A concept I coined when referring to the undeniable delights of The Range, and although it was partly dismissed by Wil in an interview in Cheque's authentic down-to-earth magnum opus THE SEASIDE , I stand by both the existence and inherent quality of the concept.
It's basically sea-cliffs (usually, although not always) with lovely settings, gentle approaches, amenable access, mostly single pitch, and nothing epic surrounding the routes - but routes that whilst shorter, have a good feeling of adventure and commitment once on them, with intriguing lines up strong architecture, interesting rock, exciting terrain, and a feeling of being away from the conventional big ticks. The essence of hidden gems in fact.
And of course I bloody love it. Who wouldn't?? Even when my trad confidence hasn't been great in recent years, I've still managed to potter on with this sort of exploration, and it has nourished my soul when my mind is injured and my body is weak (or is it the other way around??). 2018 it was stuff like Lovely Day Mr Thomas at The Range and Dr Livingstone I Exhume at Trearddur Bay, 2019 it was more Range in the form of The Blue Buoy and Surfant, and also Jacuzzi Dive on the Lleyn, 2020 it was essential knee and elbow therapy on the bonkers Emmenthal Wall at the Range.
2021 I'm starting a bit early - partly to get some cool stuff "out of the way" (an incongruous phrase for something that is so inherently pleasurable in the moment) before the South Stack and Lleyn bird-bans are off in August and grander adventures are opened up (the magnificent Rapture Of The Deep and Mantrap being highlights of previous years). And partly because I'm psyched for such pure fun. So far it's been....
#1 - Trwyn Maen Melyn:
Yes, that crag. A firm favourite to the extent I'm likely to tick the crag apart from the E7. Still the most bewilderingly semi-solid rock around too.
I kicked things off with an amnesia-point retro-flash of The Incredible Surplus Head, which I'd kicked things off 14 years ago i.e. kicked a small block off and then panicked and slumped onto gear and failed (also worth noting it finishes slightly left of the line in my updated topo). It's well past my 10 year moratorium, so I went back with the lone bit of vague recollection that a red camalot was useful somewhere. Thus I saved my red camalot right until the final alarmingly steep section where it rattled around in a perfect yellow camalot slot like your pencil-dick rattles around in a whore's gapehole, but somehow I still hauled myself over the lip.
Then it was on to the main event....
Queer Bar! The first time I've visited one to be honest, and it lived up to my "greasy dark hole" desires... I'd tried this in 2016 with good dry conditions but without a crucial giant cam, and again in 2019 with a good giant cam but without crucial dry conditions. This time I had both and it was brilliant. Proper improvised squirming towards the light and rebirth - when I reached the lip I was cackling to myself as it was just such ridiculous fun.
#2 - Porthllechog & Trwyn Wylfa:
Some even more quintessential mini-adventures here...
Faller At The First - there was very nearly a faller (me) at the first route which was done as a warm-up as it was in the sun on a fresh blustery day, and turned out to pack quite a punch for a 12m route. Steep, sustained, and really very good.
Cerys / Porpoise Delight - a disputed first ascent claim, but I'll take the slightly higher grade and star rating of the latter, as this has quite a sketchy start, sustained interest, and a perfectly photogenic position that belies it's "small crag" impressions - anything that traverses a sea-cave always makes the list. By pure chance we went down to this wall slightly frustrated about the lack of mobile signal to check the updates on the Dump , and there was an older team at the crag that turned out to be one of the recent developers of the crag and knew it all off by heart (well, apart from the previous claim on this line, maybe). A stroke of luck.
The next day involved backing off a Pat Littlejohn MXS 5b at Trwyn Wylfa (which was described as needing a "gentle touch"). I couldn't even commit to the first 5a pitch and upon abbing for gear I'm glad I didn't as the ""5b"" pitches looked too much.....it's good to know when to back off. So this was the consolation prize...
Stranger On The Shore, a real gem on mostly properly weathered solid black rock. This had delightful climbing with a daunting central groove that seemed slopey and holdless until gentle udging revealed all it's amenable joys (jugs).
Hopefully I will be updating with parts #3, #4, #5 etc etc sooner rather than later!!
God knows it's been a very long time. The last time I felt I had a decent level of trad climbing confidence was in Autumn 2018, after a spring of digestive illness and depression and a summer crawling out of that via logistically-manageable but strength-maintaining sport climbing. I did pretty well back then and was very happy doing so. Since then....the diminishing but constant effects of my digestion, covid blanket-lockdowns-irrespective-of-risk, and injury ups and downs have held me back too much for comfort.
(Incidentally I estimate that my digestive issues have reduced my overall trad ability by a full grade - due to the increased depression/vulnerability and reduced energy that comes from those issues - but not affected my sport nor bouldering ability as short sharp bursts of non-emotionally-stressful activity are fine. Conversely, I expect my DVTs dropped my bouldering / sport ability by a grade due to the 10+kg weight gain due to difficulty with CV exercise, but did not affect my trad ability (walk-ins aside) as the power-to-weight reduction is less of an issue for easier trad moves (and there's little emotional component to the DVTs apart from occasional rage/grumps))
Anyway I've been doing exactly the same plan as I did last summer to get me right up to peak fitness (just before fucking my MCL and elbow and having a mediocre Autumn 2020) - doing plenty of sport climbing to regain fitness, strength, and roped confidence. Redpointing is training for sport onsighting is training for trad limestone is training for sea-cliff limestone... And it seems to be working a bit.
I had a trip down to Devon and despite trying to find trad partners being akin to trying to find a very small needle in a giant Shire-sized haystack, I managed to have one good trad day out and did my first challenging / satisfying trad lead for ages, Clotted Cream at Meadfoot Quarry:
This was with Madeline who had a lovely old boi dog, so have a picture of him too:
So CC intimidated me quite a bit despite being it being quite appealing and myself being quite well warmed-up. Thus I chose a mantra "7a....7a....7a" on the basis that it was well-protected, sport-ish style climbing, and having flashed multiple 7as in the previous month, surely that should be okay. Obviously as any pedant kno, it's nowhere near F7a, more like F6c, but the former was the level of effort I expected to put in. And it worked - cranking through the pump on the headwall above bomber cams felt scarcely different to doing so above bolts. A real morale boost, even if I left Devon with far more wishlist routes than ticklist routes.
(Incidentally the large block on the arete / niche, which features Pete Saunders merrily and needlessly swinging around on it in the guidebook, has parted company with the crag, despite how solid it felt when I was relaxing on it. It will leave less gear and holds but also a large niche that will also be in the VS slabby arete - I'm glad I got on it when I did!)
...
Then a bit later and by a bit of random chance, it was Holocaust at Dow Crag - a totally standard trade route. But for me, whilst it's not the most challenging route I've done since DVTs (not even top 30), nor the most challenging walk-in (Neckband just pips it) it IS the most challenging route I've done after a challenging walk-in (1.5 hours for a 1 hour walk-in, including 3 rests on the normal track and 4 rests on the death-scree - a long time to get intimidated and tired and not want to have to come back). Also possibly the most challenging routes since I moved to Manchester.
With the intimidation of the approach, this was a great reminder to myself that the potential is still there, that I can do okay even on one of my more logistically taxing inspirations, that I can and should take some positivity from this. And that if I ever drag myself up there again some other fucker can carry the rope.
As for the route itself - which I've wanted to do for 14 years, ever since doing it's adjacent and entirely contrasting sibling Tumble (are there any other routes of the same grade, on the same wall, so close to each other, with such different styles??) - it's a bit of a strange one. I did it, and I did it well tbh, but it still felt like a fair bit of luck getting the crux, which is slightly dissatisfying?? But I guess that's the entire nature of the route, and something so dynamically cruxy, and something at my limit. There have been enough times where the luck hasn't gone my way on such moves and this time it did. Also, pro-tip: the entire route can be well-protected with a half dozen small blue camalots (and a couple of wires for the belay). True story and it would save a lot of weight on the walk!
So that's a couple of happy scenarios I can hopefully build on...
Another somewhat delayed posts about autumn/winter/spring escapades....
When you're forced to COMPLY and OBEY and stick to local exercise for local people....well it turns out you can unearth (sometimes literally) all sorts of stuff. Sometimes that stuff involves rock and sometimes ascending that rock is quite pleasurable too and might even be so for other people....
BLOCS:
Maeshafn Quarry
Sailing The Seven Chodes 6C-ish *
At the right end of the Main Wall is a rainproof alcove with a shrub cornice and a semi-eliminate line with good moves up the steep left wall. Start sitting on a crimp and undercling and power upwards to finish at obvious good sloping shelf. The crack itself is out. (Fiend 28.04.21)
Cracken Edge (Over The Moors BMC guide).
Tentacles V4/5-ish *
The nice highball wall in a hollow just left of the main routes section. Sit start on an good diagonal hold, climb directly via small crimps and a long move to a jug rail, escape easily right. The jug rail can get some dirt from above, easily flicked off with a brush stick from the right. Well cleaned via abseil so no idea about the grade, the star is conservative.
Edit: Confirmed as "the best V4 slab at Cracken Edge" by Mark20....
Small Prow V3-ish
100m right of the main routes bit, the obvious small prow. Sit start on an good diagonal hold and clamp up to the break, carefully avoiding the block to the right.
(Fiend ??.04.21)
ROUTES:
John Henry Quarry:
Pirate Error E3 5c *
The cleaned line right of Cragster (actually where the topo shows Cragster finishing). Start at a weakness several metres right of Cragster. Climb the lower wall to a sloping break and traverse left to gain the "staircase". From the top of this continue up the thin crack past an obtuse crux to gain blocky holds, and keep motoring up to finish. Lots of medium cams.
Cracken Edge:
Summon The Cracken E3 5c *
The obvious steep line right of Cratos, via a thin crack through the bulge. Climb directly into the hanging corner and make powerful moves out past crimps, a sloping jam, and a crucial cam. Keep cranking up the photogenic headwall to finish.
Broadbottom Quarry:
Broadside E3 5c *
The steep sidewall adjacent to Elder Wall. Climb Elderberry Crack for 5m to some gear slots. Swing right and up to gain a high handledge, then make excellent moves up the thin crack via a sharp jam and small cams to gain the break. Keep pushing past the hourglass cracks to pop out onto the ledge out right. Either lower off the sapling, continue up the slab to an excavated mantel and scramble to trees, or escape on a pre-placed ab rope. Lots of small cams.
(All: Fiend, Coel Hellier, April 2021. All abseil cleaned / inspected)
Perfect places to escape the summer heat and still get your quarried crimping fix.
Resurgence 7A+ (7A?)
One of my favourite problems! The moment when I fully weight the right hand jug at the crux and everything else comes off....I loved it. Good climbing all the way, and whilst the standing start adds some nice moves, it doesn't tire you out enough to add to the difficulty of the crux section (unless your skin was really pureed for the crimps). The natural sitter tho....I can believe that adds two grades.
Brian Jacques 7A
A very red bit of crag! Not easy to find in condition but worth it, and it's a nice stroll. This cool problem didn't take long, but then I completely failed to do Hawkeye 6C (maybe skin and/or conditions were deteriorating...).
Cordless Power 7A
Somehow, counter-intuitively squeezed in on a day when the whole of Northern England was raked with gales and storms, even nearby Longridge was freezing and seeping. Well Cardwell was just freezing and I managed to do this eventually, only after discovering the unauthorised beta. A good problem in a lonely setting but the outgoing view is nice.
The Pursuit Of Slappiness 7A
Almost a king line if it wasn't for that pesky crack at the start, but the rules make sense and it climbs really well. Plus with the extended finish it has plenty of excitement at the top - it got my cold black heart racing a bit.
Mirth Of Ducks 7A (6C)
Reunion Wilderness's perfect shadier twin - similar difficulty, just as good a line, more balanced climbing, and less scary overall. And again the top is a good spot to sit and take it all in...
Troy A Little Tenderness SS 7A (6C+?)
More semi-eliminates with good moves (and different potential sequences). I thoroughly scrubbed the lower bit of this and smoothed out the landing so it would go from a natural sitter, although it doesn't add any difficulty. Although the climbing is fun, the quality of the goose honking is better.
Two For One 7A
More hidden gems. I got psyched seeing pictures of the Lancs Rock Revival crew on this and it lived up to the promise, not too hard but the teetering around took a bit of working out.
Grinshill - Bouldering Gems
A selection of bouldering (not soloing!) gems from around the Grinshill woodland. Somewhere pretty different to explore and while some of the rock needs a gentle touch the variety and lines are really good.
Utopia 6C+
...Or 7A if you don't tape around your finger joint for the "awesome" (i.e. brutal!) crux pinch. Very cool board style problem, steeper than it looks but with a leaf pile bouncy castle beneath you.
Third Brother 7A
And now for something completely different... Unusual and very cool climbing with a cheeky head-smear during the crux, couldn't quite believe it worked. (The arete to the right is Terminator / L'Angle Shropfait, just a bit too hard for me)
Eliminator 6C
The slightly easier version using the footledge out left, 6C+ without this. A tricky and burly bugger that took me quite a few goes. Ticking the trio of up lines on this block (go in a dry spell with a breeze) in a day would be delightful.
Ice Cream SS 6C
A "prince line" with great climbing despite the lack of top-out (which could be excavated if you need to add on a MVS mantel). Enough holds to be steady but enough trickiness to be nicely knacky.
A Shropshire Mon 7A+
Climbed with The Nesscliffe Monster heckling and providing good chat and local knowledge! A serious single session siege that boiled down to a crucial kneebar that only just stayed in on the successful go. Burly but just the right amount of features to be pleasingly positional too.
Doug's Face 6C+ (6C)
A minor problem but a fun battle to stay attached first go.
Lancashire - Suntraps
Sunny places to get your quarried grit fix if it's a bit cold.
Rusty Wall 6C+ (7A strict?)
One of the highlights of my recent-ish bouldering! A really satisfying and technically intense highball with a top-out that was unfeasible until I spent two hours in the pissing sleet re-excavating it (which also works for the classic Colt 7C). It still took a couple of sessions, and I think is purer this way rather than using the edge of the left crack at the top.
Lifeline 6C
Another technical delight albeit a much more amenable one, a little gem. Done after an aborted visit to a bitterly cold wind-swept Wilton, whilst this had enough winter sun to feel gentle.
Boopers 6B
Talking about sun I tried this in late spring after the first 2020 lockdown, and it felt hard. So I went back in a snowstorm and it still felt hard! Definitely a good problem.
Crimping Cows 6C?
Not listed in the book, this is what I made of r-man's Leaping Cows dyno except using the holds instead ;). Seemed to work pretty well.
Alison's Route SS 7A
Climbed just after Haydn's deluded "Calling Of The Lime" in 2021 (and whilst it was snowing in the Peak). Despite Ousel's being a suntrap and lacking breeze that day, it was really crisp and nippy and these problems felt good despite being tough on the fingers. Classic base-of-crag quarried grit.
Zendik 7A
As above but I needed to put a beanie on! This was quite cool for a "diagonal line in the middle of nowhere" and took a bit of working out for the finish.
Phat Haendel 6B
Scenic and lovely to be out in the snow!
Reunion Wilderness RH Eliminate 6C (6C(!))
Quite exciting and committing - the crux feels like you could spin off and end up somewhere in that lovely background scenery. Okay, yeah, it's an eliminate, but it's only one rule and everything else is cool about it. And you thought Lancashire was all grotty lowballs in dingy quarries....
Cheshire Life - Exploratory sandstone bouldering
A tour around some diverse and exciting areas. Time to stray away from the chalk and queues at Pisa Wall!
Cheshire Life V5 (V6?)
I didn't know Cheshire life was actually that burly, I thought it was all daintily desperate like Pex and Harmer's, but apparently thugging through roofs is a valid lifestyle choice. I found this pretty tough and comparable to Colton's Crack.
Knit One V5 (V3/4?)
A bit of light relief but worth it as it's a nice line. I cleaned and trimmed the top but it was still a bit goey on my own, it would be fine with a spotter.
Self Harmer V6
Bloody brilliant. While waiting for ATDI to come into the shade, I thoroughly cleaned this unjustly neglected problem off, and did it soon after, and it was my favourite experience at Harmer's - the mega-rockover from a 1½ finger 1/3 pad edge to a thumbsprag, teetering around in the middle, and then I couldn't find any smear in the right place for the final move, so......
At The Drive In V6
I was seduced by the prospect of two actual good holds (!), and this became quite an obsession for me (after cleaning it and waiting ages for the seepage to stop), although a fair amount of that obsession was giving up on the RH-slot, LF-pocket rockover and fixating on a desperately reachy way around it on smears that was a sub-5% move for me. Then I found a different method for the authorised rockover beta and it was okay on the 4th session....
Queen Of Hearts V4 (V5?)
More Harmer's magic. I've often gone here hoping to rattle off a few vertical testpieces, then 2+ hours later when finally I've teetered up one, scarcely believing what I'm hanging on to, I'm more than satisfied with a lone problem. QOH is much harder than Yate's Layway and has a tiny diagonal pinch at the crux and a lovely juggy mono to signify it's all going to be okay.
Colton's Crack V6
Frodsham fun! This has got all the monkeying around you'd expect from the crag, except you do have to pull on a minging small crimp mid-way through it. When I topped out a lady's dog was standing right on the edge sniffing at me bemusedly :).
Suffering Slab 6C+
No tears please, it's a waste of good suffering. Another neglected climb I brushed up well, in fact the whole wall is neglected and and deserves more attention. Apparently this problem has Rules, I didn't really know what Rules I should be obeying and TBH have had quite enough of fucking Rules over 2020/21, so I just climbed what felt right at this standard and it felt natural and was an ace problem too.
Heath Ledger Direct V5?
Another one where I wasn't sure about sides of the arete and chips and stuff, but hell it's a good line and good fun so there you go.
Lancashire - Wiltons
World class routes....but I'd never properly sampled the bouldering until recent years. And there's some really good stuff, especially if you explore around...
Ell's Arete 6C
Definitely world class, as good as anything on grit (Technical Master?? Pffft, what's that??). 3 hours cleaning and top-out excavation in the minging weather, 3 minutes light brushing the now-pristine rock in a cold dry spell, it should hopefully stay clean for a while especially if people actually go and do it instead of fucking around on chalk-caked shite like The Move or whatever.
Children Of Arachne 7A (6C/+?)
A cool "tight line" problem. It felt easy in perfect conditions but given it's all positive crimps I doubt it's that conditions-reliant. I really liked the crossed-double-gaston move to hold my balance!
Flywalk Slab 7A (6C?)
A nice steady problem on nice crimps. TBH the much harder and higher Jim's Slab 7A+ rocking up left from the slot is the true inspiring line here, but too hard and high for me!
Snakey B 6C+ (6B+/C)
Another nice steady problem, the sitter adds no difficulty but is a nice start. I slipped off the final jug on a flash go, oh well.
Purple Haze 7A (6C/+?)
A lovely attractive one move wonder. I first did this on a sunny, if breezy, June day when I was out of practise post-lockdown1, and found it no harder than Gameplay (which I tried and didn't manage on the same day), but it might be a bit knacky...
Camille Claudel 6B (6A?)
Brilliant! Lovely slab climbing with a committing feel, it's all in the feet. Would be 4+ in Font.
Gameplay 6A (6B+/C?)
A bit of a hidden gem I think?? Doesn't get much attention and I never saw chalk on it. But it's great, committing, varied, slopey and thoughtful - totally understarred and undergraded (much better and harder than Snakey B for example).
Common Knowledge 6C
Another problem that doesn't see as much attention as it should maybe?? Just proper quality climbing.
JR's Soft Shoe Shuffle 7A
After an autumn of injury and an early winter struggling to get back into things, this was the problem that roused me from a stupor of easy mileage (and it's quite good for golfer's elbow as there's nothing you can pull hard on!). I got really psyched by the pure thin slabness of it all, and it took a couple of visits including this bitterly cold one - satisfying!
....I think that's it for now, for dedicated bouldering videos at least. Next time I might include more moaning or something.
Yeah this is a bit overdue. Blanket lockdowns irrespective of transmission risk, recovering from previous injury, winter weather, what-fucking-ever. It's spring now, the Lime Caller set a new benchmark of farcically bad lime calls with a call just before blizzards hit the Peak and then it went back to crisp grit connies. The punishment being that May started with a monsoon oh well. So here's a catch up on stuff I fitted in here and there. Esoteric gems ahoy!!
Grit Oddities 2 - Yorkshire
A right smorgasbord of all sorts! Roadside highballing, moorland pebble-pulling, woodland crimping, urban roofs... And some real personal challenges.
Photo Finish 7A (7A+?)
Something that inspired me a couple of years ago and turned into a proper seige... It got right into my brain and the middle couple of sessions had me leaving thinking "fuck this" (trying to move my left hand whilst holding the high gaston had me wanting to headbutt the crag and chew the pads in frustration), only to return again despite myself... And well, yeah, it is ace overall.
For Locals Only 7A+ (7A(!)?)
Local exercise and all... Actually this should be on *everyone's* wishlist (especially after I thoroughly cleaned it on ab on a previous visit). Brilliant fingery pop to a jug, then a life-affirming highball finish - that had me shaking with adrenaline for many minutes! A 10 second walk-in means it's easy to lug pads in, and then there's the project wall just right...
Pochette Surprise 6C (6C+/7A?)
This had been on my radar for a while, and I finally braved the alpine approach fucked legs and my stack of pads, and of course it was totally worth it - it has an all out pebble move for God's sake! I had to summon a lot of faith and my face at the end says it all.
Pocket Pull Pond 6C
Terrible name for a really cool problem. Although the pond over the top was solid ice which was quite fun. A rather scenic spot but prone to returning to nature at quiet a sprint, hence any highballing plans were abandoned in favour of this cool face climb which took all my determination to stay adhered to the middle crimps!
Stone Love 6A/6B (6A+?)
An unknownchoss.com special! Is it downgrading Will Hunt or upgrading dunnyg?? Who cares, it's actually a pretty neat little problem despite the coarse and "newish" rock. Definitely worth a detour from the honeypots for.
Galling Groove 6C+ (6B+/C?)
A mini-gem which just about transcends it's fairly grotty adjacent rock with a neat line, neat height, and neat moves. Go there on a nice day.
Busta Groove V5 (V6 w/o kneepad?)
A pro-tip from Jordan that this can dry quick despite it's woodland location, but this one is Nao's problem. Just plain good fun. I couldn't the knee to work enough to reach the top direct so hard to rely on a toe-hook - rare for me and quite satisfying.
Grit Oddities 2 - Peak
Aretes? Aretes!
Geisterspiel 7A
One of Mark20's nu-skool classics at Rivelin Quarries - and on the same day someone was working his nu-skool classic E7 at the far left too! I've had some fun days with M20 - he wears ron hills, has a pet dego, and likes a bit of black metal. I was totally psyched to do this problem as it is legitimately brilliant, as good as any grit arete despite the lack of top-out. Great compression moves and a cheeky toe-scum for me to finish.
James' Arete 6C (6B+?)
Another new addition, not sure of the actual name! With all of the base-of-crag bouldering gems scattered along it, I was speculating that Rivelin Quarry now has a better circuit than Bas Cuvier. Except less pof, quieter vibes, less hordes of bellends, etc....
Sambucus 6C (6C+?)
King lines come to Woolley Edge! An undeniable classic of esclating difficulty and a committing move to a clean top-out.
Lessons In Depth 7B (7A)
Grade change due to using different beta from Mike Adam's first ascent on every single move! Then again if you're a 6 foot 8C climber you might not be looking for 7A vs 7B beta, even if you could tell the difference... Despite it's proximity to the mud slope, this is another great problem with flowing and involved movement.
Gazelle 7A+ (6C/+?)
The problem I initially went to do and left me standing around wondering "oh, what next?". Another good line despite the grading nonsense, slightly easier and not quite as fine as Sambucus, but makes a good triptych!
Pepper Mill V5
A rare visit to conventional pastures, although according to G, this gets relatively little attention, despite, of course, it being brilliant. It was bloody freezing in the wind, and having to wear wellies for the "Scotland+++" bog level walk-in, my feet went numb and didn't thaw out for 45 mins with the car heater on full.
Kappix 7A
A salvaged day, and indeed salvaged problem, when the Peak was snowbound and the frosting on the trees at Harthill was quite beautiful. We went to try Scrapheap Challenge - I built as best a tyre platform as I could and was trying the strict starting method. I lunged for the lip hold, spun off leftwards and missed the pads, so we moved them. A few more goes, I half caught the lip hold, long enough to swing rightwards and miss the pads on that side.... We moved onto Kappix which had a really cool move to stood up and I had to finish rightwards as I couldn't do the reach leftwards. Later video browsing showed people doing Scrapheap without that eliminate start and with about 30 tyres padding the landing instead of 6....
Baildon Bonanza
I've always liked Baildon for routes. Now I like it for bouldering too.
Who Are We... 7A+
The kingest of lines! Terrible name (bollox to dad rock), beautiful problem. It hadn't been on my radar as it's at the very upper fringes of my ability, but then I started playing around... And yes, it really is that good, especially with this more natural start and static finish (I loved my impromptu press off the groove to get my weight up). Celebrity spotting by DJ Perc and Jarvis Cocker!
The Baildon Stem 6C+
Done as a consolation prize after being unable to get near the rat crimp start of Quaint Groove, but fun in it's own right. Not sure about this foot in the chip malarkey, but this way seemed natural to me.
The Mantel 7A (6C+?)
This was the catalyst for my Baildon bouldering. I'd always assumed it would be too hard and too thuggy for the short and heavy, actually it's just plain great fun. Once I worked out I could do it, it made my day.
Suggy's Wall 7A
It took quite a few visits to get on this when it's not too hot (i.e. above 0'C for this problem!!) or seeping. A lovely bit of wall with some very small crimps on the crux and an E1 5b finish that has never seen E4 6b in it's life!!
The Oik SS 6C+ (6C?)
Strong line, soft grade - I'd have flashed it if I'd cleaned the slightly scrittly finger ramp properly. A nice problem from the sitter or the stand, also my ex-girlfriend had cats she'd nicknamed "greedy wee oiks", so I'm fond of the name.
Peak Slabs In The Woods Triptych
A fun concept to explore: Cool slabs hidden on boulders in the woods below main crags!
Sunset Crack 7A (6C/+?)
Terrible name, brilliant problem. Great location, great rock, gentle landing, a distinctive chickenhead feature to go for, continuous moves, and lots of little features to work out a sequence on. One of the best in the Peaks!
Yorkshire Farmer 6C+ (6C?)
This might have been put up by one of UKC's prime headpunting chodes, but it's still a great find. Crimpy! I also did the more direct version where you don't swerve onto the ramp at the last minute, also good and not much harder.
Dreamboat Direct 6C/7A (6C+?)
Not really a slab at all where it matters - more like a vertical wall on which you have to hold on really hard on some minging rounded, frictional holds. Hence struggling like balls on my first session and having to come back and cruise up it in much fresher conditions. Still a cool bit of rock in a nice location (but scarcely 100m below the main crag) and the spooky stand-up out of the starting pocket is slabby enough....
Clattering Stones Circuit:
Somewhere that I'd always wanted to visit, both due to the cool-sounding circuit but also a relatively easy drive from home. But it's the furthest West-most grit in Yorkshire on a North-facing slope and the amount of times I've driven up out of Nelson into swirling mizzle and CLART and had to continue on to Scout Hut or Baildon or wherever... Finally got there in a fine dry period with a forecast of fog lifting to sunshine, well it didn't but the rock was bone dry and it was a great day.
Linea Negra 6C+
The first bit of rock that appealed to me, with a lovely selection of subtle features in an equally subtle scoop. Unfortunately it turns out that the obvious method is to crank past most of it, thus getting it done pretty quickly. If you're at this boulder for a while, trying to work out every possible method on this problem would be fun.
Fontanelles 6C+
A very attractive wall with climbing to match. A bit tricker for the short as I couldn't do the "reach off good left sidepull to high right edge" method, and had to combine a cheeky toe hook with a terrible smear for the right hand for alternate beta.
Androsterone 7A
The highlight of the day! Not only a technical delight with full usage of the toe-catch and thoughtful hand sequences, but a real fight trusting the distant left foot and reaching the top. I felt satisfied and my fingers felt worked after this.
Morning Sickness static 6C (6C+?)
I tried the dyno. Fuck dynos. I'm short, heavy, and despite strongish legs, very slow and not springy. The static sequence, despite the guidebook nonsense, is at least as good - varied, technical, and precarious. Distinctly harder than LN and F for me, but if you were a few inches taller and could use either the first lip sloper properly, or the main lip sloper, it would be a lot easier.
Love Handles 6B+
This took a fair bit of scrittle brushing off the top. Cool line though, with switching laybacks.
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That's it for now. Maybe more of the same catching up soon-ish!
Okay so this is a month out of date now but the last month hasn't been particularly conducive to communicating about climbing.... Rewinding from to early November in recent years....
2017 - Great summer climbing, wet autumn, but still very psyched....then made a couple of wee mistakes (more on them below).
2018 -Mediocre summer being ill but at least doing sport climbing, great autumn having recaptured my trad psyche and ability, pretty reassuring.
2019 - So-so summer having regressed with trad psyche and ability, but a great autumn bouldering and exploring in Wales, a fresh perspective.
2020 - Okay summer sport climbing and getting fully fit, then complete emergency stop due to double injuries, lost all of autumn trad season, and then the weather minged out just as I'd started to recover. Bollocks.
So I'm writing this because it's the 3rd anniversary of contracting norovirus, not recovering, and getting a mild but chronic digestive disorder, that still persists and inhibits me, from potentially nice days out, to indoor wall training when Lord Bozzer graciously allows us, to home workouts when he doesn't. Still there, still nagging me, still holding me back. It comes and goes but when it's there, life and climbing still feels a bit grayscale. But it is getting better year by year, who knows I might not be re-hashing this tedious shite for the 10th year anniversary.
More usefully for me to note (and hopefully my sporadic climbing partners to tolerate): I've had a realisation recently. I had assumed that my decreasingly frequent but still existent nausea bouts would have mostly physical after-effects on climbing: Queasiness, lack of energy, tiredness, lack of core tension etc. And thus that I'd struggle to do physically hard climbing, but be okay with easier but more committing climbing.
BUT. Experience has shown it's the other way around. The subtle psychological after-effects, particularly an underlying vulnerability, seem to consistently make easier but committing climbing harder to cope with than simple, less-psychological, but physically harder climbing (in which the initial wobbliness seems to get overriden by adrenaline and focus).
Looking back on various bouts / attempted climbing, this has been a fairly common correlation: A bout in El chorro - couldn't climb the day after but the next day fine on the sport despite feeling ropey. Ditto with a mild bout in Pfalz. Double bout (two nights in a row) in North Wales whilst bouldering, managed to boulder both days after again despite feeling wasted. 2018 when they were really regular, I managed to get into redpointing and cope fine. Minor bout before Egerton early summer 2019, felt iffy all day, couldn't cope with trad and started a downward trend that year. Smurf Zawn late summer, mild bout the night before, just felt spooked and timid the day after. Standing Stones recently after prior and slightly recurring bout, couldn't deal with any boldness (but could visualise how okay bouldering would be).
Sport / bouldering / training (subject to being uninjured) have been more suitable than sketchy trad (as glorious as that is). Something to take into account and hopefully use to try to halt and revert the vague downward trend of recent years. At the moment, my knee has recovered to at last 90%, my elbow rehab is going much slower but seems to be progressing and I'm being cautious, I'm working on flexibility more....and now we can train indoors for a while at least (until the great post-Xmas covid spike / granny massacre gives an excuse for another lockdown...).
Anyway here's some photos of a nice sky from during lockdown2 when I travelled a short distance for outdoor exercise whilst meeting a single person from another household:
Bonus: A bit later on, here's me at the same crag also doing outdoor exercise whilst meeting a single person from another household, alas without a comparable sky, but with butchered brightness levels at dusk ;). Bonus points for guessing the problem:
Rewinding a bit to earlier in the year, in that brief window post-lockdown-recovery and pre-MCL-and-elbow-injury, where things were bright and happy and full of climbing potential. Okay, okay, so things were mostly full of sitting on bolts at Peak Lime chossholes, but sometimes that sitting was interspersed with upwards motion and sometimes that motion resulted in success and confidence. Confidence that I was just about ready to apply to trad.....just before I found myself with two limbs out of action. Before then I'd just been dabbling, keeping my hand in, whilst using the sport for training, but still managed a few nice routes...
Frostbite, Wilton 2.
I'd given this a thorough clean at last year's Wiltonfest (before trying to casually romp up Falling Crack, slipping off whilst casually clipping a cam, and ending up tangled in the rope, sizeable arse over tit, in front of Hank Pasquill, and then slinking off in a sulk). The diligence of my cleaning was rewarded as when I came back this year, it was both obviously unclimbed and obviously still in great condition. Thankfully a summer of anal retentive micro-beta note-taking about redpoint projects had erased all useful information gained from my abseil cleaning, so I could set off with a clear mind and discover that it was a very good, pushy little multi-crux two-star testpiece.
Jasper, Stoney Middleton
Notable for two reasons. The first was a sign that pushing myself regularly on sport was having some benefits: Coel was initially appalled by the idea - "You're REALLY warming up on an E3?!" - "Well yes, that's about F6b+, and I'm regularly warming up on/above that, and I can see the gear should be pretty obvious too". When F6c is not longer hard and F6b feels like a rest.... And yes it was fine, and yes this was a good indication I could have done okay this summer / autumn. Secondly....JASPER! My friends' Dunc and Berie's tabby tomcat whom I used to hang around with / cuddle / harass / get scratched by quite regularly when I lived in Sheff. Lovely grumpy old oaf! I'd always intended to climb this route with Duncan, but after a mere two days climbing with him this summer, he'd spannered his wrist with his mid-life crisis choice of skateboarding and trying to show off to teenagers, and I couldn't wait any longer. So sorry Dunc, but here's to the memory of Jasper <3.
Anyway....
It's now been nearly two months since I injured myself. I am still injured but things are easing off, just as the weather has started crapping out more reliably of course ;). Plentiful gym rehab, a fair bit of moorland romping / recceing, and sporadic light climbing is helping my knee feel more mobile and resilient, although I haven't tried running again after the last debacle. Easing right off on my climbing and tweaking my eccentric / rehab program is helping my elbow.....not get any more injured at least. Physio consultations imply it's not too bad, but it's certainly inhibiting me a lot. However there's a glimmer of hope! I started some tentative falling practise the other day (on lead, I'm still too wary bouldering) and that was fine on my knee swinging directly into the wall, so at least there is something (important) I can train. In the meantime, more bumbling recaps:
Piggy And The Duke, Crowden Towers
Coel was keen for Arabia, I was unusually willing to give Kinder a go as an alternative to the gym for leg rehab, so I forced myself up there. Fuck me it was grim. I had to rest 4 or 5 times on the final slog up Crowden Clough. No....it never gets any easier with DVTs. All I can do is be more gentle on myself and take it slower. Anyway, Arabia was in a howling gale, so we did a circuit of the South Eastern Edges, via this scenic sandbag, then on to Herford's Route on the Pagoda, an even worse sandbag on which the final ankle-breaking mantle-above-a-ledge had me seriously questioning whether this was sensible knee rehab, and finally down Jacob's Ladder and a vow never to go up there again until I've forgotten what the walk-in is like, which given I was just browsing Nether Tor whilst trying to find this route name, I might have already done, sigh.
Emmenthal, The Range
Now on to the proper stuff. Proper knee AND elbow rehab as it's ledge shuffling in the most ledge shuffly sort of way. Proper spirit-lifting mental rehab as as well as being easy it's also bonkers, fun, inspiring, characterful and intriguing. The weather was good, the scenery was lovely, Jodie and Kai were game for an adventure and liked the fun of it all, and we got to watch an amusing seal ruckus . And my knee only got one tiny twinge, standing up from rigging an abseil. Okay I did get multiple torso lacerations from failing to post myself through the chimney slot on Big G's The Old Steam Piano (one to go back for when it's dry), but it was a small price to pay. After warming up at The Range and another tentative but eventually pleasing day at Smurf Zawn, I managed to nourish my soul further doing Mantrap in Mousetrap Zawn which was just brilliant and my route of the year I think, cheers Luke for coming along for the ride. All of which was perfect, if expected, confirmation that adventurous / esoteric sea-cliffs are exactly what is good for my mind and body in the current state, despite the rarity of being able to rouse partners for such pleasures. It's still in my mind for some winter sun days (albeit depending on how draconian the Welsh covid-5G rules AND associated racist vigilante nationalism get too).
The Crunge, Craig Y Forwyn
Williams and Muzza P were bleating on about how great Craig Y Forwyn was. I turned up and almost all of it apart from the Great Wall looked like a direct and dire mixture between Wye Valley and Willersley. Ugh. Turns out that despite most of the crag being less aesthetically inspiring than a single hold on The Range, the rock is actually quite decent, full of hidden horizontal breaks, and actually climbs really well for limestone. I should have more faith given it's A55 / Llandudno area which is infinitely superior to any greasy crumble in the Pennine dales. Talking of which, the BMC should stop pissing around renovating the world's worst sport climbing on the fringes of Horseshoe, and instead purchase Forwyn main cliff, nuke all the ivy, install some bolt lower-offs, and purchase a caravan in the park below as a climber's mini-hut #realtalk
The day after we did a bit at Marine Drive and Crinkle Crags which was great as usual, saw a goat, lots more seals, wind turbines, etc etc.
Anyway that's it for now. I'm cultivating a fine balance of being grumpy that I've missed getting away, but also being vaguely inspired for gritstone which is pretty essential at this time of year.
