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Ed Downunder....Part 2
14 March 2013, 5:58 am

Its been a busy last 2 weeks......I have been out and about, hitting up some seriously good crags. The main 2 crags that I just really wanted to climb on were Boronia and Diamond falls.....I have officially climbed on both now.

After ticking this great 8b called 'Aristocat' down at Elphinstone I decided to have a break from that place and just try and go down to Boronia point and Diamond falls in my last few remainding weeks.

First up was Boronia.....

Day 1 >>>

I had been in contact with a great local climber called Dave Viner also who was keen to hit up Boronia n try and tick his project. We had 3 great days climbing.....My main goal was to tick 'Tripe (8a+) a classic Blue Mountains test piece. After warming up on Onions extension (7c+) I decided to go for 'Dont Believe the trip' (8a)....I managed to send this 2nd go which was fantastic....I then Tied back in and went for Mudeye (8a).....This is a great link-up, It starts up DBTT and then has a slightly different crux to a pocket! I manged to get it first try which was a nice suprise....Next up was 'Tripe' (8a+). I had one good go from the floor falling going for the jug after the crux on my first attempt but was just outa steem to hold it.....Next go I latched the crimpy jug and climbed to the top....Dave had some very good goes on DBTT falling very high up....next time buddy!! All in all I was Very happy with my sends!! It was a great feeling climbing 3 8's in a day.....

Day 2 >>>

After having a great rest day Canyoning, I was back at Boronia. My goal was to try a route called Big WEdnesday (8b).....The line stands on its own out right from the main wall so was really keen to try it......I decided to go for the Onsight and actually got further than I thought I would, falling for the good crimp at the end of the crux.....shit!!! I retsed abit and then Sent on my next try.....What a great gymnastic route! I finished the day by sending 'Green eggs and ham' (7c+), Vertins Affair (7c), Anyerism (7c)....good day ;).

Day 3 >>>

It was a weekend and it was BUSY!!! After feeling pretty tired warming up.....I qucikly put the clips on 'Dont Believe the hype' (8b), This line traverses pretty much over 3 routes which proved to be quite difficult as there were many people on those exact ones haha..... It climbs the crux of vetrins affair (7c) and then traverses right into the crux of Mudeye (8a) and finishes up DBTT (8a) at its crux......after a couple goes it was in the bag. Thank god! Its a great link with some sick moves.

Staring at the sea (8b) Centennial Glen  3 Sisters ;)

View from Diamond Falls

Shipley

View from Boronia Point!!Next crag was Diamond Falls >>>

Day 1

I was really greatful of climbing there with Dave as he knew where plenty of the classics went.....I started by doing 'Super Weak' (7b+) which felt REALLY hard for the grade....Spicy times! Next on the list was Mr Magoo (7c)....This is a great line. I onsighted this and then sent Super duper goo (8a) which is its neighbour first try......I then walked around to check out 'Some Kind Of Bliss' (8b), This is a route that I have wanted to try for ages....Luckly there were qucik draws in the route so I jumped on and went for a onsight go....I gave it my best shot but fell half way through the crux section...bummer!! I worked out the top section and came down! I rested for abit and then gave it another go....I punched through the first crux and found myself resting before the final tricky section....I climbed through n touched the chains....Psyched outa my mind I decided to take a massive lob off the top......good day! Thanks to dave for all the belays ;)

Microwave (8a+) Centennial Glen.Day 2 >>>

Today I went down with a strong climber called Logan Barber. We both got warm up as best as we could by bouldering around at the foot of the crag....I had already decided to go for the flash on a route called 'Mr Meaner' (8a+).....Logan had previously done this a few days before so had some good beta knowledge. I crimped up and sent. I felt pretty happy!! Logan then put the draws in on 'Super Duper Goo' (8a)....He was feeing pretty wasted from climbing days before and had no skin left so wasnt gunz blazzzing. He came down and rested....I then had a go on 'Tuckered Out' (8a+), You pretty much climb most of Super Duper Goo and the break out right into a steep 4m roof. I went for it and found myself resting below the final roof.....Logan shouted up the beta and I looked up to see if i could make sense of it and of course it was perfect...I climbed through with a  few shouts and topped. Amazing climbing!!! To finish the session I managed to make an onsight of a bloody fantastic route called 'Hairline 2000' (7c+).....this for me is one of the best routes of this grade I have ever done.....The position is just unreal!! It was a great 2nd day donw at Diamond falls. Cant wait for more.......

'Dont Believe the tripe' (8a) Boronia Point I would also just like to say a MASSIVE big up to Nick Fletcher, who has just recently been taking some amazing photographs of myself climbing on some great routes.

To see more of his work visit - http://www.nickfletcherphotography.com/

Will be meeting up again this evening to shoot some more tomoz.......cant wait.......

Big Wednesday (8b) Boronia PointThats all for now.....

Hope you are all out crushing!

Cheers

Ed Hamer

Source: The Hamer Blog

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Oz Part 3
19 March 2013, 4:35 am

Well again its been a pretty busy week....It started off at The Glen where Nick was hoping to get a few more pictures but unfortunatly the weather wasnt so great so we both just decided to climbed instead. I managed to make a send of 'Tutu Sullied Flesh' (8a) and finished the day with a great couple of 7c's.

 Next up was Bardens Lookout, I was keen to try and tick a climb called Bloodline (8b/+) which is an amazing route with plenty of roof climbing. The conditions that day where just excellent. After warming up I managed to send the route first red-point. I was super happy about that!

 After a rest Holger had recommended I go for the flash on its neighbour 'Brain Haemorrhage' (8b) at first I thought that was a little to much but finally decided to go for it and to my surprise I climbed all the way to the top ;) This was my first flash of this grade.....and what a great feeling it was!!!!

'Some Kind Of Bliss' (8b) The Besst!!!

Hiding from the dog!! Represent CAC in da house!!Photo - Nick Fletcher The next day I met up with Karen who was keen to head to Diamond Falls. She was trying to finished off a route called 'Mr Meaner' (8a+). She came very close that morning but unfortunalty fell high up on the last hard move of the crux.....I was keen to try Mr Line (8b+). This link adds a much harder start into the crux of Hairline 2000 (7c+) After working out the moves low down....I rested and then sent on my 2nd try ;) good moves!!!.....I am heading back to DF tomoz to meet up with Karen. Cant wait to try Mr Tickle (8b+).....Lets see what happens.....5 days to go!!!!

Source: The Hamer Blog

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Oz part 4 (Diamond Falls)
20 March 2013, 9:35 pm

Well yesterday I went back down to Diamond Falls with Karen. After warming up on a fantastic 23 pitch we headed around to the main wall for the really buissness. I had one quick go on 'Mr Tickle' (8b+) but fell going out for this really small crimp which is around this little bulge, so you cant see it for shiiiiitt!! Great moves on perfect small edges......for me this is a sort of style I dream about!! Then it was Karens turn on 'Mr Meaner' (8a+)....she climbed the first wall very smoothly and then came the crux....she punched through it and clipped the chains ;)....She had been working this route for a while so was totally made up when she climbed it! Totally crushed! Her first of the grade!Then it was my turn to keep the send train rolling......I didnt climb the lower wall as well as I would have liked but got through it again and found myself resting before the hard slap to the crimp...... I went fully for it and stuck it!! After this it eases off and so I also clipped the chains on Mr Tickle!! Good times ;) I then finished the day by repeating Hairline 2000 and Super Duper Goo in order to get some pictures and a little video footage.....good training!! Super Duper Goo (8a) Diamond Falls

SDG (8a)

Last roof section!!!!

Getting stuck in!!! Well thats all for now.....I only have 3 days left of climbing so will hopefully make them count!!Pooferator tomoz..........;)

Source: The Hamer Blog

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Final update from Oz
26 March 2013, 2:13 am

Well my time here is coming to an end....I have had a BRILLIANT time climbing and cant wait to return to sample The Grampians next........

I dont want to bore you with to much but over the last few day I have managed to ssend a couple of great routes. First up was Pooferator (8b)....This is a fantastic route and was the last of harder climbs left on my ticklist.....it went down on a super strong windy day ;) then I met back up with Nick a few days later and got some great pictures on a climb called Equaliser (8a)......

Here is my list of 8's from the last 25 days of climbing over 2 months.......Climbing in the Blue mountains is just unreal......The rock/views and wildlife are just truely incerdible!! I want to thank everyone who helped with places to stay and showing/giving me belays at some of the best crags in the world!!

Equaliser 8a.Photo - Nick Fletcher

Tiger Cat 8c (4th ascent)

Mr Tickle 8b+

Mr Line 8b+ (2nd go)

Pooferator 8b

Staring at the sea 8b

Point Break 8b (2nd go)

Dont Believe the hype 8b

Big Wednesday 8b (2nd go)

Aristocat 8b

Some Kind Of Bliss 8b (2nd go)

Bloodline 8b

Brain Haemorrhage 8b (flash)

Mr meaner 8a+ (flash)

Microwave 8a+ (flash)

Tripe 8a+

Tuckered Out 8a+

Bloodshot 8a+ (2nd go)

Tiger Snatch 8a (2nd go)

Green Grass 8a (flash)

August 1914 8a (flash)

Tsunami 8a (2nd go)

Mostly harmless 8a

Dont believe the tripe 8a (2nd go)

Mudeye 8a

Tutu sullied flesh 8a (2nd go)

Super Duper Goo 8a

Equaliser 7c+/8a (2nd go)

Brain Haemorrhage 8b.Photo - Nick FletcherI hope to return soon to meet back up with so many great people and test out some new crags/areas ......I am chillin in Sydney for the last few days before heading back to Uk.....I am only there for 2 weeks and then heading with Ethan,Ted and me bro to the Frankenjura for 1 month in April/May......Bring on the good times ;)

Cheers guys

Ed

Source: The Hamer Blog

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The Blue Mountains look amazing!

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Winter keeps giving...
5 April 2013, 8:43 pm

So what a crazy couple of weeks we've had here! We were totally snowed in all of last week, having had a huge dump of snow. The most I've seen up here for sure! So was a bit light on the work and climbing front.

So apart from all the white stuff, managed a great day out in the Churnet a few weeks ago now. Joining forces with Jon Clark who got some awesome photos on the day.Ethan and I both managed to send the amazing line Cornelius (super highball V9/E7) and I got mega flustered on the big scary wall of The Inaccessible E5 6a. A few days later we were up at Curbar again with a couple more ticks in the bank...Ulysses or bust E5 6b- A beautiful sharp arête with the crux right at the top!

and Mensa E6 6b- An under-rated line with some quality climbing.

Then finally, last weekend we managed to get out of the village and headed Staffordshire way. We intended to get up to the Roaches firstly but were quickly turned away by some park guys, after apparently peringines were found nesting up at the crag. So plan B was Gib torr which was a great little spot.

Did a couple a great problems The Fin sitter V8 and a cracking highball Gibbering Wreck V8.

We then headed over to a very windy and freezing Ramshaw and I got my way up the scary and totally unique Clippity Clop...E7 6c

And so thats all for now folks... off to the Jura next week for a bit of a change!

Tschus  

Cornelius vid...

Crazy ice formation at Alton towers hotel!



Crux pull off Cornelius (photo Jon Clark)

Pebble pulling on Inaccessible (photo Jon Clark)





Mensa at Curbar (JC)



Ulysses or bust (JC)



Crux stretch on Ulysses (JC)

Clippity clop, clippity clop, clippity clop

New slippers from Red Chili!!! Hot or what!Staffordshire Cowboys video...



Source: The Hamer Blog

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Frankenjura vs Wankenjura
2 May 2013, 3:39 pm

  To cut a long story short.....The frankenjura was wet! Enjoi the photo's Ed onsighting 'King Lui 7c'

Sam Flashing 'King Lui 7c' Ed climbing 'BABH 7b+' Ethan climbing 'Nullkammanix 8a+' Welcome Honies!!

Tanja and Sam ;)

Ted P>I>M>P

ChimpanED We still managed to climb some cool routes from 6c - 8b! Next stop Nesscliffe innitbye x

Source: Hamer Blog

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Nesscliffe trippin
7 May 2013, 2:21 pm

Just returned home after an awesome few days climbing at the amazing sandstone crag Nesscliffe in Shropshire. This is one of the best crags I've been to in the UK with out a doubt and have been coming back to it for quite a few years now. After contacting a couple of local Shropshire boys who said they'd be around for the weekend and keen to climb, we packed up and headed down to the McCanns house just a short drive away from the cliff.

First day we headed up to the crag meeting Finn, Ed Booth and Angus, so there was a good team psyche ready for some sending. So we all got involved on a couple of routes Berlin Wall and Il y a Stazi. After working out the moves we then had a few attempts on the different routes, with no success yet we headed around the corner to amazing wall climb, put up by Nick Dixon called Une Jeune Fille quatre vingt dix ans. Its a route protected by 4 pegs, a couple of cams and even an ice screw! So a relatively safe one, even though you can never quite trust the in-situ gear at Nesscliffe, with a grade of E8 6C or F8a depending on how much you trust it all. Having heard Ed Booth had already made the 3rd ascent just the day before we were both raring to go. After a quick look on a rope, getting the moves sorted, it then got its 4th and 5th ascent by myself and Angus in good time. First day psyche was on a high! We then headed home.

Back the next day we got straight back on Stazi and berlin wall. Finn was getting super close on the top moves on Berlin while I was struggling with the big move on Stazi. Ed then had a crack on Berlin E7 6C or 8a, nailing it on his first rp and after some key beta exchange from Boothy, I stuck the move on Stazi and fought my way to the top of the route. It was a fight alright and a relief to hit the top! Ed then smoothly dispatched it a few minutes later. What a route! A bouldery start into an almighty lunge for a thin ledge, followed by a ridiculas mantle shelf then a rest and a final sketchy top wall. All protected by two rather tired and rusty looking bolts half way up the wall. The lower peg broke off! So grade wise is anyone's guess. Given either E8 6C or F8a.

We finished off the day with a team send of Notional Trust E5 6A.

Then back for the last day Ed stuck the top hold on the subtle problem Subtilites V9. A short and fairly desperate looking line while I climbed the big arête Marlene Direct E7 6C with some cheeky beta on the top crux moves.

So all in all a fantastic few days at the awesome cliff with a great team psyche!

Only downer was the fact that the little Clio broke down and the RAC had to come and sort it out!

Fun times....

x

Une Jeune Fille E8 6C/8a...

Il y a Stazi E8 6C/8a....

Il y a Stazi E8 6C/8a....

Marlene Direct E7 6C.....

Split tip after success on Subtilitas 7C/V9....

Finn McCann flashing Notional Trust E5 6A

Mammut Boi in DA house!! Ed Hamer climbing Subtilitas 7C/V9, Nesscliffe.......

                                           Sam Hamer climbing Marlene Direct E7 6C



Source: Hamer Blog

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New Tricks...
28 May 2013, 6:12 pm

Well its been a busy few weeks as usual with photo-shoots, funerals, working in London, training at the wall and still managing to get out. That’s the great thing about the summer months, our amazing long evenings!! So with two big trips lined up for this summer, I've been needing to get my head in the game for some big routes! With that in mind I've been hitting up some classic crags in the Peak District to get some mileage in.Routes like Billy Whizz (E2 5c) and High plains drifter (E4 6a) at Lawencefield.Some Stoney action: Dies Irae (E2 5c), Circe (E5 6b), Kink (E5 6B), Oliver (E4 6a) and Millionaire Touch (E4 6b).   And then for the first time ever this weekend, we visited the incredible chunk of limestone that is High Tor. For some strange reason we had never climbed there but had heard so much about the cliff so it was time to check it out. We were not disappointed! What an amazing cliff. Ed Booth came and joined us and we all managed to climb two stunning lines up the middle of the right hand side. 30 metres of immaculate limestone with a real feel of isolation on a big wall and a great feeling of topping out in the sun! Flaky Wall (E4 6a) and Supersonic (E5 6a) were truly awesome. Then finally I managed to clip the chains on an old nemesis route of mine called Caviar (8a+) down at Rubicon which I tried on and off for a few years now. A fairly short and bouldery offering but what it lack in height it makes up for in hard moves! Ed has been checking out a few new bouldering areas. He ticked his way through the classics at Forest Rock such as Enchantress 7C+, Heathan Chemistry 7C+ and In Search Of Blame 8A. Next up was Fredda's Buttress in the Peak where he climbed a fantastic 7C+ called 'Infinite Suspense'. We then both headed down to Crunch Buttress and Ed climbed 'Perfecto' (8a).

Top wall of Flaky



Starting groove of Supersonic



Top crack of Super

Pumped of Circe

Rubicon in the sun.....



Cheedale WAS dry.....



Al and Sam rippin at Stoney....



Photo shoot for Wild Country.....Stanage!Awesome day with the team

   

Red Chili Nacho shoe advert....Australia! Nick Fletcher!

Source: Hamer Blog

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Peak District/Lake District
7 June 2013, 10:11 am

This last week the weather has been AMAZING!! Most problems/routes have had time to dry up and are now in perfect condition.

First up was 'Working 9-5' (8A+) at Seans Roof, a problem with good moves but sadly in a dark grim hole. I first tried the problem with Dave Mason and we both came pretty close but wet holds kept spitting us off the end! We then came back again and Dave put a fantastic effort in and sent the problem. I came close again but still no cigar. I decided to leave it for a week or so, to see if it would dry up abit more.....It didnt!!

 On my return I seemed to have it much more dialled and FINALLY managed to climb to the end. In that same day I ventured over to see if Candy Man sit (8A) was dry and it was prime! I worked out the end and sent it within a couple goes from the sit. This is by far one of the best Peak Limestone 8A's....Well done Dave on the FA!!!

A couple days later I made a quick visit to Kentmere in the Lake District. This is a beautiful little spot with some amazing boulders. After a decent warm up we all headed up for the main event which was 'Tourniquet' (8A). This climb is brilliant, and would not look out of place in world class bouldering destinations such as Switzerland/Austria. Anyway, I managed to fight my way along the traverse and to the top in rather warm temperatures but was super happy to climb such a great line. Next on the list was 'Karma of Trees' (7C). A very clean looking wall with few holds. It was a one move wonder! Pull on and punch to a jug!! Luckily it went quicker then I was expecting as my skin was almost finished. A great day spent bouldering in the sun with friends!

Next stop RIGLOS!!!!!!

Home time.......

Source: Hamer Blog

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Riglos, Spain
20 June 2013, 8:43 am

Well we have just returned from a fantastic trip to Spain where we checked out the incredible Riglos Towers. Nor Sam or myself have ever done anything like this before other than a couple 4 pitch routes out in Buis Les Barronnies about 6 years ago. So it felt rather intimidating on our first day when we walked up and stood underneath Fiesta De Los Biceps the UBER classic 9 pitch jug fest.

We had 5 days in total to try and climb as many routes as prossible in preparation for Sam’s big Canada trip where he has planned with 3 others to climb the almighty Lotus Flower. Yes I’m rather jealous!!!!

DAY 1So our first day was rather chilled and consisted of checking out the routes, sorting out our campsite and buying enough food for the rest of the trip. After seeing the line of chalk that’s winds its way right to the top that being Fiesta, we both just couldn’t wait to just get on the wall and start pulling some moves. Back down to the Campground for a big meal and to get kit sorted.

DAY 2 (FIESTA DE LOS BICEPS, 7a)Alarm was set at 6am and we had aimed to be on the wall for 7am and surprisingly that actually happened ;) Sam was up first then I followed and so we went up and up and OMG what a BLOODY brilliant route it was. It has to be said that while leading some of the pitches it was hard to believe that Alex Honnold was in the same position yet he soloing…WHAT THE HELL???? It made me feel rather queasy at pitch 7. Anyway we climbed the whole route in about 2.5 hours and had a well-earned lunch break at the top. This for the both of us was just such a great moment to have finally climbed this classic well know big wall route. We eventually found the path down and a beer was waiting for us back at the campsite.



DAY 3 (ZULU DEMENTE, 7b)This route can also be seen from a long way away with its chalky line that climbs straight through the steepest section to the right of Fiesta. We had planned the evening before to start similar time to yesterday which again actually happened ;) I went first this time and Sam followed and so we went up and after a few pitches found ourselves at a rather nice 2m wide ledge. Was luxury to be able to chill out for a bit and take off the ol’ climbing boots. We were not quite as relaxed as we were on Fiesta as we knew that the hardest pitch was the last at 7b. We punched on and before both gaining the top of pitch 8 we heard this loud noise and a shout for below us. At first we didn’t quite know what had just happened but that’s when we saw this bright green parachute open up which scared the shit out of the both of us. What happened next was rather Frightening, the guy who had just jumped had got completely tangled in his chute which meant he couldn’t steer away from the cliff so within a few seconds he was thrown back and smacked the wall (super hard!!) once and then unfortunate hit it again knocking of rather large rocks which echoed as they hit the ground but luckily his chute got caught the second time and so he was left hanging at around 200m, thankfully he was ALIVE but obviously not in good shape. There was nothing that Sam or myself could do other than making sure we were both safe. It was my turn to lead the last pitch at (7b) and after just seeing this guy nearly kill himself in front of us really shook me up but managed to climb through and not think about the 300m drop below me and the hanging base jumper to the right. Sam followed and we completed the route in 3hours. It wasn’t quite as rewarding as yesterday but we were just happy to be off the wall for that day. A helicopter was called in and after 6 solid hours they eventually got the guy down and flew off quickly to the nearest hospital. I’m not sure how badly injured he was but one can only imagine……… LDAY 4 (Rodellar)After quite a spicy session up on the wall yesterday we decided to have a lie in and hit up Rodellar for a few hours. This was a great idea and proved to be a rather nice change of location. Its only 1 hour drive from Riglos so perfect for a few hours of sport climbing. We didn’t want to get on anything long so checked out the Ali baba cave and managed to onsight the classic but short ‘City No’ (7c+) and the Sam climbed it too. We then headed around the corner and I made an onsight of ‘Familia Manson’ (8a+) Great route!! And then finished the session with ‘Rebelion en le granja’ (8a). It was a great couple of hours and its yet another place that I must spend some more time at.

DAY 5 (CHINA TOWN, 7a)A few hours climbing at Rodellar did the trick and we were back in Riglos psyched for the next route which was China Town. This line follows the left hand arête right the way to the last pitch before finishing up this vague groove leading to the summit. We climbed well but both felt rather spaced out and tired that morning. IMPORTANT NOTIICE – this route felt like the hardest out of the ones we had done before even though it was graded easier. Some rather steep ground and long run out pitches made it quite a full on and scary experience. Towards the end the wind had picked up and as Sam headed up for the last pitch which was a long one, I was left not being able to hear a thing which wasn’t ideal as you both need to know exactly what’s going on. Eventually I worked out that Sam was safe and was taking in the rope which mean I could take him off and get ready………The last pitch felt pretty hard especially with a ruck sake. I made it and sat feeling rather exhausted on the top.

DAY 6 LAST DAY (MOSQUITOS, 6b)The end of the trip came around pretty quickly but as they say ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. At this point we both felt pretty wasted but happy with our success on the routes before. Mosquitos is one of the easier routes that follows this big flake line that crosses Fiesta/Zulu and some others before heading straight up and into the blue coloured rock. The climb was fantastic and for me the most fun out of them all. Some really nice exposed pitches and a perfect ledge for a quick lunch stop half way up. We walked in, climbed and were back at the campsite within 3 hours. Time to pack up and a quick swim were in order and then off to Zaragoza to catch our flight. It had been a really great trip and I won’t ever forget how amazing it was to be climbing on those towers. We will both be back for sure but for the climbing not base jumping ;).On the back of this trip Sam leaves for Canada for 1 month to try and climb the Lotus Flower with 3 others. This should be an extraordinary expedition on an 800m wall of 19 pitches in the Cirque of the unclimbables on the border of the Yukon and North West Territories. Good luck to them all!!Whilst Sam is away I will be getting my ass in gear and then maybe kicked for the upcoming Senior Lead competitions in Chamonix and Briancon.









Here is a video of our trip to Riglos  –  thanks and Enjoi ;)



Source: Hamer Blog

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Canada trippin
4 August 2013, 8:43 am



Canada July 2013Vancouver and Squamish :

At the start of the summer I was asked by my good buddy Finn McCann to join a four man team consisting of Murray Smith, Andrew Wilkanson, Finn and myself on an expedition to Canada, with the main goal of climbing The Lotus Flower Tower. I jumped at the offer and we flew out to Vancouver at the end of June.  We hired a car and drove an hour up the road to the granite mecca of Squamish, a huge chunk of rock in a beautiful location. We then spent the next couple of days ticking off some of the classics and getting used to climbing together as a team.  We managed to climb the amazing crack line Exasperator (5.10c or E3) and then brushed up on our big walls skills with the awesome and world class The Grand Wall (5.11a or E3/4) on the Chief. A 10 pitch, 300m line all the way the main face with incredible exposure.  To finish off was great to see Dreamcatcher and I managed to send a cool route just to the right of it called Young Blood (5.13a/7c+).  I had remembered seeing a video of it a while back, of some nutter soloing this above some crazy netting system! Shhhhit that must have been scary! It was all a perfect start to the trip and was a great place to hang out for just a few days.



Exasperator 5.10c, Squamish

Young Blood 7c+Dreamcatcher!The Grand Wall on the Chief



Muzz high up on the Chief



Belly Good Ledge..scariest part on the whole climb!Whitehorse, Whatson Lake and the Cirque of Unclimbables :

Next stop back to Vancouver and a flight out the next day, 2 hours north to Whitehorse in the middle of the Yukon.  After two days and a lot of food shopping we caught the Greyhound bus travelling 5 hours east to the small town of Watson Lake and it was definitely feeling like we were heading out into the middle of nowhere!  After a slight delay while trying to track down our Pilot we jumped on his Float plane and flew an hour into the Nahanni park reserve. This was quite a challenging ride, my stomach feeling like it had been turned upside down! Luckily it wasn’t just me who felt so shitty (Wilky!). We were  more than glad to land on Glacier Lake and were dropped at a beach by a little shed. We then left half our food rations there and headed on up. The walk up to our basecamp, the Fairy Meadows was horrendous! It made the Ceuse climb look like a walk in the park. It took us about 7 hours the first time mainly due to the ridiculously heavy bags we were carrying. It was quite a sight to see those meadows, when we arrived later that day I can tell you! This was our home for the next 14 days and we pitched camp.  The weather was awesome and we decided to have a crack at the tower the following day. After a slightly delayed start due to some rain and an hour walk up to the Tower we were heading up the first few pitches of the route. We got to the half way ledge late that day and decided to spend the night on it. Unfortunately the weather turned for the worse and it ended up being one of the coldest nights of my life! Early the next morning we were engulfed by a snow storm and were all frozen to the bone, so we decided to bail and abseil back down.

This was taken at about 1am in the morning! Was as dark as it ever got



The Team!

Finn showing his skillzzz



The stunning Cobra boulder



Cobra's initial corner



Finn using them palms!

Norwegian mates taking a shot of us at the top of pitch 3. Gives a good scale of the wall! We look tiny!



The Lotus Flower Tower from the meadows

Our climb!



The Fairy Meadows! So beautiful...

The next few days it snowed and rained quite a bit and we used that time to make a visit down at the lake, to stock up on supplies. The weather then cleared up and we decided to attempt the wall again but this time a lot earlier with a nice 12:30am wakeup call! A rather cold and dark few hours of climbing on the first pitches we were then greeted to a beautiful sunrise.  We climbed well and made it back to the halfway ledge in good time. A rest and quick bite to eat we then attacked the awesome looking headwall. This consisted of a system of cracks running up the wall as far as one could see. We made slow progress while trying to pick the right crack system and eventually made it to the top after quite a lot of effort! The Lotus Flower was in the bag. All we had to do now was get the hell down. By this time it was pretty late and we were spent, so had a forced rest/ freeze on the summit! By around 3am with just enough light we then started the long abseil back down the whole route. Thankfully the sun was out again. We made it back to solid ground a few hours later completely knackered but so happy to have made it. The last few days we all just slept, ate, relaxed and then enjoyed some of the great bouldering and sport climbing in the meadows. The highlight being the incredible “The Cobra 8a” boulder. Our time in the Cirque had come to an end and we packed up and we headed back down to the lake. 2 days then followed waiting for our pilot to arrive and we flew off to The Inconnu Fishing lodge which was all part of the deal. It was an amazing place and was soooo good to have a hot shower, sleep on a mattress and eat some good, fresh food again! The next day was spent fishing for lake trout from a boat. A perfect end for me!

We then gradually retraced our steps and made our way back to Vancouver and caught our flight home.

It was one awesome and epic adventure to one very special and remote part of the world!

Looking forward to more of these...



Bolt pose in the Cirque



Looking down the headwall above the roof



Pitch 15



Pitch 17



Bouldering in the Meadows



Arrrh! Glad we weren't up there!



                                                        The Cirque plastered with snow



Rappin down the tower

View from the top of the Lotus



Top headwall

Our Float plane



Me and Wilky...eeeeeh

Our kitchen area



Leading a yoga sessions!

Horrendous mosquito's!  



Our haul of kit up to the meadows! How did you manage that Finn??



Finn leading pitch 5



Caught in a rainstorm!



Our little furry friends



Team psyche!



Frozen night on the ledge!



Two and a half weeks worth of food



Hot cakes and French Toast for breakfast....mmmmmm

Norwigian guys having just skydived into Inconnu Lodge...Amazing moment!



Muzz finds a friend



Catching my first Canadian lake trout!



10 pound trout caught by Norwegian Tag! Psyched!



Inconnu Lodge transport



Games room at the Inconnu Lodge

Source: Hamer Blog

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Lulworth DWSss
23 August 2013, 9:08 am

A couple of weeks ago, just after returning from my Canada trip, we made a quick decision to head south and get involved with this Deep water soloing malarkey. I couldnt get the van packed quick enough and we headed down the motorways straight for the famous Lulworth cove near Swanage.

We arrived at about 7 in the evening after a fairly hefty drive and I could not control myself with excitement!

We headed straight down for Stair hole, almost running to get on the rock and after that first route (horny lil' devil) the tide was set and we ended up having 3 of the best days climbing I've ever experienced.

It was sheer joy climbing these routes totally free above the blue sea.

Long live DWS!

The following week we spent a few days surfing down at Sennen cove at Lands end, managed a day over at Nare head, Cornwall dws cliff, then the last few days over at Berry head in Devon.

Here's a neat video edit, the routes that got sent and some photos from the trip! Enjoy.....

Lulworth:                                                         Crazy Notion 7a+

Animal Magnetism 7a+

The Gates of Greyskull 7b+

Stage Divin 7a+

Anarchy Stampede 7a

Window of Opportunity 7b

Hornier than thou 7b+

Z-cars 7b

Horny lil devil 7a

Adrenochrome 8a

Mark of the beast 7c

Pump up the beast 8a (ed!)

Nare head:

Lemoria 6b

Ong Bak 7b+

Berry Head:

Rainbow Scoop 6c

White meat 7a

Cod Tympani 7a+

White rhino tea 7a

Pink roadster 7a

Cutlass 8a from Ed



Mark of the beast crux!



Al showin his skills



Gates of Greyskull





Ed on Adrenochrome



Topping out...yeeeeah boi!



Nare Head in Cornwall



Lemoria 6b



Ong Bak 7b+



Lulworth youths



Horny lil devil



Cod Tympani (cheers Andre Hedger for photos!)



Cutlass



Dismount!

Al becoming the hunter!



Source: Hamer Blog

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Autumn updates
2 October 2013, 9:24 am

So its been over a month since the last blog and quite a bit has happened over that time!

Firstly I spent another week down south, meeting up with Tanja and some London friends, where we mainly did some easier routes down at Dancing ledge, Winspit and some dws at Fisherman's ledge. Also had a couple of nice days over on Portland, a place I hadnt been back to in about 5 years. Its such a great place with a huge amount of rock! Was a fairly steady week in climbing terms due to injuring my wrist the week before but did manage some quality lines. A flash of Hall of Mirrors (7c) at The Cuttings was a surprise and a rather stiff test on Zinc Oxide Mountain (7b+) the following day. Deep water soloing The Conger (6b) and Freeborn man (6c) were also a high light!



Freeborn Man crux



Awesome position!



Dancing ledge heat...



Chalk them hands





The Conger



Fisherman's Jump!



Swanage harbour



Since then a couple of days over at the Roaches doing some classic onsight ticking such as The Swan (E3), Elergy (E2), Hunky Dory (E3) and Track of the Cat (E5) all of which have been great to get the head back in the game for some harder stuff this winter.



Beautiful outlook



Classy moves on Elergy

Then finally, this weekend Ed and I drove up to Yorkshire and had a day at Ilkley and a day Caley. Another couple of places that we kept meaning to get up too for aaaages.

Managed firstly to do Desperate Dan (E6), a classy Fawcett solo from way back and then down by the quarry entrance a neat little crimpy line with a fairly sloping landing, ominously named Deathwatch (E6/7). Ed finished the day doing Ringpeice V8+

After a rather uncomfortable night in the van, we then spent a day over at Caley smearing up some classic Extreme rock ticks Psycho (E5) and the scary Adrenelin Rush (E5) and then finally the awesome and high The Great Flake (E6). This didnt come easy after taking a big plummet near the top, while trying to down climb unsuccessfuly! Thankfully no harm!



Bongo up at Ilkley



Cow and Calf sunset



Psycho and Adrenaline rush



Getting high on The Great Flake





Oooooh ho...





Success!

Source: Hamer Blog

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Its getting ccccold!
26 November 2013, 4:31 pm



Well seeing as Ed wrote a blog the other day and he reminded me to put something up on here, which I haven't done for a bit. So anyway it definitely got rather chilly this last week and people have been out making good use of the dry weather which is great to see! The hard grit trad seems to be quite popular at the moment with hard stuff being done all over the place. We've been quietly ticking away too...Here are a few ticks from the last couple of months

The Driven Bow

Nadin's test-piece Paralogism





Cemetery Waits



Hen Cloud sunset



Geckoblaster up at Shinning cliff



Shine On



Inertia real





Source: Hamer Blog

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El Winter update
28 March 2014, 5:48 pm



 So the last few of months have been fairly busy with work and other stuff and not loads of climbing except for training at the wall, hence not having much to write about on el blog but thats all changed last couple of weeks after having had some cracking days out and about.  It been a long, 3 month wait of wet weather but it all came good finally. So anyway felt like I had enough interesting stuff worthy writing a blog about so here we go...

Spent 11 days out in Siurana (Spain) over New Year. Was nice to be back sport climbing again after quite some time out. Wasn't one of my best trips climbing wise feeling abit out of touch but great to be back on some long pumpy routes again. Great to see a load of people and hang out in a awesome place.





Examining the guide on my first visit up to Montsant



L'olla sectuer Siurana



Cheeky little fellow caught sunbathing



Beautiful sunsets as always in Spain



Siurenella

Rope Access work down at the 'lovely' Butlins in Minehead and Skeggness. Some interesting rigging and great views!







Spent a great weekend down in Dartmouth with my buddies from our Canadian trip last summer. Got the finishing interviews for the film about our expedition which will be out very soon! Got a couple of stills from the film of The Corba boulder. Here's the taster to the film

from Kinetic Challenges on Vimeo.



The Cobra from the film edit of the Cirque of Unclimables





Spent the morning getting wet and overly excited on Muzz's jetkski!

Some of the sends from the last few weeks in glorious Derbyshire



Ed on the desperate Adrian Berry route Elm street E8 6c at Millstone http://www.mikehuttonphotography.com/

A well proctected E6 6c Mothers Pride



Ulyessse E6 6b at the Stanage Plantation



Two views of the crux moves of the incredible line Edge lane E5 5c at Millstone





                              The last scary move on Simba's Pride E8 6b at Burbage South



                     Hose having just had his rope cut by the gate of the karabiner! Be warned...



                                       Dawes route Avoiding the traitors E7 6c at Bamford



                                         Best view in the Peak over looking Ladybower

Me and Mike sheltering from a sudden shower



                                                Green Death E5 5c, nearly at the peg...



Auto de fe E4 6a on a baking day up at Rivelin edgeAnd finally my project the last few months kitting out my new Caddy, ready for some trips this spring!





Source: Hamer Blog

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South Africa July/August
15 September 2014, 9:24 am

We have just returned from an amazing 6 week trip in South Africa and what a trip it was! It was the first time back to South Africa since 2001, way before we had got into any sort of climbing.



Team psyche leaving London town!

We headed out mid July and arrived in a smoky Johannesburg after a quick change over in Cairo. After a long wait for the other team member to arrive Jose, we got in our Fiat Punto and headed off east into the night. Thankfully the drive was fairly straightforward along the main highway as it got dark quickly. There were few nervous moments when we pulled off the main road in the town of Waterval Boven and couldn’t find the dirt road up to the camp. After a while driving around in the pitch black we stopped and asked for some directions and was pointed  the right way. The tarmac road quickly changed to dirt as we then realised why everyone drives 4x4 pick-ups in Africa! After a rather bumpy 7km up the hill side we arrived at the Tranquilatas Adventure Farm where we would camp for the next 2 weeks. We pitched our tents and quickly fell asleep.



Freak On at the God No sector in Boven



Shaking out on Monster 7c+



Jose crimping for life on Godzilla 8b

Tranquilitas team! Ed, Philip, Me and Jose

Alwyn showing us round



Tranquilitas Campground

Jose feeling the psyche!

The next day we awoke to this amazing campite, perched on top of the escarpment overlooking the cliffs. It was truly spectacular and we couldn’t quite believe our eyes! We were greeted by a great Africaans farmer called Alwyn who managed the site. He was happy that we were staying and in no time at all we were in his bakkie (africaans for pick-up truck) getting a ride around the site as he showed us all the different cliffs. It was a brilliant start and a true African welcome.

After seeing some of the crags that were just below the campground, we couldn’t get our bags packed quick enough and headed straight down to the cliff. We were greeted with some of the best climbing I've ever experienced. Bullet hard orange sandstone rising above the hillside for a good 30m. It was seriously impressive!

We then got into a great routine of 2 or 3 days on, one day off. Mixing it up between the God No sector and the Superbowl, two of the steepest and most impressive sectors in Boven. We basically threw ourselves at as many routes possible and climbed some of the most inspiring lines I’ve ever done. It was a sheer pleasure to be climbing such quality routes in the wilds of Africa with just a few other local climbers. Rest days were spent in the Kruger National park and mountain biking round the hillsides. Nights were spent sitting round a huge fire with a braai, eating large amounts of bourawors. It was perhaps the best 2 weeks climbing of my life!We climbed so many awesome routes I could list them all but here were a few big hightlights :-)The Beast 8a+ , Hypertension 8a (flash), Jack of All trades 8a, Snap Dragon 7c+ (os) One of the best routes I've ever climbed! Lotters Dersire 7b+ (os) Pure quality, Monster 7c+ What a MONTER!, Tokolosie 8a (well hard!), The Bovenator 7c, Condor 7b+ (true sandbag!), Rude Bushman 7a, Bikini Red 7b+ and the list goes on and on...Ed climbed a load of hard stuff including the mega pumpy Godzila 8b and Welcome to Ovambaland 8a+and Jose crushed the incredible Rolihlahla 8b on the last day. Awesome effort from the whole team. It was also brilliant to hang out with some of the local climbers who have put in so much effort bolting and sending the routes such as Andrew Pedley, Brian Weever (B-dog!), Gustav, Dirk, Flex. Also Alwyn, Philip and David at the campsite who were brilliant and kept us company.



Ed hanging out



Lotters Desire 7b+



Ed on Lotters



At the Waterfall crag



Unlimited Power 7c

After our time in Boven we then drove back to Johannesburg and caught a flight south to Cape Town. On arrival it felt like we had just flown into another country, as it was pouring down outside!!! The first rain we had seen all trip. A complete change from the extremely dry, arid environment up north.

After picking up a rather dodgy looking hire car we then drove a couple of hours north to a small seaside town of Yersfontain where we stayed a night on route to the bouldering mecca Rocklands in the Cedarburg Mountains. This is the place that every climber knows of, where the name represents the area so well. Boulders as far as the eye can see! Even though I don’t consider myself as a boulderer we couldn’t come to South Africa and not visit the place.

We then spent the next two weeks exploring the endless amounts of boulders dotted around this beautiful region. From small ones to huge house-sized boulders, we climbed and climbed and by the end of the two weeks I had literally no skin left on my fingertips! Rest days were spent in Lamberts bay and the hot baths. Bouldering highlights were the amazing Cedar Spine V9, Weichie V9, The Rhino V8+, Un petit hueco dans la rocklands V8+, Sunset trav V6.



First day at Roadside



Pads and sandy walk-ins



Sunset traverse



Ed on Pendragon 8a



Riding the Rhino One of the coolest boulders!



Ed riding the Rhino



Sunset Trav







Big easy highball



Rest day at Lamberts Bay



Beautiful fields in the Cederburg  

Our final leg of the journey was spent in Montagu, a brilliant climbing area 2 hours east of Cape Town. A beautiful, quite spot cut through a steep gorge with rock walls on both sides. It's one of the main climbing areas in the country and a real mecca for the sport climber. We only spent three days there, climbing as many routes as possible to finish on a real high after such a successful trip. Montago highlights;Cool like that 7c+, Monkey Wedding 7c+, First Starter 7c+

The last few days were spent whale watching, wine tasting and eating large quantities on the harbour seafront in Cape town. It was also brilliant to meet up with an old friend and a bit of a legend in South African climbing Ed February. Shared a lot of great stories.  

It was one the best climbing trips I’ve ever been on and really opened our eyes to the amazing quality of the climbing in South Africa. We also had the privilege of meeting some of the most friendly and psyched people I’ve ever come across. A real joy to be around.



Waterworld sector at Montagu





Your damn right :-)



South Africa roads! Long, straight and empty



De Bos Campground in Montagu



Amazing warm up wall



Steep or what!



Dark Matter at the Scoop, Montagu



Tough 7b+ at Waterworld sectur



First Starter 7c+ at Waterworld



First Starter crux

Hypoxia 7c+



Source: Hamer Blog

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Mallorca Deep Water solo trip
11 December 2014, 4:42 pm

Well, what an absolute blast of a trip I’ve just been on to the beautiful Mediterranean island of Mallorca! I remember one of the first ever climbing films that I bought over 10 years ago called Dosage II. It documented a wide range of climbing all over the world and the episode that really caught my attention was shot on the island of Mallorca showing a load of strong guys Deep Water Soloing on amazing looking cliffs above the sea.  Ever since I saw that clip I knew I just had to visit the place and try it out for myself.



DWS Team: Me, Ed and Al

Your damn right!

Over the last couple of summers I’ve got more and more excited about this weird and wonderful sport of Deep water soloing (DWS), doing a number of small trips down to the south Coast of England to try it out, such as Lulworth Cove, Swanage, Ansteys and every time I come away I want more! Its an amazing experience to be climbing free, with no ropes or harness with the ocean to catch you if you fall.

So I knew that Mallorca is the undisputed capital of DWS in the world so with time on my hands and two other partners in crime Ed and Alistair Corbett we booked our cheap Ryanair flights and off we went on a cold, wet November afternoon. After an uncomfortable two and a half hour flight across Europe we landed at the capital of the island Palma. It was dark and we picked up our bag and car hire and drove east across the island to the small town of Sa Coma on the East coast. The following day we were greeted by beautiful sunshine and it was about 20 degrees! We coudnt get back in the car quick enough and drove the long 10minute drive down the coast to where the main cliff for DWS is on the Island called Cova del Diablo. This is the Holy Grail for DWS in the world! A pristine piece of rock architecture over 100meters in length, 18meters high and around 7-10 meters water depth. The first view of it was utterly inspiring and I quickly got my boots on and got involved! I took it fairly steady to start off with some nice easy traverses just above the ocean and then started heading upwards.  The routes felt amazing, super steep and pumpy but with huge holds all over the place for your hands and feet. Each time I reached the top of the wall I couldn’t stop smiling with excitement. It was awesome!

Highlights from Diablo: Every route! But in particular... In the night, every cat is black 8a, Ejector Seat 7c, Afroman 7b+, Surfin bird 7b, Iguanodon 7b, Superwomen 7a+, The Lobster 6c+, Surfin Dead 6c+, Blue Tuna 6c+.

Cova del Diablo



First day psyche

Ed on camera duty



Our plush apartment in Sa Coma



Home from home



Basecampo at el Diablo



Corbett senior on Surfer Dead 6c+



Hamer Junior on Surfer Dead



Freezing temps in the Med!



Me on The Lobster 6c+



Abseil swing



Ed on the crux slap of Ejector Seat 7c

Me on the same moveSo along with Diablo we also spent much time at the less intimating but stunning Cala Barques further down the coast. Here were beautiful coves and beaches with slightly smaller limestone caves and cliffs to climb on. A great place to really push yourself without being too scared of falling off! The rock was covered in amazing formations of Stalactites and tuffas designed for climbing on and some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen. So the next two weeks we threw ourselves at as many routes as possible climbing some incredible lines and taking some BIG falls all with a soft landing.

Highlights from Cala Barques: Smash it in! 8a (flash), Bandito 7c, Strangers in Paradise 7b+, Metrosexual 7a+, Big XXL 7a, The Might of the Stalactite 7aAl on Metrosexual 7a+



Drop Shadow Diseases 6c+



Transversal 7a



Bandito 7c



Transexual 7b



Strangers in Paradise 7b+

Strangers...We also managed to drag ourselves away from the sea cliffs and have a day up in the hills above Palma, checking out the premier sport crag on the island Fraguel. It did not disappoint! A clean limestone wall covered in amazing formations and with out a doubt one of the best cliffs I’ve been to in Europe. You could definitely have a great trip here just sport climbing.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and a great time to visit the island due to it being out of season and so very few tourists and even by late November the climate was still perfect being in the mid 20’s each day. Could not recommend a trip more!

Here's a couple of videos from our time out there...enjoy



Source: Hamer Blog

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Spain for New Year
22 January 2015, 4:08 pm

It seems like the last few years I’ve been spending a fair bit of time in Spain and New Year’s is the time to go. Last Year I was up in Catalonia near Barcelona climbing at the famous Siurana crags. This year however I fancied somewhere different and a place I’ve never been too.

So along with Ted and Haydn we decided to fly out to Alicante meet up with Jose and then drive into the hills to the tiny little picturesque village of Chulilla. This is another famous climbing area of Spain with huge limestone gorge stretching for a few kilometres with hundreds of sport routes of all grades. The routes were very long, on average about 35/40m. Some even over 50m in one rope length so stamina was the name of the game here! We spent about a week in total there climbing as many of the classic lines as possible. Mainly just having a go at everything that looked good, onsight, ground up and if you fell off straight to the ground. So it made it a good challenge! Temperatures were freezing in the shade and boiling in the sun which made it rather interesting at times! Highlights were onsighting some very long 8a’s and a load of classic 7b+ -7c+’s.

Tequilla Sunrise 7c+



Beautiful village of Chulilla



Chulilla castle walls



Mid way up a monster 8a



Chulilla gorge



Cactus and spanish villages



Ted happy after his 8a+



From here we then drove down towards Valencia where we met up with Gaz Parry who lives out there. We were lucky enough to then join him at one of his local cliffs that he has recently developed. While he was trying his very difficult project up an amazing arête, we got stuck into some of the other routes at the cliff. One route involved an amazing long, tuffa formation which felt like you were climbing up a tree! The other a stunning diagonal feature about 30m long, which could be seen from the road. It was great to be getting some very early ascents of the routes that only a handful of people had seen.  Beautiful countryside



Cheers Ted me lad



Jose underneath Gaz's route



Stunning!



The final destination of the trip was around the city of Murcia which was the local area of my great friend Jose who I spent my time in South Africa with. It was great having someone so local who knew all the best places to visit. We checked out 3 very different cliffs La Boveda, Mula and Ferrari all of which had a very unique style of climbing. The cliffs were stunning the views were even better! It was an awesome trip to a beautiful part of Spain and we didn’t see a drop of rain in 2 weeks!

Van life!



Me and Jose



Another beauty!



El Boveda



No words :-)



I’m back home now and ready for some hard grit this winter! The First weekend turned out quite successful with two very good ascents. The first one being the incredibly stunning arete Beau Geste E7 6c up at Froggat Edge and the other a modern classic of Tom Randalls Nah'han E7/8 6b at Gardoms edge. Conditions were almsot perfect if one could keep the fingers warm as it was freezing! Hoping for more days like this ahead. Looking forward to some big plans in 2015!High up on Beau Geste



Into the sanctuary of the crack



Taking some airtime!



Beau Geste Crux

Beau Geste Ascent

Snowy Peak



Nah'han crux



Nah'han





Source: Hamer Blog

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Winter sessions
16 February 2015, 12:40 pm



Well its been a cold few weeks in the Peak district with a fair amount of snow. Unlike last year where we didnt really get any, this winter has produced quite a bit.

More the conditions for skiing or winter climbing but we have managed to get a few things done, which has been nice if a little chilly!

First up was a day hit up to Yorkshire to the north facing Earl crag. Top of the list was the stunning line of Desert Island Arete (E6 6c).

This involves a tricky boulder to start at around V5, then you got some big breaks and good gear and a final crux off some small crimps to big horn. Its absolute belter of route and just managed to keep the fingers warm enough to both send.

The other route was Early Riser (E5 6a) up a beautiful ramp feature. This involved some unusual smeary climbing with the crux off a one finger mono to the top. Not a place to dither around.

Also had a quick play on Mind Bomb, one to return too next time.

Desert Island Arete



Early Riser



Here's a quick video of the day!

Last weekend I was over at the Roaches and managed to do The Thin Air (E5 6a) up the Piece of Mind slab on the right hand side. Quite a sketchy slab climb involving a high rockover move and an exciting top out. A true classic of the roaches.

Piece of Mind slab



Beautiful winters day over looking Hen cloud



No one else about!



And finally, managed to get round to doing The Crypt Trip (E6 6b) up at High Neb at Stanage. A classic 80's route involving some pretty tough, very reachy moves between breaks. Awesome stuff!



And here's an edit of some highlights over the last year.

Enjoy x



Source: The Hamer's Climbing Blog

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Grit, Sandstone and Scottish Mixed
12 March 2015, 12:43 pm



Its been an interesting last month, climbing classic gritsone arete's, old school offwidths, tehnical sandstone walls and mixed scottish routes.

The last 10 days I've spent up north with my first visit to the quiet county of Northumberland. This is a place I've always been keen to visit and finally got round to going. Its a beautiful area of rolling hills, forests, very few people and stunning sandstone cliffs. We checked out 3 of the main cliffs in the area Bowden Doors, Back Bowden and Kyloe in the woods each one with its own unique style.  

Bowden doors is the archetypal sandstone crag in the area with great routes and bouldering of all grades. Here we did a bit of the bouldering and some of the classic trad routes up the amazing wave featured wall including The Wave (E5 6a) and The Mantra (E3 6a).

Back Bowden is a hidden away cliffs in a quiet valley with some quality lines on great sandstone. Managed the classic line of The Tube (E4 5c), the steep Lost Cause (E4 6b) and the bold On the Rocks (E7 6c). The latter taking a spicy fall on!

And finally Kyloe, which is a bouldering venue tucked away in a huge forest. Here we managed some great problems.

Narcissus (E6 6b) at Froggat edge





Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy V7 Kyloe in the Woods



On the Rocks (E7 6c) Back Bowden



Kyloe bouldering



Born Lippy V11, Bowden DoorsKyloe classic



Sentinal crack (E3 5c) at Chatsworth crag



'Use your feet, like your hands' crux of Sentinal



And here's the latest footage! And if you missed this check out My feature on Epic TV recently!http://www.epictv.com/media/podcast/the-climbing-brothers-pushing-each-other-to-ever-greater-heights-%7C-epictv-climbing-daily-ep448/601363

After three days in the County I made my way up further north and into Scotland with an organised week with PYB of winter climbing in Glencoe and the Cairngorms. Winter climbing is something I’ve been extremely keen to get into this last year or so and get a load of experience in, so there was no better place to start. I had not been to Scotland in nearly 10 years and it was great to be back to such a beautiful and wild place.  

As I arrived I realised there had been a large dump of snow and so knew it was going to be a good week of proper Scottish winter climbing.

The instructor and friend from North Wales days Dave Evans was absolutely brilliant, knowing everything there is to know about winter climbing and the Scottish mountains. During the week we climbed 3 classic mixed routes: Scabbard Chimney V, 6 (Glencoe), Pot of Gold V, 6 and The Genie V, 6 (both Cairngorms) all in full winter conditions and on the last day due to poor weather a first experience in Drytooling on the slate quarries in Dunkeld leading some climbs up to M5. It was a week of much watching and learning from the master and am truly inspired to get a lot more done.  

Happy after our ascent of Scabbard Chimney V, 6 in Glen coe



Dave descending snow tracks

Pot of Gold V, 6 belay in Cairngorms

The Genie V, 6 first pitch in Cairngorms



Northern Corries in Cairngorms



Perfect Winter conditions





Cairngorms walk out



Drytooling in Dunkeld slate guarry





Source: Hamer Brothers Climbing Blog

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Spring is here
21 April 2015, 11:37 am

Finally spring has come! Its been a long wait, but yes it is finally here.

It’s been a cracking last month or so out in the Peak District with blue skies, warm sun and dry rock. What more could you ask for! Its been awesome and I managed to pass a little milestone in my climbing yesterday, which was ticking all the '50 Best' Gritstone routes in the East of the Peak district in the Rockfax guide which was also my first guidebook I ever bought. Its a fantastic list of routes of all grades ranging from Diff all the way up to E8 on all the gritstone cliffs in the eastern peak.

I climbed my first one Croton Oil (HVS) up at Rivelin back in 2005 which was also in fact my first trad lead and then over the years tried to tick off the rest of them not knowing how many I can get done. Finally yesterday we did Goliaths groove at Stanage and then shot over to Cratcliffe to do the two pitch Extreme rock tick Requiem (E3). It was an awesome end to the day topping out the final headwall in glorious sunshine over looking the wonderful Peak district feeling really proud to have climbed them all. I've found that having a list such as this is really important and keeps you focussed on your climbing ambitions. So thanks Rockfax!

Other than that, I've been heading west side with a couple of days up at Wimberry and Ravenstones with local boy Mike Hutton showing me around. After a fair amount of cleaning managed some classic lines such as Over the Moors (E5) and True Grit (E3) at Ravenstones, then over at Wimberry: Double take (E6), Wimberry Overhang (E6) and the incredible line of Appointment with Fear (E7). Looking forward to more visits up here!

Also took part in a Boreal photoshoot up in Yorkshire the other day with Jordan, Naiomi and Andi Turner. Showing some of the great climbing shoes that Boreal have got out this year.

Last week I was down in North Wales doing my Mountain Leader (ML) training up in the hills of Snowdonia. Was awesome to be back in such a wild place leaning some news skills for taking people out in the mountains.

Then lastly wrote a Destination article for UKClimbing about the stunning climbing in Waterval Boven that we experienced last summer. Go check it out and get yourself out there for one amazing adventure. http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=7240



'50 of the Best' ticked!



Constipation (E4) at Stanage (photo Mike Hutton)

The Dangler (E2) at Stanage



Ed enjoying Pacific Ocean wall (E6) at Stanage



Managed this tough cookie White Lines (E7) at Curbar.



Curving arête (E5) Black Rocks



Curving arête



Wimberry Overhand (E6) at Wimberry (photo Mike hutton)



Ravenstones walk-in (photo Mike hutton)



Over the Moors (E5) at Ravenstones (photo Mike hutton)



Double Take (E6) at Wimberry (photo Mike Hutton)



True Grit (E3) at Ravenstones (photo Mike Hutton)

Appointment with Fear (E7) at Wimberry

Eyeing up the 'bolt' on Appointment

Boc no Buttress (E4) at Stanage (photo Mike Hutton)



Skinless Wonder (E6) at Stanage (photo Mike Hutton)



Nectar (E4!!) at Stanage



Ed celebrating after a successful ascent of Gaia (E8) at Black Rocks



Ravenstones reservoir



Wimberry crag! Mega



Boreal photo shoot up in Yorkshire. Jordan showing the way.

Pacific Ocean wall (E6) at Stanage (photo Mike Hutton)

Last day of the Nantlle ridge in Snowdonia



Stunning weather in North Wales





Nantlle ridge

Source: Hamer Brothers Climbing Blog