Steve MccClure

Antalya

Above - Bernedette climbs her first F5c+. Before this trip she’d never led anything at all!

Antalya, Turkey’s answer to Kalymnos but different. No seaside maybe, but a zero stress world; walk out of the airport and your taxi awaits. It’s 45mins up to Jo-Si-To’s, the hub of the best climbing; a friendly face and a nice meal welcomes you and then a comfy bed in the wooden chalets, or your own sleeping bag in a tent if you really must. There’s nothing to worry about, no car, no cooking; all you have to do is climb. Cliffs face the sun or the shade, and stay dry in the rain, if you are unlucky enough to have any.
This year I was there again, working with Kath Schirrmacher on our coaching holidays. I was there last year too. I’ve been doing coaching trips for the last 7 or eight years, two weeks or more per year to Kalymnos, Sardinia, Spain and now Antalya. This trip was the best I think. It’s all down to the groups, 2 x 10 people, some faces from previous years, some new, but all really sound; all keen to learn. It makes our job seem easy, we want to give as much as we can, and seeing improvement makes it all so worth it. Footwork and confidence are the key for most. When they drop into place the smiles come easy; Andy on his first 6b, Misha on 7b+ and Steph on 7b, way up from 7a. It sometimes feels like really hard work, then sometimes it feels like a holiday. In between shouting abuse I managed about 5 8b’s, 3 on-sight and one of them a new route, and a bundle of other routes. All were awesome. Work it may be – but I’m sure glad I gave up my office job…

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pics at
http://www.lovetoclimb.co.uk/rock_climbing_galleries/18/Turkey+coaching+holiday+09

November 19, 2009 09:08 AM

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