Simon Lee climbing Spaghetti Rock (F6c+) at Isilli, Central Sardinia. A new(ish) location offering great climbing, easy access and a good spread of grades and (usually) great weather.

Yours truly clipping on Cup-of-Joe (F8a) in Carrot Creek in the Canadian Rockies; an un-sung yet great summer trip destination.

Ben Moon revisiting his epoch-making Statement of Youth (F8a) at LPT, North Wales - the first route of its grade in the UK climbed back in 1984.

Alan Murray and Pete Barrass (the faceless one!) enjoying Night Glue (F7a+) down on LPT, North Wales on a fine winter’s day. This thanks to standard-kit of duvet jacket and fleece trousers etc..

French limestone offers some of the climbing in the world. Seynes, in the south of France, is a quality winter destination.

Steve McClure during an on-sight attempt on Ne Dieu Ni Maitre (F8b+), a monster pumpfest at Lourmarin, Provence, France.

Red Rock, Las Vagas, USA offers awesome climbing on the red sandstone. The Gift (F7c), at The Gallery was famously free-soloed by John Bachar though most climbers ‘enjoy’ roped ascents!

The UK isn’t renowned for a wealth of good, easy sport climbing. Despite having a life-time of hard climbing LPT, North Wales also has a number of good, easy sport routes including the likes of Skin Game (F6a+).

In contrast to the UK, Spain – as with much of Europe – is rammed with high-quality easy sport climbs. Ex-pat Adam enjoys a three-star (yet un-named) classic F6b at Barrots on the Monstant Escarpment on the Costa Durada.

Steve McClure captured redpointing a F8c+ amidst a redpointing spree at Saint Lynia, Spain. Steve dispatched the route on his 2nd redpoint on day#2, having fallen off the last few hard moves on day#1!

Sport climbing venues frequently feature impressive cave/grotte features – El Bovedon on the Costa Blanca, Spain is typical with routes spanning from F6b+ to F9a. Here Chris Sowden is cranking out Route#19 (F7c+).

Warming up before trying hard sport climbs is key and nothing gets your power levels up like throwing-on some hard boulder problems. Here Jerry Moffatt is captured on his all-time classic, Powerband (Font 7c), a 16-move traverse at Raven Tor, UK.

Perhaps the more usual method of warming-up is by doing a succession of increasingly harder routes. Chris Sowden and Simon Lee are doing just that at Isilli, Sardinia.

There’s no denying that continental crags are, more often than not, wonderful on-sighting paradises. Les Bruixes @ Teradetts in Spain is one such venue amongst many. Route after route of great quality climbing lies in wait for the visitor.

Sport climbing has seen some spectacularly long sieges – not least on first ascents. Seb Grieve – famous grit-god and Hard Grit star – racked up 3 years before he was successful on K3 (F8a+)on the Chee Dale Cornice, UK.

Working the crux of sport routes is a key aspect and as well as being time consuming it can be frustrating especially when it’s boulder-problem style route. Typical of that genre is Hubble (F8c+) demonstrated here by its creator, Ben Moon.

Once you have a firm the grasp of redpointing the skills are transferable to anywhere in the world. Wildside, Costa Blanca, Spain is rammed with redpoint targets, Andreas Bindhammer is captured retro-redpointing Dosis (F8b+) during a ‘training trip’.

Andreas Bindhammer pulling through the lower crux of Dosis (F8b+) on Wildside, Costa Blanca, Spain.

Stripping overhanging routes is hard work and potentially dangerous. Develop a systematic method and pay particular attention at the bottom of the route when you may swing-out and hit obstacles behind you. The backdrop here is Seynes in the south of France.

Rest day are boring? Discuss! Here Rob Napier and Rich Simpson are caught chillin’ out whilst on a trip to Suirana, Costa Durada, Spain.

Rob Napier swotting up during a rest day, again at Suirana, Spain.

Some choose ‘active rest’ for rest day activities; Steve McClure ‘coasteering’ off the Devon coast on the middle ‘rest day’ of a 3-day trip.

Sunbathing - the ultimate restday activity at the ultimate hot-rock destination, Railay, Thailand.

Hard redpointing is demanding – ask Steve McClure or watch him in Psyche or Hard XS! Steve’s captured here on the headwall of Overshadow (F9a+) his 2007 testpiece at Malham, UK. Overshadow is probably the UK’s hardest sport route from the best sport climber the UK has produced for the last two decades.

Developing new sport routes is hard work and a time-consuming business is not to be underestimated. Pick natural lines of weakness if possible and think carefully about the bolt positions before committing to the lead bolts. Chris Addy is captured repeating one of my earlier routes, Jug Jockey (F7c+) on the Chee Dale Cornice, UK.

New routing on the continent is completely different than here in the UK where lines are fiercely ‘protected’ by the climber developing the line. In contrast, entire cliffs overseas are bolted by ‘cliff developers’ and left to others to climb! Top Japanese climber, Dai Koyamada, is ‘having a look’ at Electroman, an unclimbed project in Grotte du L’Our, Calanques in the south of France.

Suirana, Costa Durada in Spain is a ‘destination’ venue firmly established on the world’s ‘must visit’ list. Climbers arrive for a few weeks and stay a few months if not a few years! And it’s easy to see why given the great weather, climbing and laid-back scene. Joy!