Combining physical activity with environmental and clean-up initiatives has been trending in the past few years. Making the headlines locally only last week was Neil Agius’ record-breaking sea crossing to raise awareness about his environmental campaign Wave of Change.

Sometime before the pandemic, plogging − the Swedish fitness craze combining jogging and picking up litter – was becoming popular.

On the more extreme front, scuba-diving has often been used for seabed clean-ups and rock climbers have been engaged regularly to remove litter from remote, inaccessible places such as valleys and cliff sides.

The Malta Climbing Club (MCC) has taken part in such initiatives since its inception in 2010. One of their first clean-ups was at Għar il-Latnija, in Mellieħa, a massive open cave that has been used as a dumping ground for years.

“One of the club’s first members, who is a local expert on rope access, provided invaluable assistance and mechanical winches to help extract the bags of rubbish we collected from this wonderful cave,” Stephen Farrugia, PRO of the Malta Climbing Club, recalls.

Since then, the club has partnered with Let’s Do It Malta and other national clean-up campaigns to remove litter from inaccessible areas such as Wied ix-Xaqqa close to Għar Lapsi (another popular fly-tipping site), the plateau below the Top of the World escarpment in Għargħur and Wied Babu, in Żurrieq as well as other clean-ups in collaboration with the Gozo Climbing Association at Wied Mġarr ix-Xini and Wied ix-Xlendi. They have also taken part in a global initiative organised by the  International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) called ‘Respect the Mountains’ when they carried out a clean-up at Wied Babu.

Last November, the club was approached by one of the rangers at Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park to see whether they could lend a hand with removing clusters of fountain grass that had taken over some stretches of the cliff close the park’s entrance. They ended up collecting over nine large bags of the invasive species and other small bits of rubbish they came across.

Only the most experienced of all club members would take part in such initiatives but anyone who’s physically fit can join the club and take part in other fun activities that are organised all year round.

“As with any physical activity, a certain base level of fitness is required to climb. If you can climb a ladder reasonably well, you can join one of our activities,” Farrugia says.

“Obviously, the stronger, more flexible and agile you are, the better but how hard you climb or how much you exert yourself really is down to the individual climber. There are easy climbs, intermediate climbs and difficult climbs. Our youngest climbers are five years old, the eldest pushing well past 70 and we come in all shapes and sizes. What matters most is the motivation to take part.”

What activities does the club organise?

The club holds two main activities on a regular basis, besides sessions for children.

Indoor bouldering sessions are held twice a week at the 1st Sliema Scout Group in Depiro Street, Sliema. In ‘normal’ times, these are open sessions, where experienced volunteers are on hand to guide beginners.

Climbers are environmentalists at heart

“The indoor climbing facility is equipped with international standard matting that can absorb the impact of small falls from the wall, which is around 3.5 metres high,” Farrugia explains.

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Outdoor climbing sessions are held between April and October at around sunset, in different outdoor locations, depending on the time of year. These open sessions are for climbers of all levels of experience, from complete beginner to expert. Beginners are provided with all necessary equipment and complete supervision to ensure safety and enjoyment.

“These meets are also very popular with experienced climbers as they are a way to meet other climbers and get to know the local community as well as a way to give back and mentor beginners in this exciting sport,” the PRO points out.

He adds that some of the popular locations for these meets include Għar Lapsi, Wied Babu, Ix-Xaqqa, Wied il-Għasel and along Victoria Lines at various crags and buttresses, among other places.

The Kids Zone sessions are specially targeted at children aged six to 12 years. It is the first designated children’s climbing club in Malta, where friendly play, team spirit, respect and support to fellow climbers are encouraged.

During the scholastic year, the club holds weekly indoor bouldering sessions at the scouts headquarters in Sliema, where one can learn the basics of bouldering and climbing in a fun and friendly environment. They also hold occasional outdoor events, which become regular in summer.

“Climbing is highly beneficial to children’s development as it improves balance, coordination, flexibility and strength while also instilling a great sense of confidence,” Farrugia remarks.

The club’s overall aim is to make climbing in all its forms accessible, making it as easy as possible for people to experience this thrilling sport. One of their medium-term goals is to establish a formal training programme for climbing guides, which is currently an unregulated activity in Malta.

“We also need to ensure that climbers continue to enjoy access to the valleys and sea cliffs where the climbing routes are found while, at the same time, ensuring that climbing activity does not have a negative impact on the ecology of these areas,” Farrugia says.

In fact, they are taking part in an Erasmus+ project being coordinated by the European Union of Mountaineering Associations  (EUMA), which seeks to establish good practices for minimising the impact of climbing on the mountain- and rock-climbing environment.

“Climbers are environmentalists at heart and it is our aim to preserve and protect the natural environment.”

Plans for the future

Longer-term, they would like to see their athletes participating in international indoor competitions, with an eye on Olympic qualification in the long run.

As with many other sports, the pandemic placed a severe strain on club events as most of the activities for most of 2020 and the first half of 2021 were halted. Besides, the club is currently facing other challenges, some of which were brought on indirectly by the pandemic.

“The pandemic has brought to light the heavy strain humanity is placing on our limited outdoor spaces. This could be anything from access issues with areas suddenly being marked as private property, sabotage of fixed safety equipment due to ‘unwelcome’ climbers’ presence,to increased littering as more people who are not ‘used’ to being outdoors venture into the countryside,” Farrugia notes.

“We are also in the process of launching a new identity for the club, a change which has become necessary due to the various requirements of the different local regulatory bodies.”

The MCC has just resumed regular activities, limiting events as per public health regulations, that is one coach/instructor for every five participants. It will also soon organise a deep-water-soloing boat trip to Comino, which is the club’s most popular climbing event, attended by about 70+ climbers every year.

Follow the MCC’s Facebook page or website for details about this event and more.

About the Malta Climbing Club

The Malta Climbing Club (MCC), founded in 2010, is a non-commercial organisation whose primary aim has always been to promote and develop the sport locally while maximising safety through fostering of good practices.  However, the founders also saw the need for a local organisation to formally represent local climbers’ interests with both local and the national government and other local sports organisations such as SportMalta and the Malta Olympic Committee. 

The club has also worked hard to develop links internationally and, to this end, in 2017, became a full member of both the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (the UIAA), as well as founder member of the European Union of Mountaineering Associations (EUMA).  MCC president Simon Alden is, in fact, a member of the management committee of the UIAA.

On a local level, the MCC has been given national standing for all disciplines of climbing by SportMalta and is in the process of affiliating with the Malta Olympic Committee in light of the sport’s inclusion in the Tokyo Olympics.

To join the club, one must fill an online form that is available here and pay the membership fee.

Membership is for the calendar year and it gives members access to all the club’s outdoor events for free as well as access to the indoor wall in Sliema (for which a per-session fee applies). A club T-shirt is included in the membership. Members also receive a discount from various affiliated outdoor retailers.

The funds raised through membership fees and other club activities go towards the further development of sport-climbing infrastructure in terms of equipping routes at existing crags as well as at new crags/climbing areas.