[boulderingbacon]

had to write on here because went to this place today after getting rained off at cheddar and thought it was awful. The routes were set ok but i have never been anywhere so hot considering it was cold outside but even worse than that was the fact no one there knows how to use a brush and the holds were so caked in chalk it was disgusting.

[b3n99]

I must say I'm not the biggest fan of the problems and the heat is just ridiculous! The quality of problems is definitely better at undercover rock so if your only going for a single session i would recommend there despite the fact its small!

[Omar15]

Really? I was there yesterday and I didn't think it was too hot and I think the routes are pretty good in general. Its such a big place and there there are so many problems some are bound to not be as good as others. Have you tried some of the walls down in the south east? They all charge about a tenner and some are utterly dire!

[i_a_coops]

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=11441.0

last time I went, the skin-destroying holds put me out of action before I could make any kind of judgement on any of the other stuff! 

[i_a_coops]

but I do have rubbish skin

[Duma]

It certainly has been brutally hot down there recently - I think this is really a function of the building rather than the managements efforts - I know they've spent considerable time and money attempting to improve the air circulation, but the fact is that it's a flat ceiling, so there's nowhere for all the hot air to go to, and compounding things it's basically mostly underground, so incredibly well insulated, and at the moment (early autumn) the massive heat sink that is the ground around it is pretty warm, so counteracting some of the effect of the outside temps. Add in that you're there on a wet sunday - so I'm assuming busy - and the heat is pretty much unavoidable.
The chalk overuse thing is prob related - it's hot and damp at the moment so people a using a lot of chalk and its sticking to the holds. Saying the wall's awful because the holds are over chalked is harsh I think - it's really an issue with the users rather than the venue - not much the staff can do other than ensure stuff is reset regularly, and TCA is one of the best walls I use for that - certainly a long way ahead of UCR.
Setting is a bit more personal preference thing - I've no problem with the stuff set at TCA, there's good and bad problems in there, but like Omar said, there's enough there you should be able to find plenty to enjoy.
Omar when are you coming back - no-one makes me feel as weak as you...

[boulderingbacon]

to be fair i had run 12 miles in the morning so was probably a bit sweaty from that and i realize its not the staffs fault with the heat just felt it was so unpleasant it took away from the fairly descent problems. i went there expecting so much because i climb at the warehouse which is fairly poo but got to say i enjoy it more than i did at tca. The chalk on holds though was definitely down to people not brushing holds because i only saw one other person in the whole center using one. I went there expecting it to be like the works but left a little under whelmed, its a real shame because there is so much potential there for it to be amazing.

[andy_e]

Hang on, northerners think it's too hot and southerners think it's just right? 

[Omar15]

oh Duma you sweet talker, I was back on Sunday cos we were rained off in wales. I'll probably be back on the 29th for some comp action - are you doing it?

And yeah, personally I prefer climbing a bit on the hot side - I find it easier to cool down than warm up. Maybe its a southern fairy thing.

[abarro81]

It's because you want an excuse to get topless.

[Duma]

Sadly no. Actually not sadly at all, on the 29th I'll be on the way to font for ten days! 

[Baldy]

While I was there, I thought the problems were pretty decent.

If they are worse now, there is a direct correlation to both myself and Omar leaving the city. And when that amount of setting talent leaves a company - the quality is always going to plummet.   

I'd agree that is does sometimes get very warm in there. Fortunately though, the mothership - which has most of the harder problems on it - is closeset to the door and therefore achieves the coolest temps. Paul has put a great deal of time into trying to cool the place down, and the money you pay for entry actually does end up going back into the business for these sort of improvements.

[Omar15]

tru dat

[Duma]

So, thought I'd reply to this topic as it's the more recent of the two about TCA Bristol, and is in the right sub-forum, though 39's topic from way back in 2009 probably has more pertinent points made. (could we get the two merged pls mods?)

Anyway, thought an update might be of interest as it seems the inadequacies of the place as a training (rather than climbing) centre are getting sorted. Since April, they've been setting a few problems using wooden holds - these are largely flat edges and thus these problems tend more toward the basic get strong style than the fun funky blobby stuff that we see so much of in modern walls. Also, the lack of a woody that was temporarily (and unsatisfactorily) solved when the compound corner was given over to Simon's holds, looks like it is getting sorted over Christmas - there's a note on the website saying the original (rubbish) campus boards are getting taken down, and this bit and the compound corner will be replaced with a proper woody/systems board.

[lukeyboy]

So, thought I'd reply to this topic as it's the more recent of the two about TCA Bristol, and is in the right sub-forum, though 39's topic from way back in 2009 probably has more pertinent points made. (could we get the two merged pls mods?)

Anyway, thought an update might be of interest as it seems the inadequacies of the place as a training (rather than climbing) centre are getting sorted. Since April, they've been setting a few problems using wooden holds - these are largely flat edges and thus these problems tend more toward the basic get strong style than the fun funky blobby stuff that we see so much of in modern walls. Also, the lack of a woody that was temporarily (and unsatisfactorily) solved when the compound corner was given over to Simon's holds, looks like it is getting sorted over Christmas - there's a note on the website saying the original (rubbish) campus boards are getting taken down, and this bit and the compound corner will be replaced with a proper woody/systems board.

Good news, thanks for the update. The campus board over by the circuits could definitely do with an upgrade/steepening. Would be really good if they could also put in some of the big sloper campus rung things. And I miss the woodie, that corner seems a bit redundant without one.

[north_country_boy]

...there's a note on the website saying the original (rubbish) campus boards are getting taken down, and this bit and the compound corner will be replaced with a proper woody/systems board.

So will it be getting a proper campus board or one like the disaster at Glasgow TCA? 

[wolfgang]

praise the lord that this has been brought up.

Im no regular at the tca (bristol) but do visit on my way past every month or so.

The setting feels just plain lazy. Iv seen the 'setter' testing routes and changing them just because his shortish female climber mate can or can't do a move! This is bullshit i don't want to climb these problems to only have them changed, i want to try something that is finished.

And how about changing the problems now and again. Jesus, i know there is a lot of problems but to compared to somewhere like the castle who re-set like a muffa fuqa the tca's blocs are well past their sell by date! Rotate boys.

Just coz your the only boulder wall in your pond don't get lazy paul.

[Paul T]

Hi Wolfgang
Thanks for your comments. In Bristol we have a rotation system that sees everything in the centre (bar the project circuit) - roughly 220 problems - reset every 9 weeks. Sometimes this might be 8 weeks though and sometimes 10 depending on what we might have on during that period. Over the winter this increases with our TCA comps, private comps and the schools league. This means that we set over 1500 problems a year - I'm not sure how many bouldering walls match this but it feels quite a lot to us. After 4 years experience we feel this rotation plan is the right frequency for the vast bulk of our customers, giving enough time for our regulars to work their personal projects, but not long enough to get fed up with them. For many people though we change our circuits far too quickly - you can't please everyone all the time unfortunately, as you are probably aware from being on this forum.
We try our best to achieve a consistency with our problems and forerunning will be done after setting. Unfortunately this is not a process that happens in enough walls. We do not just add holds to make problems easier for specific people, but we will consider how both females and youngsters are going to approach the problems (especially as the bulk of the setting is done by males).
If you are ticking everything in the centre in your monthly visit then I do apologize, maybe making alternating visits to TCA and UCR will give you a few more problems to go at?

Hi North Country Boy
Sorry you're not so keen on the Glasgow board. Malc suggested that we build it at 30degrees but we settled on 25 in the end - 30 was just too extreme for us! The rung spacing is also further than normal to account for the extra steepness. It's not to everyone's taste admittedly but it is a piece of individual training apparatus that is widely used for finger strength and power gains by the Glaswegian massive.

[joe dobson]

isn't the classic campus board set up around 10-12 degrees with rungs separated by around 20-22cm? When I was researching to build one those were the sizes for the moon campus board which has to be the measured standard?

[wolfgang]

Ok, after a recent revisit may i conclude that the TCA needs some sort of competition...a proper boulder wall for a start. How do the locals get by with the height of your wall!? I would love to her from some people that have been to say the depot in leeds and tca bristol. How do you cope with the exposure and height of the depot or any other wall compared to tca?
I like short, powerful problems but they are ruined when you just traverse 3 moves at the top of the wall, just to make them longer. People don't pay per move! They or i pay for quality. "Squeezed-in " problems not only make the wall look cluttered but are demotivating when it's not a clean line up the wall. Your lack of space is compromising your quality and favouring your quantity is only pleasing those not interested in being challenged. Bored now...

[Duma]

Yeah TCA must be shit - they've got too many problems and try to make the most of the space they have.

I only climb indoors to be inspired by the "clean lines" and "uncluttered look" of the wall - if I don't get this I slag off the wall. I prefer fewer, prettier problems in a training venue rather than more problems to try (that might allow, oh I dunno, perhaps more variety?). If I spend any time at a wall with less height I find myself completely terrified at other walls, this is clearly an issue with the wall rather than me, for which I will slag it off.

Actually, no. TCA makes the most of the space they have, for which I am grateful. I'd love it if they had another meter of ceiling height but they don't, and not only does this limitation not mean that I become incapacitated with fear if I happen to visit another venue with more height, I also appreciate suitable buildings for walls are pretty rare, and manage to grasp that moving venue is impractical. Should a problem feature a traverse to finish, which I feel detracts from it, I can also manage to drop off before these moves. I cannot however, understand how less problems would improve the wall for those interested in being challenged.

[Stubbs]

Wolfgang I think you should probably just stop going to TCA Bristol.

[SA Chris]

Inspired by clean lines on an indoor wall?? I think you need a reality check. It's training ffs.

[lukeyboy]

Yeah TCA must be shit - they've got too many problems and try to make the most of the space they have.

I only climb indoors to be inspired by the "clean lines" and "uncluttered look" of the wall - if I don't get this I slag off the wall. I prefer fewer, prettier problems in a training venue rather than more problems to try (that might allow, oh I dunno, perhaps more variety?). If I spend any time at a wall with less height I find myself completely terrified at other walls, this is clearly an issue with the wall rather than me, for which I will slag it off.

Actually, no. TCA makes the most of the space they have, for which I am grateful. I'd love it if they had another meter of ceiling height but they don't, and not only does this limitation not mean that I become incapacitated with fear if I happen to visit another venue with more height, I also appreciate suitable buildings for walls are pretty rare, and manage to grasp that moving venue is impractical. Should a problem feature a traverse to finish, which I feel detracts from it, I can also manage to drop off before these moves. I cannot however, understand how less problems would improve the wall for those interested in being challenged.

+1

[Omar15]

"Squeezed-in " problems not only make the wall look cluttered but are demotivating when it's not a clean line up the wall.

Its climbing, not a modern art gallery.

[wolfgang]

Oh, one other thing nice "campus board"!

[Baldy]

Was that some sort of half arsed dig?

I reckon that campus board there is one of the nicest ones I have used,
it doesnt start 3 feet of the ground which a bonus for a start.
And the angle is such that you don't end up dragging your body when you get above 7.

It has been said already - if you dont like it then feck off and dont go there.
Alternatively you can set up a better wall...

[wolfgang]

Yes...its a dig!

That is not a campus board, but your right it is very 'nice' as campus boards go. I do go to gyms to get inspired. Inspired to train, inspired to go outside and that campus board along with many of the 3 move wonders...plus the bonus 3 traversing the top does not tick that box.

Newmans world cup videos, aesthetic, inspiring and pleasing and all of them resin and plastic. Just like the problems iv experienced in The Works, The Depot, The Biscuit to name just a few walls that go the extra hold!

The campus board in the works is a thing of beauty, not to mention its beastmaker board that can be found in the above mentioned depot.

I will continue to go to all walls available to me and criticise them especially when they fall short...pardon the pun.

[lukeyboy]

I will continue to go to all walls available to me and criticise them especially when they fall short...pardon the pun.

Why bother going to tca if you have such strong feelings? Just find another wall that you don't hate and stop whinging 

[slackline]

Just find another wall that you don't hate and stop whinging 

What else is the internet for it not whinging (and pictures of cats).

[Omar15]

pr0n?

[cha1n]

I totally agree about the chalk issue at TCA, I hardly ever see anyone brush a hold. It's also hard to climb at TCA Bristol after climbing at TCA Glasgow because the problems seems so short!

I also agree about the heat, I don't remember the last time I didn't have to go topless there and if you go stand by the fans they're never on unless it's the evening and a bit busier. There is plenty there to go at though, so I don't believe for one second that you couldn't find some decent problems to climb.

The lack of training facilities is a piss take though, I remember having a conversion with someone that I couldn't understand why there isn't more there, especially when the centre was opened by a half decent climber. If I opened my own centre the first thing that went up would be the training stuff for me to train on! I went to the Barn in Devon which is a tiny centre with barely any decent bouldering and even they have decent training facilities.

The intermediate/advanced climbers are definitely being neglected but I think the fact of the matter is we make up such a small amount of the income they just don't care. We've had to moan for years and they're only just talking about a systems board.

[Three Nine]

Yes TCA is utter shite if you want to train for rock climbing, yes the problems are mostly utter shite.

However, there's not a whole lot of competition for them and they're clearly doing very well. I'm not sure that whining on the internet is going to change anything (and I am well into whining on the internet). They do some things there very well - nice friendly staff, nice toilets, glasses instead of water fountain (v nice touch in my view).

[lukeh]

Chain, regarding the heat, have you been down there recently? As someone who climbed topless in there all last winter it definitely feels better this year, I'm warming up with a jumper on have only gone sans tshirt a couple of times in the past few weeks, not for very long each time!

and surely being just a matter of weeks away from a new training corner means that the harder climbers are cared about. (Along with having 2 whole circuits that the majority of climbers don't use...)

I can't quite tell if some of the posts in this thread are trolling or not...  like the brushing 'issue'... really??! Or being scared when going to other centres?!?

I found it quite funny to come back from a trip to stanage the other week to read the comments height/traversing being a problem as I had just had a cracking day ticking The Green Traverse and Zippys Traverse!

[cha1n]

Luke, I haven't been for 3 weeks but prior to that I was going 2 times a week. Perhaps my body isn't very good at cooling itself, who knows.

I think having to wait nearly 4 years for a systems board is a touch on the side of 'neglected' in terms of training facilities but I'll put my hands up, the centre has lots of hard problems for the intermediate/advanced climber just lacking a bit on training stuff. Campusing facilities for pinches and slopers would be a great addition.

Don't get the wrong idea here, I like TCA. I'd rather go there than any of the other local walls in general but having visited boulders recently that have certainly stepped their game up. I don't think there's any denying that the setting has gone down hill recently, I was shocked to find Gav symonds moaning to me about it - especially as he sets there himself.

I'm not sure how adding your weekends tick list was relevant but I think the complaint about the lack of height at TCA is a valid one, but not something they can really do much about. Luckily the mothership makes up for the lack of height.

Three nine, they ditched the 'glasses' and now have a water fountain. It also really annoys me when people rant on about how good the toilets and cafe are. After paying £8 to get in the last thing I want to do is pay £2.50 (or however extortionate it is) for a flapjack and I'd trade the showers and toilets for proper training facilities any day.

[lukeh]

I'm not sure how adding your weekends tick list was relevant

Because both of those problems are starred, and low down. Meaning that height does not make a good boulder problem, in fact I doubt you'd even reach TCA's roof on them despite them being great fun.

But granted I could have been clearer, especially since that paragraph was mainly aimed at wolfgang's comments.

Or,  maybe wolfgang is right! and after climbing in TCA I am now too scared to climb anything above 3m and am doomed to simply endless traverses? 

[Omar15]

I agree, I think TCA should have better training facilities, but as a centre it is so much better than many others. All you haters should try out some of the "gems" of the south-east - Surrey Sports Park for example. What a sack of shite - they don't even let you go topless and it costs £12 for the pleasure. I'd rather spend a month in Fritzl's basement than go there again.

[Dr T]

I agree, I think TCA should have better training facilities, but as a centre it is so much better than many others. All you haters should try out some of the "gems" of the south-east - Surrey Sports Park for example. What a sack of shite - they don't even let you go topless and it costs £12 for the pleasure. I'd rather spend a month in Fritzl's basement than go there again.

and they let Baldy set there.... 

[Duma]

On a positive note, chatting to Tris this evening it seems the old campus board area is getting remodelled next week, so new system board by the new year hopefully.

[Baldy]

I agree, I think TCA should have better training facilities, but as a centre it is so much better than many others. All you haters should try out some of the "gems" of the south-east - Surrey Sports Park for example. What a sack of shite - they don't even let you go topless and it costs £12 for the pleasure. I'd rather spend a month in Fritzl's basement than go there again.

Omar, you literally went there once about 2 years ago...

My setting is boss, I just never get the chance to get in there due to that job thing I do during the week :/

[cha1n]

Training boards are up; http://www.theclimbingacademy.com/blog/2013/1/14/new-training-area.html

[abarro81]

Pedantry perhaps, but surely that's not a systems board - it's just symmetrical with no repeating unit vertically?

[cha1n]

Pedantry perhaps, but surely that's not a systems board - it's just symmetrical with no repeating unit vertically?

Well I suppose TCA didn't claim it was a systems board.

Hey, I'm just happy to have something to train on that won't wreck my skin!