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Alberta Rose
23 October 2011, 1:00 pm

Pete Harrison has sent over some info about his new route:  

I finished my most recent 'do something creative whilst the weather's shit' project - the Detritus Wall traverse which provides airy access to those intriguing routes out above the sea.  Of all the things I've done over the last couple of years this is definitely the thing I'm most proud of. It's been so fulfilling to go out there by myself after work and do such a bizarre thing, trying not to think about the consequences of a mistake and the resulting 40 metre plummet to the sea with rope, drill, batteries, bolts, gear and god knows what other shit hanging off me dragging me down like a stone. Then getting back safely to the pub car park and seeing the fat fuckers doing their chain-pub thing makes me feel priveledged to be able to spend time in the hidden corners of the Ormes!

Anyway I thought it was a fitting use of the last of the DMM Eco bolts, which Dave Lyon gave to me last year after having been holding onto them for the last 15 years waiting for the next classic. What a great design they were.

Dave's efforts back in the day make mine look like childs' play. During 'a bit of a bad patch' he thought it'd be good to go out across Detritus Wall by himself with a single 9mm rope, a sky hoook, a drill and some ironmongery. It took him half a day to do what took me eight - to get to the top of what is now Ocean of Emotion. I found it quite harrowing at times and I had all the old kit ahead of me to aim for. Dave wouldn't have had any of that. Fucking loon.  

Pete has called his route Alberta Rose. He has provided some more in depth info about the area:

Detritus and Atlanta Walls

Access to the these walls is actually simple - no harder than accessing Gogarth uper tier and easier than The Diamond. You can walk straight to the abseil point for all the routes on Atlanta Wall and the first three routes on Detritus Wall. A simple 30m abseil reaches good non-tidal ledges with bolt belays on the Detritus Wall routes, or a thread-belay for the Atlanta Wall routes. All the routes have good bolts - stainless though-bolts on Dave Lyon's Detritus Wall and Atlanta Wall routes, stainless 'petzl long-lifes' on a couple of the left-hand Atlanta Wall routes, resins on Alberta Rose.

Atlanta Wall gets sun from 2pm in August / 3.30pm in October. Detritus Wall gets the sun from 2.30pm in August / 4pm in October. Both walls are more exposed to the wind and get more sun than The Diamond so are more reliable for good conditions. Climbing here on a sunny afternoon is pretty hard to beat. Stormy October/November may be memorable for less pleasant reasons, but yesterday was primo climbing conditions and weather.  Atalanta wall faces due West, Detritus Wall faces NW.

The in-situ handline across Detritus Wall is very airy but well bolted. 'E' is reached by abbing down to a non-tidal ledge from the first set of double rings about one-thirds way along the traverse. Ocean of Emotion and Alberta Rose are reached by abbing to a non-tidal ledge from the end of the traverse.

You can gear up for the routes on Detritus Wall at the start of the traverse, but I find it better to take the packs in to the end of the traverse for Ocean of Emotion/Alberta Rose and leave them hanging from the line - careful with the wallet and car keys!

Either take an ab rope or a lighter option is to take a clip stick as a fail-safe for getting out. If go with the clip stick you'll need to know how to rig a single line retrivable abseil if abbing in on gri-gri's, or bring a normal belay plate.

Source: Doylo's blog

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End of Season
6 November 2011, 8:21 pm

I've only climbed on average once a week for the last 5/6 weeks.  It's the best time of year for a break and i needed to rest my elbow anyway.  It's slowly improving but i've not thought too much about climbing in the last month.  Considering how obsessed i am about climbing for the majority of the year it does surprise me how well i handle not climbing.  I am pleased and relieved my life doesn't implode when i don't go.  Of course i miss the buzz and excitement but a sedate life has plenty going for it too.  I didn't climb for 2 weeks until yesterday.  Me and Tommy went for a probable last blast down LPT.  Tommy hommed around on 8a and i finished off Rompsville which i had tried briefly earlier in the year.  I must say i was surprised with how good it is.  I had always imagined it to be gnarly and sharp and nasty.  It starts up Statement and then breaks right through 6c+/7a ground up to a decent rest.  The crux is the slabby headwall which is very sequency and involves some cool sidepull holds and small feet.  It's an excellent sequence and deserves more attention really.  It did get upgraded to 7c from 7b+ but i'm inclined to keep these old skool slabby testpieces as their original grades.  Routes like Cafe Libre, The Acid test and Rompsville do feel hard for the grade because most people these days are more adept at steep climbing and i thinks slabs traditionally feel stiff for the grade anyway.  It's still warm enough to do routes round here but the feeling that the season is coming to an end is prevalent.  It's not bad though when you can do routes for the majority of the year.  After we went up to Pill Box where there was a healthy scene.  The bangor boys were bouldering and doing routes and Pete Robins was checking out Carinthian Groove 8b, the hardest route on the upper drive.  I put my boots on to try a few hard moves, i was dreading it as i haven't tried any hard moves for 5 weeks and i've put on half a stone.  I needn't of worried as my old friend the Pill Box sorted me out and i managed Pill Bow Original, Mr Whippy, Chocolate Wall and Last Rites 7b+.  I was quite surprised as i got spanked there in summer that day with Nodder when i had been climbing a lot.  Don't write yourself off before you pull on!  Time to start climbing again perhaps

Source: Doylo's blog

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Back to The Chase
16 November 2011, 5:03 pm

Well i started training again and so far so good.  My elbow still feels ok and i was pleasantly surprised not to be completely terrible.  It must be because i was quite strong when i stopped so i didn't sink to the usual levels of crapness that i would have done normally.  I was also pleased to be feeling motivated on the board.  I half expected it to feel like a slog but i've really enjoyed it so far.  You soon remember why you like doing it and why the sedate life will never be enough.  I even missed brushing holds!  Climbing has simplified from those last few months of summer where i wanted to climb FA's, existing routes, get ticks, go bouldering.  Now i see a winter of training ahead of me (if my body can withstand it).  I always had it in mind to focus on raising my game over this winter and the plan hasn't changed.  I want to redpoint harder stuff than i've done which means doing it in North Wales which means power, power and more power.  I know i need to be consistently stronger to have a chance on some of the hardies round here.  During my usual elevated 3 weeks a year i'm capable of hard climbing but to actually do something i need to feel like that for months at a time.  I couldn't believe how doable Liquid Ambar felt when i got on it that day but if it's gonna take 40/50 days then 2 weeks of beastliness won't cut it.  I need to raise my game through months of hard training and actually raise my base level rather than relying on weight loss and the stars coming into alignment.  So lots of board sessions and lots of bouldering.  I'm still keen for all those problems i listed a few months ago and will start heading out when i hit den 7b again, hopefully shouldn't be long.  I put on half on stone during my lay off so i'm not expecting too many fireworks for a while as i'm sure as hell not dieting again til next year.  I'm keen to get on the campus board in the Mill at some point as this has always been a major weakness of mine.  I remember when i was going pretty well in the School but couldn't do 147 when everyone else could cream it.  I'm not sure exactly how much of a difference it will make to me but it's worth a shot.  There is a great wooden symmetry board in the mill with great holds made by Nodder and i know this is great tool for getting those fingers strong.  The crux of Liquid Ambar involves being strong and powerful on two slopey crap holds so this will be ideal for this.  Might as well aim high and hopefully bag a few tricky 8's on the way back down to earth...

Source: Doylo's blog

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A55 Second Edition on way!
25 November 2011, 3:30 pm

Since the A55 sport climbs book was released in 2010 my old king has continued to chronicle the developments in the area.  In 18 months there have been 117 new routes, new sectors and even new crags.  Three crags have been developed in Dyserth, Llanddulas has 3 new sectors, Penmaenhead has a new sector and Craig y Gigfran above Penmaenmawr was developed.  Pesda Press are publishing the 2nd edition and it should be on the shelves a few weeks into December.  The guide looks great, the new crags have really fleshed it out and the action shots are much better.  There's even some hard routes now.  Pesda have stuck a couple of quid onto the price as it's a bigger guide but it's great value at £13.99.  I will give a run down on the new crags on this here blog.

Source: Doylo's blog

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Ty Newydd
28 November 2011, 10:27 pm



Perhaps the best new crag in my dad's guide is Ty Newydd in Dyserth.  It is one of those crags that makes you doubt yourself on the approach as you can't imagine that a cliff is about to appear.  It is situated in a wooded valley in some fields and from spring onwards the air is pungent with the smell of wild garlic.  The main section of crag is deceiving.  It consists of sections of steep wall and slabbier sections.  The holds are often hidden and sloping making onsighting reasonably tricky and the rock is a flinty type of limestone.  The crag is on a farmer's private land and thus far he has been very accomodating with regard to access.  However this will not be the case if people ignore the strict access arrangements.  The most important of these is that there is no access to the crag from 1st October to 31 January on Friday and Saturdays.  It is very important that this is adhered to.

There are some great longer routes like Chilly Tea 6c and Ivan the Responsible 6b+.  Black Wednesday is a great 7a+ and Three Degrees of Levitation is a cool 7c.  Dreambadger 7c+ is a super steep boulder problem on a rope. Wouldn't mind a grade opinion on this.  And finally Pete Robins First Round, First Second provides some real beef at 8a+.  All info in the guide!  

Dreambadger:

Chill Tea:

Mule on Black Wednesday:



Source: Doylo's blog

[JohnM]

Out of interest, what happens on fridays and saturdays?

[SA Chris]

Orgy with cavorting druids.

[BenF]

Out of interest, what happens on fridays and saturdays?

As SA Chris said, the crag is reserved for Doylo to carry out his "specialist activities".  Believe me, you don't want to stumble across those shenanigans.

[Doylo]

They blow a load of pheasants heads off with guns. The farmer makes a lot of money out of it so is obviously its critical for him.there are bmc signs up but i just pray everyone sticks to the agreement or it could be game over.I spend my saturdays killing peasants

[SA Chris]

Sounds very unpheasant to me.

[JohnM]

They blow a load of pheasants heads off with guns. The farmer makes a lot of money out of it so is obviously its critical for him.there are bmc signs up but i just pray everyone sticks to the agreement or it could be game over.I spend my saturdays killing peasants

Ha ha nice I see what you did there!

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Dyserth Castle Slab (aka Ghost Canyon)
1 December 2011, 5:24 pm

The final part of the Dyserth jigsaw is the big slab above the Dyserth-Prestatyn walkway.  This has been messed about on for years by locals but my old king took it upon himself to bolt the place up this year to give a fine new crag that is pretty unique for the area.  There aren't many big limestone slabs around here!  The slab took a lot of cleaning but is now in pretty good shape.  There are 6 routes with the hardest and best being an old Andy Pollitt route Genesis which went at E3 with a old bolt or two.  It's is now a excellent 6b+.  The crag gets mucho sun and is close to the car park.  So Dyserth now has 3 great crags.  The Waterfall with its easy walls and meaty roof routes.  Ty Newydd, longer more technical challenges and some shorties and the sunny slab to keep the punts happy.  The gop bouldering cave is also up the road and Meliden Quarry has a few old sport routes and a neat little bouldering wall.  Both these places will feature in the guide.

Mikey D at work:



Source: Doylo's blog

[davej]

sorry if this has been asked before but whens the guide book out ?

[Doylo]

Think the supplier gets it 6th december

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Drink Driving 3rd Ascent
4 December 2011, 12:55 pm

We have a new beast living on the coast.  Dan Knight has moved over from Yorkshire and he's already made the 3rd ascent of Drink Driving confirming mine and Ed Hamer's assessment of bottom end 8a+.  A few beasts have been snooty about the grade of this problem over the years without even trying it.  Tommy told me Mick Adams downgraded it with his eyes which isn't a bad effort.  I guess it doesn't look that hard and the moves are ok on their own but that's not the problem is it.  He played around on Jack the Drunk too which he reckoned was higher up the grade.  Dan thought it was really good and comparable to 8a+s he'd encountered on his travels.  I haven't had chance to get on rock as i've been engaging in the strange practice of work.  It's a bit of a shock really.  It's too dark to go out after work and it rains all weekend so you're a bit stuffed really.  I popped into Tremeirchion the other day to play on Danny's low start to 36 Chambers.  I'm surprised this hasn't really seen much attention by the people who've done the stand.  In my mind its one of the best hard problems in these parts.  The limestone is really good, it starts on a massive blob tufa, is sustained and has great moves and is a good length, about 13 moves.  I think maybe the low is slightly unobvious as there are only a couple of holds and they're quite spaced.  Apparently some folk thought the sitter went from the left which wouldn't be anything special.  Anyway i still felt ok on the stand if a little heavier (8 pounds to be precise!).  I figured out a sequence on the low moves but didn't quite manage them.  It is a pretty hard link for 7c+, it could potentially be 8a, time will tell.  It must be 7b+ or so just to get into the stand up and then that would be a real battle. Awesome!  Training's been going better than i expected, i've got up to top form on the board in 6/7 sessions despite being a fat cunt.  I don't mind one bit being heavy, there's no point being a stick insect all year.  So much of my top end climbing relies on that weight loss impact and the bigger the impact the better next June!  If i can get den 7b+ like this i should be crusing.

The board:



Source: Doylo's blog

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The Tower and Golf Ball Wall
5 December 2011, 6:04 pm

I reported a new mini sector at Llanddulas in the summer.  Further on from KO Wall two other sectors have been developed.  The Tower/Turret is quite a significant new crag.  Most people driving along the A55 will have spotted the tower on the wooded hillside before Colwyn Bay.  Myself, Tony and Norman put up 9 routes there this year.  The crag must be 18 metres or so and the climbing is very good on most the routes.  Norman did a 6b+ and a couple of 7a's.  Tony put up a 6a+ and a 6c+ and bolted a project (which he will be doing next year, stay off please.  I put up a 7c, 7b and the route of the crag Vegas Nights which goes at 6c+.  It is a nice line and is nice and sustained all the way without a noticeable crux section.  The crag was quite loose when we first abbed it and hasn't had much traffic yet so take care.  

Me on vegas Nights:

Spidey high on Vegas:

Between the Main cave and the Turret is a little craglet above the path hidden in the trees.  I found the crag and myself and Tony gave it a quick blitz to give 9 short but pleasant routes.  The routes are all in the 6's apart from one 7a+ of mine.  It won't be denting Ceuse's popularity next summer but i'm sure people will go there.

We called the crag Golf Ball Wall after the finding driving range gold balls all over the hillside in strange positions.  Must be the crows!

Spidey on Off With Their Heads 7a+:



Source: Doylo's blog

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I got the book!
6 December 2011, 9:22 pm



I picked up a copy of the A55 2nd edition today from the old king.  It is twice as big as the first edition and looks really good.  Nice one to Mikey and to Pesda Press, the world's fastest climbing guide publisher (unbelievable).  I'm really excited to see my babies and the new stuff documented.  There's quite a few pics of me but before anyone starts throwing charges of nepotism just remember you can choose your friends.....

Source: Doylo's blog

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Back to The Craft
11 December 2011, 11:59 am

Unbelievably it's been 9 years since those first bouldering forays at Craftnant and the FA's of Wonderwall, Cruella and Grasswind (think the latter two were in 2003).  The crag has reached maturity in recent times and has been in vogue this year.  I went up yesterday with Dan to give Nodder's neo classic Special K a blast.  Time conspired against us and we got distracted so didn't get on it.  I will be back!  It was a bit dampy on arrival but just about climbable.  We warmed up pissing about on Katzy's Cruella.  It's funny as at the time we didn't think much about this problem but now i'm of the opinion that it's brilliant.  The moves are really cool and the holds are so lush.  Really nice rough mountain slopes.  Dan got it quickstyle, i found myself having a bit of a battle in the end as i kept homming it up.  I manned up in the end and finished it.  Dan was checking out Floppy's 8b to the right.  I remember taking Chris up there, when he first spotted the line i disregarded his interest.  Fair play it's a cracker and one of the better hard problem's in North Wales.  Really pure, short and hard.  Dude's got the vision!  Dan's quite keen for it, would be cool for it to get repeated.  He's got decent pedigree, he did 8b in Rocklands this year and has climbed numerous 8a+'s around the place including a 30 minute ascent of Jim Holloways Trice 8a+ at Flagstaff, Colorado.  With fading light we jumped ship to DC's 7c Grasswind which has had a few ascent's this year.  I really didn't think this one was for me but i perservered.  I tried to get the heel to work for ages but it just wasn't having it so i abandoned all finesse and got the move laying one on.  This was actually ok and the set up was easier.  It was getting dark however so i needed to act fast.  Dan ticked it with a mad toe hook power screaming his way through.  I got the good hold on the lip from the start but my foot slipped off matching.  I gritted my teeth, got into the 'board' mentality and satched it up.  Mega, a fantastic problem, as good as Cruella with also a beautiful visual line.  These problems are some of the better ones of their grade in NWales.  Consensus seems to be soft 7c for Grasswind but i didn't find Cruella to be 2 grades easier so perhaps that is 7b+.  I still think Wonderwall's too brutal for 7b especially now it's lost a hold.  When i was trying to make the cruxes of these problem's i found myself thinking back to how hard i try and how ferocious i get on the board.  Why is it so hard to replicate this effort outside!  I do stuff inside that seconds before i thought i had no chance on by conjuring up pure psyche from within and just forcing myself to do a move that feels improbable.  I need to tap into this on rock and i'll pull stuff out the bag a lot quicker.      

Top Craftnant tips

- take wellies or get piss wet feet ( slid down the hill all the way on my arse getting soaked)

- don't park on muddy downwards slopes.  The fucking car got stuck and we had to piss about sticking pebbles and bracken under the wheels. Slightly epic.

Old pic of Floppy on Grasswind:

Now i'm off to this magnificent place!:



Source: Doylo's blog

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Norm Rescued by Future King
13 December 2011, 5:32 pm

Norman Clacher caned himself at a new crag x yesterday.  My old king was belaying and tells the tale

He had just started up a new route and was pulling over the initial overhang pulled off 2 large slabs of rock one on top of the other. I couldn't believe it - they were'nt jutting out so you could get some leverage on them but on a flat ledge and the whole thing seemed to defy the laws of physics. Norm and the slabs were coming towards me and I nearly crapped myself. I ducked under the overhang, locked off the rope but Norm seemed to hit the deck at the same time as the blocks. The edge of one landed on his pelvis and he was in a lot of pain. He got choppered out and I went down to casualty at Glan Clwyd. He has a fractured pelvic socket. Lucky as hell - it so easily could have been curtains for both of us.

I reckon Prince William was flying the chopper.  Get well soon Norm and easy on those nurses!

Source: Doylo's blog

[Fiend]

Good luck Norm! I met him once in the CC hut in the pass, funny guy, pleasingly vulgar.

[Doylo]

Looks like he'll be breaking his time off record, was about 4 days previously

[ianto9]

shit,hows he doin now?? that'll be an interesting route name when its done.

[Doylo]

Hes in glan clwyd recuperating

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Winter is Wank
18 December 2011, 3:49 pm

I've just been reminded today of how Winter is an abysmal time of year.  You can't get your fingers warm, it's so rainy and wet, it snows - stopping you going places, it gets dark at 3 o clock, its so flippin muddy.  It is just generally shite.  For the stuff i like to climb it doesn't need to be -10 so it's no use to me.  I've been ill this week, i even thought i might have meningitis at one point.  I don't luckily but still feel wonky.  Being a sensible person i sacked off recuperation indoors and went on top of the freezing Little Orme for 2 days to piss about.  Mr P, Robins and Dan came up yesterday.  We were huddled under Cave wall trying to warm up.  Dan and Pete were both trying Caveman Low 7c+.  Neither managed it and Mr P bailed on Caveman too.  I went back with Dan today and he romped it.  He then started trying Mule's '7c+' Batman to the right.  Now if most people would have done this problem they would have thought to themselves 'well Caveman Low is soft 7c+ and this is 2 grades harder so i should probably give it hard 8a'.  Mule's line of thinking was 'it can't be 8a, 8a is a grade reserved for the God's and even though i can do one armer's on pinches and am insanely strong i will give it 7c+ to be on the safe side'.  I asked Mule and he said 'it's quite a bit harder than the low start but i'm scared to give things 8a'.  Those boys, those boys! Dan said it would get 8a+ in Hueco.  We walked round to bulging wall and the heavens opened, grim grim grim.  I had a play on Weirdo when it stopped but it remains my ultimate Nemesis.  I couldn't re-warm my fingers at all so sacked it.  Sack.

Pete trying Caveman Low:

DK on Batman 8a:

Dan repeated the variant start to Drink Driving, Jack the Drunk last week.

Last night i had a dream that Vechio Lione in Brione was made of limestone and that the 3rd hold had snapped off and been replaced with a ugly resin edge. Weird.

Source: Doylo's blog

[Fiend]

LOL, good post, made me laugh.