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#425 Step step step...
July 01, 2013, 01:00:10 pm
Step step step...
1 July 2013, 11:06 am



One foot after the other, one hand after the other. The sort of methodical pacing that got me into a couple of crags recently, and seemed to keep me climbing reasonably once I got there. It is a bit of an anathema to go to the excellent and usually reassuring Wester Ross for mileage when there are such inspiring challenges up there, but I still have a few places to potter around at... Stone Valley is on the cusp for me as there are both gentle routes like The Thug and Demon Razor to play on (both good fun and good value), but also the imposing Cat Burglar looming over, whispering and tempting. Common sense and rain showers forced a retreat to a swift rope-tarp shelter, and ensured I will have to return to the utterly anti-Fiend 30 minute murderous heather slog at some point....maybe.

Diabeg Peninsula is another crag I don't really want to have to walk to again, as the apparently flat 45 mins around from Diabeg Main is an endless trudge on the roughest of all "paths" with a final sting to get to Rolling Wall - a gentle Leaning Block-esque stroll this is not! Nevertheless I have been reliably informed than the splendid and desperate-looking line of The Applecross Jam is actually "E3" so I might be tempted as I avoided it this time. I also avoided succeeding on Aquamarine, but this was actually bloody desperate. So I have gone from a crap climber failing on easy routes to a crap climber failing on hard routes, more small progress. Mileage on a couple of other routes there went fine, and Brave New World is a truly brilliant E2.

Stone valley local pondering on sandbagging us with duff beta.

Camalot 3, C3 000, two slings, some rope and a rope tarp. Bear fucking Grylls or something.

The final "avoiding challenges" venue has been Rosehearty, by far the best cliff for the E2-5 climber on the East of the UK between Bowden and errr....well I guess you could follow the coast around to Sheigra?? Suffice to say despite several visits I am still dabbling firmly at the lower end of the scale. 2 months ago I was hugely fired up for some slightly harder routes there, at the moment I have to potter, not least because the massive steepness is pretty much my anti-style. Still there was plenty to potter on, and as on previous visits the contrasting slab climbing was even better than the more extensive thuggery on the sea faces. Having a small social group out (all 3 of us!) meant I actually got some nice photos taken too. At the end of the day I might have stood a fair chance on something tricky, but the Essential 1 hour time window between the sun drying the smeg off and the sun making the rock too warm had closed, and I will have to wait for a fresher day. In the meantime there is a lot more training to be done and the fairly dire forecast looks very suitable for that.  

Photodump from Rosey in distinctly non-dire weather:  















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Challenge #5: Bratach Uaine (plus more Aberdeen n stuff)
10 July 2013, 5:08 pm



Finally, back on the wagon. Maybe properly, maybe temporarily, who knows. It's kinda gone thusly:

Harper's Wall: Laid a few ghosts to rest here. Previous scores included a rubbish day failing on Silent Partner, and another rubbish day failing on Che. This day definitely had good potential to be rubbish - it was in the shade, in the shelter of a warm south-westerly, just after high tide with a big swell and sea-spray, and it had rained in the morning. And yet utterly contrary to established wisdom, it turned out to be some of the best conditions I've found on Aberdeen granite. How? Why? I have no idea. Suffice to say I rattled off One Two Three Go, Silent Partner (a successful retro-flash being ensured by me only being able to remember "I got pumped" (it's strenuous rather than pumpy) and "I think there was a wallnut 9" (no there wasn't)), and Free Spirit fairly comfortably and surprisingly enjoyably given the well-described "primitive delights" of the undercut starts. More fun was had with Brad's attempt to continue his ritual sacrifices to the sea, with a dismount off Rock Mushroom leaving both of us dangling from a single small cam above the deepest dankest and hungriest-looking of the filthy green pools at the base "No Brad don't pull back on the rock, as you go up I will go right down...." :).

Black Dyke: Another crag with two unsuccessful visits, but this time due to birds and breeze rather than climbing failures. This time went even smoother than Harper's Wall. We warmed up at Earnsheugh with me following Death Cap and having a rather atmospheric belay on the eyrie between two equidistant gulls that simple sat there, cock-headed, giving me the beadiest of beady-eyed stares. Then we hit Black Dyke with the tide going out, the sun leaving the baked rock, and enough breeze curling around. I got to grips with 3 good routes, including the hardest I'd done for a while - On The Rocks, which despite the guidebook claims of "well protected" required a lot of patience fiddling in tiny wires and cams, and then a cool sideways dyno into thuggy terrain. Very satisfying.

Creag Dubh: Back to Creag Dubh and feeling more like I have a fighting chance of climbing what I really want there. This time was only one route, and more unfinished business. Last time I'd climbed up to the crux of Bratach Uaine 5 times before giving up in disgust at my weakness. This time, after a lot of training, surely I would feel stronger enough to crush it?? Well.....no. Not any stronger physically, it felt just as bloody hard and powerful and reachy. But....I felt stronger mentally after a bit of falling practise, and committed to a full on crossover lunge, got the sloper, blasted up 5m of overhanging jugs to a ledge and gear, and wombled up the rest. Very committing, very cool.

After a day not redpointing anything... Creag Nan Cadhag: An intermediate day en-route to Diabeg, just to explore somewhere new. This is one of the many hidden sport crags in the Wester Ross area - this time hidden in plain view above the road past Stone Valley, it is essentially the sport sector of Stone Valley! A good position to catch the breeze and rattle a few routes off. I thought I'd done enough rattling for the day but local activist Paul Tattersall had turned up and after some healthy debate on North West Scotland bolting ethics, peer-pressured me into trying the classic Axe Grinder, which I had little expectations of success on. Somehow I crimped furiously enough the initial ramp and compressed frantically enough up the slopey crux bulge to make it to the top. An unexpected delight and a great little route.

Diabeg: The forecast was cloudy, cool, and breezy, so just to be contrary, it didn't rain, it sizzled instead. Wall Of Flame would have been far too well-named and was off the cards right from sweating up the walk-in, but the fact I could look at it with anticipation rather than terrified incomprehension felt like progress. The morning was merely muggy, but with enough shade to do the totally underrated Bogie opposite the Main Cliff. The afternoon was fierce, with Coel frying like an egg on The Pillar whilst I cowered under a fringe of heather. Retreat to a dip in the bay and the pub was the only option, and pan fried sea-bream with black olive tapenade on a garden pea risotto with a tangy salsa was particularly delicious.

?Seriously, fuck off.

After this it has got stupidly hot and a 3 hour drive down an unduly busy A9 into the blazing 28'c sun with no air con was pretty tedious. So now it's no longer to wet to climb, not too cold to climb, nor too midgey to climb, nor too partner-barren to climb, but too hot *rolls eyes*.  But I feel on this wee jaunt that I have built a little buffer of confidence on a bigger buffer of mileage and training, so am happy to take things how they come. Having got into the mileage mode I feel happy to do what the conditions dictate - aiming for the most awesome challenges but dropping down to ticking over if that is what is needed.



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#427 Slabs and Paths.
July 15, 2013, 07:00:10 pm
Slabs and Paths.
15 July 2013, 12:10 pm



Glen Nevis, the true home of Scottish slab climbing. North West slabs are too easy and too scattered, Creag Ghlas is too singular and too far to walk, the Cairngorms are pretty much Alpine to get to, and as for the Etive Slabs, that's not proper slab climbing or proper climbing at all, any more than a cat skating up and down a tiled roof would be. Proper slab climbing involves crimps and rockovers as well as smears. So, Glen Nevis then - coarse, flakey, textured schist, from roadside to 30mins walk, in a sunny and beautiful glen (albeit with Cafe Beag serving the worst coffee I've encountered in a decade - AVOID). The path of Glen Nevis slab righteousness (not all pure slabs but with signficant slabby or off-vertical climbing) could look like this:

Rubberface - easy and pleasant

Twitch - (not done)

Bewsey Crack - tricky and varied.

Liquidator - [attempted - crack is unclimbably filthy]

Fang - (not done yet)

Plague Of Blazes - classic bold slab, does exactly what it promises

Slatehead Slab  -   (not done)

Quadrode - (not done yet)  

Cathode Smiles - (not done yet)  

Double Or Quits Direct - eliminate but nice rock

Reptile - good and varied on funky rock  

Earthstrip  - classic line, tricky in places

Diode - brilliant route, perfect thin crack/slab, underrated

Kaos - quite tricky and good value

Travelling Man  - awkward and unnerving but good

Ground Zero  - serious and bold, good rock and good line

Land Ahoy - mostly protectionless but somehow quite brilliant

Vincent (?)  -   (not done yet, might not be slabby enough?)

Crackattack - tricky but good the easier way, perhaps a bit steep

Edgehog  - polished chalky trade route, but a classic

Mutant - [had a brief look while on Reptile, line is quite obscure]

Savage Cabbage - (not done yet)

Risque Grapefruit - (not done yet)  

Walter Wall  - great route with a lovely runout and good climbing

Sweet Little Mystery - [had a play on this, far too dangerous a solo]

Aquarian Rebels - [had a look at this, a bit dirty and looks desperate]

Freddie Across The Mersey - (not done yet)

On Some Beach - (not done yet)

Triode - (not done yet)  

(I've left out some of the right-hand routes on Wave Buttress because although they look great, I'm pretty sure they will be unclimbably filthy too.)

In the context of this list of justice, my progression throughout has been....okay so far. But it's the last few on the list, especially the last two, that particularly fascinate me. Steep bold slab climbing with BIG but potentially safe run-outs above decent gear. The sort of inspiration that got me to do Poetry Pink after 10 years of desire, and will hopefully get me to do a couple of those routes after a mere 3 years of similar desire. Of course for something "beyond" my limits, I need to get everything right - motivation, confidence, tactics, and especially weather - the sunniest crags in Scotland in the wettest, midgiest area in Scotland beneath the biggest fucking mountain in Scotland makes good conditions surprisingly elusive for somewhere so accessible.

This last Sunday the ridiculous heat had finally fucked off and the breeze had kicked off (it was much cooler at Sunday lunchtime than it was late Friday night). I'd taken it steady on the Wave walk-in by stopping off in the Gorge, warmed up on the rather scary Ground Zero (E3 5b??) and was feeling ready to give On Some Beach a go.... But....

THE WRONG SHOES GROMMIT!!

I definitely had the right trousers (cheap Adidas from Sport's Direct, well insulated from the breeze and with the orange stripes nicely matching my orange vest), but the wrong shoes. I'd overestimated how smeary Wave was (not very) and underestimated how edgy it was (quite a bit on the coarse grains and nobbles), and had brought my well-worn soft shoes, good for sensitivity and smearing, but less good for support and toe-power. Even on GZ I felt I wasn't able to dig in hard enough on the nubbins, and I just didn't trust myself to try OSB with that odd stacked against me. Two trips to Wave I've been syked but it's got too hot, one trip I've been syked but wrong shoes....another stroll down through the Gorge path without the experience of that mega-challenge.

Talking of paths...

Another lesson learnt this weekend was to be wary of straying off the beaten path. Even in the super-accessible and well-renowned Glen, it seems anything less than the Scottish Rock (SMC, not Gary's!) trade routes can be scarcely climbable. The day before we went to Creag Am Fithich to take advantage of a brief afternoon and low-ish river wade. Well the river wade was the highlight of the day, as Caterpillar had a fairly filthy finish, and Steerpike had a too-dangerous-to-abseil hollow tree after the actual climbing, and a quite unbelievable grovel up vertical moss. Then en-route back from Wave, Aquarian Rebels had a thin veneer of lichen that made it look even more impossible than it's initial "flared fingertip seam in an utterly blank slab" appearances, and I had to aid the easy escape route of Liquidator as it's crack was utterly full of moss - a pity as the starting moves above the river and the situation are both very fun, and the finish is easy to return to dry land. Opposite on the Gorge Wall, Chimera and Easy Pickings look just as good lines as when I had a brief play on the former 3 years ago, and even dirtier and mossier.

Have any of these routes had ascents this decade?

Was it really a good idea for Gary to directly copy descriptions out of Highland Outcrops without checking if these routes are climbable?

Why on earth is Edgehog so bleached with chalk and wear you can see it from the carpark, but more accessible routes are just walked past?

Is it because of Extreme-bloody-rock?? All Ken's fault?

Or is it because trad climbing is dying in Scotland whilst dogging up Dunkeld and days out at Angus shit-holes are flourishing?? In which case maybe we need Ken more than ever?

Is there any point me straying off the beaten path in the Glen again?

No probably not...

Going to take both pairs of shoes next time though...



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#428 Mo Fire
July 16, 2013, 07:00:08 pm
Mo Fire
16 July 2013, 3:49 pm



The wrong sort of fire though - not the spiritual blaze of passion and excitement but the burning oppression of sultry solar rays. It seems the respite from the ridiculous "southern england" style heatwave was as brief as the usual respite from the typical "northern scotland" style monsoons. From Metoffice:

Fort William:

Sat 20 Jul Day 25 °C W 3 mph Very Good

Aviemore:

Sat 20 Jul Day 26 °C NE 5 mph Very Good

Ullapool:

Sat 20 Jul Day 22 °C N 5 mph Very Good

Too fucking HOT by far. Ullapool might be the only option this weekend, at least it's got sea-cliffs and some north-ish facing crags....if one can escape the midges.

It looks perfectly timed, just as my confidence and determination are trickling back, any semblence of good conditions are trickling away like sweat down the hands and onto the holds. Once again I must be patient and WAIT and find something better to do than failing on challenging routes just because it's too hot. So what should that be?? Well if I was back in Sheffield it would be obvious - dogging down the dales, sheltering under a canopy of limestone overhangs and trees, dicking around on a rope with little pressure other than training and exercise. Sure the climbing would be shit but there would be plenty of choice. Up here, much less so....

Dicking around on a rope....

Glen Ogle shady side

Tunnel Wall

Dumby before evening

Myopics Buttress before evening

Creag Nan Luch if I'm up that way already

All the bolted torridonian sandstone if I'm up that way already

(Not the Angus quarries as I would rather take a belt sander to my bellend)

Seeking shade....

Reiff area (some of it)

Gruinard area

Aberdeen coast (if not smeggy)

Lakes (East-ish crags esp)

Lednock west side

Crag Lough and Peel Crag (quite a good idea actually!)

Easy mileage....

Yet again, *yawn*

Other options....

Deep Water soloing?? Craig Stirling!! But maybe too greasy if it's that warm.

Getting up high in the mountains?? Ha-fucking-ha. Anyone got any new veins? Though not. Fuck off.

Any other ideas?? Climbing ones of course... Let me know...



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#429 Re:  fiendblog
July 16, 2013, 11:02:07 pm
Fancy some DWS questing?

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#430 Re:  fiendblog
July 16, 2013, 11:04:14 pm
I might do at some point!! Will let you know if I do as the deen is very likely the place to go.

Edit: Actually I probably need coaching as generally I am fucking terrified and climb a few hundred grades lower when facing a fall into water rather than onto gear!!

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#431 Re:  fiendblog
July 17, 2013, 08:37:45 am
It's not a few hundred grades lower than what you normally climb. I've been repelled on numerous occasions when I've been on good form. Not high though.

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#432 Re: Step step step...
July 17, 2013, 10:30:09 am

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#433 Re:  fiendblog
July 19, 2013, 06:56:58 pm
Thanks. Credit to Tris Fox who took it!

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#434 Game over man, GAME OVER.
July 22, 2013, 01:00:19 am
Game over man, GAME OVER.
21 July 2013, 6:40 pm



It's officially too warm for me, even when it pretends to be not too warm. I went to Creag Dubh on a cloudy afternoon, fresh-ish sou'westerly breeze, and 20-ish'C forecast. Pleasant and promising on the belay of Inbred in a windproof, but just too warm on the rock. I started up something bold and having to check my tips and chalk on almost every move indicated.... GAME OVER. I retreated before I got fully game overed. That was one of the "coolest" days recently and it just wasn't good for me to push myself, it was disappointing to do essentially fuck all in a long day out, but it was needed to confirm that I had to wait until it's properly crisp again, when 20'C is an unduly warm day rather than an unduly cool one.

So I haven't done much climbing of note, thankfully I still have my pottering syke to keep the mileage going, and I've also had nice days out with friends and other creatures... Recent highlights including:

Creag Dubh - as well as backing off other stuff, I didn't back off Erse soon enough and ended up in mild but genuine mortal fear 15m up, 5m above terrible RPs, one in a flared crack one in a loose block. Downclimb of death. Also saw two LIVE goats with very big horns.

Berrymuir Head - got puked on by a seagull, not nearly as rancid as my only previous gull vomit encounter, but grim enough, I started swearing at the gull until noticing it was guarding a big ball of fluff with a beak sticking out....a perfectly perky and alive chick awww cute. Also spent much of the afternoon admiring Big Fat Seal On A Rock:

Big Fat Seal On A RockAnd had the common sense of current Berrymuir grading confirmed by two different climbers, and got syked for Roof Roof when it cools down, and had a fine BBQ meatathon courtesy of PJ - eating pure sirloin steak with bare hands nom nom nom.?

Arbroath - met "From The Anti-Headpoint Consortium: Ross", now escaped to Perth. Apparently the Consortium was just Dan's joke on Consumed and there's no ID cards, t-shirts, secret handshakes or anything. Another childhood dream RUINED. Anyway did a couple of cool steep routes on Granny's Garrett and watched Ross on a DWS project hidden in plain view beneath it. The sea claimed him before the project did. I wussed out and stayed dry.

Glen Ogle - "Camera....nah only going to Glen Ogle, shitty sport crags and just two of us, won't get any climbing shots. Hmmm maybe there will be wildlife....and last time there was a Hercules flying down the valley....nah fuck it can't be arsed." 2 hours later (after a rank fucking bumblethon through the worst of Callander traffic), pulled into the parking next to a police jeep with two coppers with binoculars....who pretty soon pointed out the pair of golden fucking eagles they'd been checking the location of ARSE BOLLOX ETC. Also failed on 3 grotty dirty F6cs in a row but did manage Metal Guru which was clean and really rather good, ace crux move on it. Belayed Ross Jr on "8a in an hour" and dicked around on a so-called F7b+ that seemed to have a font 7b+ crux but might be worth a look as it's a decent retreat from the heat. Got back from Ogle to Stirling in less than have the time it took to get there.



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#435 Back!!
August 09, 2013, 01:00:08 pm
Back!!
9 August 2013, 11:13 am



...from 10 days in Pfalz.

It was ace. Far too bloody hot, but ace. I will write plenty more soon, but in the meantime, here is....

...FAT DORMAUS IN A HOLE!!



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#436 It's War.
August 13, 2013, 01:00:06 pm
It's War.
13 August 2013, 10:30 am



The most brutal, intractable war, the war within. The human mind is the most complex, most powerful, most potent thing....I only wish I actually got on with mine. 30+ years and it's still a stalemate.

So far, so teen angst. The issue is that while I am mostly a climber, some parts of me are not a climber. Some of those other parts are positive, if sometimes distracting, desires into other hobbies (yes, painting toy soldiers IS that genuine), and some of those other parts are inhibitive, self-sabotaging, anti-parts. Throw it all together and sometimes the result is a seemingly irresolvable maelstorm of thought spirals, desires, ambitions, inhibitions, indecisions and confusion.

I try to strip away the bullshit and the trivialities to just get on with the pure pleasure of climbing, but as I once said to a good friend who was jesting about my climbing obssession - the problem is, I'm not obsessed enough. Part of it is good stuff that gives me a wee bit of a rest and a bit of balance, part of it is self-destructive stuff that uncomfortably contradicts the bulk of the truth about myself. Desire vs destruction....the war within. I wish for clarity of mind but I'm slowly accepting it will never happen, so I keep fighting....a war of attrition, aiming to grind my mind into positive spirals.

Anyway, I have had a lazy, slothful, and confusing week, and have generally anticipated feeling weak and useless. I went to TCA and felt knackered - except then did a PB of 4 pullups on the smallest Beastmaker rungs. I went to GCC and felt very slow getting into things - except then had as good a session I've ever had. Apparently the body isn't as weak as the mind! That still doesn't excuse me from keeping training it though...



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#437 Pfalz.
August 22, 2013, 01:00:06 am
Pfalz.
21 August 2013, 8:38 pm



It's like a giant partially bolted Churnet Valley, crossbred with Nesscliffe and Helsby, scattered throughout a forested sauna, and topped with a mini-Oktoberfest.

36'c

....is a ridiculous temperature. By my standards 26'c is a ridiculous temperature and 10'c hotter is 10' more ridiculous. Driving around somewhere that looks a lot like middle England and getting out of the car into heat I've only ever experienced in Africa and the Caribbean was quite surreal. It's like stepping through the heat curtains you get across shop doorways in winter, except the heat just continues. Mid-week it cooled down a bit, I remember saying to Colin that it was much nicer at 26'c and he wisely pointed out that was still 10'c too hot for hard climbing. So there was precious little of that. Instead it was exploring and punting. Colin did a lot of chimneys, corners, and horizontal squirms, I did a lot of cracks, faces and the odd arete. We visited 21 crags in 10 days, and nearly as many summit ticks. I had to rest my skin but not my mind, despite the heat the syke held out well, helped by siestas!



Preposterously Proportioned Protuberances

...are an essential part of the Pfalz experience. The sandstone varies in quality, coarseness, features and angles, but the crags stick to formations that are distinct in character and distinct from the surrounding terrain. Spires and summits, towers and ridges all protrude from the forest that covers 70% of the surrounding countryside. Sometimes proudly visible on hilltops from miles around, sometimes only a vague summit hints at the potential that is revealed to be overpowering 40m walls shaded by 30m trees. Any protruberance that overhangs the base is an essential tick and I did a few of those. Abseil descents and summit books were mandatory. The quality of the rock and climbing was not always as immaculate as somewhere like Siurana, but the fun of the experience was hard to beat.



Weissbier und schnitzel

...are highlights of the area, along with a gargantuan selection of pastries and pretzel products (pretzel croissant nom nom nom). It is not a place to go for a dietand the amount of calories expended climbing and trekking around only just justified the amount put in at dinner and breakfast. Weissbier on tap re-defines "refreshment", 9 Euros for two chunks of schnitzel, a mountain of papriked chips and a bowl of well dressed salad persuaded us away from camp cooking on a few occasions, and by the end the staff of the local bakery knew us as regulars and smiled at our 8 items order each morning. The campsite was not bad for 9 euros each a night in peak season, flat ground and a good shower - despite the campsite fuhrer who bollocked me for accidentally driving on the wrong side of the road, exceeding 5kph (which the car wouldn't do any less than, even idling in 1st), and driving after 10pm, despite it being the restaurant's staff's fault for forgetting my SCHNITZEL. Dragging me away from my delayed dinner, thanks you grumpy old fuck. Further humiliation came on the campsite's crazy golf course with Colin owning my arse by some of the biggest numbers seen on the trip.





Return match needed

The sheer fun, diversity and character of the area just about compensated for the heat and lack of challenging climbing....JUST ABOUT. It was an excellent trip to explore, do a lot of fun stuff, and get the measure of an area that is complex but scarcely 30 minutes drive tip to tip. But boy am I syked to return. Drop the temperature to sending temps, and there are many inspiring grade 8s that are as attractive as anything I've seen anywhere. Now I've explored fully, a long focussed weekend would do. God knows when reliable cool weather is in spring or autumn, but whenever it is, I want to be there!!





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#438 aHoy there!
August 29, 2013, 01:00:28 am
aHoy there!
28 August 2013, 9:21 pm



Top tip for new dads struggling to get out climbing: bundle your wife and kid off to Kenya (n.b. it might help if your wife is Kenyan and has family there). Well it worked for PJ so we could get a fairly sustained period of climbing in, including Little O Wall (good new Aberdeen trad venue - no spurious jumping for the bolt gun up here), Brin Rock sport crag (I've now completed the triptych of the finest mid-grade challenges at Brin: Gold Digger on the trad, Brin Done Before on the blocs, and The One And Only on the bolts. TOAO required me to do a full on lunge for a good hold from a slopey pinch with the bolt quite beneath my feet, a somewhat miraculous feat for me), Long Slough to get full appreciation of the coast being too greasy to climb, and The Mound to ensure we just missed the last ferry to Orkney.

Thankfully an early ferry the next day got us to the mist-blanketed archipelago and started a mini-adventure that sated one of my minor desires for this year, exploring Orkney. The first day in the grey gloom at Yesnaby was an eerie and bleak experience, and battling tides and imminent sea-smeg slightly subdued the otherwise fine and convenient climbing. A lie-in during the next rainy morning started a planned rest day to recover syke before two glorious and rewarding days. A return visit to Yesnaby started omniously with Phil battling the hardest sandbag I've ever seen while I planked and squirmed on the hanging belay to only just avoid the incoming swell. Even on second I needed a lie down afterwards. But the day got better and better through realistically graded routes, steep cracks and grooves, mellow evening sun on dry rock and a lovely delicate arete to finish in the sunset.

Since we were there and had another dry day and needed a rest from proper climbing (technical single pitches) at Yesnaby, it seemed fair enough to do the Old Man Of Hoy. But not, of course, by the tedious polished trade route of The Original Route, strictly the preserve of tourists, munro-baggers and other such riff-raff. Instead we stepped out onto the South Face for a jolly jaunt which involved "rock" that evolved from very sandy to fragile plates and bulges to hanging death blocks, obscure route-finding up indeterminate shelves and hanging chimneys, the obligatory fulmars to weave around, and a nice grass slab too. I can't recall there being ANY good climbing on the route, but it was a good adventure. We got away scott-free with only the tiniest of fulmar droplets on my adidas trackies, but then again a massive graze inside my armpit from catching myself when a foothold broke. The much-publicised abseils back down went very smoothly and quickly, the walk out up to the mainland was utterly murderous on my legs, and the stomp back over just got us to the last ferry to Orkney and the relaxed and comfy charms of Brown's Hostel.

Yeah well, go fuck YOUR face.

And the next day we did the Old Man Of Moy on the way back to Aberdeen.



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#439 Re:  fiendblog
August 29, 2013, 08:58:22 am
Old Man of Stoer on the way back to Aberdeen?

You might need to get better at walking or cycling before you tick the next classic stack; Am Bauchaille.

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#440 Re:  fiendblog
August 29, 2013, 09:43:56 am
Did Am Buchaille in 2008. I was quite proud to have only done the unpopular and esoteric one of the big 3 and had no intention of doing the others - OMOH was pretty incidental. AB walk is flat so I could still do it fine, getting out from the coast would be the crux. Not sure if I could drive past Gairloch, Gruinard, Reiff, Ardmair etc to get to Stoer, I'm sure my car would swerve off to one of those areas ;)

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#441 Sendtember???
September 02, 2013, 01:00:10 pm
Sendtember???
2 September 2013, 11:02 am



...is the plan, theory, dream, inspiration, aspiration, ambition. I've sated my need for exploration at Pfalz and Orkney, abandoned Lewis to the weather gods and postphoned Berdorf until hopefully crisp autumn conditions. On my recent jaunt with PJ I found I was able to cope equally with spreading my considerable load across sandy decaying choss and hauling it upwards on small pebbly crimps and flakes, leading to the possible conclusion that I am climbing okay again and might be able to capitalise on that. Of course the forecast is very mixed, especially in North West Scotland, and the sometimes reliable Indian Summer is nowhere in sight, but then again it's cooled down a lot, it's getting out of midge season, and in the meantime I am also syked for training thank fuck.

On the subject of training I have tried to think how I can balance having fun doing it but also tailoring it to what might just be a little bit useful for the remaining routes I want to do. Which ends up like this:

Ardmair:

Neart Nan Gaidheal - general stamina, steep wall endurance

Burning Desire - steep wall endurance, sidepulls/flat/angled holds    

Reiff:

The Gift - general stamina,    sidepulls/flat/angled holds, steep bouldering power    

The Screamer - finger/crimp strength, general stamina, steep wall endurance  

The Road To Nowhere - static face climbing stamina,

Glen Nevis:

On Some Beach - finger/crimp strength, static face climbing stamina,  

Triode - finger/crimp strength,    

Risque Grapefruit - static face climbing stamina,    

Tomag - general stamina,  sidepulls/flat/angled holds    

Creag Dubh:

Colder Than A Hooker's Heart - finger/crimp strength, static face climbing stamina,    

The Final Solution - finger/crimp strength, static face climbing stamina,

Ayatollah - finger/crimp strength, static face climbing stamina,  

North West:

Each Uisge Direct - ???  

Wall Of Flame - finger/crimp strength,  

Instant Muscle -  finger/crimp strength,    

Cat Burglar - finger/crimp strength,  static face climbing stamina,

Tellaidol - finger/crimp strength,  steep wall endurance

Stand And Deliver -   finger/crimp strength, ???

North East:

Bat's Wall - general stamina, steep wall endurance    

Cocaine -  general stamina, steep wall endurance

Senakot Rose - general stamina, steep wall endurance    

Running Wild - finger/crimp strength,  steep wall endurance, steep bouldering power

Bob's Overhang -   finger/crimp strength, steep bouldering power

Timpani Wall - finger/crimp strength, general stamina,  

Central Highlands / Belt:

Edge Of Insanity - general stamina,    

Short Sharp Shock - steep wall endurance    

Velvet Glove -   general stamina, steep wall endurance  

Ivy League - finger/crimp strength, static face climbing stamina,

Purrblind Doomster - general stamina,    sidepulls/flat/angled holds    

Anger Management - general stamina,  sidepulls/flat/angled holds    

Empire Of The Sun - finger/crimp strength,  general stamina,  

Lady Charlotte - finger/crimp strength, static face climbing stamina,

Screaming Weem - finger/crimp strength, general stamina, steep wall endurance

....which leads to the conclusion that apart from the usual very obvious aspects to train like falling practise, falling practise, and falling practise, general fitness and general stamina, there are common themes to train:

Finger/crimp strength - many routes are on small fingery holds that I haven't trained so much.

Static face climbing stamina - many routes are maybe not so pumpy but have either enough thin climbing or bold climbing that necessitates hanging around long enough that I need to train hanging around long enough.

Steep wall endurance - some routes are obviously steeper and safer but pumpier and need a shorter term climbing endurance on steeper ground.

Sidepulls/flat/angled holds - a few of the less crimpy routes are on other non-generous holds, sometimes as part of aretes or whatever, and training their usage, compression and pressure etc, will be useful.

Steep bouldering power - a few rogue routes are obviously just bouldery bastards.

Ratho bouldering last week, that was mostly finger/crimp strength as far as the abrasively new holds allowed, with a bit of steep bouldering power thrown in. Ratho routes tonight which will obviously be general stamina but I should try to mix it up with some shorter harder things for fingers or steep wall endurance.



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#442 O yeah.
September 04, 2013, 01:00:09 pm
O yeah.
4 September 2013, 11:04 am



Aberdeen climbers are a bunch of choads. They have a typically insular scene so common in Scotland, made worse by a core of hoary old-timers as dour as the granite city itself and attendant scyophantic acolytes who try to keep the coast on lockdown. Their undue pride in and myopic devotion to the pokey little crags and lineless boulders of greasy schist and grubby granite blinds them to the realities of the area and excludes all else especially the input of outsiders. Their determination to keep Aberdeen climbing as an esoteric backwater extends to  obtuse guidebooks and obstreporous grading and works only too well to keep the crags as offputting as possible.

Aberdeen climbers are a great bunch. They are the most thriving and active trad scene in Scotland but also relish the full spectrum of climbing from cragging to mountains to bouldering to sport. They extend the mix-and-match approach of the off-shore scene to a welcoming vibe that includes offcomers into the melting pot of climbing partners. Their dedication to local cragging extends to cleaning, developing, and sharing conditions and advice. They have the vision to develop new sport lines near trad venues without them spoiling established routes, and new trad venues that are wholly appropriate, and the decency to publicise these venues so others can enjoy it.

Which ones of these statements is true?

Are they both true?

Are they both false?

Is it a black and white statement of a climbing scene? Or more likely, is it shades of grey? Perhaps shades of gay(lord) in some cases...

Suffice to say, having been to Little O Wall with ex-weeg and now-local PJ the other week and quite enjoyed it, I went back with ex-weeg/ex-burg and now semi-local raider Geek this week to chase up a remaining inspiration there. In what seems to be a typical Aberdonian style, Little O has been discovered recently on the doorstep of the alarming sport venue Orchestra Cave and thoroughly developed into a fine, if rather slanty, trad venue. If the Central Belt sport climbing hordes had got their hands on it no doubt it would be a great shit and pointless sport climbing crag, but up on the Coast common sense still prevails and it's a very worth addition to the coastal trad (just like the Johnsheugh refurbishment last year). Of course it's still as fickle with conditions, sometimes tricky protection and rock, and as an extra bonus for this crag, a distinctly evil tilt to the holds sloping down leftwards. A good test of balance and persistence - including Timpani Wall which was a good challenge, quite reasonable but still slightly arduous for a series of hands off rests!

All good stuff. I wonder what they have up their sleeves up there next...



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#443 Re:  fiendblog
September 06, 2013, 10:19:08 am
This is one genius rant :)

Quote
Aberdeen climbers are a bunch of choads. They have a typically insular scene so common in Scotland, made worse by a core of hoary old-timers as dour as the granite city itself and attendant scyophantic acolytes who try to keep the coast on lockdown. Their undue pride in and myopic devotion to the pokey little crags and lineless boulders of greasy schist and grubby granite blinds them to the realities of the area and excludes all else especially the input of outsiders. Their determination to keep Aberdeen climbing as an esoteric backwater extends to  obtuse guidebooks and obstreporous grading and works only too well to keep the crags as offputting as possible.

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#444 Re:  fiendblog
September 06, 2013, 10:21:59 am
It's all a hypothetical viewpoint....

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#445 It's a trap.
September 06, 2013, 10:22:11 pm
It's a trap.
6 September 2013, 6:37 pm



It's a trap to do some practice falls and feel comfortable enough that I don't bother doing any for the rest of the session.

It's a trap to do practise falls and then get on a tricky lead and just shout "take" when I'm tired because I think I've done enough falls.

It's a trap to do a few good leads and assume next time out things will go at least as well and I can just coast along.

It's a trap to do some great routes and feel like I'm achieving what I want and don't need to train as hard.

It's a trap to feel strong and fit down the wall or gym and think that that is strong and fit enough and I don't have to go down as much.

It's a trap to go down to TCA and feel I've done enough and not go for my pathetic but essential 10 minute micro-run afterwards.

It's a trap to think that any single burst of exercise I do in a day (wall, gym, walk, run, route) is enough and I don't have to do more.

It's a trap to be lured into comfort and complacency by any of the above.

Climbing is not about being comfortable and complacement. It's about being in uncomfortable and challenging situations and being fit, strong, determined, inspired and desiring enough to not only cope with those situations, but relish and thoroughly enjoy both the challenge and intrinsic pleasure of those situations. To prepare for that in climbing, I need to be sensible and aware in training and exercise, and avoid those traps.



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#446 How much do I want this??
September 09, 2013, 07:00:15 pm
How much do I want this??
9 September 2013, 12:56 pm



I'm squatting on a small overhung ledge, shaking out on two decent crimps. Above the wall barrels out slightly, but I carefully lock my right hand onto a sloping rail, match feet and stand up through the tension of keeping my body in to stay on the rail, and leaning out nervously to see the higher holds. I stretch up towards the obvious good pocket...5 inches too short. I shuffle my feet out....4 inches too short. I twist slightly....3 inches too short. It hasn't changed in any of the tentative attempts. I feel a small two finger pocket for my left hand, I look down at the small footholds a lot further in than the balancing ledge, and know I'll have to do a dynamic slap into the pocket. I also know I can do the move...

...but there's a slight problem. There's gear at my feet when I'd start the move, clipped 2 feet lower due to necessary extension. This is not a bad position, but the gear is two reasonable wires in a hollow flake that flexes when I use it to rock over, backed up with a small cam in a very shallow slot. I guess it would slow me down. 2 metres below is the good gear, a couple of solid wires, but off to the side from the perched ledge ensuring a clattering fall onto the lower rocks if something went wrong (but at least if/when the flake ripped off, it would miss me). I'm probably "safe", but the prospect still feels pretty terrifying, not least hanging around working out the steep moves after the pocket. And I'm 5'8" +1 AI, and it's obvious this guidebook-described "longish reach" is done by just that, reaching, rather than an extra and dynamic move. So it's harder and more serious than I had planned for. So...

How much do I want this??

There is a small amount of genuine danger and a large amount of genuine fear involved. A small amount of frustration and a large amount of inspiration.

In the end the desire is not enough and I back off, removing gear as I go. But then I'm lying in bed at night, thinking. Maybe I should go back on a fresher day. Maybe I should discuss with my partner how much of a challenge it's going to be. Maybe I should arrange for a running belay down the fine grass slopes. Maybe I should take some skyhooks. Maybe I'll be back. Maybe I'll do the move, because maybe I *do* want it enough??

 

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#447 Re:  fiendblog
September 10, 2013, 12:16:17 pm
Nice couple of posts there Fiend....

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#448 Re:  fiendblog
September 10, 2013, 12:54:04 pm
+1

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#449 Re:  fiendblog
September 10, 2013, 02:05:23 pm
If it's near me, I have considerable bealying ballast, and was capable of a good sprint in my youth. I will also shout MTFU at the right moment.

However there is a risk I may reach through easily, and dismiss it as piss :)

 

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