UKC

I gifted someone a bouldering mat in Chamonix to save hauling it back on the plane, and also to pass on to others when he has finished with it…

As always with UKC it’s great to put a face to a name, and also he very kindly offered me use of it whenever I’m over. As we’re looking to get trains as much as we can from now on, this got me thinking. If we (like minded souls with some spare gear and space in the garage) had a little network of strategic locations with a couple of mats and or gear, it could really enable leaving the car at home. Would this work without a crazy level of admin?

We’re going to Font in September and it would be cool to donate a mat so next time we don’t have to lug it across Paris! Any thoughts?

Paul

I was thinking of a similar scheme but with money. If anyone wants to donate any surplus dough I have an account with lots of space.

When I visit Font I take an old bouldering mat and a small shovel and bury it somewhere in the forest. Then next time I visit I dig it up, use it for a week or two, and re-bury it.

I have two decent sized pads in Font this way, without now having to fly/drive one across. I have their locations GPS'd on my phone, always 5 paces S of an obvious landmark.

The hire options in Font are getting pretty good now. We hired one from the place in Arbonne this year, the price was fairly sensible and the pickup was convenient.

I do sometimes wonder whether "AirBnB but for bouldering mats" would be a thing for less honeypot areas. (Or whether it'd lead to no locals in popular areas being able to afford to boulder anymore because all the mats have been bought up by buy-to-let investors...)

I know of a oil worker who would bury his duty free whiskey stash in a Oslo park awaiting his return to avoid the steep prices of booze in norway!

I have done just that having left my third bouldering mat in weymouth with my inlaws. I can exchange my wife for it and continue on to portland.  I wonder if they would facilitate an exchange systems so others could use it (the mat) too......

That's no way to refer to your wife!!!

the x501 bus leaves form the Train station and stops at Easton Square  45 minutes later - just need to work out how to get a bouldering mat onto the bus half way between them! any ideas? Its an opentop bus so a catapult might work.

Seem to remember the local youth operated a similar scheme to this using hedges for pornography in the 1980s

No idea why so many downvotes maybe they are a little scared they might up up buried in the woods 

There must be a way to add a feature to the crag database - button for 'local gear source'.

If anyone's coming to Guernsey I can normally find people to lend racks and mats on a 'break it replace it' basis. Ropes are trickier as the high friction gneiss and granite here wears them out quickly.  We like helping visiting climbers as we know how much of a pain it is to fly with gear

Hello there I am a prince from Nigeria, and your idea sounds just great, please send through your mother's maiden name, first pet name and bank details and I will send you a first instalment.