Das rotpunkt ja?

As part of the general sport-climbing-as-training-for-greater-ranges plan this summer, I've started trying to redpoint the occasional route. Just like Steve Mclure, I've got some places where I'm running out of things to onsight, or there's nothing I can onsight, so I have to resort to redpointing to get some climbing done. I'm a sort of VS Steve Mac, yeah...

So, yeah, I've never done redpointing before, never been bothered. Flashing is infinitely more pleasurable and of course trad infinitely more pleasurable still. But in these times of need, it can fit the bill nicely. The other week was a prime example, in the last week of that grim muggy sweatathon heatwave, before of course all the summer rain came in. Far too hot to try anything remotely inspiring and worthwhile, so as The Eagles and I mused, there is nowhere better to be than dangling on the end of a rope, working something.

Of course, that working something then leads me to see potential, and get a bit into the idea, and wonder if I could actually redpoint something a bit challenging, as well as getting a little bit stronger and a little bit fitter (and a little bit tweakier in the elbow, so I'm going to have to be careful). So I've dabbled a bit more in recent weeks, the weather has encouraged this too by forcing me onto perma-dry and thus steep and hard crags. It's been kinda vaguely fun and something a bit different *shrug*.

Anyway today I did my first proper redpoint, Another Choadside Attraction at Raven Tor. Woo. Hoo.

"Summer"

It is now pretty much the height of Summer, so naturally it is pissing down and forecast to be the dreaded "sunshine and showers" for the foreseeable future or at least the next decade or so. Once again those who take pleasure in dry outdoor activities are labouring under the tyrannical yoke of this country's obnoxiously unpredictable and unreliable weather, and once again those who are most inspired by exploratory trips away to the mountains and coasts in the West have to suffer this yoke the most of all.

Welcome to the grossly unfair battle of Syked Trad Climber vs The Weather.

However this year, knowing that this is an unwinnable battle head on, I have been nimbly outwitting the situation, with advanced preparation. I have been trying to sort "stuff" out in the meantime, contacting lots of climbing partners and getting options for later in the "summer", and also doing sporadic running to keep fit. Hopefully giving me time and readiness if the weather does ever clear up (unfortunately I missed the last good periods due to said "stuff").

Also, more prominently, I have been on the Lime a lot, sport climbing as training for the Greater Ranges. I've dabbled a bit with this in the past, and it was a plan for last "summer" but of course injury stopped play then. Recently my injuries have felt fine and fairly healed (although I had a very slight niggle in my elbow last night, something I will have to heed diligently), and I have discovered that although Pennine inland Lime is generally Turd, it is a valuable training resource. I have been onsighting in the Matlock quarries and in Yorkshire, and working routes on local Peak crags, verily even thee Tor. All of which has got me stronger and fitter, given me some climbing to do when weather and time prevent away trips, and who knows there might have been a bit of enjoyment at some point...

7/12

Halfway through the year fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck fuck fuck fuck.

Esoterica / cancelled trips / exploration / some ticks off the list / UCAS applications / driving and more driving / changing plans / seemingly uninjured / new medication / quarries / redpointing / issues and more issues / inspiration vs reality / oppressive heat / missed opportunities / tempus fugit / fuck fuck fuck.

Incapable of comprehensible blogging.

Loose rock, dust, vegetation, hidden holds, obscure moves...

...blind climbing, dirty slopers, dampness, spaced gear, badly positioned gear, man-eating plant-life, icy river-crossings, misleading descriptions...

Sounds like a full on adventure climbing horror, right??

Actually, it's supposedly proper convenience climbing - Peak sport climbing, on natural limestone.

I got a taster of it today in Chee Dale Upper, a taster that was at best educational and at worse bore an only highly tangential relationship to "enjoyment". All of those factors featured throughout the day, sometimes all on the same route - although the river crossing was rather fun. Compared to my recent experiences in the quarries, which have some of those qualities but generally in less overwhelming quantities, it was rather offputting. I can see the sense in training on this....stuff, it certainly works my weaknessness better than the pleasant and often reasonably bolted quarried crimping, but....well....I climb for FUN :S.

Blah.

Stuff going on, sorry.

Have been doing some interesting climbing stuff but no coherent thoughts to post on it (like that usually stops me, LOL). Maybe soon.

6/12

Eeeep. Tempus Fugit and all that. Although there have been interesting developments this month.

Climbing-wise, well, the month did end rather well. With weekends like this, in places like this:


....there is enough to feel happy about.

More later.

Rock.

Ticklists again. I love/hate ticklists. Hate the ones that are herd-following obvious commercial Here Is A Book Full Of So-Called Essential Routes this is what you must tick lists. Love the ones that are obscure and quirky and have a distinctive theme and get you going to places you wouldn't otherwise go and doing things you wouldn't otherwise consider.

Something I've know for a long time is that I'm fascinated by different rock types - the aesthetics, the formations, the textures, the feel, the way they lend themselves to climbing, the diversity, the curiosity (especially of "WTF is this"-type rocks). Something I've realised recently is that I'm amassing a fairly respectable ticklist of different rock types, and am still enjoying it as much as ever, climbing on new ones.

In this country we are cursed by the weather and crowded roads, and blessed by the equally the best trad in the world (along with America) and by a phenomenal variety of rock crammed into a fairly accessible area. Just consider North Wales or the Lakes, each of which with a half-dozen major rock types within an hour's drive of each other. So here is my list, in true bumbling non-geologist style, from South-West to North-East:

Limestone (Torbay, also everywhere)

Limestone, Quarried (Torbay, also everywhere)

Shale (Bantham Hand)

Amphibiolite (Lizard)

Granite (West Penwith, many other places)

Granite, Quarried (Cheesewring, etc)

Killas Slate (Carn Kendijack)

Greenstone (St Gurnard's Head, Carn Gowla?)

Pilau Lava (Doyden Point, Pentire Point)

Culm Sandstone (Compass Point, Lower Sharpnose, etc)

Oolitic Limestone (Ham Hill Quarry)

Sandstone, Quarried (South Wales, also Pex, etc)

Arennig Gritstone (Rhinnogs)

Ignimbrite (Craig Y Mwn, also in Lakes?)

Gabbro (Porth Ysgo, Carrock Fell, western scotland etc)

Shale/Sandstone (Craig Doris)

Shale/Arennig Grit (Cilan Head)

Gwyna Melange (Twyn Maer Maen)

Meta-Dolerite (Pen-Y-Cil)

Dolerite (Tremadog)

Felsite (Carreg Hyll Drem, also Falcon Crags??)

Rhyolite (Dinas Cromlech, many other places)

Slate, Quarried (Dinorwic Slate, also Lakes Slate)

Quartzite (Gogarth, Rhoscolyn)

Sandstone (Helsby, also Northumberland and everywhere)

Hornstone (Beacon Hill)

Magnesian Limestone (Harborough, Brassington)

Gritstone (Roaches, Stanage, and everywhere)

Quarried Grit (Wiltons, Millstone, and elsewhere)

Coal Measure Sandstone (Wharncliffe)

Conglomerate (The Hoff)

Andesite (Borrowdale, Lakes in general)

Whinstone (Peel Crag, Crag Lough)

Greywacke (Meikle Ross, Portobello, all Stranraer area)

Micro-Granite (Llagantalluch, Crammag Head)

Basalt (Dumbarton, Central Belt Quarries)

Trachyte (Trapain Law)

Mica Schist (Dunkeld, Substation Crag, Glen Nevis and all Scotland)

Schist (???)

Gneiss (Diabaig, Loch Tolldaih, Sheigra)

Torridon Sandstone (Torridon)

Old Red Sandstone (Am Buchaille)

Anyone got any more for me to try??