SINGAPORE (Team Geared Up) - Keep an eye on The Short Span for details of the Irish Bouldering Meet 2008. The Fifth Annual Irish Bouldering Meet will be on the weekend of Friday 29th Febuary to Sunday 2th March based in the I.M.C Hut in Glendasan Country Wicklow.

This is a fantastic weekend for new & international climbers to meet the regulars in the Irish scene. I always look forward to the photography after these meets. Excellent photos always seem to keep coming from Dave Flanagan.

Also see Beardown Productions video of their visit from the UK to the 2005 meet and The Short Span’s Bouldering Guide to Ireland (PDF).

-Robin.

(Image Credit: Three Sponge Bob Square pants walk in on a dinger of a day. Photo by Dave Flanagan.)

Thank you for being one of 200,000 visitors to Team Geared Up blog < http://blog.teamgearedup.com> in 2007. We’re running at a 20% return-visit rate now with visitors from an estimated 164 countries (16% are Irish). Love it! Our most popular articles were about Vibram 5 Fingers, BBC’s Live Rock Climbing, Salomon Speed Cross and the 53 Degrees North shop.

To celebrate a fantastically great blogging year we’re having our first pub-meet in Dublin, Ireland on December 27th. While it’s our first time all meeting each other (nearly all TGU authors/bloggers are back in Dublin for the first time!), we’d like it to be our first time to meet you too! Bring your outdoor mates ;-) it’s a bit of a random pub, the more the merrier and we’ll all be there for sure! Join us!

Free pint for the first 3 people brave enough to show up to go drinking dressed for their ’sport’ (and no, drinking/walking doesn’t count - I’m looking for full-body-lycra, goggles, helmets, expedition down suits and wetsuits! lol).

Date/Time: 9pm, 27th of December 2007 (This Thursday!).

Location:
Upstairs in - The Hairy Lemon
42 Lower Stephen Street
Dublin 2.

Map:

Big apologies if you’re not in Dublin and this only serves to disappoint! If you’d like to be informed of any plan changes RSVP to me :-)

*cough* *cough* I wonder if any Irish outdoor shops or publications would like to sponsor a round of Christmas drinks! Here’s hoping! *cough*

Happy Christmas all.

-Robin.

ANTRIM, NORTHERN IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - The Slaughter involved four ascents, from sea level in Rostrevor, to the summit cairn atop Slieve Martin (485 metres) by four different routes, on a bike, and descending by a different route each time.

Dreamt up by Rostrevor bikers Not The Sunday Run as a fun challenge for TrailBadger.com, the inaugural “Slieve Martin Slaughter” took place on 10 November 2007.

21 eager bikers met at Rostrevor Forester’s Hut to start the route, which involved 2,400 vertical metres of climbing over 46km.

Given the climbing involved and the twisting singletrack on offer, it was a toss-up between a feather-light XC bike or the 46lb Royal Mail lady postman’s bike that I had recently found in a river. Somehow, the latter came up trumps.

Sporting drum brakes that had not taken kindly to their weeks/months in the river, and 3 road gears, none of which were any help on the way up, a further challenge was the big mail-box on the front, which stymied any chance of seeing where the front wheel was going!

To add to my troubles, the old frame developed a hairline fracture after the first descent. By the fourth, although it had grown into a gaping wound, it was acting like the suspension unit I so desperately needed.

Most of my day involved hanging over the front, trying and failing to find a comfortable climbing position, wheeling or carrying the bike up, fending off postman gags, or sitting over the back wheel on the mudguard utterly terrified on the descents.

The one advantage the post-bike had was that wherever it was pointed, its sheer weight and momentum left a rideable trail in its wake as wide as a Land Rover.

Finally, taking nearly 7 hours of fun, thrills and pain, only 7 souls finished, due to a mixture of circumstances. Henry, Gerry, Rick, Enda, Alan, Mark and Rowan are all proud to have become the first ever Slieve Martin Slaughterers!

A big thanks goes to the guys at Not The Sunday Run, for looking after us all day.

See the photos and report at Not The Sunday Run (NTSR)
Visit TrailBadger.com – Mountainbike Trails in Northern Ireland
Visit the Tango & Cash blog for more shenanigans

-Rick-

(Photo Credits: From Not The Sunday Run)

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - Congratulations to Team Geared Up Blogger Aisling Coppinger who qualified to represent Ireland at the World Mountain Running Trophy! Earlier in the summer, Aisling ran for Ireland at the European Mountain Running Championships.

Next week, Aisling travels to Switzerland complete the Jungfrau Marathon and the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge (as does TGU Blogger Eoin), good luck to both of you! I’m sure we’ll get lots of updates from both of you guys from over there.

Check-out Aisling’s personal blog and Wednesday Night Runners blog.

We wish good luck to all the Irish team travelling to the Worlds:

Managers:

Jim Dalton, Vivian O’Gorman, Cormac O’Ceallaigh

Junior women:

Michelle Finn (Captain), Carol Huet, Eimear Tangney

Junior men:

Eoin Rowan (Captain), Jason O’Byrne, Eoin Pierce, Kian Jennings

Non-travelling reserves: Michael Dowling and Colm Murray

Senior women:

Edel Mooney (Captain), Aisling Coppinger, Aoife Joyce, Laura Flynn

Non-travelling reserves: Tish McCann and Orla McEvoy

Senior men:

Eoin McKenna, Barry Minnock, Owen Gahan, Robin Bryson (Captain), Martin Bradshaw, Ciaran Fitzpatrick

Non-travelling reserves: Tom Blackburn and Peter O’Farrell

Aisling, we’re really proud to have you on-board.

-Robin-

(Image Credit: Aisling at the World Trophy Trials by Lindie Naughton via Flickr Account)

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - The Rat Race is where teams of three race in a multi-disciplined challenge of navigation, endurance, skills and guts running, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, abseiling, and tackling a course that’s only revealed hours before they begin, all within a concrete urban environment - London City on 29th/ 30th September! Watch the Promo Video!

Adventure Class
This is the full throttle full fat fully loaded Rat Race: a 3 hour evening “Mean Streets” prologue followed by an all day race on the Sunday. ANYONE can take part (subject to general fitness requirements) and any team will have equal chance to shine on the differing activities in the course. There will be fantastic prizes for first, second and third places and spot prizes throughout the field. The Saturday night event is the same as below (so read about it there) and on the Sunday this is where you draw from your adventure arsenal your bike, your climbing gear, you map and compass and your slickest lycra. Because you are going supersonic on a rampage across the city by bike, boat, foot and rope. You’ll finish some time in the afternoon and you will have absolutely loved (nearly) every minute of it. And you will have seen the city in a totally unique and different way.

Mean Streets Class
Again, the entry for the Mean Streets Class is open to ANYONE too and is designed to give a taste of the event atmosphere and of adventure racing in a bite sized chunk! OR you go all out and run for miles collecting as many checkpoints as you can. It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s absolutely hilarious. The Mean Streets Class is also the 3 hour evening prologue for the above Adventure Class entrants. Most of the event is based on foot and you may walk, run, crawl or hopscotch round the course, depending on what you like, as the format allows for fun, exertion and entertainment over lesser distances. There are plenty of prizes allocated. The object is to achieve as many points as possible by visiting as many checkpoints as possible; some of these may be in famous (or lesser known) places, there may be activities or there may be special tasks to complete.

I’m planning on entering a team.

-Robin-

The following workshop is being run this September in the Burren. Bren Whelan is the Assocation of Mountaineering Instructors’ Irish Rep and is attempting to raise awareness amongst active climbers and mountaineers about what’s involved in becoming a Mountaineering Instructor. The weekend is not about being assessed, it’s about getting out climbing with Irish Mountain Instructors’ who will help give you an insight into what the scheme is all about and how you can get started on the road to becoming an MIA or MIC.

You can download the syllabus booklet here.

Or check the Association of Mountaineering Instructors website at.

Details:

Workshop date: SAT 22nd – SUN 23rd SEPTEMBER ‘07

Location: The Burren, Co. Clare

The Mountain Instructor Scheme provides comprehensive training and assessment for individuals working as instructors in the mountains of Ireland and the UK.

The Mountain Instructor Award (MIA) is for instructors working in summer conditions and covers the skills to teach, train and assess multi-pitch rock climbing, scrambling and other mountaineering skills.

DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MIA?

How to get ready for training?
What will the assessment consist of?
What work will be available to you once qualified?

Through indoor presentations and outdoor practical workshops this weekend will be fronted by some of Ireland’s most actively involved mountaineering instructors. The aim is to present an informed clear picture of the award and dispel some of the myths and encourage you towards the Mountain Instructor Scheme.

WHO IS IT FOR?

Anyone who want to be actively involved in all aspects of mountaineering?
Anyone who is passionate about working in the outdoor environment?
Anyone who is committed to being a professional instructor?

Cost €55 (€35 for MCI members) per person (accommodation or catering not included)

For further information and booking contact Tim at training@mountaineering.ie or check www.mountaintraining.ie for details

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - We’ve just seen the results. Congratulations to our Aisling and the rest of the Irish Team at the European Mountain Running Championships. Aisling completed the 8.5km with 1010m ascent course in 1h12′41”.

We’ve got to say a good job to our Irish team:

MAXWELL Fiona (Irl)
SLOAN Tricia (Irl)
SHANNON Alwynne (Irl)
COPPINGER Aisling (Irl)
BRYSON Robin (Irl)
MULLEN Colm (Irl)
DUNCAN Stephen (Irl)
GUIREY Ronan (Irl)

More at 6th EMRC

Image Credit: Photo from official site at 7.5km point of route. Conditions underfoot do not look easy.

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - The Raw Outdoors Irish Adventure Festival incorporating the Banff Film Festival will offer four days of entertainment on adventure and outdoor based activities, sports, culture, art and mountain communities in Ireland.

The best news, is Sir Ranulph is going to be there to open the festival!

Wednesday 3rd, October 2007 - “Festival Lecture - Sir Ranulph Fiennes”

Thursday 4th, October 2007 - “The World Around US”

Friday 5th October 2007 - “Pure Adrenaline Night”

Saturday 6th October 2007 - “Adventure Family Day”

Visit Festival Website: http://www.irishadventurefestival.com

-Robin-