[mlu200]

Went to have a boulder yesterday and was really impessed, place looked great and loads of different routes, although I dont have any skin left on my fingers!

[account_inactive]

Went for a climb on Saturday.  It's another level.  Great well made features, amazing changing rooms and chill out area.  Also a well thought out kids area and viewing arena.  Can't wait to see the next stage after they recover from all their hard work

[cofe]

checked it out sat morning. looks great. much more to come too.

[robertostallioni]

Took Team Stallion to the Depot this afternoon. Met Olly and Steve for the first(ish) time and thought they were both remarkably fresh faced for a couple of blokes who have put an awful lot of their energy into this fantastic place recently. The depot itself is currently a bit of a death star - operational but incomplete. Phase 2 will be something to behold, somebody needs to show Olly how to work that camera and get some more shots on flickr....

[Stubbs]

Went on Sunday for 'a quick look' ended up bouldering for three hours... What is open at the moment  is amazing: great use of the space, good angles and good transitions between the different angles.  The setting was also generally very good, as is the range of holds (lots of core and slap, plus the better shapes that holdz have to offer).  Once the back bit is open, with the promise of a very large training board, campus boards and finger boards it should be pretty much unsurpassed as a training venue.  Good work guys!

[dobbin]

amazing changing rooms

I thought the police said if there was a repeat of the incident at the climbing works then you would be locked up for good this time?

[moose]

Visited The Depot for the first time on friday.  I was very impressed with the facilities and the problem setting. 

The environment is light, airy and very well lit.  There is ample storage space for belongings and a comfortable lounge for chilling between sessions.  The only main problem I foresee facilities-wise is that, if the wall gets the traffic it deserves, parking will be a bitch!  The cake I took home for supper was good too.  Although, on reflection I suspect that I should have ignored the recommendation for a blueberry muffin and opted for cinnamon - a better combination with custard you see!

All of the above is nice, but nothing without decent problems.  Frankly my dears, I don't give a damn about changing and shower facilities.  Like a medieval monk I believe a healthy stench keeps the demons out, and that lice are "God's Pearls".  Happily the setting, at least on my vist, did not disappoint - being strenusous and interesting. 

You see, when I go to a wall my priority is to come away stronger for the experience, as compensation for the shame of not having climbed outdoors.  Regardless of my taste for gritstone foot-faggotry, I'm not keen on smeary, technical problems indoors; "man in a box" style palming and bridging leaves me cold.  For instance, at The Works I tend to stick to the Competition Wall - many of the circuit problems often leave me with the unwelcome feeling that I'm failing because of a lack of beta.  I prefer to be presented with the doubt-free delineation of strong versus weak (and the less said the better about walls that present tenuous low-percentage moves at an uncomfortable height above pointy volumes).  I seem to be one of the few people who loves the Leeds Wall's concentration on steep, unremitting, and relatively straight-forward tests of prowess (that I'm one of the few people with a comparable wing-span to Dave Cowl may be a factor in this!).  I sadly suspect that if I designed a wall it would be an uninterupted 30-degree overhang studded with crimps!

The Depot appears, from one visit admittedly, to provide a compromise between my base instincts and the opinions of those mentally balanced types who want to have fun.  The circuits are of around 20 problems and each covers an overlapping two V-grade band (i.e. V1-2, V2-3, V3-4 etc) - so there appears to be plenty of scope for every ability.  The facility itself has a varied architecture with a range of angles and shapes - largely gently over-hanging, but with lots of prows, a horizonal roof, and a particularly nice convex overhang that I just wish was bigger.  Most importantly though, the problems themselves were very good - lots of the positive pulling that I crave, but with enough invention to assuage any boredom.  I came away satisfied, feeling thoroughly "worked", enthused by some of the interesting moves I had performed, and wanting an excuse to return and pit a fresh body against some unfinished business. 

Who knows, maybe my visit was a one-off - like a great first album: superb because it's been a lifetime in the making - thoroughly honed before its presentation to the public.  Perhaps, when the holds have lost their lovely grippiness and setting has become a chore it will no better than any other rainy-day retreat.  Let's face it: there will never be a wall that, I'll walk out from afterwards and, on finding that it's now sunny, not curse my decision to drive away from Almscliff.   Still, I had a good time... and it was raining hard when I left.....

[andy_e]

I can't wait to be back in Leeds...

[Jaspersharpe]

For instance, at The Works I tend to stick to the Competition Wall - many of the circuit problems often leave me with the unwelcome feeling that I'm failing because of a lack of beta.  I prefer to be presented with the doubt-free delineation of strong versus weak (and the less said the better about walls that present tenuous low-percentage moves at an uncomfortable height above pointy volumes).  I seem to be one of the few people who loves the Leeds Wall's concentration on steep, unremitting, and relatively straight-forward tests of prowess (that I'm one of the few people with a comparable wing-span to Dave Cowl may be a factor in this!).  I sadly suspect that if I designed a wall it would be an uninterupted 30-degree overhang studded with crimps!

These statements don't add up. 

Next time you're at The Works I would recommend eschewing the heel hooking faggotry of the Comp Wall for one of the two boards, both of which would appear to fit the bill MUCH better! One is a 30 degree board studded with crimps and the other is the best example of a "doubt-free delineation of strong versus weak" I have ever encountered.

 

[a dense loner]

i always refer to it as the board that broke jasper

[Jaspersharpe]

I'm fixed now and did both sides of a symmetrical problem on it on Friday. It wasn't very hard but still. 

[moose]

[quote author=Jaspersharpe link=topic=11085.msg195011#msg195011 date=1239613421
Next time you're at The Works I would recommend eschewing the heel hooking faggotry of the Comp Wall for one of the two boards, both of which would appear to fit the bill MUCH better! One is a 30 degree board studded with crimps and the other is the best example of a "doubt-free delineation of strong versus weak" I have ever encountered.
 
[/quote]

My statements add-up when you consider that I'm a rare visitor to the works - I've only been once since the boards were installed.  So, for 99% of my Works visits it has been straight choice between the Comp Wall and the circuits - and I find the former a better fit to my taste for the steep and easy to read. 

To be honest though I doubt I'm strong enough to do anything on the Beastmaker boards anyway.  I'd just spend 10 minutes failing to pull-on before skulking away hoping nobody noticed!

[Jaspersharpe]

You'd like the 30 degree board I reckon Moose. Lots of good crimpy problems and the easiest is 6C.

[Monolith]

i always refer to it as the board that broke jasper

And I always refer to it as the board that made you.

[a dense loner]

i've still got them pants

[Monolith]

Have you still got the shorts? Girlfriend you were on FIRE that weekend!

[andy_e]

How dare you desecrate sacred monuments! 

I went to the depot on wednesday night and had a fantastic time. A very short warm-up was followed by flashing all but two of the reds - that's 20 in total- and spending the rest of my time there knackered. A great circuit, a lovely building, Steve and Olly were very friendly and helpful, the place feels open and light- unlike the works where some areas are dark and dismal, the problems are very well set, and they've got loads of space to expand into too- all the amkings of a winning training venue! Congratulations on all the hard work Steve and Olly, I'll definitely be seeing you in the near future!

[Steve R]

Had pretty much the same experience as andy some time last week doing the same red circuit.  All the problems were good fun, the one over the steep/roofy barrel being the hardest and best.  Did some of the pinks and some yellows which were all quality too.  Having chattted to olly a bit they seem really keen for feedback...  Couldn't think of anything at the time as I'd enjoyed mesen but it occured to me later that clarification of rules might be worth putting somewhere for some.  For instance, I was a bit unsure on how to start a few of the reds. As in, sitting, squatting, standing?  Matched on the first tagged hold?  Volumes,aretes,etc. in for hands and feet or just feet?  Personally, not that bothered as I just cheat if in doubt and often avoid grim vert wall sit starts and the like but anyway, that's my only slight critisism of phase 1.  Which isn't bad going at all - nice work olly and steve.

[Nike Air]

Just got back from our first visit today and have come away very impressed. They seemed to have combined all the good things that other walls have to offer in one there, from great music to nice toilets etc. I ll defo go back for more.

[Will Hunt]

For me The Depot is great and when the cardio room and the extension is sorted then it will be even better, esp for the crushers such as the Stallion Crew who I met last night.

One complaint is of the lack of poontang. The Leeds Wall seems to attract far more fillies to gawp at. Next time I'll wear my tight tights and see what we can't reel in from Oddfellows 

[andy_e]

such as the Stallion Crew who I met last night.

 

Next time I'll wear my tight tights

 

[robertostallioni]

Andi and Will,

such as the Stallion Crew who I met last night.

 

Next time I'll wear my tight tights

 

Skool starts at 5pm Tuesday. Pop it like its hot.

[mrjonathanr]

Epic! This is going to be a good year for yorkshire climbers...

Why, are you all moving nearer to Hobson Moor?

 

[andy_e]

Exams, sorry. Anyway, I heard what you did to poor Stubbs...

[andy_e]