Yes after the Third Try we are finally calling it quits.We are CLOSED to the General Public as of now, but remain OPEN for the CRAG RATS, Group Bookings (scouts, youth clubs etc.) and Instructional Courses.Yet again the ugly head of Insurance Claims has shown itself, vastly increasing the cost to insure the general public at the Barn, coupled with the increasingly competitive wall industry, has basically made it impossible to sustain the Barn as a General Public Facility.It pains me to accept the reality that, certain 'members' in our climbing community refuse the responsibilty of their own actions. And, this is destined to have an ever increasing impact on the industry. I won't prattle on 'cause most of you out there know the score, its just a wake up call to all!!I'd like to thank 'most' of our members for their support over the years, and without, the Barn wouldn't have evolved into the friendly, atmospheric wall it was so respected for. And, for the means of earning a living it gave a few of us. Cheers.Personally i feel a strange sense loss in terms of what the barn gave me as a Climber, as do a few of the locals ive spoken to. Its odd when i think that a couple of bits of plywood and some lumps of resin can have such an influence on a persons life. I wonder, without all the hours spent in the cellar as a spotty teenager, and the years of training, working, meeting new friends, falling out with old :-) i would most certainly not be where i am now, i may not even be climbing. And, i guess the same with many of you.The final nail in the coffin for me, is the new extension i built to the cellar early this year. This created a fantastic opportunity to train on steep ground and to create long problems (that actual go up), ideal training to get a head start for the summer sports routes. I have yet to find a wall in the North West, that fits this part. So the End is Upon us, i wish the best of luck to all our local competitors and yet again thank our everyone for their support.Adios.Paul Robins
Stolen from the other site. I hope you don't mind me posting it here too, Probes:QuoteYes after the Third Try we are finally calling it quits.We are CLOSED to the General Public as of now, but remain OPEN for the CRAG RATS, Group Bookings (scouts, youth clubs etc.) and Instructional Courses.Yet again the ugly head of Insurance Claims has shown itself, vastly increasing the cost to insure the general public at the Barn, coupled with the increasingly competitive wall industry, has basically made it impossible to sustain the Barn as a General Public Facility.It pains me to accept the reality that, certain 'members' in our climbing community refuse the responsibilty of their own actions. And, this is destined to have an ever increasing impact on the industry. I won't prattle on 'cause most of you out there know the score, its just a wake up call to all!!I'd like to thank 'most' of our members for their support over the years, and without, the Barn wouldn't have evolved into the friendly, atmospheric wall it was so respected for. And, for the means of earning a living it gave a few of us. Cheers.Personally i feel a strange sense loss in terms of what the barn gave me as a Climber, as do a few of the locals ive spoken to. Its odd when i think that a couple of bits of plywood and some lumps of resin can have such an influence on a persons life. I wonder, without all the hours spent in the cellar as a spotty teenager, and the years of training, working, meeting new friends, falling out with old :-) i would most certainly not be where i am now, i may not even be climbing. And, i guess the same with many of you.The final nail in the coffin for me, is the new extension i built to the cellar early this year. This created a fantastic opportunity to train on steep ground and to create long problems (that actual go up), ideal training to get a head start for the summer sports routes. I have yet to find a wall in the North West, that fits this part. So the End is Upon us, i wish the best of luck to all our local competitors and yet again thank our everyone for their support.Adios.Paul RobinsBad news.