Shadow Of Intent.

I got accosted by a nice young man at Eden Edinburgh the other day who said he'd met me at Ratho and enjoyed reading my grindr profile errr I mean blog. I need to apologise for firstly not being very chatty (I was mildly distracted by trying to get a fucking grip during an atypically  disappointing sesion at the usually reassuring and outright fun Eden Rock), secondly not remembering him (people have accused me of having a rotted brain from listening to too much gabber and death metal over the decades - they may have a point as despite such music obviously enhancing my sense of personal morality, my memory is shocking these days), and thirdly for said blog being fairly mediocre this year. It is a mild annus horribilis - although not really an anus horribilis (I'd prefer it if more of the intestinal drama was way down there) and I have lacked inspiration as well as subject matter. But here's a little something from a few months back:

Well it's actually from a couple of decades back. Early in my climbing life, early exploration of Dumfries and Galloway sea-cliffs. D&G - Scotland Lite, but peaceful and charming in it's own way. Same goes for the sea-cliffs. Beautifully scenic inlets at Portobello, idyllic slabs above a beach at Larbrax, diverse greywacke adventures at Meikle Ross, plentiful good honest microgranite walls at Crammag and Laggantalluch. The latter feels a bit like hidden parts of West Penwith, imagine everything from the rock crystals to the approach slopes have been compressed down to a quarter of the size and the caravans have thankfully fucked off. 

I went to Laggantalluch all those years ago, did some nice E1s, backed off the so-called E2 5b Freewheeling, a grand slab that the Fox and I confirmed as E3 5c *** in 2011. And I also backed off a new route at the reasonably well established Laggantalluch Head sector. There was a crack and a roof and a headwall and it was all more committing than I was committed. 

Many years later I went back again, I think with The Pylon Kunt. This may or may not have been the visit where we developed the semi-esoteric but rather charming Buchan West Crag, subsequently all of our routes there were upgraded (possibly rightly, hard to tell as we had to abseil clean and inspect - another thing that makes pre-inspection such toss as you can't give an accurate estimate of the normal experience, albeit needs must on a new crag), and downstarred by Stephen Reid because he was miffed that it was the one obvious Galloway Hills crag that John Biggar and himself hadn't hoovered up (this explanation may be speculation or entirely accurate). Once again we had a nice time at Lagg and once again the line got away - to the extent that I posted about it on UKC to suggest someone did it before the imminent new guide. No-one did.

Fast-forward to many years later again, or is it rewind to a few months ago? Either way I went back with the Purkle who has a penchant for the area. The weather was stunning, glorious spring sun with an even more glorious crisp cool breeze - no nuclear death heat back then! We warmed up at Portobello and I finally did the intimidating wall of St Elmo's Fire E3 5c *** which was bold and lovely and a good reassurance that maybe I could potter okay with my PVIBSUDT (this was before the derived depression though). Then we went to Lagg and this time I was going to do that bloody route. Warmed up, did a sandbag E2, ignored the other 3 or 4 potential new lines and got on the main one, the most obvious of the lot. 

Womble to the roof, fiddle in good gear, lean out off a good, unavoidable jam (well there has to be something to stop the wall rats), reach a good crimp, tiptoe feet to hold it, match and gain sinker lip jug. Get pumped fiddling in unnecessary back up gear, then realise the second crux is to come. Furtle up on diminishing nubbins to get stood up and then realise by far the best hold is at your shins. A bit of lateral thinking leaves you hanging the footholds of the classic E1 that circumvents the roof and allows more gear and enough relaxation to shuffle leftwards to jugs and what would be glory except Galloway is all a bit too peaceful for that.

Nothing earth-shattering but I finally got it done and it's a good line and a good route and a good useful addition to the cliff. Shadow Of Intent E3 5c **. The leaning rock strata make it look quite hard in a Gogarth Main Cliff sort of way but it's not. So named partly because of the aeons-old intention of doing it and partly because of one of the vast plethora of technical melodic deathcore metal bands I am in to is Shadow Of Intent and I was listening to them on repeat to motivate myself on tedious auto-belay laps at Kendal Wall which may or may not have provided the necessary stamina. 

The Complete Works.

Let's rewind to some happier times...and hit play at the start of this:



Sit back, grab a coffee or a gin, and let the seaside wash over you. This is Mike Cheque's long-awaited celebration of the variety, intrigue and enthralling experiences of sea-cliff climbing, and I'm thrilled to be part of it. My section is 32:50 onwards but please watch the whole thing.

So those happier times, 2 years ago I was being filmed with Duncan and Cecile in the Cornwall section, a couple of months before that I was being filmed with Wil and Kate in the....Esoterica section. Despite Cheque filming me on one of the leads of my life (Black Magic at Pentire, although playing a supporting role to Duncan doing the the free version of Eroica 30 years(!) after doing an aid point ascent), my role was firmly (or loosely?) defined in a long weekend around Anglesey as the....comedy relief. The off-piste garish-vested compression-stockinged poshly-swearing oddball. And I'm completely (...) happy with that - it's part of me and my climbing passion! So I wanted to share some background about a section the viewers seem to like....

....The Complete Works :)

• This is a George Smith E5 5c *, it gets a photo tick and a star in the guidebook. The grade is nominal, the climbing is about technically E1, adjectivally XS. The star is also nominal, 3 being more appropriate.
• I'd been to The Range a few weeks before, done a few nice esoteric gems, and recced various accessible but adventurous zawns for filming potential, including this one.
• I admit I was "mildly concerned" but the line was irresistable and The Urge was strong. I'm by no means a veteran of this sort of climbing but....I dunno, I have a, errr, soft spot for weird stuff that is strangely aesthetic, technically easy, but requires methodical progress and constant attention.
• Despite the seriousness, I did try to make it as safe as possible (despite not wearing a helmet, I know, I know). I placed 32 bits of gear in 24 metres including 12 slings. At least a few of those were adequate. 
• Yes I did partly enjoy the experience at the time - Type 1.5 fun maybe. It was scary and disturbing but also dreamy and captivating. I wouldn't want to do too much of this but I'm genuinely glad I did!
• Unlike at least one of the cameramen, I didn't think I was going to die. I did think there was a high chance of lowering off a cluster of bodyweight slings and loose cams, or being benighted in a chimneying position. Incidentally my entire left side was covered in dust from the udging.
• Mike did throw a rope down for me to pull past the gorse bush cornice. I don't think that diminishes the experience much. If he hadn't been there, we'd have just left the ab rope down that section. 
• Whilst seconding the "crux", but alas not being filmed, Kate pulled off one of the holds and swung into space, when she swung in and grabbed another hold, that came of too, 3rd time lucky and she reattached herself. These might have been the holds I used.
• AFTER the route, I had to get myself psyched up to then do American Excess XS 5c as planned. God knows how. AE was also pretty stimulating as can be seen on film!
• We DID go for the curry afterwards, I think it was pretty decent, the lime pickle was extra tangy anyway.
• Last year I tried to capitalise on this experience by climbing Gold E4 5c * HXS 5c *** at Rainbow Zawn in North Pembroke, but got shut down near the top of the first pitch after being on it for at least as long. A missing ledge might have had something to do with this. Rainbow Zawn makes The Range look like Burbage North, Gold makes TCW look like Mutiny Crack. A whole different world of horror being extremely awkward and physically hard  as well as loose sandy greasy and committing. And that was just one pitch out of three....
• JB kindly quipped "Tempting as it must have been to make the whole film about Fiend I think you made the right decision!" . Well now that's an idea. Without being too narcissistic I have done quite a few aesthetic, inspiring, and often easily filmeable sea-cliff routes of a vaguely related ilk in recent years. Maybe I should have commissioned Cheque to follow me around and also film: Scissors on the Lleyn, Andromeda Strain at Carn Gowla, Gold attempt, Extreme Walks at Pembroke North, Call To Arms and False Gods at Sanctuary Wall, new-routing on Cardigan Bay shale.... ;)
• There's still loads more I want to do at The Range. It's a lovely place.

Midsummer madness.

Midsummer last year I was winding my way back up from Bristol after a brief spell doing some of the best and most inspiring climbing I've ever done.

Midsummer this year I am winding my way back from the New Victoria hospital after a long overdue endoscopy. And that's a bit fucking toss really.

(As predicted by the gastroenterologist and nutritionist, the endoscopy has showed nothing significant, although I will be waiting for the results of a biopsy from my duodenum)

So this is a health and climbing blog update (follow up to this) - boring but it gets the information to people who kindly ask me about it.

Innards:

Since the last update I have been on a heavily restricted diet and various digestive supplements, this has been bloody frustrating but seems to be SLOWLY working. I haven't had a full nausea bout for 6 weeks now, and although I often feel mildly queasy and sore, this does indicate some SLOW progress. Yes you might guess the SLOWNESS is also frustrating... I've seen the nutritionist again and she is happy there is some progress and I am on the right track, and also estimates it could be 3-6 months from starting the full diet until I am healed enough (to hopefully go back on to a normal, healthy, and enjoyable diet). That is a....SLOWish timescale but at least it's promisingly finite.

Mindstate:

Since the last update I have had less issues with acute emotional responses to nausea bouts (because there haven't really been any - although the regular discomfort is unavoidably distracting and mood-lowering, albeit quite temporarily), and more issues with "conventional" depression - a natural repercussion from dealing with this illness, even after it's ceased being so physically bad. This too is something I am tackling in various ways, from getting help and support to working on my general thought patterns, to trying to keep active in any form - which has included a lot of going to the indoor wall on gloriously sunny and dry days, and telling myself it will be okay and even having a little bit of fun doing so (mostly thanks to the excellent new Eden Rock opening in Edinburgh).

Climbing:

There has been some! I've struggled a lot with motivation, will-power, focus, organisation, commitment, travelling, planning, and interacting with people - and thus have wasted most of that reliable hot dry spell. I might be slightly grumpy about that. On the other hand, I haven't struggled so much with moving over rock nor especially plastic. I think my fitness and strength are almost as normal, even if my confidence isn't. So when I've finally got in the right situation, I've done okay. Bit of trad, bit more of sport, small numbers, some success, some failure, some fun. Keeping going on the basis that it (climbing and training) will all add up in the end and when I'm finally healed I will be able to climb normally and fully happily.

As a small reward for reading another paint-dryingly exciting post, here's some photos to celebrate some recent climbing:

Going Off Piste.

Climbing that is, not skiing. Skiing, I am a shameless piste-bashing corduroy whore. Give me the first run on a nightly groomed steep varied red or black and I love it. Which reminds me, having not been for 8 years, I should really sort that shit out. Climbing though, give me the two star routes, the hidden gems, the esoteric classics, the fantastic routes that aren't in bloody Rockfax honeypotting selects and ARE in definitive guides - and thus are one of the many key reasons to buy definitive guides (or select guides by definitive-producing teams), to keep these off-piste crags and routes detailed and highlighted so they get enough attention and don't disappear under the jungle of neglect.

Or crags that, in the case of the current subject, aren't in any print guides but are well-documented online. This is down in Northumberland, where a short hop over the border takes you into the land of new bouldering venues having high quality detailed PDF topo guides, rather than in Scotland where new venue details are hidden by a veil of obfuscation and only come about by clandestine word of mouth IF you're in the right social circle and understand the right accent.

Bouldering has been one saving grace over the late winter (sometimes on rock, sometimes on the shapely, skin-friendly, technique-testing resin over at the new Eden Edinburgh). Having the highest ratio of muscular stress / technical interest to psychological challenge / logistical difficulty of any climbing sub-genre (basically the moves are hard and everything else is piss), it's been easier to get out and do when I'm feeling okay, without having to commit to big changeable plans or expend a lot of energy when I'm a bit fragile. After warming up on the normal areas, I've headed off-piste in The County, and had some great days out:


Howlerhirst

The most recent escapades with able assistance from The Fox (not enough of this these days since he's spawned a sprog). I'd been here years ago for a bit of nice, typically underused trad, with development of the "quarry" section (distinctly un-quarried feeling) the amount of problems has tripled and made a nice circuit. I was particularly chuffed with the high 6C+ wall as it felt quite committing to dyno (not my forte) even above a good landing, but also with the soundtrack which took a couple of hours of editing to get just right, and is a particular favourite of mine. Having got the latest RT album I saw them a few days after this bouldering trip and they were bloody brilliant live as you might expect.

Edlingham This is both a video from a while ago AND a crag that is in the book, but of course since it's not BowdenKyloe it doesn't get nearly enough attention. It's not got the density of problems but it's got some really nice ones (enough to come back for, see below). I brought in a rope to clean the highball top-outs of the main buttress problems, but it turns out I hardly needed it......this time....

The Stell

.....and this time I didn't bring in a rope and the main holds on the top-out were seeping and the dry holds were lichenous and it was all a bit epic, but the problem was bloody great (one I had an inkling I could do last time but didn't have the energy / skin / conditions then). Then it was swiftly over to The Stell where the blue skies contrasted nicely with the massive snow-drifts beneath the crag, including one that I'd half slid on with my pads to get down over the top, then after completing the first problem decided to hop back down it again and promptly embedded myself up to my waist, cue much paddling and bellyflopping and emptying my chalkbag of snow, all off-camera alas.

The Stell's vibe, modest height, shapely blocs and bewilderingly soft-touch grades enticed me back for another visit. On arrival it was grey and dull, with a few spots of drizzle, and I somehow managed to pick a colossal sandbag to start working. Hard Times is a couple of grades harder than Ed's Cave Arete, I couldn't even pull on the stand-up. Motivation bottomed out somewhere below zero and I was about to sack it off and trek back to Eden, when I started fondling the slimpers on Too Hard For Blakey - this sucked me right in with it's minimal distillation of climbing down to not just one move, but the feel of one hold (getting the left slimper secure enough to slap), and got me psyched enough for a great day, despite the tripod falling over on the last problem as the rain came in and bashing in my camera lens (estimated repair cost: £213, cost of same model new: £219 UHUH).

High Crag

Another typically oddball day on my own. It says something when the most actual fun part of the day was power-hosing the car partway on the very long slog home. This was to reveal some of the bodywork underneath the liberal coating of mud both it and I got when I parked on the minor road (no signal of course) verge, got it stuck in snow-covered mud, and was furiously trying to excavate it just as I got a caffeine peak (back when I was drinking proper coffee) + blood sugar crash meltdown. Well done me. Two passing locals in a Skoda with only single-figures worth of teeth between them but a thoroughly friendly vibe managed to haul me out, and thus it was on to the crag where I spent a lot of time in a freezing gale wondering about crawling out with a mashed ankle and was it really worth it and what on Earth was I doing. But yes of course it was worth it....

Shitlington

Good name, good crag, good bouldering. A surprisingly normal day where I came, I climbed, I carried around a rusty old rifle and a sheep skull as luck totems and they seemed to work.

So there we go, get out and explore, there's cool stuff out there, it deserves and needs your chalk more than the same old honeypot circuits do. Take a brush and a flask and watch what verge you park on. For me, I've still got to go to Garleigh (in the book, but definitely not a honeypot) and maybe Simonside Plateau (looks mighty nice), although maybe I've run out of conditions this year.

Finally, I had my comeuppance going off-piste route climbing at Callerhues. Despite this being a fairly classic, insta-drying, extremely aesthetic crag with fine rock features, the 30 minute walk (which even I can manage), boldness of the routes, and lack of imagination of climbers means it is unfairly neglected and thus somewhat problematic for the outsider. The grades are a black humour joke in the definitive NMC guide and although rightly improved in the Rockfax select, I wonder how many of the routes were actually re-climbed for the latter?? Worse, the generally great rock is suffering from lichen and dustiness, and the routes are bold and committing enough for this to be seriously off-putting. The ease of cleaning a boulder with a quick look around the top and a brush on a stick is of little use here, so what was supposed to be a lengthy mileage day turned out to be a couple of nervy, if good routes and general frustration with the situation. Maybe someone who lives a bit closer than 2.5 hours drive away could give things a wee scrub there so the inherent quality is restored??

Fuck This Shit.

I've been ill for six months now. The best estimate of what I've got is some damage to the small intestine and surrounds (maybe gut lining, sub-clinical inflammation, gut flora balance, SIBO or something), under the broader banner of post-viral / post-infectious IBS of the upper digestive tract (as tentatively diagnosed by a gastroenterologist and a nutritionist - the latter also suggesting low stomach acid and low digestive enzymes exacerbating the issue). This was caused when I contracted norovirus or similar at exactly the same time I'd just had a big leg impact my body was trying to heal, thus not healing the intestinal trauma from the virus - see first paragraphs here. This manifests in fortnightly bouts of nausea with sleep deprivation, loss of appetite, low energy, low mood, as well as general mild queasiness, indigestion, and occasional soreness.

This was bad before Christmas, had started to ease off a couple of months ago, and then came back almost as bad a month ago. This aptly summed up my general status a few weeks back:

Obviously there should be a reciprocal link from low mood > back to > PVIBSUDT, I know full well that mood and stress affect digestion, and I am taking steps to improve my mood, but it's a natural reaction to the issues in the first place.

More recently, you could take that whole diagram, factor in on one side the singularity of focus I've had on getting this issue fixed, and on the other side the frustration of recommended dietary changes to allow my gut to heal (adding in acid and enzymes, taking out dairy in addition to the wheat / sugar I'd already cut out, so I've removed about half the food variety from my diet, but three quarters of the enjoyment, as well as half again added to the cost), and all that has added up to my climbing going completely off the boil, my whole sense of self diminishing, and a distinct feeling of mild but "proper" depression (which I am familiar enough with to distinguish it from the previous low mood). On the plus side, probably due to the diet, I haven't had a bad nausea bout for a few weeks (but still lots of mild queasiness), but psychologically I definitely do not feel myself.

Yes, I am moaning about this. It's not major, lots of people have lots of worse situations, but, it's affecting me, I want to get it out, maybe it will clear my head a bit.

Yes, I am trying to improve this. It's pissing me off a lot, especially at the start of the summer climbing season with reasonable weather. I have the usual dreams and aspirations and don't want to get even further distant from them. I'm trying to train, I'm trying to get some easy mileage in, I'm trying to keep active full stop, I'm trying to weather it out, and I'm getting some help. Hopefully my gut will heal, hopefully my focus will clear up, hopefully I'll keep some fitness up....and get on with proper climbing at some point...

Pfalz Pfotos.

Okay okay some proper climbing ones to share the psyche (I'm still waiting for some others from the team, I'll update this when they get sent over...):

Warning images might feature sandstone, trees, power vests, compression stockings, etc.

Update: Added some photos that Kirsty took with her fancy DSLR:

Neueste Kreation 7, Hochstein - day 1, route 3. Quite a steady start to proceedings.

Sudostkante 7, Frohndellpfeiler - really cool route this. Started up a gnarly little "HVS 5b" crack on the right side of the arete, swung into a cool heel-toe rest in space, and then yarding up the crest on perfect flat jugs. This was shortly before failing on the brilliant Spidermove because I was too casual deadpointing from a slopey crimp to a two finger pocket. Cue the mother of all tantrums and a bit of tree-climbing to recover my quickdraws from where they ended up.

Langer Amenweg 7+, Spirkelbacher Rauhbergpfeiler - very cool route with probably only grade 7 climbing, but 7+ commitment and excitement including a handless knee mantle onto a constricted ledge, pinchy bridging up a blank hanging groove and then an obligatory exposed run-out. Can I get an amen?!

Planet der Affen 7 @ Buttelfels - typically aesthetic and scenic little wall, albeit without the usual towering tower above. This route had a tricky start to get to the bolt an a fun finish on good holds. This was shortly before failing on an excellent 7+ wall because I got fooled by white herrings and didn't look around to find the un-chalked easy sequence, there might have been some rage.

Eroika 7- @ Spirkelbacher Rauhfels - grand old wall of masses of honeycomb pockets and spaced bolts / threads. Easy and unrefined but a nice adventure. This was shortly after failing on a great bouldery 8- with a hard deadpoint to a 2 finger pocket - I was very focused and determined but half a cm too shallow, gutted.

Intensivstation 8- @ Dahner Kuckuckfels - something hard I didn't actually fail on. The crux involved a merciless rockover via a razor crimp, in the first shot. My sort of move but even so part way through I nearly ground to a halt and really hard to dig deeper and crank harder. The most satisfying move of the trip.

Klink Flink 7- @ Weiherwande - easy but very aesthetic wee scoop thing. A nice warm-up.

Lange Westwand 7- @ Ringsberg Westpfeiler - very nice wall this. I did a sketchy 7- on the right slab below the arch, an easy 7+ on the right slab above the arch, a cool 7/7+ up the right side of the main wall, and this really nice easy 7- up the middle-left side (where my rope is in the 2nd shot). Pfalz wall bimbling at it's best.

 Zu Fruh Gelacht 8- @ Luger Geiersteine -  a very aesthetic wall on impeccable rock. It involved a jump from a slopey pocket to a decent rail then a grovelly slopey lip-turn over the bulge above (2nd shot). Good cool conditions for this. This was my day of "trying hard not climbing hard" and around this I failed on a big 7+ with a desperate precarious crux and then a burly slopey lip-turn that I fell off, an 8 just left of this route with a big dyno to an unexpectedly slopey break that I fell off, and another 8 with more desperate precarious climbing eventually leading to a brutally hard slopey lip turn that I fell off. How the fuck I managed to fail on all that lot and not lie down in the middle of the road waiting for an HGV to take me out, god only knows.

Direkte Talwand RH 7+ @ Dingentalturm -  bit of an odd line as I think the original direct is suppose to go left of the upper bolt and a new sport route seems to join it and finish up right, but what we did was the logical direct line and really good, with positive moves on positive but diminishing honeycomb leading to an easier "resistance" finish. All with a fine towering backdrop of course.

Pfalz Pfrustrations.

Trip 3....days 16-24....crags 26-34... After one trip in a sweltering summer and one trip in a claggy autumn, surely a fresh spring trip would be the time to really push myself on the ever-intriguing Pfalz sandstone?? 3rd time lucky or maybe not...

There were tantrums, swearing, gear-throwing, sulking (and subsequent apologies to the team), and then plenty of realisations, learnings, and semi-calm acceptance that the ever-intriguing Pfalz sandstone is bloody difficult and I might have to adjust my aims. I focused on trying hard instead of climbing hard, ticking crags instead of ticking routes, and had a great trip overall (which was probably inevitable given the area). I also learnt a fair bit so I'm writing this partly to share the knowledge and partly to remind myself for the similarly inevitable "next trip".

Pfalz Challenges:

1. Friction and conditions are absolutely crucial, breeze especially (rare *).
2. Routes require a mixture of gritstone technicality / friction AND limestone power.
3. Routes are often incredibly cruxy with easily droppable cruxes.
4. Some "sport" routes can be pretty bold / committing.
5. Specific common hard moves are: precise deadpoints to small pockets, massive reaches / full dynos (sometimes to non-jugs), hard pulls / rockovers on razor rugosities, slopey mantles / lip turns, figuring out best sequences from a sea of pockets **.

Pfalz Grades:

1. They are VERY variable and random. Expect a full grade variance on up to 50% of routes.
2. They have no correspondence to the standard grade tables, being at least a grade harder.
3. A few grade comparisons from similar sandstone:
Helsby:
Flake Wall E4 6a - Pf  7/7+
Calcutta Wall E4 6a - Pf  7+
Brandenburg Wall E3 5c - Pf  7-
Armathwaite:
Viennese Oyster E3 5c - Pf 7-

 Diamond Lil E3 5c - Pf 7-

Berdorf:

Arete Paulette 7a+ - Pf  8-
Voleur De Spits 7a+ - Pf  7+/8-
Yellow Submarine 7a - Pf  7+
Mike 7a - Pf  7+/8-
Nesscliffe:
Marlene E4 6a - Pf 7/7+
Straight Talk E3 6a - Pf 7+
Red Square E1 5b - Pf 6/6+
4. Since the routes are so cruxy, a comparison with grit routes might be more accurate, e.g. E3 6a rather than 6c/+ for 7/+, E4 6b rather than 7a for 8-. Remember to factor in the variable grades AND how variable very bouldery cruxes will feel***.

Pfalz Tactics:

1. Heed conditions as key - adapt challenges to suit.
2. Toughen skin constantly with anti-hydral
3. Take a spare rope bag for the sand, clipstick for miles high first bolts, pointy shoes for pockets (dragons for me), brush for clipstick for bouldery starts.
4. Accept Pfalz is hard, get focused right away, e.g. deadpoint precision as early as possible in trip.
5. Always plan for various move options, always look around for holds and possibilities (despite chalked white-herrings).
6. Heed the likely challenges** and train those as much as general climbing prior to trip.

N.B.

* -  The crucial breeze is still a difficult factor to predict from the weather, as due to the endless valleys, hillocks, forests and sandstone ridges, the wind can wander around and appear/disappear of it's own fickle will.
** - The likely challenges were what I learnt specifically from the harder routes I failed on and the harder routes I succeeded on - there were distinctly common types of crux moves.
*** - The variety / morphology of crux difficulties is very similar to grit and cannot be underestimate.

Finally...

If all else fails, just do some awesome sandstone bimbling on funky towers and ridges :)


If you've read this far, feel free to be rewarded with some entirely useless non-climbing photos: