On Sumday, a group of pupils took to the trails to experience some winter MTB riding at Llandegla. Despite the cold and snow, everyone managed a fun 10-mile loop through the forest. There was not much stopping on the loop for teaching, but we did use the skills area after lunch to cover some skills before heading home. Let’s hope the weather is a little better for the days in January ..read more

Over the weekend we had two day trips running. Saturday saw climbers travel to Castle Inn Quarry near Colwyn Bay in the hope of finding dry rock. Thankfully we had excellent, but cold, conditions to climb in. Pupils climbed a range of routes ranging from 8-20m in height and of varying difficulty. Those that had come along who had been in Spain carried on where they’d left off. The standard of climbing was fantastic. Yesterday was another cold one for the mountain bikers at OnePlanet Adventure. Despite the temperatures, pupils again threw themselves into the day and took a pleasant ride arou ..read more

Over half-term a group of pupils travelled to the Costa Blanca region of Spain to extend their climbing experience on a range of fantastic routes and various venues in the area. After a long evening with delayed flights, etc. we made it to our accommodation in Calpe in the early hours of the morning. Following a much-needed sleep, we were straight out to the first crag and into the climbing. A bit of a shock to the system for some but everyone got stuck in, with some impressive leads all-round on various grades. As the week progressed, so did the standard of climbing. Pupils’ confidence grew ..read more

Over the weekend we had two day trips out trying to make the most of the weather. On Saturday our planned trip to North Wales was moved to the Peaks due to the forecast. Thankfully our plan worked and we found dry rock on a cold and breezy Stanage End. Pupils did really well with the range of climbs on offer. Everyone managed to challenge themselves, either applying an already developed skill set, or transferring what has been learnt inside to this new environment. The rain didn’t stay away and ruined play mid-afternoon. We ran to the local farm for an ice cream and hot chocolate. This was a ..read more

Over the weekend we had two days of climbing for pupils. On Saturday we went to North Wales with a mixed ability group and climbed at Castle Inn Quarry. This worked really well, giving a good range of climbs for everyone. For some it was their first time climbing outside, whilst others were continuing to progress with their lead climbing. Despite the very warm weather, pupils really worked hard and made great progress throughout the day. Yesterday an advanced group went to Horseshoe Quarry in the Peak District. The main focus of the day was to work on lead climbing and developing experience ..read more

On Sunday, a group of pupils went to Llandegla One Planet Adventure for the day. Despite there being a broad ability range, we managed to tailor the day to offer progression for everyone. For some, that was simply completing the larger ride with some sections of Red trail. Others completed their first black sections of trail, dropped new lines, or cleared jumps for the first time. It was great to watch pupils progress and identify areas they want to improve on or try for the first time. For those that have been coming regularly, I can now see they are starting to understand and appreciate th ..read more

Yesterday, a group of girls braved the conditions and went to Llandegla One Planet Adventure to bike for the day. The forecast was not too bad, but the weather we got was dreadful! The ride to the top was ok with a bit of light rain and wind, but as soon as we started down the Blue, it turned. The rapid drop in temperature and huge snowflakes went from beautiful to moral-destroying very quickly. After the first fun descent, it became an exercise in staying warm enough and getting down as quickly as possible. The freezing temperature and snow settling on the trail made that a challenge in itse ..read more

On Saturday, a group of pupils braved the cold misty conditions in the Peak District to go bouldering for the day. These days always present a greater challenge than the roped climbing ones, as the skills required for bouldering, especially on gritstone, are so varied. We started the day at Stanage Edge at the Apparent North area. This gave a good range of problems to try at the lower end on the grade range. The conditions made it very challenging, but pupil’s demonstrated good resilience and determination to climb many problems. By midday the temperature was starting to take it’s toll, so ..read more

Yesterday a group of girls took to the trails at Llandegla OnePlanet Adventure. With many returning, it was a good opportunity to look for ways to progress. After the initial refresh of some key skills, we made the slog up to the top. We started down the blue which gives a enjoyable start of fast flowing single track. Before we hit the joining track with the red, we had a little staggered start race to stretch the legs. We split at the junction, so those less experienced could enjoy the rest of the blue, whilst others finished down the red. This gave us a chance to stop and look at a couple ..read more

Last week a group of pupils ventured to Innerleithen for a week of technical and physically challenging riding. The trails there are some of the longest and best in the country and they tested the pupils’ riding skills to the limit. Throughout the week the riding progressed and the intensity of the trails increased. This gave pupils the chance to put all their skills into practice as they rode down the ever-steeping terrain. For some, this is their seventh year biking with school, and the level of riding they demonstrated was outstanding. The first four days were spent at the Golfie where w ..read more