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Best of 2012 (Read 28194 times)

Duncan Disorderly

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#50 Re: Best of 2012
January 08, 2013, 01:04:22 pm
Hardly a vintage year in any respects but did a few things:

Top three boulder probs, UK
Brads Arete - The persistance of Abscence @ Stanton - Superb!
Glass Slipper @ Froggatt - Would be better if it topped out.
Marks Roof LH @ Gardoms - Good.

Top three boulder probs, abroad
Didn't go to Font this year for the first time in about 12 years :(

Top three trad routes/soloes UK
N/A

Top two sport routes UK - (don't think I actually did any more than these!)
Sardine @ The Tor - Better than expected.
Yosemite Wall @ Malham - Just outstanding! Made even better as I flashed it.

Top three sport routes abroad
Heaven Can't Wait @ Alcalalli, Costa Blanca - First 7b onsight.
Cervezas y porros @ Echo Valley, Costa Blanca - Good route and first 7a+ flash of the trip.
Sulacco @ Pena Roja, Costa Blanca - Ace!

Top three new route/prob put up
N/A

Top Spanking's
Summer! Pretty much gave up climbing for a month...

Gotta add this due to the above :whistle:
Top indoor routes/problems

Some Murple @ The Works
Some Yellow @ The Works
Brown F7c (yea right!) @ The Works

Ok.... so the hardest thing I did this year was indoors. Shittest summer ever!

:D

Jaspersharpe

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#51 Re: Best of 2012
January 08, 2013, 02:37:05 pm
2012 can go fuck itself as far as I'm concerned. I'm just glad it's over.

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#52 Re: Best of 2012
January 08, 2013, 04:40:15 pm
Top five boulder probs, UK
1. The Pride, Churnet - Loads of pads, loads of big holds.
2. Candy Kaned, Squirrels - enjoyable/slopey limestone, whats going on.
3. Charlotte Rampling, Gardoms - luckily met steve at the crag who was keen, lots of pads, still some scares high up.
4. Domes low, Rowtor - Really unique solution.
5. Brad Pit, Stanage - Has to go in I guess, dried it with my hat on the day.

Top three boulder probs, abroad
1. Super Prestat, Cuvier - In a session with one pad, techy and high, loved working it out.
2. Big Jim, Petit Bois - One day in Font during the summer, was utterley roasting, might be the best 6 in the world.
3. Pancras assis, Mont Pivot - Only good thing done on recent trip, but what a good thing.

Top three trad routes/soloes UK
1. Bloodrush. Shining Clough - Are there better lines on grit than this?
2. End of the Affair, Curbar - Dont think i'll ever want to climb anything as much as i wanted to climb this.
3. Simbas Pride, Burbage South - Perfect gritstone feature, and the kind of last move dreams/nightmares are made of.

Top three sport routes UK
1. Call of Nature, The Tor - Ok route, personally significant.
2. Little Plum, Stoney - Again, pretty mediocre pitch, but has one classic move.
3. Honorary Buoux, Beeston - What an odd place, great route though.

Top three routes abroad
1. Madre Salvage, Desplomilandia - Stunning route, didn't think id do it, just keep moving.
2. Vague A'Lame, The Tarn - again, no hard moves, keep climbing.
3. Hasta Luego Luca, Loja - Like a rat up some drainpipes.

Top three new route/prob put up
1. Chariots of Ire, Ashop - Quality prow, get up there (but wait till we've done the rest...)
2. By the By, Curbar - The slabby arete to the right of walk on by, proved easier than thought.
3. Float like a Butterfly - To the right of Chariots of Ire, very odd beta and another classic line.

Top Spanking's
1. Octopus, The Tarn - Invested skin and time into this, sums up why I don't like sport, fell off easy moves after crux.
2. The sea is a brown paper bag, Chee - Frustratingly hard with lots of places to fall off.
3. Flatworld, Baslow - Its done now, but my word what a siege.

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#53 Re: Best of 2012
January 08, 2013, 04:42:58 pm
Brilliant, been looking forward to your 2012"best of" Nathan! Nice work!

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#54 Re: Best of 2012
January 09, 2013, 11:35:58 am
Top three boulder probs, UK
Not done anything very good

Top three boulder probs, abroad

-Marie Rose on a flying visit with no skin, no guide and no pads.
-The Board, Kyrgyzstan: perfect.
-Shepherd's Hut Boulder, Kyrgyzstan: Wow.

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

-The Mirror Route, Kyrgyzstan. 40 pitches up to 7b+ on trad gear, 10 days, so much suffering, so damn epic. 2nd free ascent we think.
-Superposition de 2 movements vibratoire 7b, Ariege: Bolted granite is amazing, amazing steepness to to a flared chimney.
-Puce, Ariege: Holdless granite slab at 'only' 7a, still think it's my best onsight performance to date.

Top three new route/prob put up
-Dreaming Spires, Kyrgyzstan. 26 pitches up to well protected 7a on gear, amazing rock + line, very proud of this. (less proud of the name)
-Sport Climbing Pansy, Kyrgyzstan: cleaned it with a toothbrush, 7A+ with a drop knee toehook. Proud of the name.
-Droit de Seigneur, Ariege: A really gneiss 7c. A link up, but only because the original routes pussied out of one of the best bits of rock at Appy!

Top Spankings
-Climbing on NW slate without a guidebook. Tried an E5 thinking it was a sport route, nearly pissed myself on runout, backed off. Then I tried an arete because it looked well bolted, later found out this was New Slatesman and unsurprisingly had my arse well and truly spanked.
-Having diarrhoea off the side of a portaledge. And pissing myself while jumaring.

Bonjoy

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#55 Re: Best of 2012
January 09, 2013, 03:56:04 pm
No trips away, barely climbed outside the Peak, next to no sport climbing, not much trad and the weather… But on the other hand the DC operation was a success and I can once again use hand jams and slopers! Had some great days out and got even more obsessed with random developing.

Top five Boulder probs, UK:
 -California Screaming, Ramshaw – One of the best 7bs on grit, no doubt.
 -Mc Nab, Lord’s Seat – Superb crux move. Always a good day up here.
 -Pixie’s Tits SS, Fairy’s Chest – Minted peas.
 -Winsome, Wimberry – Felt grades harder than the days other tick Stateside. Desperate tight boot front pointing.
 -Gurning Lark Sunset, Gardom’s – Beat to the FA by bone-n-lank Feehally. Oddball esoterica of the finest vintage.

Top three boulder probs, abroad:N/A

Top three trad/soloes UK.Did precious little of it this year (apart from Stanage HVSs)
 -Waggy, Gardoms – More a highball, but did don a harness for the top out.
 -Grimoire, Cratcliffe – Another great highball, at my crag of the year for 2012
 -All the 89’ Stanage guide starred HVSs in a day – Hard to pick one. Brilliant day out. Has got me keen for another big day challenge this year.

Top three sport routes UK:Did a very few, but nothing stands out. Best of the bunch were on Moat Buttress.

Top three routes abroad (any genre). Didn’t leave the UK, but did go to Skye for the first time:
 -Cuillin/Sron na Ciche day – Strung together three classic pitches solo up Sron na Ciche, then did a large section of the ridge to drop down ridge on the other side of Coire Lagan. Glorious.

Top seven new routes/probs put up. Think I did more FAs than existing probs (excluding stuff I’ve done before) this year. Gibsonitis?:

 -Quercus, Cratcliffe  E4 6b – The only decent new route I did this year. Up on crag above Sparrow. Did on gear but would make a great highball with a few pads
 -Wind Shark, Filthy Q, 7b+ - I love this random little crag. Ravens, buzzards, hares, llamas. Shame nobody ever goes there. Maybe the name puts them off.
 -Invasion of the Cider Women direct, Cratcliffe, 7a/E4 – Cleaned on a rope and then had to wait weeks for it to dry. Worth the wait. There’s a proper good highball circuit to be had a Cratcliffe when conditions are good.
 -Crayon Angel, Ashop Edge, 7a – As above, involved a long frustrated wait and several walk ins. Kinder gold.
 -Black Rhino, Mystery Crag, 7a+ - Ten move 45 degree arete on hard black grit. Great find. Will be spilling the beans on this crag later in the year.
 -Inside Out SS, Mystery Crag, 7a – An outdoor replica of a good Foundry wave prob
 -House of the Holey, Cratcliffe, 7c – The finger ramp on hueco wall always intrigued me. Folk might think the feet in crack beta sounds naff, but trust me it makes sense when you try it and climbs really nicely. Kept me psyched through more log weather.

Top Spanking's:
 -Heaven in Your Hands, Brandrith – Should go back and try again but suspect I’d get the same ass kicking.
 -Stigmata low start, Upper Edale Rocks – Could lap the new climbing but kept repeatedly failing to do the topout I’d already done a few weeks prior.
 -Tier Drop X-plodes, Two Tier – Managed to get through the utterly hideous crux section only to fail on the much easier top roof, grrr.

shurt

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#56 Re: Best of 2012
January 09, 2013, 06:14:35 pm
Not much of a regular here but really enjoyed reading about everyones achievements last year so here's mine - mostly UK based apart from three days in Font tagged onto a french holiday (in August!). Grades are from memory...

Top three boulder probs, UK:
- The Wave, Bonehill, v6/7? Really glad to get this done finally. Lost count of the sessions I've spent on it. Got some good beta from folk on here and a friendly local which helped in the end. Great airy moves at the top, powerful at the bottom, real quality.
 Stretch and Mantle, Roaches, 6c. Another siege put to bed. I really rate this problem, its got two really contrasting sections. There was a proper feel good team ascent as well including other fellow siege sufferers.
- Stallone Arete, Newstones, 6c+ Got this first go which was well pleasing. Best flash of the year on home turf.

Top three boulder probs, abroad (limited to Font):
- Cure-Dents, 91.1, 6a. Just a top quality problem.
- La Voie Michaut & La Moreau, Elephant, 6c and 6b+. Flashed both of these in the space of 5 minutes. I went home pretty soon after, I'd clearly peaked.
 
Top three trad/soloes UK:
- Traveller in Time, Ramshaw, E3. Ran up this but in a good way. Again varying sections which on such a short route is enjoyable.
- Stand and Deliver, Shorn Cliff, E1. Lots happened on this, my first trad route in over 6 months. Foot slippage, talking to myself, rain, some good kranks, quite a big run out, impending darkness etc. Thankfully nothing bad occurred. It was enjoyed retrospectively in the pub.
- Knights Move, Burbage North, HVS. I've soloed this a few times before but the crag was empty and the weather was perfect. Special.
- All Quiet on the Eastern Front, E1ish. Not done this before and thought it was ace.

Top three sport routes UK:
I've been bored of Cheddar (and limestone for that matter) this last year so have sacked it off.

Top three routes abroad (any genre): n/a

Top spankings:
- Tierdrop, Ramshaw, V5 or 6. Still can't get that top move.
- Charlies Overhang, Newstones, E1/2ish As N Grimes says in the guide "many are called but few are chosen". Needless to say I wasn't chosen even with about 4 spotters and 5 pads.

JK

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#57 Re: Best of 2012
January 10, 2013, 03:21:18 pm

Waite - Caley. After years of looking and not getting far, realised the proper way to do it...
Do tell. I hope it doesn't involve being 6 foot tall. Have never managed to pull on.

I always assumed you started on the left and did some hard moves with poor feet to go up and right. This is what I had tried on and off then found out you start further right and 'just' reach up. It does involve being tall and/or some pads.

SA Chris

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#58 Re: Best of 2012
January 10, 2013, 03:26:06 pm
on the other hand the DC operation was a success

You can get into trouble for punning on here.

Muenchener

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#59 Re: Best of 2012
January 10, 2013, 05:25:01 pm
Top three boulder probs, UK
N/A - barely bouldered outdoors last year

Top three boulder probs, abroad
N/A

Top three trad routes/soloes UK Dolomites
Spigolo del Velo, Cima della Madonna: my first major alpine rock classic (Im Extremen Fels tick iirc)
Cecilia, Laston di Formin: top route & first alpine VI
Third Pillar, Tofana: some good bits, a lot of scruffy bits but my first proper big route (18 pitches). Mega day out.

Top three sport routes abroad
Mittlere Weisse Wand, Konstein: classic
Hard Rock Cafe, Nassereith. I can't begin to understand why my mates prefer Nassereith to the 'jura just because it's in the Alps and the bolts are closer together. It's mostly crap. But this was actually a very nice route and one of my few decent 6b onsights to date.
Smoke On The Water, Nassereith. Not as good as the previous route, but my first 6c onsight of Climbing Career 2.0

Top three new route/prob put up
N/A

Top Spankings
Direkte Sachsen Franken: first attempt at a proper 'jura grade VII: steep pocket pulling with spaced gear. Was v. nervous and rested on bolts, but pleased to be venturing into proper Frankenjura territory. Confidence builder for next time.

ben

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#60 Re: Best of 2012
January 11, 2013, 02:37:01 pm
Top three boulder probs, UK
Rippled Wall at Bonehill. a lack of commitment resolved by bumping into some guy trying it who gave me a spot
Clinical Edge at Hartland. Snatched in a short hit, escaping the family for a hour.  Not sure its 7b but its a nice problem
Uluru at Clodgy - a slight nemesis, had done harder problems on the bloc before but couldn't touch this before

Top two boulder probs, abroad
l'oeuf at Petit Bois. Finally topped out on about the 5th session spread over a weeks trip. Really satisfying problem as initially couldn't even pull on and inched higher and higher each time. Claiming it as my first 7b based on the 7+8s guide, although I know elsewhere it's given 7a+
Quark at Sabot. Had failed on previous visits - flashed it this time.

Top three trad routes/soloes UK
Rainbow Bridge - doesn't count as I fell off pumped after the crux, but worth a mention as such awesome climbing
Didn't really do any trad of note

Top three sport routes UK
Was going to put Latest Craze at Ban-y-gor but just looked in my UKC logbook and apparently I did that in 2011  :(
Heil Hitler at Wintours - 2nd attempt

Top three routes abroad (any genre)
n/a

Top three new route/prob put up
n/a

Top Spanking's
The normal - most granite bouldering and any trad routes that require a steady head/runout..

Durbs

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#61 Re: Best of 2012
January 11, 2013, 04:22:19 pm
Pure Punter-dom by all the above standard, but maybe one day I'll look back at this and laugh...

Top 3 Boulders UK
#7 The Trench 6b/+, Hartland Quay - Hardest outdoor route to date, even if it's only 6b.
27 Warm-up Slab, Bonhill Rocks - If only for MTFU'ing and climbing it properly as opposed to being the gibbering wreck I was last year
Entire day at Porthcawl - Glorious weather, lovely climbing, good curry after.

Top Boulder abroad
Didn't get much boulder action abroad this year
The "Golden oldie" 6a in Paklenica was fun.

Top spankings
Tough call... Joe's arete (again) or 3-pocket slab at the Roaches.


Muenchener

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#62 Re: Best of 2012
January 11, 2013, 09:50:30 pm
Top spankings
Tough call... Joe's arete (again)

Lovely problem, what does it get these days? Let's give the big boys a laugh by sharing beta for what used to be given UK 5c. I recall keeping the left hand low on the better of the sidepulls, feet really high and then lank with the right for the top. That was twenty years or more ago though, I shudder to imagine how polished it must be these days. And I bet Joe's method, whatever it was, didn't involve any lanking.

r-man

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#63 Re: Best of 2012
January 11, 2013, 10:21:58 pm
That is a top problem. Possible to use the heel as well. And if you do it one handed your scout leader will give you a special badge.


petejh

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#64 Re: Best of 2012
January 11, 2013, 11:46:57 pm
Top three boulder probs, UK
Barely bouldered in 2012, so what I did, rather than best of:
Whisky Bitch, flash, surprised myself.
Jack Daniels Connection - ace basic moves, the best mid-grade prob on pill box?
Mr Whippy - elusive hold-catching action.

Top three boulder probs, abroad
Nah

Top three trad routes/soloes Uk
Capital Punishment, Suicide Wall Ogwen. Brand new shoes made it good only in retrospect, ouch!
Great Wall, Craig y Forwyn. Oh naughty naughty! What a route, a 4 star one. This crag is a limestone Craig Bwylch y Moch and much much too special for one bitter old man to have his way.
Byzantium, Craig Doris. Lovely sunny escape to the Llyn.

Top three sport routes UK
Skip of Fools, The Diamond. Relentless and because it was my first at the grade. I can't think of a single bad route on The Diamond.
Obsession, Malham. First route at Malham ('cept for some warm up), felt nails and horrible in the sun (duh), and a grade easier and brilliant in the shade. Yep.
The Ashes, Kilnsey. First route at Kilnsey ('cept for some warm up). Total class, back from Ceuse with fitness, went quickly (for me) with a good battle fighting pump on the top.

Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Only one trip last year so:
Berlin, Ceuse. Class.
Vagabond d'Occident, Ceuse. Class. With blood blister bursting halfway making it my last go. After watching Jimmy big guns come within a whisker of the O/S and take the pisser woohoo.
Galaxy. Pissed the hard bits, found the easy bits pumpy and hard, typical brit fitness.

Top three new route/prob put up
100 Words for No Snow, M9+. Llanberis Slate. Best dry-tooling route I've climbed anywhere I think. Almost every type of move including cracks, face, very tenuous teetering, torques, steinpulls, and a dyno to catch a flatty with axes.
Imminent Departees, E7 6c, Craig y Forwyn. Took ages to work out a sequence for crux then took the big lob first lead go. Satisfying journey and cool line, first time I've headpointed something a bit hard / headgame.
Acrophobia (used to be call Three Day Event), 7b+/c, Craig Pen y Gogarth. Mind-blowingly good exposed crux 28m up a big wall above the sea. Grip factor!

Top Spanking's
My mixed proj on Clogwyn Ddu. 6 visits and counting. That's the whole of last winter in Wales and 1 day the winter previous.
Cleaning bird shit and loose rock off Acrophobia (it is ace!).
My Detritus Wall proj, 6 days of being hosed with liquid fishy shit by cormorants, too embarrassed by how I smelt to go into shop to buy food on way home despite always being starving.
Stripping out the old extension and installing the new Diamond handline extension.

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#65 Re: Best of 2012
January 13, 2013, 12:05:34 pm

Top five Boulder probs, UK:
  -Mc Nab, Lord’s Seat – Superb crux move. Always a good day up here.
 

Apart from when you walk up there and everything is dry, apart from the crux hold which is covered in ice...and so was the top of Whalebak... At least it's always a stonking view from up there!

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#66 Re: Best of 2012
January 15, 2013, 11:00:37 am
Top three boulder probs, UK
The Pillar Finish - The Cave - V6
My First V6, probably nowhere near the best V6.

Red Sky Wall - Clogwyn Y Tarw - V4/5
Awesome crimpy problem with a cool finish.

Barrel Up - Hope Mnt. - V3
Proper sandbag, took ages. Great problem!

Top three boulder probs, abroad

Did a load of random great problems in a day in Font.

Top three trad routes/soloes UK

Colour Games - Dinbren - E1 5b
First E1, memorable run out at the top as I missed an obvious thread!

Scratch Arete - Trem - HVS
Great route and took me ages to commit to the move through the overlap(Punt)

Whim - World's End - HVS
First HVS

Top three sport routes UK

Technicolour Yawn - Dinbren - 7a+
First 7a+ and what a route, took awhile and a fair few redpoints with duff beta. Once beta sorted it went in good style with no pump. A highlight of the year.

Hot Stuff - Dinbren - 7a
First 7a, this will stay with me forever after doubting I could climb the grade. Brilliant.

Quicksilver - Pen Trwyn - 7a
First route on the Orme incredible climb on perfect rock. Had to fight for it and it felt every bit 7a for me (Some say 6c+) either way it has got me psyched for the Orme!

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

La Reine Des Pommes - Ceuse - 7a
First climbing trip and a tick almost at my limit at the time. Played to by strengths and not a typical Ceuse route (It's slabby and crimpy!)

Colombine Panachee - Ceuse - 6b+ On-Sight
The whole climb went smoothly and I felt really flowing, great moves, good times!

Super Mario - Ceuse - 6b+

Damn thin slabby crux at the last bolt! A real stopper at the grade. Awesome.

Top three new route/prob put up

N/A

Top Spanking's

Right-Hand Route - Nesscliffe - V4
Utterly nails for the grade. . . Still need to go back and do it

Nursery Crimes - Empire Crag - 6c+
Got pumped into oblivion

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#67 Re: Best of 2012
January 31, 2013, 07:49:25 am
Top boulder probs, UK
Seams Simple Enough - Curbar. First 7a. Felt piss.
Attitude Inspector - Burbage South. Really fun. Should've got it 2nd go, M'dTFU and got it in less than 10.

Top boulder probs, abroad
La Travassis - Gorge aux Chat. Surprised myself flashing a 6c
Le Trou du Simon (red 4) - Cuvier. Standard Font topout, faffed for days.
Scarface - Cuvier Est. Really fun 5+/6a

Top trad routes/soloes Uk
Got on the DWS...
Camel Filter - Swanage. Only 6a+ I think but hands down the funnest climb I've ever done.
Troubled Waters - Swanage

Top sport routes UK
Only did a handful of piss easy stuff.

Top Spanking's
Too many.
Horny Lil Devil - Lulworth. Spat me off the same move so many times.
Smash - Sabot. Millimetres away from latching it.
Early Doors - Curbar. The same stupid moves after the slopers...
Ooo... Hitting the bottom after coming off Adrenachrome at Lulworth...

 

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