Hi everyone,
There will be a beginners trip to Bangor on Sunday the 29th of April. It’s a great chance to get out on real rock for the first time, or if you want more experience climbing outdoors. The trip will be lead by me (Nik), Daniel Holt and Sam Doss (If he’s still capable of climbing following his trip to the Grampians). Please post below if you’re coming. Also please post if you have a car and how many people you can take there. Also note that if you’re not a total beginner you’re still very welcome, as you are if can lead yourself and want to come along for a day in the sun. The trip will be capped at 12 people. A few more leaders would be appreciated if anyone can spare the time. A post will be going up on the website when I can get it working, but we’ll run with Facebook for now.

IMPORTANT: Please register for the trip using the form below.

Who’s already registered?

SURMC will once again be running a 4 week training program for our beginner and intermediate climbers. Both will be held on Tuesdays at the ledge starting on May 1st and continuing for 4 consecutive weeks. The beginners group will be taught by Laelia from 6pm-8pm and the intermediate group will be run by Heather from 7pm-9pm. The sessions will be designed to improve your technique, teach you better training methods and ways of approaching new climbs. Use your own judgment when choosing which group to sign up for but generally if you\’re climbing 16 or less or climbing blue tape boulder problems then sign up for the beginners and if you\’re climbing 17-21 or working on yellow tape boulder problems then you can sign up for the intermediate. There will be a separate training session held for our advanced climbers next semester. When signing up please make sure you can commit to all 4 sessions and that you arrive early enough to warm up beforehand. The club will be paying Laelia and Heather for their coaching so all it will cost you is the climbing fee for the night. Please respect this opportunity and make sure you attend all sessions in their entirety. At the moment I haven\’t set a cap on the numbers but if a lot of people sign up the board may have to decide who will attend the training. This will be determined by a number of factors such as general club participation and how long you are likely to stay an involved member. When signing up below please indicate in the comments section if you are joining the beginner or intermediate training so we can keep track of numbers for both. Happy climbing everyone!

IMPORTANT: Please register for the trip using the form below.

Who’s already registered?

In an unassuming corner of Victoria is the premier climbing destination in Australia, Mt Arapiles. Great rock, great climbing, great climbing on great rock with friends…what more could you ask for?

The climbing there is mostly trad(itional). If you don’t know what that means and you’re new to climbing, don’t fret. You’re most definitely welcome as well. The grades range from easy to hard, but even the ‘easiest’ ones are classics and so worth doing. Dates are provisional at the moment, but currently I think many people want to leave Sydney on Friday the 6th of April and arrive at Arapiles on Sunday 8th. Then stay there for about a week and get back to Sydney by the 15th.

Arapiles is about a 14 hour drive from Sydney or a four hour drive from Smellbourne/Melbourne. That’s a long distance, so if you’re carpooling, it’d be very helpful if you can drive as well. This will saves the driver a lot of grief. If you need to get back to Sydney early, you need to make sure that there’s going to be someone who’s going back on the same day!

Weatherwise – sunny. Probably.

Staying at the campground is $2 every night, but payment is based on a trust system and there won’t be anyone forcing you to. But really, it’s not much to pay.

There are NO showers at Arapiles. But there are showers in the nearest town.

so what sort of things will you need?

A tent. If you can’t get one and all else fails, there’s a covered shelter/patio or somesuch close by.
A sleeping bag.
A stove, unless you like cold meals.
Fuel for the stove.
Pots and pans, cutlery etc.
Food (Fiona has written a guide, study it religiously: http://www.surmc.org.au/camping-cooking/). People will likely make food runs into the nearest town, Natimuk or Horsham.
A folding deck chair, it really helps! Sitting on the ground is overrated and hurts your bum.
A torch/headtoorch + batteries. Remember it. It will make your stay so much easier.
Water: there’s a water tank next to the campground. It’s supposed to taste funny but I never had a problem with it. You’d be surprised how much water you get through on a hot day, so remember to hydrate. Also you’ll need the water for cooking.
Sunscreen – slip slap slop.
Clothing wise, of course you’ll want something you can climb comfortably in. But it can also get surprisingly cold at night.

Beer. This really goes without saying.
Lastly, bring your sense of fun.

If you’re interested, can you leave a comment below so we can have a general idea of how many people want to go? Thanks.

I just want to give a shout out to all the new members of SURMC. If you haven’t already, come along to the Ledge Climbing Centre on Wednesday from about 5pm and introduce yourselves. As our club night, most of us will be there and it’s a great way to meet up with other climbers. We usually use that time to plan trips as well. Afterwards, we head to the Forest Lodge pub, just a short walk away for dinner. If you have questions, feel free to contact members of the board (see ) or in person on Wednesday.

Don’t put it off with lame excuses of ‘just starting uni and need to make a good impression’ and ‘but my Honours thesis!’. There’s no excuse for not climbing!

Welcome back to semester everyone! In order for some of the new and old members to start mingling this year SURMC will be having start of semester drinks this Thursday 22nd at The Little Guy bar in Glebe.  Since this is a very informal gathering we’ll be meeting there around 8pm and all food/drinks will be pay for your own. This bar has recently been named one of the top five in sydney so it should definitely make for a good night out. Hope to see everyone there!

Attention SURMC masses: It’s time for our annual general meeting. This is where we say goodbye to the old committee and welcome in the new one. Available positions are written below and descriptions can be found on the club executives page. This is a democratic process so feel free to run for any position you want even if you’ve heard that someone else is interested in the same position. If you’re not looking to run for anything we would still appreciate your attendance so you can vote on people who are running. The meeting will be held at our usual hangout The Flodge from about 8pm so come along after your climb on Wednesday.

Positions: President, Male Vice President, Female Vice President, Club Captain, Secretary, Treasurer, Gear Officer, Safety Officer, Trip Officer, Social Officer, Publicity Officer, Membership Officer and Web Officer

Hope to see everyone there!

Hello fellow climbers. In the midst of all the end of semester madness SURMC will be throwing an end of year party to give you an excuse to stop studying. It will be on Friday, November 4th at 6pm although people are welcome to come earlier than that if they want. The house will be completely rearranged to ensure maximum partying efficiency and as usual people will be allowed to stay over so they don’t have to drive home that night. If enough people are keen we can also have a massive brunch in the morning.

To offset costs it’ll be $15 per person, but that will include all food and beverage for the night. There will be a keg and a punch bowl (not for the faint of heart) and debauchery is certain to abound. Feel free to bring anything over that you think will add to the merriment (pinatas, twister, condoms, etc.) If you have any questions feel free to ask Alisa. Hope to see everyone there!