Suirana and more

Well I have been back from Suirana for over 3 weeks and a fantastic trip has just about sunk in now. I went out for 11 days from 27 December through to 6 January with climbing on all bar 2 days. New Year's Eve was celebrated in fine style in the bar in Suirana moving down in Cornudella until the early hours.

Highlights from the trip included a redpoint of Zona 0 on the last day, Un Rato en Cado Postura, a neat 8a on Campi Pigui Puqui sector which has a desparate top wall and slab and an onsight of Kameleon, a 50m 7c up at Monsant. I was pleased to feel a big increase in fitness during the trip just from the sheer volume of route climbing following a period of predominantly bouldering. In all, 14 new ticks of over 7a were logged although i also repeated a few ones I'd done before. I got on Migranya, a butch 8b which had initially been my goal for the trip but which got superceded by my attempts on Zona. The latter route was more my style, being a crimpy wall climb for the most part, akin to similar 8b's at Malham or the Tor. It took 4 sessions in total although I didn't really think I had it in me in the first 2!

The route comprises of an initial 4 bolt 6a+ to a near hands off rest followed by another 4 bolt 7b to below the crux. I managed to step off to the right 1m to some good footholds to rest a little, which proved to be the key as on other earlier attempts, I had forged on into the crux following the chalk with virtually no rest and had been spat off due to the pump. The crux 3 bolts are probably Font 7a+ in total  and there are 2 methods. You can either go right up via some burly right hand sidepulls with a big throw with your left hand for a flat edge (a very cool slap!) or beetle off lefwards using a razorblade crimp for your left hand. The left hand way was very harsh on the skin and not as satisfying so I stuck with the right hand way. Then you have 2 bolts of 'tick tacky' 7b climbing up very small edges, gastons, crimps and sidepulls leading up to the final break, where a decent shakeout can be had, although you had better be fit to recover!! After a traverse 2 m rightwards, the final crux, which is probably about Font 6c/7a bars entry to the exit slab, which is probably 4+! This last hard section is pretty brutal and involves a massive reach off a tiny undercut for a 2 finger pocket, flag, then a back 3 sidepull pocket for the right hand which leads to a fat pinch for the left hand which you must use to do a big slap to the finishing crimps.

This trip has only served the whet my appetite for more at this crag and I have shelled out 30E for the massive rockfax Catalunya guide so will defo be returning for more soon. I have considered Renegoide, an old skool crimpy 8b+ wall climb, or Mr Cheki, a Toni Arbonne testpiece of the same grade with a viscious pocket move as suitable candidates or indeed Migranya, (or 'Miiggggrraaaaanyaaaaa', said with an outrageous Spanish twang, as we jested about). It will be back to the board for the last one though ;).

Since being back, I have been out and about on the grit and have managed to tick Blind Ali's Date, a good link up at Remergence. Here is a video of an attempt before the send go. Blind Date feels hard on the link until it clicks and then its easy, always the way with bouldering!

Since then a good day at Rowtor was had, ticking a bunch of 7b's including My Apple and the Yoghurt Hypnotist and I managed to get up Nefertiti, the highball Font 7a+ at Burbage North on another day with Ethan. Check out the video on Ethan's blog! I have even been down to Nudas Tartan in the wet to scope out a new sequence on Tarantula, which should make this feasible and also Minus Ten to repeat Sean's Problem (just for old times' sake mind).

Here are a few of my Spanish photos I didn't put on Facebook, I hope you enjoy. I'm off to a Pro-Balm comp this weekend which will be my first plastic event for quite a few years so I'm pretty psyched! Peace out

Burbage Breakthroughs

Hi folks well the grit season is now upon us and the tor has become a distant memory. Its all about the grit now and the Orme, if wet. Several sessions have now been had on at Burbage West on Famous Grouse and today was send day at last and one of my longest battles was finally over. I had been trying this problem with the Nick Reyner beta from the only video I could find of the problem but had to sack it off after many sessions failing to get my right foot up above the roof. A breakthrough came when I managed to get the second sloper for my left hand after trying standing on a low smear and flicking up to it. This is a very knacky move but when it works it is very satisfying. I managed to get stood up over the roof pawing the slopers but my left foot kept blowing off the break foothold, which is very blind. A couple more sessions went by with backwards progress unfortunately as I was tired from overtraining on one of them and a little hungover on the other!  I binned the low left heel method as well as while I could statically lock up to the second sloper this way, i could not then get my left foot up from that position. The left heel on slab method was also tried but I could not throw my heel up this high.

Today it all came together, I knew I was feeling stronger and conditions were mint. The flick to the sloper was working every time although getting the left foot up was still extremely touch and go as you have to squeeze like crazy between this very poor hold and the arete while nimbly running your feet up a blank wall to waist level, which is somewhat desparate. I even managed to embarrassingly fall off with the good sidepull jug in my hand when my foot blew off a poor smear which was agonising. Happily, it went down the next go, feeling much easier on the slopers due to the excellent conditions.

The sit start was tempting and thankfully I found a way of starting side-on which made it pretty easy. While brushing the second sloper from the neighbouring boulder I noticed I was holding it too high on a very poor slopey part. I ticked up a slightly lower rugosity which looked a little more positive and this proved to make the difference. The move getting the left foot up felt a little easier this time and the sit was in the bag. Video footage of the stand will be aired soon!

Another problem that I managed to get on film is True Git which i was shown how to do today; i later found out I had not done it properly as you're meant to start matched in the low break but i reckon the stand start is 7a+. Here is the vid:

 

Later, I met Dave up by Western Eyes and after many attempts managed to do the lower moves to getting stood up. I have been trying this for a few years so was chuffed to do the desparate slap with the right hand for the good sidepull off the very slopey break. Unfortunately I didn't have the top bit worked so pinged off and was expertly caught by Dave before going for a spin down the hill! I got a bunk up and managed the move to the top break. So, although I could have perhaps done this with a bit of luck on the upper arete, it remains a work in progress. After watching Dave do the scary direct finish, it looks as though this will have to be done as well rather than stepping off into the gully, better get psyched!

Back to the Box, an epiphany

Hello to all readers. My next post has been inspired by a visit yesterday to an old haunt of mine, the Pill Box wall on the mighty Orme. I had it in mind to try and settle an old score of mine, a V12 traverse of Ormesman Chris Doyle which I had invested considerable amounts of time and effort in trying to repeat back in 2009. This had always been classified as unfinished business with me as I had come extremely close in April of that year before deciding to sack it off in favour of getting on routes. My best effort is already on my facebook videos for those interested.

I always meant to come back and finish it off. However, circumstances conspired against me and I ended up being made redundant later in the year, moving to Jersey and then Dorset in 2010 and 2011 for work before moving back up north just over a year ago. Whilst being away from my old training venues in Manchester, it was difficult to train power due to the dearth of bouldering facilities worthy of the name. In Jersey, the best climbing wall was in a corridor, mostly vertical and dated from 1986! and in Dorset the best bouldering wall was no more than 7 feet high with holds also from the 80's. I made the most doing lots of routes outside and managed to get quite fit doing 100 move circuits in a private facility near where I lived in Sherborne, Dorset. However, there were no dedicated 45 degree boards where you could do well set power problems of more than 2 moves.

Back in Manc, for the past year I have mainly been doing routes with only the odd power session thrown in top it up. This was because I was minded to keep fit for Spanish trips and UK routes. This approach has worked pretty well and has enabled me to tick British 8a+'s and the odd foreign 8a. However, the steely power for Font 8a has not been worked on properly since 2009. I have managed to get up Font 7c's and the odd 7c+ but have not been in the bouldering form needed bust out the magic 8 grade for some time now.

Yesterday, second day on on the Box and first climbing visit since April 09 was a rather humbling experience compared to how climbing on here used to feel 3 and a half years ago although positive in that I can see where I need to get to now. I did Pill Box Original, Whisky Bitch and Mr Whippy, both 7a+'s, again and did all the moves on Drink Driving. It seems like a fair bit of work will be needed to get back in the shape needed to do it. Still, I am psyched. Back then it had not had a 2nd ascent - that cachet has now gone as it has now had 3 or 4 repeats. My inspiration comes from the following footage I have found in the archives of the first repeat of Malteser/ Last Rites, a classic Font 8a linkup a couple of months before I nearly did DD. This includes the crux of DD, the big span left to the poor pinch/ crimp.

The day I did this, I had already done 2 other 8a's in the Cave, and it was one of the best days' climbing I have ever had. Here is a link to an article that mentions it: http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=388

Anyway, to get in the shape to it do DD again will mean doing more bouldering at Stockport Wall but this is no hardship as it has an excellent circuit of problems and a massive 45 degree board. I will do a session bouldering every Tues and a session routing every Thurs to keep the fitness going and will try to do some pullups on Weds too.

On sat, I managed to do the top pitch of Mecca Extension which is 8a+ which i have been working on for the past few weekends and nearly did it linking in the 7c+ groove of Mecca so am syked for that probably in the spring now. Seems as though the moves on this are not as hard as Drink Driving! Bouldering on the Box over the winter should provide plenty of power for the extension, it will just be a little chilling on that north face in the icy wind! Mercifully, the warm car and hot flask are only 20 seconds away. No pads in the sea this time. 

Venga bichos!

Southern France 2012

Well I just got back from an 11 day tour of Ceuse and Gorge du Loup. It was great to devote some quality time to climbing and not just sometimes squeezed in evening sessions. I made the walk up the hill to Ceuse twice in a lightning visit there. It took a day to switch back into stamina mode on the pockets there but by day 2 I managed to clip the chains of a rather stout 7b+ called Machoire d'Ane, which has a pretty desparate crux move. Some onsights of Dietetic Line and 2001 Odyssey de Grimp followed, both stonking 7b's.

Classic Ceuse panorama

This was my 4th visit to the crag in 7 years so I decided to change focus and visit a completely different area, with a (thankfully) only 5 min walkin! Gorge du Loup is only a hop skip and a jump from Nice and sits in a river gorge which is prone to a cooling breeze when the sun is out which makes it possible to climb here in the hottest summer months despite the crag being at a low altitude.

Bar du Loup from Gourdon, above the Gorge

View out to the Med from Gourdon

After an intro day where I ticked the heavily chipped Mechanik Destructiv, a burly 7c and a few easier sideshow pitches, on day 2 I got stuck into a route which is difficult to avoid at this crag, the ultraclassic Deverse Satanique, an amazing 45 degrees overhanging wall festooned with tufas and kneebars! The first couple of tries up this rig convinced me that it was going to be quite a battle but with a couple of burns on day 3, it started to fall into place. A rest day later and I tied in below this classic stamina testpiece and managed to get through the crux wrestle with a tufa and into the strenuous kneebar beyond. Some juggy but steep pulls on tufa follow before the final drainpipe tufa which guards the chains and is eminently fluffable. Thankfully I managed to negotiate this last obstacle and keep the pump enough at bay to complete the route, truly a king line!

Next up was Cascade, an amazing 8a extension to Mechanik. It involves some huge tufa features and unsurprisingly some more kneebars on seriously steep terrain. It took a little working out but once I knew what i was doing, it went down the first time I could get back up Mechanik, which suddenly seemed distinctly uphill for 7c. You can rest in a bivy cave all day if you like which makes grading this line somewhat problematic. Here are some pics of Mechanik on the send go.

Our Czech friend Petr suggested a neat little 8a called Vigor on the far right of the crag as something for my last 2 days so I got stuck into this but it felt hard due to me being pumped from the 8a I had just climbed. After a rest day spent lounging around by the river pools in the gorge, reading and eating ice cream, I felt sufficiently rejuvenated for this to feel much easier and it went down on my last day after I luckily managed to get a belay from some visiting Poles.

Back in Blighty now, it is time to get stuck into Peak lime now that Kilnsey appears to be out of commission. Mecca extension will keep my busy I reckon judging by this morning's session. Progress was made on the moves and I managed the hard bit in two halves but need to get hold of a new pair of boots to cope with the micro edges. It was nice to be back on Mecca after 3 years away but it feels good to have had a break too. Till next time!

Some more ticks

Well since I last wrote, the weather was pretty diabolical up until the last 3 weeks or so and it was all about finding dry rock anywhere possible.

Evening sessions after work have been quite productive and I tried Zippy's companion route to the right of Waddage, Fowl Play, which is an 8a+ that gets virtually ignored, despite very good climbing for the most part. It was the only thing dry I hadn't done so I was keen to get involved. The top moves are very thin and involve a very tenuous rockover using a small left hand gaston onto the 'slab' just where the route joins Waddage. I could barely do these moves in isolation whilst working the route so was a little apprehensive about linking the whole thing. Luckily I need not have worried as it came together quite nicely. The start of Green Alternative (a burly 7c) leads to a poor rest on an overhung ledge before Rooster Booster pitch 2 kicks in (a physical 7c). Then the route gets a lot easier at the Cream Team break where you move left to a junction with the Waddage rest. I was able to get almost full recovery before the top bit, which I reckon has to be V6 moves at least, the incentive in not falling was avoiding doing all the bottom bit again!

At Kilnsey, I reluctantly decided that Full Tilt was not an option due to it being too wet so got stuck in to Cold Steal instead which I initially found pretty hard. With repeated attempts, it soon got easier though. On redpoint, I pumped out on the last 4 moves just before the last clip which was gutting so had to come back the following weekend to seal the deal.

At Rubicon, the last few evening sessions of the year were spent trying the Pinch Test, a very tricky 7c+ of Zippy's and one of the last lines at the crag which I haven't done which won't involve protracted sieging. That said, it took me 4 sessions so it was with relief that I clipped the anchor yesterday. I managed to capture the ascent on video so here it is. This may be the only video in existence of this route so I hope the beta is of some use, it took ages to work out!

Today, I was quite tired second day on trying the Inch Test and didn't manage to make much headway so that will have to wait until the Autumn cool when I return from the south of France, which is where im headed tomorrow. Ceuse will be on the agenda although this trip will be more of a sightseeing journey to be honest, it would be good to sneak a 7c or two though!

Taking Stock

Well its been a while since my last post I thought I would wait until i had something to write about. Since coming back from the Jura in May I have been trying to keep it real on the Peak/ Yorkshire crags. First up was Climb of the Century at Malham which I tried with Keefe Murphy. He gave me some excellent beta and I managed to find some tweaks to the beta myself keeping my feet very low to avoid the heinous looking move on the cover of the last guide! It was a close run thing on the redpoint as i had to improvise the top slab with extremely pumped arms, luckily I made it!

Next I got stuck into my projects Idefix at Malham and Full Tilt at Kilney. Idefix was going well before the recent deluge with a new highpoint being reached with 2 moves to go before easy ground, although these are the redpoint crux. I have found taping up whilst working the crux moves off the very sharp pocket seems to work in saving your skin as 3 years ago, I had to stop this route when nearly ready to redpoint it as I had a pretty bad puncture wound on the side of my finger, I still have the scar! Dave showed me some great new beta on Full Tilt going direct past the fourth bolt where i have always gone (desparately) right on a big detour. It involves a crazy flag move and a tiny LH sidepull so you don't have to make the huge reach off the undercut, which I am too short to span. So, this one is prepped ready for when the crags ever dry out.

After work evening sessions are in full swing right now and I used the time to get Chimes wired again so I could have a crack at Waddage. I managed to link from the end of the roof to the jump move OK so it all came down to the dyno. I sessioned this and got it wired in the end but it is a really physical leap from a massive hold. If it was on Minus 10 it would be V5 I reckon. With the rest out right, you are basically climbing two routes (8a+ with a 7c/7c+ on top after the rest). As others have said, it is a bit of a psycological battle up there as you don't want to blow it after doing chimes. On the redpoint, I managed to get through the bottom OK and it all came together up high after a 10 min rest in the break.

I bagged off Idefix due to the state of the crag and switched it up by trying Overnite. I had always saved this for the flash but realised that this was perhaps being optimistic. It nearly went down in a session but I missed a key hold on the top flag move (which incidentally is one of the funkiest I have done on the catwalk, very cool) and fell off this on redpoint. I went back the other week to seal the deal and was lucky to be able to redpoint it past a wet sidepull by the fourth bolt which I had to towel dry and chalk on redpoint.

Since then I have done Ring of Fire at the Tor, which is one of the last ones on the right wing at a reasonable grade I haven't done. Here is an impromptu vid of the ascent, not the greatest quality but which will offer some beta if nothing else. Remember, stay right of the bolts at the top, don't use the minging slopers by the bolt!

Last weekend, I tried the Inch Test and nearly stuck the sidepull on the crimpy english 7a move but no cigar, this will have to wait til next time. I did eat the rich, which is a nice 7b+ but make sure you actually get your hands over the top of the crag before dropping off and avoiding the loose looking jugs to top out - lowering off before the roof misses out a couple of beefy moves.

Anyway, off the the Orme tomorrow to seek out some dry stone, which may be a forlorn hope at this rate!
Peace.

Jura Report

Hi well I have been back in the UK for a couple of weeks now and the awesome trip we just had to the Jura has just about sunk in! It was such an amazing time, with so many cool experiences on and off the rocks that there will not be space to record it all on here. Hopefully these pictures will give a flavour of the holiday. I managed to get my 3 hardest climbs of the trip on video somehow so here they are, enjoy, beta available upon request! So, this ain't no war and peace epic, maybe more text next time, I've kinda busy since I got back.

A big shout out to our wonderful host Tanja who put us up and provided the full Bavarian experience, beer and schnitzel included!

Catch u soon folks! Peace

Slimline 8a+

Inquisition 8a

Leftfield 8a

Selected pics: