Last Of A Dying Breed

I realise now, decades too late, I've gone about it all the wrong way around... Fat arse over useless man tit (okay they're pecs, but pecs don't get you ticking big numbers unless the rest of the body is leanly aligned towards climbing). Cart before donkey, tail wagging daschund etc etc. 

I guess things started normally: Little climbing wall at school, a few trips out with a school club and a friend, learn to lead with him then Plas Y Brenin, more climbing at uni, the standard trips and places, cranking away at an early bouldering wall because it's fun. Oh and the obligatory 4 year break due to a breakdown, mental health collapse, complete isolation, that's a normal part of the path too, right?? 

Move to Sheffield, restart life, restart climbing. Grit. The Edge. Lime in summer. Wales. The Foundry. Bouldering mats. The Lakes. The Works. Convincing people it's worth driving to The Roaches. Etc etc. So far, so normal, despite being friends with Pylon King.

But the rot starts to creep in.... The Llyn, Carn Gowla, Gairloch, Galloway, North York Moors, South Stack. Ledge shuffling. Exploration. Adventure. Proper trad. Esoterica. Hidden trad gems. New crags all the time. 

Can you spot it yet??

• Was I at the Cornice? (no) Two Tier? (no) Malham? (yes - did Wombat and Crossbones and Midnight Cowboy), Kilnsey? (yes - did Dodger Direct) Gordale? (no) LPT? (no).
• Was I pushing redpointing to get stronger and fitter - no.
• Was I training on proper boards instead of fun circuits - no.
• Was I mixing in hard long term boulder projects rather than just exploring venues - no.
• Was I using a fingerboard - no.
• Was I having any structure - no.
• (Was I aware that I had a "ticking bomb" of a non-existent IVC vein in my chest and I'd be struck down with DVTs and unavoidably gain over 10kg and then have a body with fairly mature muscles and connective tissues that would suddenly have to cope with that - no).

So that's where I got it the wrong way around: From a fairly neutral start to a climbing career, I took the Left Hand Path of proper ledge shuffling, where the ledges are very ledgey and the shuffling is very shuffley and the best form of strength is weakness. A path of personal inspiration and genuine pleasure, a path that is absolutely "true to self"... 

But a path that leads inexorably to a dead end. One day, I wake up and realise that I've done most of the ledge shuffles I've wanted to do, and those that are left are bloody hard for me and I need to be fitter and stronger. And I've been wasting my time avoiding getting fitter and stronger by farting around having fun and enjoying exploration. Now I'm getting older, heavier, weaker, less fit and more injured - and I'm too late. I'm too old, too heavy, too weak, too unfit and too injured to get enough back. 

Meanwhile around me, to add insult to whatever injury is inhibiting me this particular week, I am part of a dying breed of ledge shufflers. Not the last (as people will immediately jump to correct me, before hopefully realising that I'm entirely correct and proper ledge shuffling is now vastly overshadowed by indoor blob-jumping and instagram green-ticking), but one of them. I've plied my trade with good honest traditional weakness, and now I'm getting weaker, surrounded by a climbing scene that is getting stronger, as the focus on athletic performance grows exponentially. Of course, comparing oneself to others is almost as naff as grade chasing, but the general feeling is hard to avoid and  pretty galling - as is my own personal mistake in not taking the opportunities to focus on performance when I was still able to.

So, kids, the motto is: Don't learn your craft. Don't get experience on rock. Don't focus on technique and skill. Don't do laps of  Stanage highball slabs. You can pick all that crap up when you're old, injured, decrepit, out of training action. Be a Goal Climber, not a Soul Climber - the soul doesn't age and rot until long after the body does. Get on the wall, the board, the campus rungs, the beastmaker. Get strong now, put the effort in now, focus on those gainz now that will last you a long time, before it's too late, before the body can't cope with it any more.

God knows what I'm going to do about it. I keep trying. The body keeps breaking. The mind too. I do see older people who do quite well in maintaining (not necessarily gaining) physical prowess. They inevitably have a proper history in training (or past performance), or enough venous return to keep lean enough for climbing, or enough self-discipline to do the most boring regimes, or all three. So far my best alternative seems to be bury my head in the sand and keep dreaming of a day where something magically changes and I miraculously gain some physical prowess to take back into the remaining ledge shuffles and esoteric explorations. Oh, and, not giving up yet. I'm not even sure why, against all sense and reason, but still not giving up yet.

How To Train When You're Depressed As Fuck

 
Apparently I wrote this title down sometime in the winter and forgot to write anything in it, or even why I wrote it - apart from the bloody obvious of course... Well maybe I can make some use of it so here goes.

Not everyone responds to depression by being phenomenally obsessed with rigid training, militant motivation, constant exercise and running up Ben Nevis on a rest day. Some of us respond by wanting to curl up in a ball and die or wish the world would fuck off and go away, or usually both.

Unsurprisingly this is absolutely bloody useless for maintaining any form or capability in an active strength / power-to-weight / fitness based lifestyle, and indeed it's the both the polar opposite of that AND the start of the vicious circle where the lack of activity leads to a lack of climbing ability leads to being more depressed leads to a lack of activity leads to etc etc and really there is no amount of FUCKING RIGHT OFF that is enough for that particular cycle.

Accepting that it's both really bloody hard and really bloody important and trying to work around the former to appease the latter is a start. Here are some possible tactics to work with that:

Keep moving

It always boils down to this as the lowest common denominator - and it's a motto which fits with general depression alleviation i.e. do some exercise. Fuck what you should be doing, fuck the training plans, fuck the cycles, fuck working your weaknesses, fuck goals. Just move. It's a start and it will help. Build on that basis, even if the movement isn't even initially relevant to climbing, it can snowball into something more relevant and focused.  

Take the pressure off

Pressure to do well? Pressure to progress?? Pressure to keep strong and fit?? Pressure to "tick grades" or whatever shite the insta-kids of today are obsessed with?? Nope. None of the above. When it boils down to "survive this day to see if things can improve the next day", all of that pressure is OFF. The only pressure is to keep surviving. If that's manageable, the next pressure is to - see #1 here - keep moving. Do whatever you can to avoid worsening your mental and physical situation, if that's manageable,  then do whatever you can to progress or benefit your mental and physical situation. 

Make it fun

God knows you need that right now, right?? This should be obvious but on the spectrum of training from "miserably methodical rigid regime" to "jolly jaunt aping around", you probably need the latter far more than the former, especially if other people are involved (generally more feasible with the latter). Which brings me on to...

The best training is the training you actually do

A good motto in general unless you're the sort of self-discipline end boss mentioned in the intro, but especially so when you're struggling to do anything. It's fine to aim for effective training, but don't force yourself to try to do that in an "all or nothing" way. Whatever you do will be good, because it's something you're doing. And if it's fun enough, and easy enough to motivate yourself to do it, then you'll probably do it enough, and regularly enough, to be effective anyway.

Play the long game

If you're really fucking depressed right now, you're not going to do well at climbing nor training right now, and the focus has to be getting through "right now". It can be hard to see beyond that and anticipate the future, but if it's possible to look at the bigger picture that you might (probably will) get through the current situation, it can help to see that the little bits of exercise and activity right now will add up and benefit you eventually. Most of the time there still is time to get climbing capacity and ability back - aim for short term coping, medium term regaining, and long term progressing.

Turn the volume up

It might be best to tend towards getting climbing volume and mileage in rather than sporadic, harder shorter training sessions. There could be less risk of injury, and having longer sessions will take up more time doing something fun as a distraction from depression, and can tire you out enough to feel more sated afterwards and sleep better.

Take care

The last thing you want is to have an injury - or another injury - to set you back. If depression manifests as a desperation to exercise / get stuff done, a lack of moderation / restraint could be detrimental. Also do your bloody rehab / prehab / warming up / stretching - if you're capable. If not, take it easy!

Acknowledge anything you do

Write a wee diary, tick off each day, write down any exercise, anything you did that could benefit you or your climbing, no matter how small. Whatever it is, it's better than nothing (well, unless you've done enough to need a total rest day). Each bit of exercise or activity is a victory over depression, and to be celebrated.

Okay so, re-reading this, it seems the answer to "How To Train When You're Depressed As Fuck" is.... "You Can't". But more promisingly, it's "You Can't, But You Can Probably Do Lots Of Things To Keep Active And That Will Add Up In Then End For When You're Back On Track (And Help You Get Back On Track"... Good luck.

The Shock Of The New 2022 - Routes

Routes:

Wales:

Bryn Castell:

End Times

This was a funny one.... Ever since the cool new Moelwynion guide, I've been keen to go to Bryn Castell and repeat Terry's "Cantorix Is Dead" E3 5c **, up what looked like a cool arete on the main buttress. At the crag I realised - with some insider beta from TT - that CID actually goes left around the arete into a slightly grubby crack, not quite the line I wanted! So I decided to try the arete direct, it all went fine until getting my hands over the top above a micro-cam and slightly-too-good fall potential. I couldn't commit to the blind / sloping pull over, so reversed to a ledge and clipped in whilst my partner Adam H went around to inspect the top. A bit of brushing and digging later, he suggested that *I* also go around and inspect the top as it looked "worryingly bold", so I did. It turned out that there was a good jug slot that just needed a bit more cleaning, I got back on the lead, pulled over, and it was "worryingly easy". I wish Adam had known me a bit better and told me to go for it as it would have been fine first go. Still, it's a cool line, and name comes from this arete being a near twin to TT's "End Action" E3 5c ** at the far end of Carreg Foel Gron, just over the hill.

After this, TT and Mari and Ross B turned up, I already had Noodles at the crag, she escaped her collar to slither down a grass slope, then I watched Ross do some bouldering and Noodles started squeaking because she was bored and once again got told to "stop that nonsense".

Dead End

Another arete which required an "end" name, and could be appropriate if one muffs the final moves. Despite a great line higher up, this has an average start, a scruffy middle with hollow rock, a deviation to place side-runners, and the possibility to hit a sharp glacis edge - so why am I pretty chuffed with it?? Because the moves on the exposed upper arete are just so damn good, perfect elegant monkeying-up-a-stick via spaced flakes jugs and crimps, that will feel pretty committing but very rewarding on an onsight. This was done with Cian K who had joined me on my sole Red Walls adventure lead of the year, the typically excellent Communication Breakdown - the easiest route I'd done on South Stack for a while, and unfortunately highlighted how downhill my climbing had gone when I found it slightly more panicking than exhilarating in places. Anyway on another day I introduced him to the delights of the Mignient with an unpromisingly damp Bryn Castell. We decided to do further cleaning and play on a pre-new-routing top-rope to see if it cleared up, and lo it did, and the final route project at the crag was complete, and we finished by repeating Adam's pleasant Super Infinite HVS 4c too.

Lancashire:

Winewall:

[ Coping Mechanism / A Guided Detour / Exhume To Consume / Whump!! / Soul Searching ]

Coping Mechanism

Named after the amount of quarry cleaning / guidebook work I was doing last summer, which was my main coping mechanism to deal with persistent elbow injury and related persistent shit climbing ability - better than being an alky or a junkie or sitting in a dark room playing games until my eyes bleed, some of it was even good elbow rehab too. This was the first line I spotted in the now legendary Winewall Quarry when I went there on a hot summer's day after doing some cleaning at the lovely Deeply Vale, to meet R-man who was developing some impressive bouldering potential on an adjacent sidewall. It was far too hot for me to climb so I just lounged on his pads and heckled - but only after I'd had a good recce around the quarry and been impressed by the existing lines, and even more impressed by the potential new lines! This began a whirlwind romance with the quarry which still continues this year as I sporadically pick off established routes - it was genuinely exciting to find some much potential in a roadside crag I'd never heard of before. This particular arete has the best Font 5 climbing in the quarry, but the landing drops away too much to make a highball, so easily placed siderunners were needed. A tight line but fun.

A Guided Detour

Named because, well, it's a fairly circuitous, but with the right guidance about where to go on this wall, it's actually got really good climbing. This was a good example of salvaging a decent route out of an impressive face that didn't work direct. Trying to mantle on the lower sandy break leads you into a gearless dead end or too close to the rocky gully on the left, but traversing in from the VS crack is a real nice technical teeter that culminates in a bit of a jump for shorties, and then a fun finish up the headwall. Minus 1 star line, 2 star climbing I reckon.

Exhume To Consume

Named after the Carcass track of course, which I first heard on the legendary John Peel show, and also after the adjacent gully with some unfortunate farmer's debris in. The insalubrious gully aside, this is THE line of Winewall, searing an afterimage into your eyeballs as soon as you look left after the 1 minute approach, it would be a 3 star classic if it wasn't for the start. Originally intended to be gained from the adjacent First Vintage, more perusal of the start and some initial squirming unlocked a direct ascent and enough protection to make the classic arete moves feel reasonable - until you're on the post-crux final easier rock-over...

Whump!!

Named both for the prolapse-inducing lurch to a jug over the roof, but more pertinently in honour of UKB's glorious insect overlord Shark, who had posted a thread complaining about people throwing mats down next to him at Raven Tor (whilst sieging Ben's Roof Sans Kneebar - Day 8304) and kicking up dust in his face like the ignorant bullies they are. This unusual complaint about climbing ethics resulted in some light-hearted mockery, and me sending him a few videos / screenshots of mat throws around the Peaks. The response was an edited screenshot with the motto "The Bigger The Whump, The Bigger The Chump" :). Anyway this route was quite a late discovery after cleaning the adjacent HVS had me spotting a jug in the headwall on the left and yet another new line!! I didn't like bouncing around on the ab rope trying the lurch over the lip, which is very much hostile to the short heavy climber, so I hadn't practised that and had to work it out on lead, which was pretty satisfying even if it's not my favourite sort of move.

Soul Searching

Named because a lot of soul searching was required before deciding to place a peg on this route - especially in the context that at the time a group of passionate Lancs climbers were campaigning hard to get BMC North West Area approval to remove several pointless retrobolts that were ruining good, established trad routes at Winewall. I pondered on the ethics - including the general principle of avoiding fixed gear (I could do the climb easily as a headpointed new route without the peg, but it would provide more encouragement for onsight ascentionists), how it affects the experience (it doesn't protect either crux, but does protect a post-crux grovel onto a ledge that would be a groundfall), and the possible degradation of the peg (it's in a long seam and would be easily replaced) - before hammering it in as it makes a better trad experience for others. Were it that all people placing fixed gear in Lancashire quarries actually applied as much thought and consideration to a single piece of gear, let alone changing a full route...

The route itself was an interesting experience, I'd spotted a line of sidepulls on the seemingly blank lower wall, but with just those it looked too hard and bouldery and I was going to leave it to Dave "mono front lever" Mann. Then a bit more owl-like head-swerving had me spotting opposing sidepulls, a possible compression sequence, and nearby runners, and I had to hoard it for myself. In a twist of fate, Dave came along to do some routes and belayed me, went for a heavy beta flash, fell off reversing a duff sequence on the lower wall, only just clipped the peg, and generally had a jolly fun time and confirmed the grade and quality. Halcyon days!

Peak Grit:

[Omibozu / Bolt Thrower / Gloom Keep / Mobster Lobster]

John Henry Quarry:

Lobster Mobster

Named because the name is fun, I like nautical / marine names on Western Front crags, and it's also a slight reference to a Swollen Members lyric "...mobster, used to eating steaks and lobster...". Yet another route on the impressive right wall at the totally underrated JHQ, revealed after more extensive cleaning - just check out these pictures in the video above compared to the topo picture in the guide. I suspect this wall is now full, and now one of the best training walls for safe and pumpy extremes in the area! This line is a bit escapable as you end up on the edge of a niche shared with the E2 to the right, but still climbs well and is very safe with lots of cams. My other route "Pirate Error" E3 5c * to the left was repeated and enjoyed on a Rucksac club meet this year and the grade and quality confirmed - I then repeated Andy S's very new "Longendale Frights" E3 5c * the same day - a fun action packed day with far more people on new routes than guidebook routes!!

Cracken Edge:

Omibozu (aka Too Hard For Mark20)

Named after a Japanese mythological sea monster that I had been facing in the Nioh PC game, and Cracken Edge tends to require sea monster names... The working name is a both a play on Too Hard For Mark Leach and also a reference to the gritstone ninja who belayed me but somehow declined a beta-flash repeat.... M20 had original been pencilled in to do this project but when I inspected it more thoroughly I found it was feasible for a gritstone punter as a pre-practised new route. M20 did at least repeat my "Summon The Kraken", which I then failed to cleanly repeat on second, ooops. That didn't put me off too much as the teetery Omibozu is a different kettle of sea monsters, so I went for the lead, albeit with some trepidation which made it more rewarding (as well as the neat, delicate moves).

Oldgate Nick:

Bolt Thrower

Named because, well, it's nicknamed Cat Tor, the grossly inferior E5 is named Catapult, I needed an ancient artillery name... Trebuchet? Bolt Thrower! And since that coincided with the mighty Brummie war metal legends, I had to do it as a matter of urgency! This line is a right jolly jaunt and, as can be seen from the brief intro, probably the line of the buttress. I originally went to check out Catapult which looks pretty dire - a couple of campus moves above a leg breaking ledge - but finding this was a greater reward. Apparently it hasn't been done before, well it has now so if you've warmed up at Windgather, have a wee trot over the road!

Coombes Edge:

Gloom Keep

Named after Map 5 from Episode 1 from the mighty Quake PC game, a game which pretty much defined my earlier life when I was doing more gaming than living. Still it's a firm favourite and the very start of this map is one of my favourite scenes from the game. There's old graffiti saying "Keep Off" on the crag and the name just occurred to me.

Anyway this was a pretty significant climb for me to do last autumn. A few days before I'd had a major emotional breakdown as part of acutely recurring depression and had to run away to my friend Katy's for a night where I shuffled around like a zombie but did appreciate the company and support and dog cuddles. On my return I was still extremely fragile and shell-shocked, but the weather and Coel's availability aligned to at least get out of the flat and give this line a go - partly encouraged by it being a glorious evening for a crag with the highest "amazing view to minor esoteric crag" ratio in the area. I faffed around, worked it out, hadn't fully done all the moves on the ab rope, so when it came to the crux turning the lip, I had to properly go for it, and had a moment of unadulterated exhilaration as I did it (just audible at 5:30 in the video). This was quite a surprise after some very bleak and anhedonic days where such simple pleasure was unimaginable. I even managed to walk semi-normally around the Mottram Tesco on the way back without being in emotional trauma just looking at the other, normal, people...

The Shock Of The New 2022 - Boulder Problems

Boulder Problems:

Welsh Coastal Crags:

Porth Howel

[Noodles / Multiple Choice]

Noodles

Named after Noodles of course :). Hosey introduced me to Porth Howel in the pissing drizzle, and after too many visits I finally filled this gap before the sun crept onto it. Porth Howel is a lovely spot, with a spectacular walk down to it, and the mischievous pebbles that sometimes obscure the problems' starts also provide a welcoming atmosphere and good lone wolf landings. Noodles is a bit of an eliminate, but it's on great, aesthetic rock, has cool techy and powerful moves, and I had to put some damn effort in.

Multiple Choice

Pointed out by Senor Hoseo on the same day, and indeed we both gave the start a good go because it was staying dry-ish. I came back, and this also took a few sessions, probably because I was alternating between it and Noodles to make sure I was getting too fatigued overall but also only getting close to both as they were coming into the sun. So named because there were many confusing options at the start, and on the easier but committing finish.

Stinky Pool Issue
A nice leisurely afternoon out with Head Mafioso Pantontino, having checked out Ty Mawr in the morning, before decamping to Porth Dinllaen for some easy circuiteering and finally the Ty Coch beachside pub for post-match analysis of course. SPI was a nice techy traverse of the main block that I was surprised to get before Si, and it worked quite well despite the potential Stinky Pool Issue in the landing ;). 

Welsh Rhinog Grit:

Ysgyfarnagod

[Ends Of The Earth / Twisting By The Llyn / The Rematch]

End Of The Earth

Named because it was the first (or last) problem on the craglet, and the expansive view from the remote ridge feels like you're well away from the rest of the earth, and because, well, the 2020s have been a bit gash haven't they, and who knows where it's all going?? 

Twisting By The Llyn

Named after the twisty moves and the welcoming refreshment of Llyn Ddu scarely 100m away if the sunny grit becomes too much. Part of a charming little Llyn Ddu circuit, itself part of the bigger Ysgyfarnagod circuit, in which the easiest hour walk in the Rhinogs (I did it thrice) takes you to a scenic playground of perfect stone. This was my favourite midgrade problems just due to the techy moves and a committing finish.

The Rematch

So on the first trip Terry took us - inevitably - to a traverse wall, which to be fair was pretty inspiring by his standards. I didn't touch it of course, but did do a few other up problems. On the way out we investigated Llyn Ddu crag which is by far the most obvious bouldering crag in the area - completely untouched since it doesn't really lend itself to traverses (thank god!). Anyway I only did one problem there and insisted that we - or just myself - go back and develop it properly rather than having just one damn problem on the whole crag! The rematch worked well as on the next visit we added a dozen decent and obvious problems.

Inscrutable Urge

This was the sole problem on the first visit, and is pretty cool if done strictly. The name mangles both Calvin and Hobbes AND Mick Fowler quotes, and could there be any greater combination of inspirations?? It's also the only reason I could come up with for committing to a sketchy top above an iffy landing on my first bouldering visit out after recovering from a torn LCL, at dusk, an hour from the road....

Chasing Ghosts

Named from the patio beneath the adjacent new problem, Katz's Here Hare Here, which turns out to be the work of Emyr Jones whom I climbed with on The Range and had previously been exploring Rhinogs bouldering. Despite the patio the lines were too high for a lone wolf, so we ended up picking them off as a larger team. HHH is the king line, but CG is one of the nicest new problems I've done, cool moves via a hidden crimp to a finish on the most perfect rounded jugs, all in one of the most stunning locations in the entire country.

The Pit And The Punterdom

The pit provided, well, the pit, and I provided the punterdom. There's a TT E4 6b that goes diagonally across the wall above this, and an E8-ish mega project directly through the centre. My wee sitter provides an alternative for anyone feeling more leisurely.

No Stone Unturned

A good combination with the above, and another fun wee problem, so named because the boulder cluster was initially disappointing (as so many in the rock-strewn Rhinogau are), but exploring all aspects of it revealed a couple of good lines.

Nunus Is Good News

A short sitter beneath Terry's traverse wall ("which one?" you ask. #85243 I think). Funnily enough Mari who is the goddess of short sitters couldn't do this because it was 6A compression instead of 7A+++ rat crimps. Mostly done so I could give it this name. Noodles tried to steal Hula Hoops this day. I say she deserves them.

Counterintuitive Bollox

The first new problem I did in Y Rhinogau and indeed this year. Just named because it was a bit odd and didn't climb how it looked, but still quite fun.

Fridd Hare Crag:

[Snootbooper / Neither Ear Nor There / Mezzanine Ridge / Groove / Compress To Impress / Landward Arete / Pillar Of Pain]

Snootbooper

Named because Pylon King - stoic page-setter of the forthcoming guide - had explored years ago and nicknamed the feature and his stand-up line The Rabbit. The sitter awaited and was much easier than expected with steady compression moves past a truly lovely sloper pinch, on the usual immaculate rock.

Neither Ear Nor There

The sidewall of The Hare, another one where the name is better than the climb, but then again the climb is still pretty fun - most ways into the sidewall didn't really work until a stretch into a hold adjacent to Snootbooper unlocked it.

Fridd Oak Tree Wall:

Mezzanine Ridge

Mezzanine Groove

Simple problems with simple names. The Mezzanine boulder has climbing on almost all aretes and all sides so ended up being pretty good value.

Compress To Impress

Another example of how bewildering it is climbing with the maturing lady crimp waif that is Mari. She totally didn't get the compression on this, so let me flash the FA. I've tried some of her 6C-ish sitters and can't even hold the holds left alone imagine moving between positions.

Half Baked Idea

The main line on the boulder that didn't really work - great features but the blankness below forces a disappointingly high start on them, make it feel like half a problem. The much harder sitter awaits...

Pillar Of Pain

Another problem with "issues". The best easy line in Y Rhinogau, with one of the worst landings for it's height. i.e. it doesn't really have one - hence the name. Thus it's a bit wasted on underperforming boulderers who won't fall off. 

Landward Arete
So named because it's more part of the parent crag than the Mezzanine block. It didn't look like much but climbed pretty well.

Welsh Elsewhere:

Craig Y Clipiau / Cwm Orthin

[Sais Highway / Slim Pickings / Squeezing One Out]

Sais Highway

Named after the new A487 Caernarfon bypass that ferries sais conts to the Llyn in unprecedented European-quality comfort. Apparently unclaimed and possibly unclimbed, this is a striking line right on the Craig Y Clipiau approach and 5 minutes from the carpark. Maybe too dodgy pre-pads and not "sick" enough since them? It's also damn good with plentiful holds allowing the arete to succumb to a steady au cheval approach.

Slim Pickings

It's a slim groove and I picked it off as an afterthought...

Bidoight Bypass

A weird traversey line but one that actually works pretty logically. It bypasses the much harder sitter coming from below, but also features cool moves past a duo pocket. 

Diary Of Dog

Yet another TT / Mari traverse / rat crimp sitter combo crag. Thankfully the sitter was too hard on this so I could enjoy a nice wall climb with a fun combo of some poor handholds / good footholds, then some good handholds / poor footholds. I'm pretty sure Noodles was being a bit of a dick this day and Mari told her quite sternly to "stop that nonsense". Never seems to work.

Cwm Teigl / Mignient

[End Game / Diary Of Dog / Earl Of Burl]

End Game

Named in conjunction with a new route I did on the crag above - an arete named End Times as it's a similar twin to End Action on Foel Gron. End Game is also an arete but being a boulder problem, got a more playful name. The Bryn Castell boulder cluster had already been developed by Terry and Mari, and as always they'd focused on traverses and steep lowballs and left the best line of the entire area untouched. Thankfully it even escaped the addition of Ross Barker as he focused on board-style brutality just to the right, leaving me to womble in and find that plentiful holds and a really cool heel-toe made it fairly steady and as good as the line looked.

The Earl Of Burl

This was listed in a topo script as a project, so I went along to give it a go and after a LOT of working stuff out with undercuts and slapping around, managed to do it as a nice arete climb after a burly start. I later found out that Sam T had also climbed this bit of rock in via a fairly obtuse eliminate avoiding the arete that you're right next to and that forms the line, so I'm treating this as a natural FA!

Not Helping

Adjacent to a Pylon King problem "Help Me", thus spaketh the first ascentionist in some concern at the sloping top, naturally I did all I could to assist him i.e. nothing at all! PK was up to meet TT for an important guidebook summit which involved a lot of first ascents from all of us, a lot of cider and red wine for them, and from what I recall, a lot of dog cuddles for me.

The Brail Snail

A nice easier addition to Cwm Teigl that will be good for scaring lower grade climbers and is one of quite a good circuit (if you ignore the cheesegrater lip traverses) on very coarse rock in a very beautiful location. I was chuffed to repeat a neat, thin, Waddy problem "A to Z" 6C on that day.

Dolgellau Forest

[Counterintuitive Bollox / Inscrutable Urge / Bidoight Bypass / Madman Stand / Special Mossatary Operation]

Madman Stand

Another classic example of bouldering with TT and Mari. TT had done a girdle across various bits of rock around this boulder. Mari had done a lone sitter on the shortest bit. They'd left the really good obvious up lines untouched, well I shouldn't look a gift dog in the mouth, so I did them both. This was named because it's a stand start, also because that demented dickscraping Putin had just started trying to fuck up world peace, and as an added bonus Madman Stand is a classic techno album by Robert Armani.

Special Mossatary Operation

Another play on current affairs, still it could be worse, I could be spewing out utterly naff and banal anti-Tory names like nuggets of regurgitated teen angst. Also there might be a bit of moss in the forest, well a bit less once I got the yard broom on these problems.

Squeezing One Out

A wee compression thing. Also my usual behaviour when I get to a crag, especially one in a forest with plenty of moss around!!

Peak / Lancs Grit:

Solace / Solexit

^^ click ^^

Details in the link above!!

Paul's Peach Superdirect

^^ click ^^

I have no idea what new lines I did here if any, as the guide description and UKC logbook are similarly hopeless and contrary, but I expect it was something, maybe even the excellent "two different shoes and one filed down toe rand to fit the pebbles" superdirect?? Regardless it was rewarding cleaning the slab, cleaning up the confusion of lines, and doing some lovely hidden slabbing as elbow rehab.

Another Fallow Year

^^ click ^^

Details in the link above!!

Moonwalk

A perculiar twin to the real Moonwalk (which I did 15 years ago, that now seems like a distant dream), up a flakey arete with a bold but steady teeter around the arete via a hidden pocket. It's a total eliminate avoiding an adjacent corner, but still cool climbing. This was one of a few days out with the irrepressible R-man who is determined to revitalise Lancashire bouldering once more with many new crags and developments for the forthcoming guidebook, you have been warned.

Unnamed, Viewpoint Crag

A sidewall around the corner for Moonwalk. Quite high, quite easy. There will be a pretty good circuit at this crag now, and the walk isn't that bad.

It Shouldn't Come As A Surprise...

Warning: Contains amateur ramblings and speculation solely based on personal experience and various anecdotes and perceptions, with a complete lack of any research or scientific basis. Also casually uses the term neurodivergence to refer mostly to autistic spectrum divergence and includes relies on the likely assumption that mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are more prevalent therein. Don't like that slapdash approach?? Go read a proper article that might make an ounce of sense!!

It shouldn't come as a surprise...

...that there is a seemingly high correlation between dedicated climbers and neurodivergent people especially on the autistic spectrum (a multifaceted spectrum of various common traits radiating out from a mythical core of "normality", with people having a different profile depending on the prominence of those facets)?? Is it a truism that it's a weird activity for weird people (often in a good way)?? After all, we're designed to swing from trees (jugs) with ease, but what sort of person is designed to sprag quarks 50' above filed down RPs behind a loose flake??

One who is potentially drawn to a relatively atypical activity that is:

• All-consuming and captivating in a wide variety of ways
• Rewards intense focus and single-mindedness
• Is individual-focused rather than a team sport, and is often social on a small, tight-knit scale
• Has a wide variety of challenges to tackle and stimulation from those
• Is very much up to the individual how they approach it
• Can be both very organic and spiritual (locations, flow, beauty of the outdoors) and/or incredibly geeky and cognitive (training, planning, progression, gear)
• Can be very distracting from the mundanities of normal existence
• In short allows the climber to be completely obsessive, oblivious to normality, anti-social to the point of sullenness, devoid of conventional emotion, driven by numbers and tactics and other minutiae, etc etc. Or indeed rewards them for being so... What's not to like?!

Climbing is just a sport. Or just a lifestyle. Like many others. But I genuinely believe that those factors above are more prominent than in most activities, and also that climbing just has so much going on it, so many ways to engage and enjoy it, that make it a truly captivating activity. Spending day after day in the bitter cold trying to do two moves on micro-edges is climbing. Watching the sun set over the sea at the top of a new route of unknown rock with the smell of sea-gull shit being the only reference point is climbing. An-pow-cap wanking over Lattice clickbait is climbing (ish). Chatting to your mate and sharing a snack bar on a half-way ledge on a big multi-pitch is climbing. Jumping between resin blobs is climbing and trudging through the snow to stick to vertical slopers is climbing.

So it's captivating. It just needs a target to capture, a willing victim or unwitting prey... And with so many factors that are seemingly suitable for some form of neurodivergence, that's the best hunting grounds. Sometimes you get juicier, more prestigious prey. Maybe people like JD, JMcC, ET, DMcC etc seem to be the finer trophies on climbing's wall.

(At least, historically so. With the increase in comfortable consumerist climbing as the gym-style gateway into the sport (and the relatively simplicity of that), maybe the mainstream is taking over, with an increase in neurotypical participants. Ugh)

Completely normal activity. Nothing to see here.

It shouldn't come as a surprise...

...that I am one of those people. 

People sometimes ask why did I choose climbing.

The answer is: I didn't, IT chose ME. 

(Stupid fucking activity.)

I've been dedicated to climbing for over 20 years, and from the start, after having sampled and spurned many sports and activities, it just seemed right to me (somewhat incongruously with my athletic background of, errr, painting toy soldiers). I've seen it through thick and thin, highs and lows, illness and injury and injury and injury, I've battled a fair amount of feeling physical and mental unsuitable for it because it's still just seemed right. And I've always been inspired, always been determined, almost always loved it (and when I haven't it's due to inhibitions getting in the way). 

I've also had my own tastes and my own drives which are often an incongruous melting pot by climbing's already oddball standards. Most of those examples above and more (well apart from the Latticewanking, fuck that) have drawn me in, with a pretty personal and sometimes peculiar focus.

So no surprises. I am neurodivergent, and that is intrinsically linked to climbing choosing me, me being swallowed alive by it, and being digested to be at one with that activity. "High-functioning (-ish!!) aspergyers" (as it was described back then) personality with a tendency to depression and anxiety (I've done a lot of work in the past on the social/emotional/relational issues that are common and were very prevalent in my youth - I know, imagine what a knobhead I was back then. Still a work in progress of course). 

That's me. It's not something I want to write about, nor broadcast publicly. With a bit of a, ummm, particular personality already, I can already be a bit of a target, and I don't want to me more of one. But equally I don't want to be hidden away when being open about these things could be beneficial to me, and even to people around me. In recent years - more specifically this year - the depression and anxiety and other old issues that have been snapping at my heels have caught me up as injury and age and personal issues have slowed me down, and.....they kinda nip hard. And whilst I'm tackling that myself, I'm also needing help and support, so I've had to take the risk, make myself vulnerable and open up. 

I'm writing this because I want to clear it up. And for any people who are wondering "Yeah right why is that belligerent sod Chief Inspector Twat Of The Ethics Police, amateur chossaneer and relentless contrarian coming across as such a needy, fragile fanny these days??" - now you know. Because it's all part of that same personality, all sides of the same coin (and indeed the Chief Twat is all part of the coin of being passionate about climbing). Loving grovelling up silty chimneys on Red Wall // being out looking at the most beautiful scenery with an empty heart because I don't understand what it all means - it's all part of it; Walking 2 hours with 2 pads and 2 gammy legs to do the best hand crack boulder problem in the UK // pacing around my living room at 8am in the morning because I'm frantic about indecision on going to Ratho in a team of 3 - it's all part of it.  And this bewildering and challenging melting pot of personality traits is something I perceive as fairly common, whether people need to admit it or not. I've had to...and hope it works out.

Five Favourites From 2022

Best Albums of 2022:

(Shamelessly copied from my UKB post)

A neat 5 slices of sonic excellence for you:

Tripped - Unboxed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D-ILHQi_kQ&list=PLR8jjdYYmdaXSYiQRxoYI0c9Izpl1-bAM
(full playlist)
https://prspctrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/unboxed

Prspct dropping Album Of The Year for the 3rd year in a row, but what do you expect from one of the world's premier electronic dance music labels?? Unboxed is an absolute rollercoaster of energetic techno themes from the euphoric to the relentless and back again, but what really make it stands out is how Tripped focuses on a refreshing directness of dance music - there is a bare minimum of the "endless big cheesy breakdown into a predictable drop of empty beats" cliches here. Instead it's all about driving and evolving beats that are constantly layered with atmospheric sounds - danceable and listenable at the same time.


Presha - Rats Infest 1 / 2 / 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR1FYauQp0k&list=PLRPUUEqmciasnfYyYEwXy3idJ9pvAePGw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlaUa7XBhhk&list=PLRPUUEqmciatr5oqQuQv-l8Aae2iYalVe
(full playlists)
https://presha.bandcamp.com/album/rats-infest-1
https://presha.bandcamp.com/album/rats-infest-2
https://presha.bandcamp.com/album/rats-infest-3

Samurai Records is another label that can do no wrong, and following last year's highlight of the boss's Rats EP, this is followed up with a seething swarm of remixes that over 2 EPs and a single makes for a superb album across a broad spectrum of proper modern jungle (and bonus breaks on #3). It's hard to resist the cliche of "deep, dark, and deadly", but these tracks are undeniably that, with the usual Samurai creative hallmarks.

Mares Of Thrace - The Exile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGu5B-JN5b4&list=OLAK5uy_kKTs5FDtbFY-Y80IJXlH9BWwz_6CQqBcI&index=1
(full playlist)
https://maresofthrace.bandcamp.com/album/the-exile

Mares are back after a long hiatus and whilst they're now one Mare and one Stallion, the musical quality of their epic, sexy, groovy, bluesy, quirky dissonant extreme metal blend is as good as it ever was. Lovely.


Samurai - Hannya II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMSDaEcH5HY&list=PLRPUUEqmciauOgil8nobW2pp6IzgH7ckz
(full playlist)
https://samuraimusic.bandcamp.com/album/samurai-hannya-ii

If the Rats Infest EPs were a broad spectrum of proper modern jungle, Samurai's second Hannya compilation is the FULL spectrum. For a music genre that could seem dated after near 30 years, the future-looking freshness here is a captivating reassurance. From methodical technoid plodders from Mako, minimal tribalism from The Untouchables, serious industrial jungle presha from Presha, and proper fucking nightmare fuel from Artilect, there's a whole lot of quality to take in here.


Origin - Chaosmos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2kzewIKTKY
http://origin-chaosmos.com/ (pain in the arse but is available on digital somehow)

And Origin are back in action with an album that really caught my attention after getting a bit lost with their previous releases. This one is an absolute cracker that has all the brain-warping leadwork and frantic technicality of Origin at their best, but with a whole lot more variety and fun packed into one album, with black and hardcore influences swirling around along with some more traditional tracks. 
 

Thinning the wedge??

I posted a year about about the general increase in retro-bolting of good protectable trad routes in various areas across the UK. It seems my concerns were more prescient than alarmist: On my only two (due to injury) visits to The Ormes this year, the amount of retro-bolting seems to be accelerating rather than being curtailed. This means that when I turned up to rehab my elbow on some minor but enjoyable E1/2s on the usual pleasant Pen Trwyn rock, I found them to have been fully retro-bolted and turned into sport routes. I led them on trad anyway (which, despite the all-too-common false arguments to the contrary, definitely alters / spoils the experience, especially if it was on routes closer to the climber's limit), and still managed to enjoy good protectable trad despite the very unwelcome bolting situation. See below for more details.

There has been some online discussion, some discussion at the BMC North Wales Area Meet, and some extra discussion between interested parties about this issue. I've had some closer discussion with concerned friends and whilst there is some agreement that the this is an entirely undesirable and negative situation that is detrimental to both British trad climbing and the sport / trad balance in historically "mixed" venues, what to actually DO about this is another question - one that is sadly not solved merely by ranting.

So I've had a think and come up with a few ideas of how to TRY to reverse the trend a bit. As with Ken Canute (RIP), this is probably still trying to stop the ceaseless tide, but maybe it's worth trying. These are only my own ideas, perhaps naive and ill-formed, but they could be a starting point...

Practical actions:

1. Climb the minor but enjoyable trad routes in these venues NOW.

Partly don't keep putting them off because "I've got bigger plans and those routes will always been there for a quick hit / casual day". Because apparently they won't... And partly because the "this route was neglected and was rarely climbed as trad" reason is seemingly still used to "justify" retrobolting. So if the routes are more obviously climbed and not neglected, that reason becomes more invalid.

2. If suitable, do some careful cleaning (such as access allows).

This obviously depends on what is permissible and sensible. But if a route is relatively neglected and has become vegetated, this might put people off (even if it's still perfectly climbable). A light trim and spruce up can encourage people to get on it, and further reduce the "unpopular trad" argument.

3. If suitable, replace old fixed gear like-for-like.

Similar to above, depending on what is permissible and sensible. Old and rotting fixed gear that might need to be replaced somehow seems to transmogrify into yet another spurious "justification" for retro-bolting - not just replacing the fixed gear (or even just checking if it's needed at all!!), but bolting the whole route up because it had an old bolt or two pegs that needed replacing. This could be stopped before it started by replacing JUST the essential old fixed gear yourself (obviously having learnt the necessary skills and doing a safe job)

4. Publicise the quality of  these trad routes.

Following and of the above actions - PROMOTE THE ROUTES. Get good photos. Assess the trad gear situation. Write up a good report. Suggest tweaks to grades and descriptions, correct anything that's misleadingly off-putting. Provide people with good information about good routes and encourage them to go and climb them. If enough people do, it could show the quality of the trad enough to dissuade retro-bolting.

5. Be supportive and respectful of bolt removal.

Hypothetically. If it were to happen.

High level involvement:

1. Discuss the situation in general, online and in real life. 

A lot of the retro-bolting seems to come from people doing it without consultation, without warning, without discussion. The modus operandi seems to be secrecy / minimal consultation and try to let it become the route's status quo before anyone notices and queries it. Conversely, highlighting the issues, posting about them online, talking with other climbers about them, and raising awareness can bring the retro-bolting out into the open, maybe dissuade people from doing it too readily, and maybe encourage more people to stand against it.

2. If you know anyone involved with retro-bolting, talk to them, express your perspective. 

Ask them to please avoid retro-bolting trad routes, especially without consultation. It might fall on deaf ears but enough calmly put requests might add up (and see 5. below).

3. Attend BMC Area Meets or at least check the minutes of the meetings to keep informed.

Despite relatively limited participation and the difficulty for non-locals to attend, these still seem to have some importance and often provide a formal forum to investigate these issues. Put up with the boring / hill-walking bits, put the effort in attend if you can, or keep up to date with the meeting minutes if you can't.

4. If there are any polls or consensus requests, vote in them and make your view heard. 

Similar to getting the issues out in the open, don't keep your views private where they're not able to have any influence. Take part in any situation or consultation where a yay or nay, or a hand raised, or a "I vote for..." post can add to the numbers. Anyone can do this and it could help.

5. Keep a balance and pick the right battles. 

A general disapproval of bolts and sport climbing is futile these days. It seems many people responsible for retro-bolting also do good work that doesn't spoilt trad routes. E.g. if they've also been involved with replacing bolts on established sport routes, replacing lower-offs or adding them where needed, replacing like-for-like fixed gear, putting up new sport routes - praise them for such, make it clear that all of that, without retro-bolting, is appreciated and valuable.

Grass roots encouragement:

1. Encourage people at relevant crags to get on trad routes and give them a go.

Share your knowledge, spread your enthusiasm. Give them ideas of what might be good and suitable. Overhear someone at at a mixed trad/sport sector saying "Oh I'm keen to do my first E1 but the ones here look a bit blank"?? Point them at what you know, reassure them the gear is okay. Overhear general qualms about trad?? Sing it's praises, explain how much great stuff there is to go at on trad.

2. Promote trad across social media and other forums.

Try to be a positive influence on people where trad - and where preserving trad - is concerned. Highlight all that is good about it, reassure people about anything that might be putting them off, provide information about easy ways into trad, and in general present it palatably and accessible as possible. Any post, any discussion where you can positively nudge people towards it, try to do so.

3. Try to answer any concerns / questions about trad that might be putting people off.

E.g. 

"It's dangerous" - there's a huge amount of well-protected routes where you can place gear more regularly than on a sport routes, so it's definitely not necessarily dangerous.

"It's scary" - fear is part of the challenge and can be tackled and learnt to be overcome.

"It takes too long to learn" - that partly depends on the climbers diligence and dedication, and people who are determined enough and really focus on the core principles of placing gear, ropework, and the overall safety system can pick it up quickly.

"It's too expensive to learn"  - formal trad instruction is expensive but it also opens up a vast array of excellent climbing all over the UK, and there's the option of informal coaching from clubs or other climbers.

"I don't know where to start"  - give this person a list of courses and outdoor instruction venues to contact!

"A trad rack is too expensive"  - thee are various ways around this including: hooking up with someone who has a rack, initially sharing a rack purchase with a friend, joining a climbing club, getting good advice about the bare minimum starting rack, etc.

...and if it's really all too much, suggest that top-roping trad routes in these areas might be better as a last resort rather than asking for them to be retro-bolted??

4. Try not to alienate people. Highlight the quality of trad whilst acknowledging the popularity of sport - and inform people about the large amount of sport available in many areas so they know there's often plenty to do without needing to support retro-bolting trad. Phrase the encouragement positively rather than judgementally.

5. Take people under your wing if you can. Be a mentor, be an informal guide, offer to take people out, be part of a climbing club. Pass down your experience and encourage people to develop the skills to do more trad and rely less on bolted routes (and maybe reduce the pressure to create more of them).

------

Recent-ish retro-bolting examples:

Tramstation Crag:

A very pleasant and accessible suntrap that would be a charming little trad venue in inclement weather or for a quick hit. The routes are short, some are pretty minor, but the rock and climbing are good as usual.

The Three Musketeers E1 5b *

This would make a lovely little first E1 for anyone who can place wires. Lots of wires. So many wires that I started running out of quickdraws. Very steady good tradding with nice hidden sharp flake holds.

D'Artagnan E1 5c *

Another pleasant wee route with an easier start and a trickier and nicely technical finish. This was protected in the classic and natural Ormes "hybrid" style of having a lone bolt on the only blank bit. It would have been obvious and sensible to replace this lone bolt instead of retro-bolting a good route, or actually just remove the upper bolt given there are micro-cam placements nearby.

(Not shown is The Catwalk Direct E2 5c * on the left of this wall. The route originally had plentiful trad gear to start, a couple of hybrid bolts to protect the crux, and then a weird traverse out right for unknown reasons. It seems entirely sensible to have a lower-off at the finish to get the natural direct line without the traverse. It would have also been sensible to replace the two old bolts, or even better replace them with a single bolt to give more of a committing feel, rather than fully retro-bolting.)

St Tudno's Upper

Just one of many of a good cluster of crags in Lighthouse Area with fine sea-views, easy access but an exposed feel, good rock, good climbing, and in theory a good sport / trad blend.

Rest And Be Thankful E2 5c **

A cracker of a route with more gear than you can place, although you still have to properly go for it on a typically committing but rewarding Ormes crux leading to good holds. Apparently there were two old pegs and a thread. These were clearly not needed, but what really wasn't needing was retrobolting.

Pile Driver E2 5b 

A good and photogenic line with some committing climbing away from the good gear low down. Maybe a bit unbalanced to be worth a star here but definitely would get one on Peaks / Yorkshire lime and still well worth doing, and keeping, as trad.

Thank You Johnny / Thank You Matt E2 5c **

Note: There is some confusion about this line. The bolter / retro-bolter claims it's a new sport route and not a retro-bolted version of TYJ, however it is listed on UKC as TYJ F6a+ "Now retro-bolted". Which does mean that any pro-retro-bolting arguments using UKC logbook ticks as a "popularity" "justification" for removing trad routes might be based on unreliable evidence.

Anyway what is clear is this is a good trad route with plentiful gear (fiddly in the main break but with a great shake-out there and easy gear just right) and a really nice techy rockover crux that shouldn't have been retro-bolted - and for that matter should have been done as trad if it is a new line.

And All Hell Broke Loose E2 5c *

Another good route with a stiff (but easier than it looks) start, a bit of boldness, then some delicacy, and a final thought-provoking crux with plentiful good small gear and a good rest to ponder it all. I found this one particularly satisfying even if it is a bit disjointed. The guide mentions a peg, it's clear this wasn't needed and neither was retro-bolting.

Hopefully this seemingly yearly post next year will be a lot more positive and celebratory??...