270 Climbing Festival

On the 24th January 2026, Access to Climb were thrilled to be invited to attend Grit's inaugural paraclimbing festival at 270 Climbing. The day was a true celebration of our community, organised and ran by local paraclimbers, it

was an all round brilliant event.

The day kicked off with a junior paraclimbing competition - which was one of the first of it's kind. As para categories start to become more common in adult competitions, the same is not yet translating into junior competitions. This made it even more special to see so many fired up kids tackling some spicy climbs. The kids put in an incredible effort, with some impressive tops on some very challenging routes. It was great to see some many different impairments and disabilities represented amongst the junior section too. Without a doubt, a few of these kids will be breaking into the GB paraclimbing team in a few years time!

The good vibes continued into the afternoon as the adult competition kicked off. There was an awesome turn out, with somewhere near 50 competitors taking part. With participants including both seasoned international athletes and first time competitors, it felt like a very unifying event - bringing people from across the community together to celebrate our sport.

Once everyone had completed 2 climbs, score cards were taken in and reviewed. In the meantime, participants were given an opportunity to get a glimpse into sight guiding. GB Paraclimbing athlete Emily Wright demonstrated a climb whilst her sight guide shared how she guides Emily up the route. Afterwards, some of the other participants got the chance to attempt the climbs blind folded to get an insight into climbing with a sight guide.

The day rounded off with podiums for all of the categories, celebrating the grit and determination that everyone had laid out on the wall.

The success of the event was not only testament to our wonderful paraclimbing community, but also to the hard work and commitment of many volunteers within our community. A special shout out must go to Emily Wright, James Rudge and the rest of the Grit & 270 Climbing team who enabled this event to happen. Thank you for everything you do, you're truly awesome!