The Cliffhanger lament...

Photo - Alex Messenger - BMC

After so much work by so many people it was gut - wrenching that the Cliffhanger Festival in Graves park this year was cancelled. The Friday morning start dawned with biblical rain and it was a very hard call to get things going up - or start taking them down. Unfortunately, the latter became the order of the day.

Yet the British spirit endured and we were determined that some of the show should go on! Thus ensued frantic rearranged logistics to make sure that the British Bouldering Championships went ahead despite the ghastly weather and the BMC were dogged in their travail and despite being wet to the bone - the team got the comp on...

With an impromptu gig  at the Showroom  on Friday night following the cancellation of all the bands due to play - we managed to claw some comfort back & the bands that played showed true northern grit.

We may have been very down - but we were never out - testament to the character of many who in the face of adversity never gave up & decided to stick two fingers up at the weather and crack on... well done chaps...  

Cliffhanger 2012 is here!

Cliffhanger is here! 6^th, 7^th and & 8^th July 2012 - Sheffield Graves Park

Cliffhanger is the UK’s largest outdoor-pursuits festivals, based in one of Sheffield’s biggest green spaces. We're pretty sure that it's actually the UK's biggest outdoor festival for outdoor folk, with over 20,000 visitors in 2 days.
The aim of the event is to Inspire & Involve. Featuring elite competitions and / or professional demonstrations in rock climbing, orienteering, kayaking, mountain biking, running, mountain boarding, skateboarding, slacklining, adventure racing and more, visitors are able to watch incredibly talented sports-people of all ages at the top of their game, and then take part in the very sports they have just been inspired by.
Just a few days until Cliffhanger kicks off and the big top marquee's up and this year promises to be bigger and better than ever.    

• NEW 50k Cycle Sportive + MTB slalom & X country
• NEW 5k trail run
• NEW live music stages on Fri & Sat evenings
• NEW onsite camping village
• NEW online advance booking

Cliffhanger - where else can you camp, climb, bock, bop, run and ride all in one weekend?

Organised by Sheffield City Council with Heason Events, we’ve teamed up with Rat Race Adventure Sports to put on a ‘Festival within a Festival’ at Rat Race Basecamp for that quintessential summer festival vibe with onsite camping and a live music arena on Friday and Saturday nights.

The move to a new venue - Sheffield's Graves Park, the city's largest green space - means even more of all the elite competitions and family-friendly have-a-go demos we're renowned for.

Once you've paid your £7 entry (£6.50 online in advance & free for accompanied under 16s) there's loads to do for free during the day including:

• British Bouldering Championships in the big top marquee + 7 mobile climbing walls with free coaching.
• Trials bike stunt displays, Welsh Bocking, Slack-lining, Bike Polo, Roller Derby, Cycle Speedway, Scuba Diving, Story Tent, Caving, Disc Golf, Skateboarding, Parkour and a Rope Course.
• Plus NEW Mountain Bike Downhill Slalom and Cross Country Eliminator Races and three Orienteering Courses.

RatRace Basecamp are hosting an onsite camping village as well holding a 5k Rat Run trail race on Saturday and 50k Rat Ride Cycle Sportive out into the Peak District on Sunday.

And we can't wait for the chance to chill out with a drink at the beer tent, listening to the great line-up of live music on Friday and Saturday nights.  If you want to get in the mood, why not listen to the Spotify playlist of the bands on the line-up.

Want to get a taster of what's in store?  Check out this excellent video of last year's event by film-maker Dan Habershon--Butcher.

Festival co-organiser Matt Heason from Heason Events says:  “We’ve had a brilliant run of festivals at Millhouses Park but Cliffhanger’s become such a fixture on the climbing calendar and so popular with lovers of all outdoors and adventure sports that we’re aiming even higher this year with a bigger venue and even more have-a-go activities, demos and elite competitions.”

Jim Mee, Managing Director of Rat Race Adventure Sports says:  “When you’ve exhausted yourselves at Cliffhanger, come along to RatRace Basecamp and listen to some absolutely stonking live music and enjoy our beer tent and the rest. That’s not forgetting the Rat Race Store of course, crammed full of shiny stuff from bags to bikes; racks to ropes. Then pitch your tent in the BASECAMP village and enjoy a night or two under the stars.”
Find it all out here!

http://www.cliff-hanger.co.uk/

…hope to see you there!

Si