Mecca Extension

Well some of the dust has settled since I finally managed to complete the extension last sunday so now seems as good a time as any to set down some thoughts. Hopefully the following will cause others to get psyched and get out there to send some things at their personal limit! This might be a bit long for some tastes but if so, just skip to the last paragraph! Ever since ticking Mecca in 2009 I had a vague notion of going higher and had briefly checked out the extension in 2006 when I could barely do a move. You need to put a lot of time in up there to get used to the snatchy and insecure style of movement on poor fingerholds and timebomb smears. Yes, the top half is in complete contrast to the lower part, which is essentially a power endurance fest. Instead, it demands execution of complex and tenuous, technical moves which, once learned, start to feel easier once the engrams become engrained. I had such a battle getting up Mecca since first trying it in 2006 that all thoughts of the extension went out of the window. 50 sessions and 4 years later, I eventually clipped the chains once I got back from the Dolomites in August on a trip with Ben Heason.

Over next 3 years, I moved away from Manchester to Jersey and Dorset before returning to my homeland in 2011. The Tor fitness was not quite there though and it took all of last year to get back up to scratch. I had a difficult decision to make because I had wanted to get on Make it Funky as I had done a good link on this from the end of the crux to the top after doing Mecca and wanted a completely new project. However, the best laid plans are sometimes blown to smithereens and I hyperextended my right ring finger on the famous 7c+ Mirage in Ceuse summer 2011. Having sent 8a on it on the last day of the trip, the finger swelled up and an xray back home revealed that I had an avulsion fracture! A fragment of bone had been ripped away from the joint by the force of the finger bending back...gnarly!! Luckily I was back in action after 6 weeks rest with no ill effects apart from my fingertip being a bit fatter. So, the Make it Funky bolt hole mono move is no longer so feasible, oh well such is life! This is what prompted me to try the extension seriously.

So last summer I went up there again after speaking to Adam Bailes who was close to ticking the route. I was psyched to be able to do all the moves that session. I kept going back up there and managed to gradually link from the pocket before the traverse to the top, a breakthrough at the time. Then from the Mecca belay to the top. It was this link that opened my eyes to actually climbing the thing. Before the winter rains set in, I managed to link from the base of the Mecca groove to the top, another big buzz as it was the first time I had skipped the last clip, which you need to do in order to tick the route, it being too strenous to clip. Sometimes, you need to man up! I knew then that it was on next year.

Gaining the base of the final flake (Credit: Guy van Greuning)

Another big change was embracing the kneebar for the moves up the groove. In the past I had been a little resistant to change but a change of heart made me check it out for the first time only to be blown away by how good the moves were using the knees, although it did make the top section signficantly easier. What used to be moves at my absolute power endurance limit are now much more manageable from the ground with the hands off rest. Having said all that, I can only stay there for 20 seconds or so as the core strength rapidly drains in such a strenous position. At the end of the day, its personal choice on this one....

As the top was wet for much of March and April, I only managed to get back on the route after returning from the Jura in April. Progress was slow in the first couple of weeks and I only managed to repeat the horn to top link after several sessions. Gradually, the moves began to feel easier and I started trying the last link I would attempt before trying it from the ground, from the 3rd bolt to the top (i.e. the old 'pocket link' on Mecca). This felt a lot harder adding in the crux part of Mecca and it was only after a few more sessions that this eventually fell with me pumping out at the base of the flake quite a few times. Shaking out on the big flake above the Mecca belay, I began to feel some fitness building with each session, it was exciting seeing the progress. This brings me to how to train for this route? I think it is really a fitness route for people who can do Mecca. So you need to be quite fit and it was for this reason that over the winter at Stockport wall I trained routes on the plastic (10 tie-ins minimum per session!) as well as regular bouldering sessions. There are 47 moves til the finishing jug (25 for Mecca) so you need something more in reserve than sprinting up Mecca only to slump on the chains.

Evening sessions after work were the key, this way you can get plenty of contact time, which is essential if a project is at your limit. The next problem was getting up Mecca again! I started trying again from the ground after the top pocket on the traverse got frustatingly wet and stayed that way for 3 weeks or so. Progress was slow and I began to fear I was not as strong as 4 year's ago and that I may have blown my chance by not having bouldering enough. Luckily I was wrong and it was a week's rest off the route in flying out to Pisa for a uni mate's wedding that gave me some much needed time off. Doing Full Tilt at Kilnsey last Tues, which I had been trying for years, I knew I felt stronger and this gave me added confidence and psyche.

On Thursday evening I managed to get to the last 2 moves after getting my heel on the flake and getting the next right hand crimp above, so close!! I was mega boxed though and the final British 6a moves to the final jug, which I had never fallen off before, transformed into seemingly impossible barriers and I was off skydiving back into space! 2 days' rest was called for and on the sunday, trying to keep nerves at bay, I set off on my redpoint. This time I was less pumped the whole way on the top section and had something left for the finish. Clipping the chains was a massive buzz I have to say with it being my first 8c. I would recommend the siege of a route at your personal limit to anybody, just as long as you are making progress, however gradual.

(Credit: George Carmichael)

So, thanks for sticking with the above ramble and have fun out there, stay psyched!

Frankenjura 2013

Welcome readers, time for an update from the Jura from our spring trip. Well it would be fair to say that the crags were a bit wet to say the least but we made the best of it and traded in our dreamt of projects for some 1 and 2 star material which was dry and probably almost as good as the stuff we meant to get on. We had an abortive visit to the southern crags where we had planned to get on, amongst others, Hercules, a superclassic 7c at Barenschlucht, and maybe Nightmare, an amazing 8b with an infamous clip off a mono. However, a deluge of rain and seeping crags put paid to that plan and scarcely had the tent been pitched at the deserted campsite when it was taken down and we had bailed back up to our base in the north. 

The crags in the north of the Jura are relatively unsung but boast some pretty high calibre climbs with such lines as Nikita, the standout 8a+ classic and the brutal Raise the Roof, an 8b+ which could not be much steeper! Unfortunately, most of these climbs were seeping but the lads managed to get up a few 8a's and 8a+'s at Holzgauerwand, where Nikita is located, despite the odd spoogey pocket (make that most pockets!!)

For my part, I managed to get up Infiziert, a nice 9+ or 8a at Rolandfels that consisted of a sustained wall on crimps and small pockets leading to a wet crux crimp and shakeout jug. From there the style changed to some awkward pull of slopers and strange pockets leading to the loweroff. Quite a few redpoints were expended on this section resulting in some exciting whippers!

Ethan on Nullkommanix 8a+ (Rolandfels)

We had a rather character building doss in the cave at this crag on a bed of leaves living the true outdoor life! The morning brew sure tasted good made with water hulked up the hill from the nearby river.

The saving grace of the trip was definitely a sunny wall called Kuhkirchnerwand near a charming village called Loch. This crag was dry and south facing but the flip side was that it was hot as hell in the sun and pretty busy at weekends to boot.

Crag scene at Kuhkirchnerwand, Loch

The popular steep 8a+ of Primeur de Luxe that saw sends from Ed and Ethan seemed to often have queues but thankfully it was so steep that people were not on it for long.

Ethan on Primeur de Luxe 8a+ (or 10-)

I went for a bouldery number called Fingerfood 10- (or 8a+). This had a Rubicon style crux right off the deck which was probably V8 involving pulling on a tiny tooth and then rocking onto it to gain a shakeout jug. The final 4 bolts were probably 7b+ or 7c with some intense pulls on small crimps and pockets.

Fingerfood 8a+ (or 10-)

Sam and I indulged in the Wolfgang Gullich classic crack of Heinzin 8 just to the left, originally climbed on trad I believe that gave an exercise in technical bridging with some jug pulling and rattly finger jams to boot, awesome!

Heinzin 8 (or 7a)

Another good find was the microcrag of Andeltodrom, which is randomly located in the middle of some dense woods and rather difficult to find with the limited (to say the least!) descriptions in the Extreme Frankejura Select guide. The crag is tilted at 45 degreees for 30 feet and climbing on it is like going up a giant woodie. Hakuma Madada is the route of the crag at a stout 7c on some tasty pockets, and saw several flashes.  

We had a couple of nights out to nearby Bamberg to sample the infamous weissbier, which at 2 Euros a pint is hard to quibble with! Snitzel was duly sampled along with the ubiquitous sauerkraut. Drinking and hard sending don't tend to mix, funnily enough, but luckily there is a place for both on any well balanced trip.

To sum up, to borrow a quote from Dosage III, whenever the season was, it was not now! We had a blast, didn't we boys!!

Sam on Stalingrad 7b+

Ed on SMS 8a+

 

Gritstone Roundup

Hi folks just to update you on the last few months of activity on god's own rock. I decided that instead of costly trips to the Orme I would focus on Peak gritstone to generate some new ticks instead of working on things like Drink Driving, which would require a lot of work towards the redpoint, with no guarantee of success.There's nothing quite like a tick to keep the enthusiasm up and that has been my primary focus. I have been through my guide to see the glaring ommissions and made a point of seeking some of them out. Unfortunately, I managed to tear a stomach muscle about 5 weeks ago on repeated attempts on a steep problem at Stockport wall which stopped me in my tracks a bit as I couldn't even get out of bed without pain nevermind swing my core around on steep ground! This proved to be something of a blessing in disguise as I managed to tick some slabs and walls which i perhaps wouldn't have otherwise tried.

My best grit ticks over the last 2 months have been:

- Brad Pit (with top out) (see vid below)
- Ben's Wall
- Barry Sheene
- Shirley's Shining Temple
- Silk
- Who Needs Ready Brek?
- Business Lunch
- Stump Hole Cavern Sit (Flash)
- Brutal Arete
- Beneath the Breadline
- David
- Flatworld Lefthand
- For a Few Beagles More

The highlight was probably Shirleys and big props to Dan Cheatham for his vid for all the beta. This took me 3 sessions to unlock as it features some vicious cranking on minute pebbles and crimps if you can't get the palm-down to work (as i couldn't). Ironically this came on a sunny, hot day and i was in 2 minds as to whether to sack it off and come back in the evening. Im glad i persisted though and the first time i managed to crank through the start bulge, I made it up the rest of the slab via some pretty eye-popping rockovers! Luckily some people nearby gave me a spot although with my 3 pads it would have been fine to lob off i reckon. This was a fair bit harder than Silk and more sustained, fair at Font 7c for me.

On Barry Sheene, i managed to finally get the heel toe to work to generate enough reach (just) and perhaps the most satisfying tick of all was Ben's Wall, which I have been trying since 2008! Here is a video of a near miss a couple of weeks prior to the eventual send, agonisingly close but no cigar. I was getting concerned about the problem's potential to rag your A2 pulley on the nasty undercut pocket the way I was doing it going with my right hand. Thankfully the time it went down, I caught the pocket so well, there was no outswing (unlike on the vid), a great moment after hundreds of tries over the years.

Brutal arete was great and lived up to its rep. I was joined by Emlyn and Ben who showed me the numbers (cheers guys!) After a near miss (see vid below) it went down next session.

Equaling my hardest flash was Stump Hole Cavern Sit, thanks to Chris's vid, it proved to be a very short visit there. A dash down to the Roaches as my third crag of the day yielded Who Needs Ready Brek, which is pretty amazing and about as crimpy as they come.

Looking to the future, I was surprised at being able to pull on to the Joker fine, unlike in previous years, and having a few waves at the top. This has now moved onto the project list and I look forward to a tussle with it perhaps next winter now the lime season is nearly upon us.

I leave you with one from Dan Cheatam of Famous Grouse from last year, capturing a well desired ascent after literally years of tries! Sometimes its all worth it.  

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!