks and prefer to articulate my opinion in an blunt and concise manner... generally the most constructive way I find. There are basically 2 decent options for the visiting climber. Skovlunde or Amagerbro. Although there are other walls/gyms they aren't worth it for a number of reasons, most importantly their lack of facilities.

The wall at Skovlunde called Pløks is further out of town but just a short walk from the S-train station. It has plenty of height, a good variation of route styles and angles as well as some specific training boards. It's indepedently run and generally the staff know their arse from their elbow in terms of climbing. Which helps. The Københavns Klatreklub run the wall in Amagerbro, which is just a short walk from the Islands Brygge train station.

The main issue with using a lot of these walls is the slightly socialist way in which they are run. Many of the walls require you to become a member of the local club or the Danish Mountain Club first. A pain in the arse to say the least. Nothing new to anyone who has lived here before, who will appreciate the total lack of entreprenuerial spirit and market capitalisation that characterises business in Denmark. The Nørrebro Hallen is a refreshing exception from this with their more logical 'turn up and climb' strategy, that's set to revolutionise things!

Kristoffer Slizas and friends drytooling on the outdoor wall at Artillerivej.