[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!