Rhys Morris Unit 5 AO 1 Introduction Participation in outdoor activities for public service.

In this assignment I will be writing about three outdoor activities: climbing, trekking, abseiling. I will also examine the accessibility, initial costs, facilities and clubs and societies to do with these activities in the Swansea area. I will then compare this to the same activities in other countries. Climbing Climbing in and around the Swansea area is really easy as you have plenty of facilities and locations to choose from. For example the LC2 (Leisure Centre 2) is a good place to get kids to get into the activity as there is a 30 foot climbing wall you can use, with all the equipment provided for you. For only 3.50 per session. There is also Dynamic Rock in Clydach who encourage people to have taster sessions so you can learn the basics of the sport for 19 per session for an hour. Dynamic Rock is a good place to go as it is a member of the Association of British Climbing Centres, so you know they have a team of dedicated instructors. People in Swansea have the opportunities to do Rock Climbing as it is advertised in the UKC Classified ads.

South Wales Mountaineering Club has regular meetings in Swansea and Cardiff they arrange regular climbs throughout Britain. After you have trained inside you would be able to move onto more difficult climbs e.g. Climbing rocks on Rhossili. Here is a guide to climbing in the Rhossili area from the South Wales Mountaineering Club. http://www.southwalesmountaineering.org.uk/g_book/index.php/Rhossili I would trust this guide as South Wales Mountaineering Club is associated with the BMC who are a trusted Society. Climbing Equipment It is important to get good climbing equipment if you are a beginner. If you dont you could end up hurting yourself if you buy weak rope or climbing shoes with not that good grip. Here is some price ranges for safe climbing equipment, I got these prices from bannafingers.com. Climbing shoes 140 Climbing harness cost between 25-107. A Climbing helmet costs between 35-62. Climbing rope costs between 72-117. Climbing holds costs between 18-63. These are current prices in 2011. You also need a rucksack and suitable clothing to be able to climb. For more difficult climbs you would need extra equipment e.g. head lamp etc.

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Clubs and societies for Rock Climbing British Mountaineering Council (BMC) Benefits of being a BMC member is that you get advice on your climbs if you are only doing it with your friends or you could go to a climb with them and discounts off climbing equipment. The BMC is also asks laws to be passed by the government on access. So rock climbers can go to different and new areas without trespassing or putting themselves at danger.

South Wales Mountaineering Club was established in 1960 and is associated with the BMC. You have to be 18 for a full membership or a junior membership if youre aged between 7-17. Being a member of the South Wales Mountaineering Club would be a could idea if you are living in Swansea as they give you good guides for climbing in the Gower and other places in South Wales.

Rock Climbing in America Rock climbing in America is basically the same as in the UK. It has good accessibility to people who live in the main states as I have researched some indoor rock climbing facilities and have found some popular routes for outdoor climbers. If you live in Florida you can go to the X-treme indoor rock climbing centre, which is in south Florida and is accessible from all parts of the state as it has a list of directions on its website. (http://www.x-tremerock.com) New York also has an indoor rock climbing centre In Albany; East of New York called the A.I.R Centre (Albanys indoor rock gym) they also have directions on their website. (http://www.airrockgym.com) I think American Rock climbing is a little bit stricter on rules and regulations as on every website I have visited researching this assignment your parents have to sign a wavier if you are under the age of 18 in case you hurt yourself whilst climbing. I have emailed Dynamic rock to ask them if parents need to sign a waiver for a person that is under the age of 18 and they have replied saying yes you do need your parents signature even if they are in the building but if you are a competent climbing and you are 14, you can take a test to see if you are good enough to climb without supervision.

Abseiling Abseiling in Swansea is very accessible as Wales Outdoors Limited offers a day out in which you do Abseiling, Rock Climbing and Caving all in mumbles. Again all the equipment is provided for you for a price of 55 for adults and 37.50 for under 18s. You can also do Abseiling as part of another sport, Canyoning. Canyoning is similar to gorge walking except it includes Abseiling. This is a description of Canyoning on the chilisauce website. Canyoning is travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques. You will cover a distance of 4 km, descending 200m down waterfalls and rapids, abseiling, scrambling, swimming and jumping, the highest jump being 30ft! This is a high adrenaline activity ideal for adventurous groups with a taste for challenging physical activities. (http://www.chillisauce.co.uk) Abseiling would be a good hobby to do but I think it is more of a

Rhys Morris special occasional thing as it is so dangerous and I think weather conditions in Britain dont help most of the year. Equipment Just like climbing and any other outdoor activity it is very important you have the correct equipment. As the BMC quoted a common and false perception of abseiling is that it is an adventure activity that is completely safe. But as many have discovered accidents do occur even in controlled circumstances. What this means is that abseiling is not as safe as everybody thinks and should not be attempted without the correct equipment. The BMC go on to say that most experienced climbers or mountaineers will try to avoid Abseiling unless it is the only option of a climb, as it is so dangerous. These are some of the basic pieces of equipment that you will need whilst Abseiling. Harness Belay device (a device to control the speed of your rope.) Rope Anchor Helmets Gloves Knee pads Abseiling in Australia

Abseiling in Australia is the same as in the U.K but it is known as rappelling. Blue Mountains Adventure company has a different opinion on abseiling than the BMC as they think it is safe doing abseiling in a controlled manner. I dont agree with this as many things could go wrong when you are abseiling such as a dodgy anchor which looks safe but many of them are disintegrating. If you are abseiling down a cliff and your rope is dangling in the water the sea can suck it down and can get caught on a rock. Your rope gets jammed. On most of the websites I have visited Abseiling in Australia it isnt really an outdoor activity it is more of a technique used by the military. The technique is used as a military 'assault' technique whereby a soldier is belayed, allowing them to face down the descent and fire a weapon. (www.wikipedia.org) what this means is basically a soldier is abseiling down a wall but his body isnt upright so he can fire his weapon.

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