[comPiler]

Laggan bouldering topo
1 June 2012, 1:27 pm

 

Gaz Marshall has completed his topo for Laggan, which is one of the better Central Highland venues and has featured regularly on Gaz's blog Soft Rock. Strongbow is must-do problem and worth visiting just on its own:

'Two jumbles of schist boulders, one North and one South of the village, have been found and developed by local Aviemorons. This is a guide to current developments; Creagan Soillier, aka Laggan 1, North of the village, and Creag Bhuidhe, aka Laggan 2, to the South...'

More details on the Laggan page... thanks Gaz!

Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Requiem for the Boulders?
1 July 2012, 5:43 pm

   

DUMBY newsflash! SNH and West Dunbartonshire Council will be sandblasting/cleaning the boulders in an attempt to remove graffiti and climbers' chalk. It seems climbers have not been consulted and it's a little late in the day for any intervention or consultation - we await the blasters to see what damage they may do... whilst some may welcome a clean-up, it is possible the cleaning may improve friction, but equally it could polish holds and blast off bits of rock. It really depends on educating and informing the contracted body responsible for 'cleaning'.

I did notice the place had been thorougly cleaned of litter recently (the Council?) and there have been noises about the Council also fitting the night lights again. This activity may be welcome as a means of 'public realm improvement', but will climbers be viewed as vermin or activists of the public realm?

I think we should all (as climbers) inform the MCOS as to our feelings about the lack of consultation. I would point out several positives from climbers' history with the venue, which should be made clear in any consultation with stakeholders at Dumbarton Rock:

1. We LIKE the place and USE it a lot, so naturally want to see a balance between conservation and the rights of our climbing heritage.

2. We clean the place up independently and ought to be recognised, or at least consulted, when decisions are being made on 'cleaning' the rock, which from our point of view, is a delicate topic - we treat the rock much more precisely than anyone e.g. sandblasting could damage the rock and radically change the nature of many climbs.

3. This heritage is not notional - climbers have brought decades of sport, social inclusion and personal development on a uniquely independent scale to Dumbarton and its population. Many 'youths' have got into climbing through Dumbarton Rock. We need cite only the achievements of Dave MacLeod who began his career here - arguably the world's best all-round climber.

4. Climbers are generally active conservationists and have the place's long-term future at heart. If visual pollution by chalk is deemed a problem, we can change to eco-chalk, liquid chalk on hands, no loose chalk and police our own pollution. Climbers have also made significant efforts to counter their own erosion by using mats and gravelling out erosion channels.

5. Hundreds of climbers visit Dumbarton every year, bringing significant revenue to the town through transport, shops, petrol etc.

If anyone has any other comments on why we should be seen as 'stakeholders', please get in touch and we'll try and get a statement off to the MCOS who act as our official access representatives in Scotland.

Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Dumbarton Rock Update
4 July 2012, 4:38 pm

 

It seems there has been some confusion and misinformation about cleaning of the boulders/crag at Dumbarton. Currently, the issue is in the hands of MCoS, Historic Scotland and SNH, so please check for official statements on the MCoS website, the most recent of which is here >>> official news.

Whilst we may all have different views on how best to manage visual pollution such as graffiti - some would like to see it go, some feel it is part of the urban character of the place - the best we can do is represent our feelings on climbing heritage to the MCoS as our official access representative.

My own personal statement in defence of climbing here remains:

1. We LIKE the place and USE it a lot, in all seasons, so naturally want to see a balance between conservation and the rights of our climbing heritage.

2. We clean the place up independently every year and ought to be recognised, or at least consulted, when decisions are being made on 'cleaning' the rock, which, from our point of view, is a delicate topic - we treat the rock much more precisely than anyone e.g. sandblasting could damage the rock and radically change the nature of many climbs.

3. This heritage is not notional - climbers have brought decades of sport, social inclusion and personal development on a uniquely independent scale to Dumbarton and its population. Many people, young and old, have enjoyed the mental and physical benefits of rock-climbing at Dumbarton Rock. We also might cite the achievements of Dave MacLeod who began his career here - arguably the world's best all-round climber.

4. Climbers are generally active conservationists and have the venue's long-term future at heart. If visual pollution by chalk is deemed a problem, we can change to eco-chalk, liquid chalk on hands, no loose chalk and police our own pollution. Climbers have also made significant efforts to counter their own erosion by using mats and gravelling out erosion channels.

5. Hundreds of climbers visit Dumbarton every year, FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, as it is seen as a world-class crag - thus bringing significant revenue to the town through transport, shops, petrol etc.



Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Summer Bouldering
20 July 2012, 6:55 am

 



The sandstone boulders under the cliffs of Raasay have seen some serious attention from top-end climbers Michael Tweedley and Dave MacLeod. Dave reported an amazing and very continental-looking project on the giant boulders round Screapadal. Dave reports on the stunning potential of the area in his blog:

'We spent ages looking round the boulders finding countless problems in the V0-V3 range that looked great, but not much for ourselves. But finally we stumbled upon one line that changed our psyche - the biggest, baddest Font 7c/+ roof in Scotland!'

Beastmaker Dan Varian has written a hilarious blog about the ups and downs of Scottish bouldering, cranking out some big new testpieces in Torridon and Applecross in June. Lovingly entitled '3 days in Paradise, 1 day in a Shithole', you can tell he wasn't impressed by Dumbarton! Don't worry, Dan, we feel you and are trying to get the place cleaned up! See here for further developments on the clean-up and development of Dumbarton Rock via the MCOS >>>.

 Wee Baws, 7b, Torridon  

Ann Falconer, Nigel Holmes and others developed some more accessible circuit problems at Coire nan Arr around the Dam boulder and on the excellent wee boulder across the loch, with possibly the cleanest rock in Scotland! The dam area is extremely accessible and has a good mix of hard lines, projects and perfect 4 to 6a problems.  

 Ann Falconer on a Coire nan Arr traverse  

In the south, a few Glasgow-based climbers have been developing Arran's remoter corries with some enjoyable circuit-style bouldering and the odd 'blankety blank cheque book and pen' i.e. any granite testpiece:  

 

The Whangie has seen some attention as a summer venue for boulderers. This crumbly crag, long a classic trad ground for developing nerve and control on poor rock, actually has an enjoyable circuit of problems from Font 4 to 6c, with the Traverse proving a camouflaged classic 6c - very hard to onsight! If you're limited to an evening's bouldering and want to escape the midges, this will catch any breeze going and the outlook is biscuit-tin classic.  

 The Whangie >Andy's Lip 6a+    



Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Coiregrogain Blocs
22 July 2012, 4:20 pm

   

A very wet Sunday in the Arrochar Alps, so I put the running shoes on and took the long escalator-paced track up to the Allt Coiregrogain in horizontal, soaking drizzle. I'd been tipped off by Tom C.E. that there were some impressive blocs in the hanging glen between Beinn Ime and Ben Vane. He isn't wrong! Some giant stones with attractive, steep walls and flying aretes... the usual bogs might be an issue, but a dry week might make them just about approachable, if you like 5km walk-ins with big mats. Some nice camping spots, so perhaps a dry spring trip would see some big lines climbed. Apologies for the retro-style photo - the phone battery was so low, this was the only camera app that would work.  



Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Raasay Classic climbed
30 July 2012, 6:49 am

  Dave reports on his blog about the success and pleasure of bouldering in wild and haunting places such as Raasay. plus he bags a 7c+ classic, giving Raasay a big pin-marker on the bouldering map of Scotland!

Check out geolocation for the access (prwo at bottom left of pic) >>>  

Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Update on Dumbarton Rock access
31 July 2012, 7:16 pm

 

MCOS and myself attended a meeting with Historic Scotland at Dumbarton Rock with David Mitchell (HS Director of Conservation), Ian Lambie, (District Architect for HS) and Stephen Gordon (Head of Applied Conservation at HS): they are keen to 'de-schedule' the crags and boulders so climbing can become official, but there are a few issues to resolve first. A geo-technical survey commissioned by Historic Scotland will allow a climber to accompany the survey to promote better understanding; there will be a council meeting with a climber representative to discuss landscaping; and any graffiti cleaning will be accompanied by a climber so no damage to holds is done (cleaning is a priority for the non-climbing crag face below Omerta). Cleaning methods will be discussed and whilst non-climbing rock might be blasted, climbing rock will use a non-damaging solution/steam cleaning method.

So, good news really and a real opportunity to keep our heritage alive at the Rock... thanks for everyone's help and statements, please email any concerns/letters/statements to me John Watson: stonecountry@virginmedia.com

MCOS are of course involved, and their access officer Andrea Partridge will be at all meetings, but I will make sure bouldering/climbing gets understood as a valuable asset to the community. If anyone wants to get more closely involved or add to the literature we have to support climbing at Dumby, please do give me a ring 07546 037 588

John Watson

Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Requiem for a Boulder Mat
2 August 2012, 3:27 pm

 



It must be an age thing, but I found myself ogling new bouldering mats online, in preparation for patio-ing out my autumn project, when I just realised, jeez, I had another mat already. It was up in the Coilessan boulderfield, hidden under a roof. Was it? Or was I losing it? Bloody hell, how long ago was that, I thought? Three years? Oh well, best stomp up, hunt around in the hope of retrieving it, in whatever state it had been left by the Scottish elements. I seemed to remember leaving it under a steep project prow, fully intending to come back the next weekend... it was old and manky then, what hope for it now?



The plan was to do a good 10km stomp-around anyway, for it was way too hot for a bracken-fighting, tick-picking bouldering session, so losing some weight seemed like a good idea. I ran up the track for a couple of km, found the white post, stomped up through the 'bastard' tussocks and made a beeline for the giant boulderfield. Just getting here with a mat earns a 7a, I think - especially when the vegetation is in full camouflage outfit in July. This is a place with more projects than completed problems, you'll see why when you get lost in the maze of gullies, trapdoors, chasms, roofs and prows - lots  to come back to, maybe, but I always get here bushed, too hot and scared to death of the man-eating nature of the place. Jesus, even the horseflies were oversized, military-spec monsters!



I found a few more good landings and nice leaning walls, then found my mat, wedged like a geo-cached mattress between two boulders. It was UV'd to a sickly white, spotted with fungus and when I pulled out the foam, a flurry of confetti and scurrying mice disappeared into the blaeberries. Munched to death!



I stuffed in what was left of the guts of  the smelly, damp old Dropzone and carted it penitentially over the castle-cragged Cnoc Coinnich and back down to Glen Coilessan.

If anyone knows a good seamstress and upholsterer, let me know...



Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

August eggs and extreme Johns
19 August 2012, 8:10 am

  As work on the new bouldering guide continues, the summer is often a time to explore and map and check out others' explorations. Tom Charles-Edwards is probably one of Scotland's most under-rated pioneers of the 'lost boulder'. A bit like Christophe Laumone in Fontainebleau, Tom often prefers solitude and exploration, stringing together king lines on remote blocs. It is thanks to Tom that future generations will have futuristic and adventurous projects to keep them busy and feed the rat when all the 'accessible' stuff is worked out by the 'car-boot raider' (park by boulders, unload 10 mats, flash all the 8a's, tick, downgrade, eat carrot, pack up and drive off...apologies for unfair caricature?!).  

  Tom Charles-Edwards on 'the Flying Pancake'  

 The Dinosaur Egg, Arrochar area  

Anyway, Tom has suggested some very good ideas for the new guides, as I'm trying to develop a guidebook that does justice to the many tastes in bouldering and provide enjoyable circuits for the visiting boulderer in Scotland. Tom's idea is a simple one: the 'day-hiker/bouldering circuit', that is, using boulders to way-mark a day in the Scottish hills, combining the best of mountain and boulder. A small mat and pack lunch, a good topo (!), and off you go... some of Tom's finds may have big projects, but they also have achievable and impressive lines over good landings (a consideration for remote classics). Linking these together in an enjoyable walk is also a kind of perverted geo-caching, or perhaps a new form of orienteering...but suggestions for such trails are welcome (the Arran corries circuit is a big case in point, with the Rosetta stone as highlight). For  more on Tom's explorations, check out his Scottish Climbs page.

 The Blaeberry, Coilessan  

 Glen Kinglas prow  

Oh the Scottish weather. Woe to the projects. rain, humidity, heat, not good for any form of climbing...we took a chance on Craigmaddie's sandy gritstone, hoping that the drying winds after the downpours might have hardened the flaky, brittle sandstone. There were a few lip traverses we had our eyes on and in this heat we thought the rough sandstone might just be playable (as Dumby's glassy slopers were not an option). It proved the case and the jaded, overheated, August boulderer found some playtime on some projects. The 'cantilever' problem, climbed in extension by Colin Lambton as a technical 6c and woefully named as 'EXtrEMe John', is a worthy 6b in itself and the original problem before 'John' naively bought the car with the unfortunate number plate. It's on the Jawbone crag, taking the lower lip traverse from the niche, with one excellent crossover sequence in a cantilevered, horizontal position. Proof that there's always more climbing at a venue if you squint your eyes a little.  

 'Cantilever', about to cross over...  

 Owl traverse variation

In this vein, the Owl Traverse is seeing a re-visitation with some crafty sequences to provide a harder project. As is 'The Nose' on the lower crag. This awkward arete/nose can be climbed from the corner at about 6a, rather scruffily escaping up to jugs, but a better, harder sequence, stretches out to the lip from the shelf, then cuts loose to a clamp and dyno for an excellent 6b+, with possible link-up connotations to the Abracadabra finish.

  The Craigmaddie Nose, 6b+  



Source: Stone Country

[comPiler]

Craigmaddie circuit addition
21 August 2012, 2:44 pm

 The direct version of 'Chockstoner' problem on Craigmaddie's lower roof  -  a rather scrappy 5+ on the  left arete - is much more satisfying this method, stretching out to slopers from the foot plinth, then cutting loose to finish up The Nose (a 5 from standing jump). Hardish foot clamping and dynamic throws make this about 6b+, anyone done it this before this way?

from John Watson on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Donegal Bouldering and Tweed's Port
2 September 2012, 11:55 am

   

A week in Donegal in late August is a dolly-mixture of weather. It certainly meant wind and the tent spent most of the week flattened under an invisible thumb of constant pressure. The bouldering around Dawros Head and Tramore is always interesting, with the sand levels playing tricks with your memory. The Tramore dunes have grown, for example, and totally covered one nice wall I used to enjoy as I couldn't for the life of me find it again. I felt suitably small, thinking how casually our efforts are buried by wind and time. It was no different for the neolithic and bronze age folk - a large finger of granite, which was once pointed on a hill as a marker or territory post, has lain buried for millennia by a giant sand dune which is only now walking its way east and revealing the top of the blinded stone.



However, Marmalade Rock in Loughros has some nice problems on walls and orange quartz, with the coves at Rosbeg providing some good steep, sea-worn schist, though mostly the the wind played tiddliwinks with my mats. And in Donegal chalk balls run away like tumbleweeds if you drop them... there is nothing more embarrassing than chasing a chalk ball down a beach, with rock shoes on...



I stopped off on the ferry home at Larne to climb on the big bloc at Tweed's Port, just north of Larne past Carfunnock park (no fun at all and full of squealing kids). I'm sure the locals have climbed on it, but it has four worthy aspects over a shore which needs heavy matting. The straight up lines are all fairly easy, on the four cardinal aspects. The east slabs tiptoe easily up over the tides when full. There is a south roof which provides some sit starts up to 6a and a a traverse of the west and south face is a good 6c if kept low. The meat of the bloc is a beautiful sea-worn north wall with what looks like some harder projects. I'd be keen to know of established problems if locals have climbed here, it's certainly the most accessible of blocs!

 



Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Meall a' Choire Leith and Glen Lyon
9 September 2012, 10:11 am

 This unremarkable and indistinct bump of moss is remarkable for its surroundings rather than the character of its summit. The more satisfying ascent (if not climbing Meall Corranach) starts from the Roro bridge in Glen Lyon, a few km east of Bridge of Balgie, with the recommended circuit going up the east glen and a grassy descent down to the west glen.

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Glen Lyon[/td][/tr]

[/table]

Park at the Roro bridge testing station and swing round the road to a T-junction, heading left towards Roromore. Just before the fence at the Allt a' Chobhair, follow the burn uphill by a fence through more interesting scenery than the farm track across the river. It leads past some glacial boulders to the old shieling village under Coire Ban's scree slopes. Follow the wall uphill to the Coire and either strike up left steeply, or follow the fence right to the blunt ridge of Sron Eich. A gradually easing angle leads south to the summit plateau of Meall a Choire Leith, which I think is named after the adjacent Coire Liath (the grey corrie) rather than the translation as the 'hill of the shivering corrie' (though that's more descriptive of a winter ascent). The panorama of Meall Corranaich to the south and Ben Lawers and An Stuc to the east is dramatic and imposing.  

 An Stuc  

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Meall a' Choire Leith summit 926m[/td][/tr]

[/table]

A grassy stomp leads down northwest to the tranquil Gleann Da-Eig past more shieling sites with the remarkable split rock of 'Fiann's Arrow', or the 'Praying Hands of Mary' (depending from which angle you view the rock, or who you talk to), situated at the base of the glen west of the burn. The twin-notched rock may be the eponymous feature the glen is named after in Gaelic ('Da Eig' -the two nicks/notches).  

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Fiann's Arrow/Praying Hands of Mary[/td][/tr]

[/table]

To the east of this is the rocky bump of Dun Chnocan, with a collection of large boulders and an interesting shepherd's cave with an arrangement of cup marks, bored into a silvery plinth at the best seating spot for waiting out bad weather. Who knows how old this is, possibly neolithic, as the glen would have been even grassier then and the peat unknown, so it would have been an isolated but fertile glen. The arrangement of the cup marks is interesting, a central large hole flanked on one arc with five subsidiary, shallower holes. It can be found as a roof shelter looking east down Glen Lyon at NN615464. My imagination resolves this as a single hole bored by a shepherd, the others representing, or perhaps added to, by his sons - a family tree. The fan-like geometry certainly invites interpretation, but the real meaning is lost. Perhaps they are no more than idle, bored doodles from long wet days as a shepherd, sometimes you feel this is as valid as more 'sacred' interpretations.

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Cup Marked Stone Glen Lyon[/td][/tr]

[/table]

Oh, and I found some good boulders as well. At NN622462, beside the Allt a' Chobhair, there are some attractive boulders, the highlight being the grassy patio'd roof boulder. The east prow is a good 6th grade pull and the central roof has a few similar grade exit lines onto the slab. Not high, but perfectly formed, I saw some signs of climbing but more brushing would help. The best development would be at the collection of roofs, walls and boulders round the contours at N614464, just south of the summit of Dun Cnochan. A track leads up to these from the east sheepfold of Balnahanaid Farm at Roro. Again, many need cleaned, but some rock looks very good - the red wall looks like a classic, if easier, 'West Side Story' and there is plenty of scope for short, butch roof problems.

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dun Chnocan blocs 1[/td][/tr]

[/table]

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dun Chnocan bloc 2[/td][/tr]

[/table]

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Chobhair Roof Bloc[/td][/tr]

[/table]

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Gleann Da Eig Bloc 1[/td][/tr]

[/table]

[tr][td][/td][/tr] [tr][td]Dun Chnocan Red Wall[/td][/tr]

[/table]



Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Craigmaddie Flyover
6 October 2012, 6:02 pm

Craigmaddie flyover, a photo by Stone Country Press on Flickr.Blissful autumn day at Craigmaddie, working through some classic problems and nailing down more aesthetic and less snappy sequences on the ! top tier. Abracadabra is definitely 7a, don't let anyone tell you any differentIf anyone can remember the beta for Farmer's Trust, Pete and I would love to know, we flailed about like demented goldfish... updated topo on the way.

Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Eliminate shame
8 October 2012, 6:19 pm

We have come a long way from the original stand-up start, indeed this didn't exist as a concept until we sat on our arses to add a couple of moves to a tired old boulder problem. The sit start is now so ubiquitous it might be better to highlight in guides which problems start 'homo erectus'. We have by no means stopped there in the evolutionary journey backwards to be as prone as a flounder under a piece of rock for fear one single, aesthetic udge might be missed.

We created the traverse as a crabby, contorted pump simply for the fun of it, or to create our own bibliography of extensions: ben, jerry, tom...  Then came the crazy-golf world of the 'eliminate' which is kind of like an apartheid for holds, where mostly big holds suffer a deletion of rights.

The modern bouldering corollary to all this arbitrary nonsense is the link-up, the bastard son of the eliminate.

The traditonal idea of the line is, apparently, subverted and twisted out of all normal, mountaineery meaning by the sudden veer left, the drop-down, by the well-met 'no jugs' caveat; or by excising all idea of a natural line as soon as it becomes apparent you might actually be climbing something. It is usually an algorithm of grades or cruxes, climbing by numbers, but equally it could be the collection of satisfying moves and exotic postures, the limit being only how far you are prepared to leave your mother sport.

None of it matters a jot and it would only be natural to see a future of suspended-in-air slopers with no actual substrate, between which we happily one-arm like a gibbon in a fig tree, as the final evolutionary step in removing bouldering from the need for any summit. After all, we all grew up on those geodesic climbing frames, chasing each other round in circles, bat-hanging by the backs of our knees.

So why fret over the infinity of link-ups as an affront to climbing? In fact, right now I'm inspired to go and find the first 3-star downclimb into a sit start eliminate... no jugs allowed, of course.



Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Ethics and Development
9 October 2012, 8:00 am

  Thanks to Chris Fryer for pointing out this video on ethics and development of climbing/bouldering in Mount Evans etc. in the US. Whilst Scotland is unlikely to suffer huge impact in terms of the volume of boulderers visiting new and pristine areas of our own Scottish wilderness, our responsibility is nevertheless undiminished. Places such as the Shelterstone, Torridon, Arran, Lewis, Rum etc. all have similar boulderfields to the one in this video.The  weather, remoteness and danger (snapping an ankle in a talus field...you've a Joe Simpson on your hands) might all mitigate our impact on the environment, but it's worth stopping to think, especially for guidebook producers, film-makers and sponsored climbers, what are we promoting? How should we do it, if we do at all?

from Louder Than Eleven on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

New problems in Font
16 October 2012, 5:39 pm

 Two new problems in Font, though one is a rehash of a Pepito 'lost classic' at 91.1:

from John Watson on Vimeo.

from John Watson on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Dumbarton Rock safety report
19 October 2012, 6:45 am

 

The recent geo-engineering survey  at Dumbarton Rock, commissioned by Historic Scotland, on the NW face (main climbing area above the boulders) has thankfully found no major instability and we hope that responsible climbing can continue as normal at Dumbarton. The report summarises the situation thus:

'The principal potential hazard noted at the NW inspection area is unstable blocks becoming detached

from the face and falling onto areas below.  It has been established through visual inspection of the area that the rock mass is generally tight, and although there are a number of well developed joint sets, there is little evidence that the intersection geometry is creating significant viable or active rockfall events. This is not say that rockfall will not occur, as from time to time material will dislodge from the face due to natural processes, but these are likely to be relatively infrequent and are impacting areas with only transient pedestrian traffic. Given these criteria – infrequent rockfall events and infrequent transient pedestrian traffic - It is considered that the risks to members of the public, both below the castle and within the walls of the Duke of York’s Battery area, may be managed through regular inspection and monitoring. The risk of instability and damage to the castle infrastructure may also be managed in the same manner. The installation of rockfall warning signs at the base of the slope to warn the public of the risks would be considered appropriate.'



Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Torridon Bouldering
20 October 2012, 4:44 pm

  It seems Torridon is maturing into Scotland's best bouldering venue considering all the qualities we associate with the sport: aesthetic rock, stupendous landscape, variety, king lines, accessibility (well, it's beside a B-road!). This autumn and winter should see another assault on the tiers above the village, with plenty of projects remaining and easier circuit lines galore. As Queen Victoria observed: '...not a lot of people come here.' Shame!

Dan Varian's new line 'Wee Baws'



Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Long live autumn...
27 October 2012, 6:28 pm

 Long live such autumns: clear skies, frost-cold rock and an orange-filtered low sun. Finally the bouldering season seems to have kicked into gear... I've been projecting at Dumby before the sudden sunsets above Langbank on the other side of the Clyde, and enjoying the pseudo-grit of Craigmaddie higher up on the moors for a change of geology. It seems everyone else is burrowing into their projects and enjoying what free time can be stolen in the shortening days. A full afternoon at Dumby went by in stop-motion oblivion as the tide crept up to the sea boulder from a low tide... no better way to dissolve the stress of deadlines and office life.





 





Source: Stone Country Blog

[Fiend]

Pissing down today tho!!

[comPiler]

Abracadabra
31 October 2012, 5:09 pm

  This 7a seems to get harder the more you try it...a real workout for the back and ribcage muscles!

from John Watson on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

New book from Stone Country announced!
1 November 2012, 10:45 am

 

We'll be publishing an exciting new book by Francis Sanzaro in early 2013 and we've just got the cover (with thanks to Boone Speed for such a terrific shot).

The book's called 'The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering' and it analyses bouldering in depth. It's an inspiring read, written with great clarity and poetry by a boulderer and academic philosopher who listens to what he does and is able to unfold the complex mental and physical origami that is bouldering. He explains to us what we're really doing, or perhaps what we are truly enjoying, when we boulder.

The more you think about bouldering, the harder it is to say what it is, but Francis has done a terrific job bringing a distinct voice to the sport. The book will be available in March 2013 and I'll put some sample pages up around Christmas as a taster.

Source: Stone Country Blog

[comPiler]

Ben Donich 846 m (2,776 ft)
17 November 2012, 4:20 pm

 I'd always known there were big stones on Ben Donich - it's typical of Arrochar rock architecture with split schist crags and chasms and jumbles of scree giants  in corries - but I'd never gone up for a proper scout. So, with the forecast promising sun in between hail and snow, I squelched up the speedy north east ridge to the summit in under an hour, then backed down the craggy east flank towards the Brack, stalking the boulder clusters, giving sheep the odd adrenaline-shock. Arrochar schist is not impressive in the wet of midwinter, its lichen coat soaking up slime and soaked heather-bunnets dripping down cracklines. Nevertheless, finding such a bloc as this bodes well for summer projects and those who like solitude and king lines topping out at 8m over, for a change, reasonable landings...





Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[Fiend]

Nice bloc dude.

[comPiler]

RIP Patrick Edlinger
28 November 2012, 12:53 pm

  It's not about the shoes... (nor the camera...though that footless hang and chalk blow is iconic!!!)

also, good post on Bloc de Pierre here >>>



Source: Stone Country Blog & News