[Yossarian]

Sorry to hear about assorted ailment suffering.

STG - Thin down, press on with sandstone (re)apprenticeship
MTG - 7A / 7b+ / E3+
LTG - 8a, etc

Mon - Beastmaker - 1st session in a while. Didn’t go crazy.
Tues -  Statham megamix
Wed - Beastmaker - figuring out a plan. Need scales for repeaters until I get a bit thinner.
Thursday - Eridge Green. Pretty great conditions for this time of year. Thought I was going to cruise Parisian Affair (F6A+), but that turned into a nightmare. Had a play on Patience (F7A+) which felt bizarrely more likely. A fine project for the next few weeks.
Friday - Harrison’s. Beautiful afternoon. Pottering / soloing. Got quite scared doing the latter thanks to reacquaintance with sandy footholds. Tried A Killing Joke (F6C+) - felt unlikely at the moment, but another project for the spring.
Saturday - Chimera. Not been for a fortnight, and was pleased to discover all various projects felt somewhat easier. Made up some new things on the 45 board. Delighted to hear the place is expanding later in the year with a much bigger training area. Yay.
Sunday - Walk with the family. Three year old decided the castle was rubbish and ventured off on his own back to the car park. Some running, before giving him a bollocking. Happily, my injured Achilles feels much better.

Weight: 98.8kg - 97.3kg

Pretty syked currently. Enjoyed getting out on rock and figuring out how to fit it into midweek schedule. Seems much more sensible to concentrate on things on the doorstep, rather than pine for distant crags that I’m not going to visit any time soon. Also, previous experience shows that everything else feels (relatively) easy after prolonged periods of crap sandy footholds. Weight loss has not been as rapid as originally hoped, but not being particularly restrictive in terms of diet (still doing IF though) and no real cardio thanks to running injury, and it’s still going down so quite happy with that.

[petekitso]

Yossarian - in lieu of a southern sandstone conditions thread - was Eridge generally in OK nick last week or did you have to be selective?

I have made a similar resolution to make better use of the local rock but had assumed there would be nothing doing for another few weeks yet . . .

[Yossarian]

It looked great, but there was a fair amount of dampness around. Not that much totally dry from bottom to top. I might pop back in the next few days, depending on the weather...

[tomtom]

It looked great, but there was a fair amount of dampness around. Not that much totally dry from bottom to top. I might pop back in the next few days, depending on the weather...

How is Stone farm faring nowadays? Used to go there back in the early 90's...

[Yossarian]

It’s still a lovely spot. I’ve never explored it very thoroughly, but the best-known problems like Stinging Nettle look pretty good.

[Coops_13]

It’s still a lovely spot. I’ve never explored it very thoroughly, but the best-known problems like Stinging Nettle look pretty good.

Stinging Nettle is mint, v un-Southern Sandstone-like. The 7A+ variation is harddd.

[Yossarian]

I had brief go last summer but it was beyond me at the time. Probably still is. Keen to go for another look, but the snow has arrived down here so imagine it’ll be a while till things dry out again.

I’m impressed by the newer things at Eridge. Patience looks like a really fine problem, Hypersonic too. And Judamondo as a problem for the longer term.

[measles23]

How is Stone farm faring nowadays? Used to go there back in the early 90's...

I remember in the same era my mate and I did a midwinter day trip down from St Andrews to climb at Stone Farm; while the rest of the uni club were freezing their asses off stuck in snowdrifts up in the highlands we had a mint day of perfect connies in t-shirts... fond memories

[petekitso]

Thanks - I should be more optimistic in future (once the snow has gone).

Stone Farm is my local crag - it’s a great spot and some of the routes are pretty good but I think the bouldering is limited, certainly compared to Eridge.

Having said that, I am limited because of being a nervous soloer (and because I still can’t do stinging nettle . . .)

[Yossarian]

I was pretty nervous soloing at Harrison’s. Even if you know the route (and my memory is generally hazy) all it takes is a slopey jug full of wet sand and things rapidly become scary.

[T_B]

Wow, never seen anyone use that second knee bar. No wonder they've downgraded it to 7b+!

Who are they?

I thought it got downgraded in the new BMC guide?

[shark]

Wow, never seen anyone use that second knee bar. No wonder they've downgraded it to 7b+!

Who are they?

I thought it got downgraded in the new BMC guide?

It did - from 7C+ to 7C.

Mention is given to it still being 7C+ without the kneebar.

   

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