[north_country_boy]

What utter pessimism. Try getting 15 days of trad with a full time time intensive job, then you can moan.

Spring is the best time of year in Scotland for getting out on rock and given the mild winter the big melt will happen sooner than usual this year.

[Fiend]

Just based on last year. Two weeks of summer between the end of April and beginning of November. I'll keep moaning about that for a while I think.

I should have said though: by trad days I mean "trad days in the best areas i.e. North West".

[Ian T]

You keep banging this drum Fiend, but you are totally wrong. Last year was a GOOD year in the North West. The most absolutely amazing dry spells in April and November. May and December were poor and the rest were average.

[Fiend]

I'm sure it was easy to get out in the North West if you live up there*. To justify 4+ hours drive I need more than single dry days.

I was up there in April. I spent the rest of the year aiming to get back, checking the forecast all over the North West, each day, every day, without fail, and finally it was reliable enough so I got up there in November **. I missed the 2 weeks (july?) BETWEEN April and November.

I think Fort William was the wettest year for 25 years??



(* - which is tempting me for that very reason)

(** - unlike the previous year where I had two seperate trips to Reiff and Skye in September and another one to Ullapool in October)

[comPiler]

2CVS.
26 February 2012, 8:13 pm



Two Climbing Venues...

Craigmore is a okay wee crag for gritstone-style mid-grade trad puntering (if you subtract a star from everything), and an okay wee crag for bouldering. It has a lot of rock but that which isn't tall enough for routes often isn't distinct enough for bouldering, giving lean but sometimes refined pickings. The rock is okay, the landings are okay, and the dank wooded shelter of the crag is a good boon in westerly gales. One such day the other week I snuck out for a couple of hours. The Pine Cone is a pleasant situation as promised, feeling both open to the creeping sunshine and tucked away from the rest of Glasgow. Jamie's Overhang looks quite minor until you actually pull on and realise that it's as burly wee cunt of a problem that is close to it's star rating and highly distant from it's supposed grade:

Other areas I recced:

The Wizard - great line, looks quite easy, proper highball finish, pretty classic.

Wizard SS - lowball start into the above but actually looks alright.

Wide Eyed - odd eliminate, not sure where it goes and what it uses, not super inspiring.

Terror SS - good line, SS is a bit of a non-move wonder but could be fun, good name.

Andy's Arete - another lowball sitter but another decent-looking problem - looks especially interesting as it's covered in useless holds above a good landing.

So that's somewhere to keep in mind next time the Atlantic winds are howling through the city.

~¤§¤~

Clifton is a nice wee crag for gritstone-style mid-grade trad puntering, but a strange crag for bouldering. And by "strange" I mean "bollox". I get the distinct impression that it was only included in the guide because it really really should have some decent bouldering even if it actually doesn't. Beneath the crag is an toppled jumble of extensive granite blocs, whose landings and surroundings rarely make extensive granite blocks. If these otherwise promising stones were airlifted out of the boulderfield and dropped on flat ground at appealingly jaunty angles, there could be some truly delightful problems. As it is all the problems are conceptually good but invariably flawed to the point of irrelevance...

Knife Party - grubby arseball, is the crux keeping off the ground or keeping off the crowding prop boulder?

Study Break - non-move wonder with the tiniest floor-space to start off.

Trauma - at least has a line (or a few), and some length, in fact all it is missing is any form of landing....unless you think Porth Ysgo landings are a bit too toddler friendly.

Wall Problem - again an acceptable bit of rock that is cramped by a prop boulder that must be negotiated more than the actual line.

Paul's Dyno - nasty sandbag above brambles and blocks, with the bewildering recommendation of ignoring the clean direct finish and tackling a lip traverse added on for the sole purpose of maximising moss above a degenerating landing zone.

Zillion Dollar Sadist - a ludicrous "problem" which is pretty much a slanting chimney eliminating the sensible choice of lying down on the boulder beneath you.

So balls to that. I put my shoes on, touched the starting holds of Paul's Dyno, took them off, and went to have a look at Sandyhills. I walked onto the beach, got to the shore, and the tide raced in almost as quick as I escaped. I left...



Source:  fiendblog

[Fiend]

Fucked up blocks and blocs on editing, oops.

[comPiler]

Arbroath Antics
3 March 2012, 7:08 pm



Antics is about the right word. As part of the transition (embarrassingly I've realised that I had linked the same drum'n'bass track in a very similar post this time last year), I thought short technical bolted sandstone would be quite suitable. I'd forgotten that Arbroath is often less about technicalities and more about weirdo approaches, weirdo belays, weirdo rock and weirdo conditions. It can be be plenty of fun, but it's hardly a bolted Ramshaw / Ravensheugh / Reiff. This was firmly confirmed by the first route up the Devil's Head (Deil's Heid whatEVER), which escalated steadily up the strangeness stakes from a sloping gritty sandbag start via a top-out up sloping lichen (cleverly chalked by Tris to pretend there was rock underneath), and culminating in the reward of a single abseil bolt seemingly driven into mud or perhaps it actually reached the fragile sandstone biscuit beneath....I tried not to spare it too much thought.

After that things went to a state of curious calmness. Grannie's head had an easy approach, comfortable platform, proper loweroffs and a reassuring grade and delightful crux on The Mushroom Treatment, although the 40° overhanging F6b+ had to be regretfully aborted due to the obligatory sea skank. One to come back for. Conning Tower Inlet looked rather good - another one to come back for - but with a team of 3 the Platform seemed more logistically logical. Ride Em Cowboy was good easy fun, Waves Of Emotion was a billion times harder and ignored, Parson's Nose necessitated an embarrassing rest due to not knowing the line and not liking numb fingers. So only a few routes but a good recce and it was nice to be on the rock again. March now....route season and route training whenever suitable...

Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Utter pessimism?
5 March 2012, 7:14 pm



Regular readers (you poor fools) might notice that I occasionally pass comment and critical analysis on the weather, and given I'm living in Scotland and trying to climb good trad in great areas, such comment tends to be contempt and such analysis tends to be justifiably extremely critical. This moaning and whining and ranting is quite simply a natural reaction to an often ridiculous state of affairs, and whilst it might not make good reading, it does make necessary writing.

It also seems to attract bizarre and outrageous accusations ranging from the spurious ("You chose to move to Scotland") to the obscene ("It's just the weather why moan about it") and downright defamatory ("You are totally wrong about last year's washout"). I'm not sure how people can get away with such....libel but at least I can set the record straight.

To set the setting straight, let's be clear on what "good" weather necessarily entails in the context of Scottish climbing. Given the whole point of Scottish climbing is trad climbing (cragging in my case) in the Highlands and Islands, taking in the approximate Elipse Of Extreme Excitement from Glasgow to Mull to Ardnamurchan to Skye to Lewis to Sheigra to Ardmair to Creag Dubh to Glasgow, naturally enclosing the areas of utmost importance like Glen Nevis, Torridon and Gairloch.

Good weather doesn't require months of amazing conditions, long summers of hot dry weather, or any other spurious nonsense that fools might accuse me of expecting. It DOES entail having two or more consecutive dry days in that area, when the rock is dry enough to climb and the season is warm enough for trad. NOT long periods of sunshine and showers where you might just sneak in a route per day when the rain stops. NOT single days interspersed with rain which is fine if you're a local but plain unfeasible for a 4 hour journey. NOT an amazing spell in December when it's dry but below 0'c. NOT good weather along the East coast as while there is good climbing there it is a wet weather escape and often dry in the East is wet in the West.

Look! Scotland in the sunshine! Isn't it pretty! But in a climbing context... This is the start of March, still too cold for normal trad - that doesn't make it a good year. This is after a day of heavy showers and light snow, not a sustained period of dryness - that doesn't make it a good year. This is down near Stranraer, notoriously escaping the wetness that blights the most important Scottish climbing areas - that doesn't make it a good year.

So, two or more consecutive dry days with dry rock. Preferably three or more for Skye, or a short week for Lewis. Quite a low standard so even more ridiculous when Scotland fails to meet it. In that context let's look at the last couple of years and the climbing days I got out during the spring/summer/autumn period, in the Eclipse Of Excellence, on 2+ day trips:

2010:

April: 2

May: 3

June: 4 + 2

July: 0

August: 0

September: 6 + 3

October: 3

= 21 North West 2+ day trip days.

Bear in mind there was plenty of shit showery weather throughout the summer. By English standards this was fairly mediocre. By Scottish standards it was probably normal, and actually tolerable. Also bear in mind I spent all of August pissing around at Dumby so might have missed weather windows then.

2011:

April: 4 + 4

May: 0

June: 0

July: 2

August: 0

September: 0

October: 0

= 10 North West 2+ day trip days.

Bear in mind that this year I had more keen climbing partners and more determination to explore areas, as can be seen from taking advantage of the single month of summer in April. However I did miss a short dry period in early July, though that would have hardly caught up much.

Hmmm. Even I hadn't realised how low this was! Nor the difference. Suffice to say that when I say last year was bollox I am....totally right.

Despite my utter pessimism I will still keep my fingers crossed for this year, of course. Because despite it all, Scotland is ace and Scottish cragging is ace :).



Source:  fiendblog

[Ian T]

Number of days climbing with a rope north of the Great Glen, not including evenings after work. Mixture of trad and sport.

2010 81 days
2011 84 days

Guess I just got lucky...

[Fiend]

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I am seriously considering moving to Inverness for a while.

[SA Chris]

If I had the chance I wouldn't just be considering it. Can't be worse than Weegieland.

[Fiend]

Well.....no TCA  

And harder to get to flights abroad...

[SA Chris]

Apparently llegedly TIF are building a new wall at the harbour next year, according to our mutual friend.

[richieb]

'Twas in the Highland News. Planning permission already sorted, work may start this summer.

IMO Inverness is a good base for rock climbing but only if you can regularly take days off from work / home responsibilities at short notice. 
Its great being close enough to take advantage of good weather days in the North West, but they are almost always mid week.

Evening cragging is limited although better now than a few years ago with the development of Moy, Camel etc, but you do end up at the same crags (doing the same routes) over and over (I did live on the orme before moving up so I have been spoiled).
I'd say probably Aberdeen has better evening cragging if they didn't all face the wrong direction.
With no access to places like Ratho or TCA, I find it is difficult to get any momentum going up here. You only need one wet weekend and a couple of abandoned midge fest evenings and you suddenly find you haven't been out in 2 weeks. Then a mint weekend arrives and you climb like shit cos you haven't been out for ages.

Perfect cragging days in the North West do happen and are hard to beat, but only if you are actually there and fit enough to climb the things you want to climb.

[comPiler]

Lacklustre at Ley, Bollox at Barnton, Lazy at Laggan.
11 March 2012, 8:01 am



Managed to get 3 days out recently...

Ley Quarry: Supposed sun-trap. Windy. Bloody cold. Did a few easier routes. They were nice enough and fairly decent mileage. Dropped one of my shoes in the pool, it's still damp. Tried slightly tricker routes, stopped by ridiculously reaches (F6b+ that is F7a if you can't reach the hold) and cold, sore fingers.

Barnton Quarry: Grim location even by my standards. Almost "so bad it's good" but not quite. The small bits of climbable rock are actually okay. If you literally wore blinkers it could be appealing. We did a couple of trad routes. Hanging around doing trad felt tiring. And committing. Tried another route and pulled a hold off. Possibly dodgy rock rather than shockwaves emenating out from my gigantic wobbling gut.

Laggan Boulders: With the M80 running smooth it's under 2 hours from Glasgow. Very windy, but curiously warm for bouldering. Good lines up there and plenty of potential. Did some easy problems. Tried a harder problem. Felt crap and tired. Decided to sack it off and go to the other boulders. Then got blocked in and in some almighty trouble with the farmer for driving up the track without permission. Eventually somehow negotiated an escape, drove to the other boulders, met some cows, and just couldn't be fucked to walk-in.

I've felt a long way away from where I want to be in my spirit and my climbing this week. Just need to weather it out I think.



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Ardvorlich Action.
13 March 2012, 5:55 pm



Albeit action of an easy pottering kind - all I'm suited for at the moment, and the right path of action to work back to some sort of climbing confidence.

Ardvorlich is a sweet wee crag indeed. Two adjacent sheer slabs formed from a hummock that pleasingly shelters them from the nearby road, thus combining easy access with surprising tranquility. I've been inspired to go for a few years, ever since seeing a good cragshot from Magpie (back when she still joined in with climbing), and got there the other day. A brace of sport F6a/+s provided the optimum low level to appease my slothful spirit, and the delicately crinkled schist provided a good reawakening of rock sense after a winter that has perhaps been overly-focused on TCA training. I left a few routes to go back for (albeit ones that will need trad gear or pre-placed slings to bypass the sporadic but utterly ludicrous death bolting that spoils a couple of routes).

Actually I think there is no "perhaps" about over-training. My elbows are tweaky again, this time particularly the right one. I haven't been as worried as I should be about this, and am now just about realising the potential for catastrophic suckage this could be entail. Last time it ruined my 2008 summer, and this time, although I have recently upped my training and general levels of activity, my climbing and fitness are even more fragile. The one thing I have in my favour is prior knowledge of how to deal with this, and have already started massaging, taping, and eccentric wrist curls. Time to incorporate icing, and hope that an increasing focus on routes, exploration, and fitness training will avoid the worst of injury.



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Ten Tonne Terrible.
18 March 2012, 8:21 pm



Weight is a big issue for me at the moment. Currently (and for the last couple of years) I weigh about 12¼ stone. Back in 2006/07, at my healthiest and most active, when I was climbing very regularly and pushing myself, I weighed about 10½ -  10¾ stone. So I've put on at least a stone and a half. For a 5'8" midget this is A LOT. Is there any need to explain why this is such a big issue for a passionate and dedicated climber?? I thought not. What is more useful to explain is why I am in this state, and what, if anything, I can do to get out of it. There are several possible reasons why I might have put on so much weight, but which ones are the real reasons??

Age:

Some people have said, in a semi-resigned and slightly teeth-sucking way, "Well that's what it's like getting old". I don't really see any evidence or reasoning for this in my case, and since there are extremely clear reasons for my weight gain that exactly coincide with when it started, while "getting old" has no specific coincidence nor abruptness of change in the last few years rather than the previous few, I am certain it is not a factor.

Diet:

Several people have speculated, seriously or otherwise, that my "Glasgow diet" is the cause of my weight gain. The truth is quite simply that my diet has improved since I moved to Glasgow, because I have been more careful with it - I eat less unhealthy foods and less wildly varying portions than before.

E.g.:

Sheffield - often sausages and pastries for breakfast;

Glasgow - usually have cereal and/or toast.

Sheffield - used to buy packs of mini-chocolates for snacks;

Glasgow - usually buy packs of fruit and nuts.

Sheffield - would sometimes have Scotch Eggs and pork pies;

Glasgow - never eat them.

Sheffield - would often have creamy puddings / treats;

Glasgow - usually bio-yoghurt if at all.

Sheffield - used to eat badly/sporadically in the day and have huge evening meal;

Glasgow - eat more regularly and try to reduce meal sizes.

Sheffield - would have starter/main/rice/bread for curry, and attempt to eat them all;

Glasgow - only have 2/3 of the previous and never stuff myself for the sake of it.

There are a few exceptions: I tend to have takeaways slightly more often, albeit with smaller sizes, I sometimes have a Snickers bar as a daytime snack, and I often have diet soft drinks instead of fruit juice and fizzy water. BUT the improvements I've made far outweigh those. Diet is not a factor, if it was I would have LOST weight in Glasgow.

Medication:

I have been on Citalopram since late 2009, just after my DVTs. This is anecdotally known (and possibly clinically proven) to affect weight (usually weight gain) by affecting metabolism. The period of weight gain exactly coincides with the period of being this medication. Furthermore, even before I was aware of this as a possible cause, I was aware of a change in my metabolism as my body temperature (previously running fairly warm) had been fluctuating wildy, from hot and sweaty in bed to often surprisingly cold outside (especially my hands - not affected by DVTs). Although not proven, my gut instinct this is definitely a main factor.

Inability to exercise:

My ability to do simple calorie-burning, weight-reducing CV exercise has been HUGELY reduced by having DVTs. Back in 2008 when I had my elbow injury, I wasn't out climbing much and started putting on some weight. I started running, which was hard at first, but I improved well, used the simplicity of going out for a run to get regular exercise and lost weight. I simply cannot do that any more. With sealed iliac and pelvic veins, when I run or walk uphill, my legs cannot return the de-oxygenated blood quickly enough through the adjacent superficial veins, my heart cannot pump around blood that isn't there, my lungs can't supply oxygen to a system that isn't moving, and I quickly grind to an exhausted halt. This is an absolute mechanical limit, irrespective of previous or current fitness. I tested myself once, and while previously I could comfortably do a 40 minute road run, my current absolute maximum is 10½ minutes. This similar applies to walking uphill (simple exercise, usually as part of a climbing day out). I estimate I am working at 20-25% of my previous leg fitness. Imagine going for a 4 mile run around Burbage and only being able to do 1 mile as the utterly exhausting limit. Or imagine walking up to Stanage Plantation and having to rest just after the plantation trees otherwise you would collapse. That is exactly what it is like. Then imagine facing that for the rest of your lift, with no possible surgical or medical intervention, and almost certainly no improvement ever. This makes it EXTREMELY hard to do enough CV exercise to reduce weight, and it is definitely a main factor, probably THE main factor.

Less regular climbing:

Although I cannot do the most simple and beneficial CV exercises, I have found that the regular active climber's lifestyle has definitely caused periods of minor weight loss during the last few years. In particular, 12 days in Sweden, even with their minimal walk-ins, had me at the healthiest and lightest I was all last year. I think this is partly due to lots of climbing but partly due to the general level of activity on a full day out climbing. Unfortunately in Scotland this regularity has proved hard to find, mainly due to the often consistently wet weather that prevents it (the best areas for regular climbing are in the wet West, and there is too little local climbing for regular mileage). Particularly given how bad 2011 was, this is definitely a factor. Actually, thinking back to 2008 and how the temporary cessation of climbing increased my weight then, it too is a main factor.

Less active scene around me:

Related to both of the above, the climbing scene around Sheffield and the Peak District is strong and diverse (if curiously reluctant to escape the Peak itself) and I usually had enough people to climb with and friends to train with and even do fitness stuff with, which was of great benefit to keeping me going and keeping me motivated. In Glasgow the climbing scene is insular and limited and it's been a struggle to find friend people to fit in with. Eventually I have found a few people to regularly climb and train with, but not so many of them, and no-one to do fitness stuff with. When I do have people encouraging me and inviting me out and sharing mutual syke, I know it helps me keep active (beyond just having people to do routes with), so this is definitely a factor.

So:

Age, Diet - NOT factors.

Inability to exercise - The MAIN factor.

Medication, Less regular climbing - Other MAIN factors.

Less active scene - Additional factor.

Next time: What I can and am doing about this. Or trying to.



Source:  fiendblog

[comPiler]

Chilling at Craigmaddie.
28 March 2012, 9:19 am



More Scottish summer! A quick dash slow grind out of the city for an evening deposited us at Craigmaddie. I'd been put off going there by the description of it being sandy gritstone, envisaging coarse granular crustiness that would shred my tips especially on a warm evening. Is it like grit?? Is it bollox!! It's a sandstone, almost identical to North York Moors (and bits of T' County), and nothing like Pennine grit. Which made for a surprisingly pleasant circuit even in the mellow sunshine.

I only went to the upper left wall but really enjoyed the fine location, excellent landings, nice rock, and good cranky problems. Typically the guide and online topo are confusing and seem to describe lots of things apart from the obvious natural problem lines. Thankfully they don't take much working out, and this edited topo should help.

1. The Mantle V3 - Good.

2. Left Crack V1 - Nice.

3. ??? V3? - Eliminate up right crack?

4. ??? V2 - Pull on at obvious jugs, reach up to RH crimp and adjacent LH hold, heel hook to top. Good.

5. ??? V4 - Pull on at LH ripple and RH crack pinch, pull up to small flat crimps and direct up to apex. Excellent.

6. ??? V4 - Pull on at LH crack slot and RH large crack, high RF then compress directly up to better holds and final reach. Very good.

7. Lip Traverse V? - Hang nose slopers and use various holds to get into corner crack?

I'm not really sure how these relate to:

Right Crack - doesn't seem to follow the crack and there doesn't seem to be a RH sidepull.

Flake Wall - doesn't seem to have a natural flake to start on nor a sharp crimp you'd gain with LH, nor a dyno. Could be a good link between 4 and 5?

Undercut Crack - doesn't relate to line but does fit the description of 6 above. Could be a good link between 4 and 6?

Right Arete - doesn't seem to exist.

...but at any rate the climbing is nice once you work it out :). I'll definitely be back for the other craglets too.



Source:  fiendblog

[Fiend]

Compiler, you missed out my post celebrating an ace weekend at the Gairloch crags 

It was a suitably positive post too, next thing people will have missed it and start accusing me of being negative or some bollox like that 

[comPiler]

Curing the Heavyweight...
30 March 2012, 5:20 pm



Following up the fatness....and the issues causing it:

Age, Diet - NOT factors.

Medication, Inability to exercise, Less regular climbing - MAIN factors.

Less active scene - Additional factors.

What can I do about these issues??

Age: Not an issue but at any rate I don't intend to age gracefully at all!

Diet: Although this is not a factor, it is, unlike sealed veins, something I can change, and I can improve my diet even more compared to my lighter Sheffield time. I have various aims listed to try to have a habitually healthier diet to compensate for the difficulty in improving other areas. These are all simple stuff in the "eating less junk and fat, eating more healthy lightweight food" vein (ugh, veins).

Medication: I have, over several months, halved my dose of Citalopram (to 10mg, apparently below the clinical dose). This has been unpleasant and stressful and my general mood is often agitated and anxious - these are issues I naturally feel well before any beneficial improvements in weight which will obviously take time and exercise. However I get the instinct that my weight gain has stabilised at least, and I have more determination to improve it.

Inability to exercise:

Despite the difficulty of these there are a few options I'm trying with varying degrees of determination and success:

1. Going to the gym: I can do recumbent cycling, rowing, and arm cycling, and burn off a fair few calories that way. The problem is I mostly hate the sterility of the gym, and the leg exercises are still fucking hard work. I'm trying to keep determined....more drum'n'bass mp3 mixes help.

2. Going swimming: This is absolutely fine, in fact post-DVTs I've swum longer distances before. The problem is I find it more boring, if shorter, than going to the gym, AND hard to be syked for in the bleak Glasgow weather. I'm trying to get motivated to go more often, maybe warmer weather will help.

3. Doing very short bursts of running: Although it is a horrible process and I can really do fuck all, I'm sure the little bits still do something. The problem is it inevitably unpleasant and particularly demoralising that I can't progress at all. I'm trying to view it in a different way as just keeping my body moving and tailor it down in that way.

4. Keeping trying to go to crags with medium walk-ins: Although attempting longer walk-ins is pointless, I want to accept the difficulty of even medium walk-ins and keep doing them, although it's tedious it makes for a more beneficial day out. The problem is it is simply always unpleasant, regardless of the logistics, the constant exhausting and dull pain is offputting in itself. I'm trying to tailor down the walking, with more rests.

5. Other options?? I'm not really sure...

> Skiing would be great as it is very inspiring and fun, seems very active, but somehow my legs cope with it.

> Maybe more hill-walks when the weather is good? Less horrible than walk-ins with a rucsac.

> Someone has suggested shorter bursts of sprinting with longer rests, I should try that.

> Someone else suggested "aerocap" climbing training which I think means dicking around on jugs for ages, I'm not sure how much fat that would burn off but at least my legs would cope.

Fuck. How could I forget...

6. Raving! Somehow dancing to gabber or techno is fine on my legs, I assume DnB would be too. Only problem is lack of club events I like and being out of touch with what's on. I really need to rectify that.

Less regular climbing:

As hinted at before, I have realised the importance of a regular climbing lifestyle for me overall health as well as my personal inspiration. Working towards this is....kinda complex, but at least with the realisation and inspiration it has given me some strong ideas, including moving somewhere with better weather and more suitable local cragging, setting up logistics to make climbing easier, going for regular mileage days out even if they aren't always as inspiring, working on grander plans for the future, and simply being more focused on climbing.

Less active scene:

Not really sure about this one. I can't really create activity companionships out of thin air, and have often struggled to fit into regular climbing partner scenes. I;m not sure what else I can do except keep in touch with people, try to hang on to supportive partners, and try to keep a positive attitude. Although again moving somewhere with a better and more encouraging scene than Glasgow would probably be good, and that is likely to be part of the overall plan. Maybe I could try joining some physical activity clubs too...

So...

Overall, despite the odds stacked against me and my fitness, there ARE various areas I am working on (or at least trying to), and I DO have plans to improve my life and activity in the future....because I want to....because I have to.



Source:  fiendblog

[north_country_boy]

Although again moving somewhere with a better and more encouraging scene than Glasgow would probably be good, and that is likely to be part of the overall plan.

Think you are showing a disservice to the Glasgow 'scene' to be honest. I think you get out of the 'scene' what you put in...

[Fiend]

I've tried. Most climbers seem to be in their own groups already. I guess coming from Sheffield, things were bound to be very different up here.

TCA has improved the vibe a lot though.

[comPiler]

Aberdeen Assault.
2 April 2012, 8:35 am



Many of the Aberdeen sea-cliffs, despite being sunny, open, and enjoying a much less malevolent climbing than the rest of Scotland, have a ridiculously short climbing season. Thanks to the pesky and permanently incontinent seaburds, you can only climb on some of the best cliffs in late winter - nesting birds making them completely inaccessible in spring and summer, and bird's nests making them mostly unfeasible in autumn. Scottish climbing is never simple, eh!

Last winter I had a few good trips up exploring otherwise birded crags, but did miss out on a few classic venues. This winter I've focused mostly on collecting elbow injuries i.e. bouldering and training, and have suddenly realised that I have at most a week or two to get to those venues before the birds do. Thus a last minute dash to Aberdeen last weekend, to meet with my SC2 partner in silver league, "Vulture", and KathrynC.

The Round Tower. It's mostly square.

Saturday was Round Tower. Non-birdy, reasonably sheltered, but cold air. When the sun briefly appeared it was great conditions, otherwise a little chilly for steep trad. But determination and peppermint tea kept us going. I did the superbly exposed Ramadan (the arete above!), the classic guidebook covertick of Tyrant Crack, and the funky wee wall climb of Silver Surfer. Brad also led the former two, and since Tyrant Crack was a longstanding wish of his, there was much satisfaction all round, culminating in a take-out curry and chocolate naan bread which I was too full to eat but made a great snack on...

These are Silkies. There were no Silkies at Silkie's Cliff.

...Sunday. Which was Silkie's Cliff. The original plan was to go to Arthur Fowlie and Silkie's, but incoming rain reduced our options to a quick hit. We still managed 5 routes total at sheltered Silkies, albeit the last one was finished in the rain. There was a silver lining to that particular sodden cloud, as despite the lack of Silkies, we did see porpoises. I was pleased with a good wee E3 route, Kathryn was pleased with her first VS of the season, and overall it was a good weekend. I'm hoping to get back up later in the week if the weather allows, as I'm still syked for Arthur Fowlie and Berrymuir / Red Band cliff. Fingers crossed!



Source:  fiendblog

[north_country_boy]

I've tried. Most climbers seem to be in their own groups already. I guess coming from Sheffield, things were bound to be very different up here.

TCA has improved the vibe a lot though.

Each to their own I suppose, but having made the same move 18months ago I actually think its a much friendly scene than Sheffield.

[comPiler]

Ardnamurchan Adventure.
16 April 2012, 6:16 pm



I was due to go to Ardnamurchan in 2009. Friends had a cottage booked but the last minute forecast showed consistent showers. I paid for my place and backed out gracefully. Seeing their photos later, it showered pretty much every day. I was also due to go at some other point with the Pylon King, but he begat the Pylon Prince and became fixated with Wye Valley esoterica (worrying even by my low standards). It's taken a long time to actually get there but I finally managed this weekend with a small Glasgow team. It also takes a long time to get there full stop: Easy to Glen Coe, fun across the Corran ferry micro-crossing, endlessly tedious on single track roads until the edge of the Scottish mainland. I'm grateful that Tom was driving. But once you get there, well...

...it's a fucking volcano!

It's pretty rad really. Climbing along the rim of a volcanic caldera, walking through the centre and seeing the crater arcing around you. All ancient and extinct of course??

Don't worry, it's only a heather fire, and it blew out fairly quickly on the second day. Funnily enough, I was in Wester Ross last April when the Torridon fires kicked off and drove through the glen as Liathach was on fire above a highly out-gunned lone fire engine, and now I was in Ardnamurchan this April for a smaller but no-doubt worrying hill fire. Coincidence?? Honestly, guv!

Day 1 was the drive-in day via an alpine start and "tolerable" coffee at the Green Welly stop, so the team decided to go for the accessible Achnaha buttress (10 o'clock on the rim). Shorter routes and a shorter walk-in, I'd wanted to go there anyway. To be honest it was pretty disappointing. The walk-in wasn't too short but the routes often were, as well as some obscure overgrading. Bondi Beach and Wheesht! were more substantial, and despite having a cold and pump-induced wobbler on the latter, I was chuffed to get it done as I'd seen a photo of the first ascent in On The Edge ages ago. Old inspiration being sated once again, which pleases me greatly.

Day 2 was the longer walk-in and longer routes of the Meall-An-thingy crags (1 o'clock on the rim), which require a stomp across most of the crater but are pleasingly adjacent once you're based there. Both the length of the walk and the routes were less than appeared, as a good track and only gentle undulations made the former fairly tolerable for me (I was trying walking poles for the first time and despite feeling like a complete dome using them, I think they do help, taking the edge of the exhaustion), and the curvacious crests of the crags made the routes taper off into easy ground fairly quickly. Not a venue for sustained mega-pitches, but vastly better than the "roadside" crag and a great gabbro experience in a lovely location.

The only downside was the peril of a less travelled venue, at least on the harder routes. I rattled off Up Pompei (above), and Mirka (which is interestingly photo-featured in SMC's Scottish Rock with the wrong route caption "Minky", not even mentioned in the text, and unspeakably bad beta in the photo, bravo), and fancied a sterner challenge so tried The Great Euchrite... This turned out to be only one full grade undergraded, but that grade makes the difference between certain groundfall from slopey 5c crux moves a fair way above an RP0 in a shallow seam even if the RP held which it wouldn't, and, well, not groundfall. I chose "not groundfall" and somewhat embarassingly had to be rescued from a small rest (rest....my feet and calves still hurt today) ledge. Somewhat letting the side down, but a useful lesson about maintaining wariness of such offpiste routes.

And that was that. Another cool venue explored. :)



Source:  fiendblog