{"id":625,"date":"2011-02-25T08:33:47","date_gmt":"2011-02-25T08:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=625"},"modified":"2011-02-25T08:33:47","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T08:33:47","slug":"inverness-hope-for-top-class-ice-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/25\/inverness-hope-for-top-class-ice-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"Inverness hope for top class ice wall"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-carousel-extra='{&quot;blog_id&quot;:1,&quot;permalink&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/25\/inverness-hope-for-top-class-ice-wall\/&quot;}' id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-625 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"112\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?fit=112%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?resize=112%2C150&amp;ssl=1 112w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?resize=224%2C300&amp;ssl=1 224w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?resize=719%2C960&amp;ssl=1 719w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 112px) 100vw, 112px\" data-attachment-id=\"628\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?fit=800%2C1067&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"giant swing 1 WEB\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;John on the giant swing &amp;#8211; with aerial adventure course above. Picture: BL6.co.uk&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;John on the giant swing &amp;#8211; with aerial adventure course above.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/giant-swing-1-WEB.jpg?fit=640%2C855&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-628'>\n\t\t\t\tJohn on the giant swing &#8211; with aerial adventure course above.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"85\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?fit=85%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?resize=85%2C150&amp;ssl=1 85w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?resize=171%2C300&amp;ssl=1 171w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?resize=547%2C960&amp;ssl=1 547w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 85px) 100vw, 85px\" data-attachment-id=\"627\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?fit=800%2C1402&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,1402\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;John on the ice wall at Ice Factor Kinlochleven. Picture: BL6.co.uk&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright (c) 2011. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"# John on ice wall WEB\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;John on the ice wall at Ice Factor Kinlochleven. Picture: BL6.co.uk&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;John on the ice wall at Ice Factor Kinlochleven.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/John-on-ice-wall-WEB.jpg?fit=547%2C960&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-627'>\n\t\t\t\tJohn on the ice wall at Ice Factor Kinlochleven.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"112\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?fit=150%2C112&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?w=3264&amp;ssl=1 3264w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?resize=150%2C112&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?resize=960%2C720&amp;ssl=1 960w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" data-attachment-id=\"626\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?fit=3264%2C2448&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"3264,2448\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;John on the aerial adventure course. Picture: John Davidson, BL6.co.uk&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Copyright (c) 2011. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"# high rope course blocks 2\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;John on the aerial adventure course. Picture: John Davidson, BL6.co.uk&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;John on the aerial adventure course.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/high-rope-course-blocks-2.jpg?fit=640%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-626'>\n\t\t\t\tJohn on the aerial adventure course.\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Ice Factor director Jamie Smith told me he is determined to get an Ice Factor up and running in Inverness.<br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>He was hoping to build one at the new marina but is now considering other sites in the Highland Capital, where he is certain it will be a massive success.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe get 130,000 visitors a year coming to Kinlochleven, so with the catchment area of Inverness the potential is massive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Jamie, who is from Plockton in Wester Ross, explained why he is set on having a centre in Inverness.<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u201cWhen I was a kid we used to come over to Inverness once a month to do the shopping, and the highlight of my day was getting a milky coffee at Oliver\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe sad thing is, there isn\u2019t that much more for kids to do there these days, other than hang around at the Eastgate Centre.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Surprisingly to me, most of the business at the Kinlochleven facility is from families and couples rather than the climbing fraternity. They certainly have their place, and the climbing walls \u2013 just one of which cost nearly \u00a3500,000 \u2013 are among the best in the world. That\u2019s why climbing guides bring their clients to the centre for training, particularly when the weather is too bad to go out in the hills.<\/p>\n<p>But when we were there, we also saw young kids trying out the wall \u2013 and getting to the top \u2013 because the range of climbing on offer is phenomenal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of climbing wall owners are obviously serious climbers,\u201d says Jamie, \u201cso they put in technical routes. But we know the bulk of our market is families with kids, so you have to cater for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>* This piece was intended to run alongside my feature on the Ice Factor in today&#8217;s Inverness Courier &#8211; pick up a copy to read about the main event!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ice Factor director Jamie Smith told me he is determined to get an Ice Factor up and running in Inverness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5M0xs-a5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2381,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2016\/02\/18\/a-better-vision-for-cycling-in-inverness-and-the-highlands\/","url_meta":{"origin":625,"position":0},"title":"A better vision for cycling in Inverness and the Highlands","author":"John Davidson","date":"February 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A new bridge allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross the railway line and access the retail and business park was opened last week. It's a small piece in the jigsaw of connections that are needed to make Inverness a genuine cycling city but it's a massive step in the right\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Active Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Active Travel","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/active-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Cycle-INverness-launch-7.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3120,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2017\/08\/18\/the-videos-that-could-help-inverness-get-segregated-cycle-routes\/","url_meta":{"origin":625,"position":1},"title":"The videos that could help Inverness get segregated cycle routes","author":"John Davidson","date":"August 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Inverness will find out in the next few weeks whether it has won funding to create a series of significant improvements to the active travel network in the city. These include segregated cycle tracks on Millburn Road and Academy Street, along with changes to the Raigmore Interchange. Inverness Active Travel\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Active Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Active Travel","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/active-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3339,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2017\/09\/18\/a-real-community-links-plus-for-inverness\/","url_meta":{"origin":625,"position":2},"title":"A real Community Links PLUS for Inverness","author":"John Davidson","date":"September 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A new era could be about to unfold in the Highlands after it was announced today that Inverness is to benefit from more than \u00a36.5 million as one of the winners of Sustrans' Community Links PLUS competition. In a surprise move, Scottish transport minister Humza Yousaf declared all five finalists\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Active Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Active Travel","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/active-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Millburn-Road-CLplus-450x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2831,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2017\/03\/24\/join-the-ride-to-make-inverness-a-cycle-friendly-city\/","url_meta":{"origin":625,"position":3},"title":"Join the ride to make Inverness a cycle-friendly city!","author":"John Davidson","date":"March 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Walking and cycling enthusiasts are organising a mass cycle to Highland Council headquarters in Inverness to demand more action to improve active travel facilities in the city.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Active Travel&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Active Travel","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/active-travel\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Cycling-UK-Highlands-rides-2-450x315.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":52,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2010\/03\/15\/inverness-half-marathon-2010\/","url_meta":{"origin":625,"position":4},"title":"Inverness Half Marathon 2010","author":"John Davidson","date":"March 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I was taking part in the Inverness Half Marathon yesterday on a warm and showery 'spring' day. More than 1300 runners finished the race and I completed it in 1hr 48mins 8secs, which I am delighted with considering the lack of running I have been doing this winter. It was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;John's blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"John's blog","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Inverness Half Marathon 2010","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/inverness_half_2010_john-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":477,"url":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2010\/12\/01\/inverness-to-moy-by-wades-road\/","url_meta":{"origin":625,"position":5},"title":"Inverness to Moy by Wade&#8217;s Road","author":"John Davidson","date":"December 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I walked General Wade's Military Road from Inverness to Moy to look at its condition for a project the Scottish Rights of Way Society - ScotWays - is undertaking. I also wrote a feature for the Inverness Courier on the route (December 3, 2010 edition). See the video of my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;John's blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"John's blog","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/content\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/3y9uZ9I0dGc\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":631,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions\/631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}