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Toru Returns
18 August 2010, 4:17 pm

The chatter and the banter have stopped abruptly and the only noise now is the sound of the sea gently washing against the rocks below. The three of us begin to watch silently. We peer through the viewfinders of our digital cameras, using them as filters against the reality that is unfolding before us. A sixteen-year-old Japanese schoolboy is beginning to solo the third ascent of a seriously under-graded Cornish granite arête. The crux is at the top and the landing is appalling. His footwork is ridiculously precise and he moves quickly up to the hardest moves. He pauses. We dare not utter the slightest whisper. Suddenly he screams. Two blood-curdling banzai shrieks. We all think that he has messed up the crux and that he will fall to be dashed on the rocks below. We hold our breaths. We are all very scared. Toru has returned.

 Toru NakaJima Soloing 'Storms Over Africa' E6 6b at Cribba Head, Cornwall, England    Copyright Alex Ekins Last August, the then unknown Toru Nakajima was found wandering alone amid the Dark Peak gritstone. He was 15-years-old and he had managed to flash Brad Pit, headpoint Gaia E8, Simba’s Pride E8 and Elm Street E8. Then on his last day he led Nocturnal Emission before finishing up Parthian Shot both E9 and then went on to climb Meshuga E9. All these routes were led with impeccable style with minimal practise in poor humid summer conditions. And to seal his place in British climbing history, he had soloed the first ascent of Black Out, anE9at Burbage South, one of gritstone’s last great problems.

Toru had now returned as a guest on the 2010 British Mountaineering Council International Sea Cliff Climbing Meet. The idea of the meet is to promote and in some cases introduce the world’s climbers to the British tradition of leader-placed protection. Internationally this style of climbing is becoming increasingly rare. Bolts are spreading and sports climbing is becoming the norm. British climbing is often seen as unnecessarily dangerous and somewhat crazy. However many countries, including Japan have a honourable non-bolted climbing tradition, and all they need is a little help to find their way back onto the true path.

The development of climbing in Japan initially followed a similar pattern to climbing in Britain. A strong tradition of mountaineering and alpinism was followed by Yosemite inspired rock-climbing development at the major crags. All of Japan’s classic routes were first climbed using leader-placed protection. In the eighties the popularity of French style sports climbing spread back to Japan. For a short while trad and sports climbing managed to exist comfortably alongside each other. However in the late eighties it all went terribly wrong and somehow all the trad routes in all the popular climbing areas were retro-bolted.

Toru Nakajima at 'Lanyon Quoit' Cornwall, England - Copyright Alex Ekins   In Cornwall, Toru was climbing with Keita Kanahara, a Japanese veteran of 15 separate routes on Yosemite’s El Capitan and new routes in Baffin. They are both in the vanguard of a very small minority of Japanese climbers who are now beginning to fight back against the indiscriminate drilling. Some bolts have been removed but they are soon replaced and the battle continues. In Japan, where Toru is seen as a bit of a mutant, he has gained a huge amount of publicity for last summers exploits on the grit. As an 8c+ climber on bolts Toru is now determined to use his talents and fame to advocate and promote what he believes to be the higher cause of traditional climbing.

At Cribba Head, Toru soon set to work with a solo of the controversial and possibly under-graded Storms Over Africa. Originally climbed by Mark Rowlands with a drilled peg. Shane Ohly removed the peg and made a ground-up solo repeat. The guidebook grade is E6 6b, Toru said it felt like an E8. Then Mark Edward’s 1994 E9, Question Mark, was quickly tried on a top-rope. Despite initially being mislead by the incorrect sequence depicted in the set-up photo in the Edwards guide, Toru made all the moves on his second go and would have undoubtedly led the third ascent if we hadn’t run out of time.

Sennen now became the focus of Toru’s attention. A head-point of Let The River Live E6 6b,was followed by a look at 29 Palms. Rowland and Mark Edwards, originally climbed this route in 1987, using four pegs for protection. The peg holes were subsequently retro-drilled and the pegs renewed, before the pegs were finally removed. Toru was quickly ready for the lead after a quick look on a top-rope. Unfortunately the tide came in and he was unable to climb the route without his belayer drowning. Toru however seemed happy to stare at the sea for the rest of the day before soloing Hell Hath No Fear, an E7 6c with possibly the most body mangling landing at Sennen.

Toru nakajima soloing 'Hell Hath No Fear' E7 6c, Sennen, Cornwall, England - Copyright Alex Ekins   The next morning Toru prepared himself to lead 29 Palms. He did his usual thing of wandering off alone for an hour, before rushing back, quickly tying on and getting straight onto the route. However, unknown to the trembling spectators, Toru had decided not to place any protection in the drilled peg holes. This meant there were only four poor runners on the whole length of the 20-metre route. Toru placed the first two brass offsets so low that they offered no protection. He then moved smoothly up to place the third offset, the only runner protecting the long 6c crux sequences. With the brass wire firmly set, Toru composed himself before juddering up into the crux moves and smoothly kicking out the crucial runner, which then slithered down to rest atop the useless lower wires. The crux was now completely unprotected. There was absolutely no hesitation, Toru just carried on as coolly as ever. He said later that he couldn’t reverse the moves so he just got on with it. A final runner on easy ground near the top completed the formalities. The grade is a very conservative E8 6c.

Toru Nakajima climbing with the four pieces of equipment he used on his ascent of '29 Palms' E8 6c - Copyright Alex Ekins  After a brief and cursory rest, Toru then moved rightwards and easily on-sighted Tears of a Clown, a reachy E7 6b, before ending his brief Cornish visit with an on-sight of Pinch The Egyptian E6 6c.

At the end of the week, I asked Toru how he had managed to get time off from his school exams to travel to Cornwall to climb hard and dangerous routes. He just grinned and said he had bunked-off. Toru had just pulled the ultimate sickie.



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Portmeirion
29 August 2010, 1:46 pm

 

The approach is undoubtedly Welsh. You roll and ride your way through an old land that brims with tradition and independence. There is green and ancient woodland with oak, yew and hawthorn, slate grey houses that glisten like no others when wet, vast dark quarries with their owners houses looming huge on hillsides. The roads lead us to the sea and glimpses of water begin to be seen. You pass by the town of Penrhyndeudraeth and here begins a subtle anticipation, accentuated by the approach drive enclosed by trees and the cawing Rooks above. The entrance buildings are small and plain, dark in the woodland. Sensory deprivation before the shock of arrival. You enter and then it’s there. Towers and villas and statues. Mermaids, Shakespeare, Nelson and St Peter. Colour, shape and proportion. Not a single uniformity. You are in North Wales yet you are in an Italianate village fresh with breezes from Ireland. The incongruity is undoubtedly odd and it should be all wrong but somehow it works and you are amazed.

Portmeirion – Copyright Alex Ekins    Portmeirion is a made up name for a made up place. Far more up and down than you might have imagined, larger yet compacter, stranger and more wondrous. Despite what its detractors may say, Portmerion compliments the Snowdonia landscape; the vigourous ups and downs, a vista that excites and inspires. A landscape of architecture that draws the eye to everything between the sea and the sky. Some may mock the colours and say they have no place in Wales. However the pinks and purples of Portmeirion exist in the sunsets across the Irish sea. The blues are reflected up from the waters of Tremadog Bay and down from the mountain fringed sky. The greens and browns are there vivid in the hills of Gwynedd. Not one colour cannot be found in the surrounding countryside at dusk and dawn.

Portmeirion - Copyright Alex Ekins    

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Rab Photon Jacket
7 November 2010, 7:57 pm

I have long been a fan of jackets filled with synthetic insulation as an alternative to fleece. They are lighter, warmer, more wind-proof and dry quickly.  They also layer extremely well, with two jackets providing a great warmth to weight ratio and they allow greater freedom of movement due to the slippery shell material providing less friction.

I took a Mountain Equipment Fitzroy to the Rwenzori mountains in Uganda, it performed OK but wasn’t as warm as I would have liked. However while photographing the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race in Chile I used the Fitzroy layered with a Montane Prism. This proved to be a killer combination and both jackets keep me warm while stood around for hours in the wet and wildly windy Patagonian conditions. However the Prism wasn’t very durable, with the zip failing and the stitching coming undone in one of the pockets. More recently I had been using a Patagonia Micro Puff for pretty much everything, and it performed very well.



However I have just got hold of a Rab Photon Hoody Jacket and there are some subtle differences between the two jackets which on paper have almost identical specs. For a start the Rab, despite having 33g more insulation, is lighter than the Patagonia jacket. I guess this due to the Rab having a Pertex shell and lining rather than nylon. The cut of the both jackets is good. The Rab does has a more technical design with the hood and collar being particularly good. The collar is high and snug with a micro-fleece lining. The hood is enormous, easily fitting over a helmet and has a wired rim which enables it to be worn under a waterproof jacket hood without it slipping over your eyes and restricting vision.

I have now been wearing the Photon for instructing rock-climbing, supervising children on their Duke of Edinburgh silver expedition, while camping in late October and for outdoor photography in a variety of weather conditions. To conclude the Rab is a warm, well-designed, quick drying synthetic jacket with a great hood.

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Tom Randall Climbs One Infinity 8b+
15 November 2010, 10:39 pm

Click here to view the embedded video.

My cheapo cameras, Adam’s film-making genius and Tom’s outstanding climbing.

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall talk about soloing Ray’s Roof
18 November 2010, 1:49 am

As many people know, the first ascent of Ray’s Roof was done by the visiting American, Ray Jardine. A pioneer of hard, burly cracks in the USA, it was no surprise that he managed to put up a “real fighter” on God’s own rock. Much like many of his rarely repeated US offwidths, he gave his Baldstones route a fairly modest grade of 5.11c, which comes in around E4. I’m guessing that he never ventured over to Ramshaw to see how Ramshaw Crack (at the same grade, but not difficulty!) compared…. Over the following decades, Ray’s Roof saw the odd repeat by local obsessives and crack deviants. However, it wasn’t until Dawes, Plant, Speed and Woodward decided to have a very public tussle with this roof crack (As shown in the Dawes film Best Forgotten Art) that the route really began to build a reputation. These demi-gods were thoroughly shut down and shut out – even the enigmatic Dawes with his 3D (or is that 4D??!) brain couldn’t work out an appropriate sequence. Tales of hidden pebbles, gardening glove ascents and missing chockstones only added to the mystery of yet another desperate Jardine test-piece.

Pete Whittaker's taped hands after his solo of Ray's Roof - Copyright Alex Ekins It wasn’t until myself and Pete Whittaker headed over to the Baldstones to climb Ray’s Roof in 2008, that the spell of this route started to break. After working out a more reasonable sequence of moves and passing these on to other local climbers, a number of stylish ascents followed over the next couple of years. Hearing of even the crimp-master personified – Ryan Pasquill – ascend this beauty, we knew it was time to set the next challenge. No ropes, no cams…. just some pads, friends and a load of finger tape.

Pete and I have described each other’s ascents, so you can tell what’s going on inside the twisted mind of an offwidther. It’s not pretty, it’s not very complimentary and it’s certainly not fair. Enjoy:

Tom Randall Talks about Pete Whittakers solo of Ray’s Roof So here we were again, sat underneath Ray’s Roof. Our last soloing attempt had been aborted over a year ago after I’d catapulted over Pete’s mum’s head in an over-eager handjam dyno and the winds had picked up to near hurricane levels…. This time though, it was going to be different; we’d spent countless hours hanging by our feet in offwidths around Europe and picked off most of the hardest that anyone could throw at us. We felt confident.

Pete Whittaker soloing Ray's Roof - Copyright Alex Ekins Pete stepped up to the plate first, mainly because I let him. Mostly with these tough offwidths it’s best to let your adversary go first as they’ll waste untold amounts of energy working the beta out for you and perfectly lining all the best jams with chalk. Unfortunately, Pete looked really rather at ease on his warm-up attempt and pushed straight on for the leg-jam rest. As he’s quite a bit weaker than me, he tends to hang around on his feet considerably more, so my hands rubbed in glee as I watched him slowly look more tired in this position.

As with most offwidths, it’s a considerable advantage to have small knees and large fists; something Pete is extremely well endowed with. Obviously as this makes most offwidths hugely easier for him, I try to employ ample amounts of tight rope (so he can’t move up), bad beta (so he falls off), spit in his chalk (for poor friction) and demoralising shouts (come on Pete, just fall off so we can all go home…). He was too fast for me this time though – my calls of “it’s starting to rain” and “I think I’ve just seen a buzzard nesting in the break” did little to stifle his enthusiastic jams through the crux. Damn, he’d just made the first solo ascent; as a bloody warm-up.

Pete Whittaker after soloing Ray's Roof - Copyright Alex Ekins   Pete Whittaker talks about Tom Randalls solo of Ray’s Roof We were back – taping up at the bottom of Ray’s pondering the best way to start it.

Without the “Staffordshire Reach” it is impossible to reach into the good part of the crack from the good foot and hand holds and so most people who live outside of Staffordshire have to find a different way to get into the crack. Some things just aren’t fair are they?!

Tom Randall below Ray's Roof - Alex Ekins As Tom can actually only jam, he couldn’t use my safer crimp beta to get into the crack. As a result he had to take the bolder flake approach on the left, which seeing as though he is getting on a bit, I thought was a fine effort. This approach is fine when leading the route, but when soloing it could probably leave you over at Gib Torr if you got it wrong, as it involves a massive cut loose and swing from a horizontal position with your head actually slightly lower then your feet.

After getting through this section without any of the mishaps of last time, which involved a dismount face first into the grass slope, he crossed the roof section with relative ease. On approaching the lip he realised the offwidth genetics that had been passed on by his mother and father were all wrong and his mini-fists didn’t fit too well, so had to drop off for a re-think and more importantly – a re-tape.



Tom Randall soloing Ray’s Roof – Copyright Alex Ekins      After re-doing his tape job, which now looked more like a plaster cast, he set off again. On reaching the lip he managed to get a better seated jam, went hunting for dung at the back of the crack and pushed on. After a lot of shuffling, followed by some well executed randy humping, he found himself halfway round the lip with a dodgy knee jam. I gave no sympathy to him here as he does have skinny knees (a useful offwidthing tool) so watched and went for the arms folded, classic “British Spotting Technique” as he struggled to get a knee jam seated properly and grunt up to the top.

With relief and “an emotional experience” he eventually landed himself on the funnel and left the Staffordshire boys standing at the bottom with their chins on the floor.

Copyright Words – Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall  Copyright Pictures – Alex Ekins

Pete Whittaker is supported by Wild Country, Five Ten and Patagonia. Tom Randall and Alex Ekins are supported by Wild Country, Red Chili, Rab and Podsacs.



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Scottish Winter Climbing Film
23 November 2010, 7:52 pm

Good film here from Petzl showing some Scottish Winter ice and mixed climbing. Always nice to see some Ben Nevis action and especially nice if it’s footage of the speedy Swiss running boy Ueli Steck repeating Andy Turner’s grade X The Secret.

Click here to view the embedded video.



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Four Portraits
2 December 2010, 8:59 pm

Glen Plake - Copyright Alex Ekins Leo Holding - Copyright Alex Ekins Timmy O'Neill - Copyright Alex Ekins Andy Parkin - Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall climb new E7 and E8
9 January 2011, 9:46 pm

Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall are well known for their new routes, however in December 2010 they excelled themselves by finding new routes at a totally new crag. Following a tip-off from the new route master himself Gary Gibson, the young apprentices fought their way through a jungle of rhododendrons to discover Rainroach Rock and what might be one of the largest roofs on gritstone.

Tom Randall explains how they found the crag .

At a Peak Area Meeting some time ago I got chatting to Gary Gibson about new crags and new routes to be developed in the Churnet region. Quite surprisingly, he actually gave me a rather good tip-off about this place called Rainroach Rock. Mostly people tend to give you pretty duff suggestions for new routes as they always want to keep the best to themselves, but Gary (all credit to him) really came up with the goods.

After trekking through quite a bit of dense woodland and the dreaded Rhododendron bushes we eventually found the fabled Rainroach Rock. As promised, the crag was totally obscured by vegetation, so we got work with a load of bow-saws and cleared a substantial area of land. Once cleaned up a bit, we were greeted with a really awesome bit of rock – perfect Churnet grit, capped with a massive horizontal 7-foot roof! Pete started working on the left hand arete and I got stuck into the main roof on the right hand side. After a day’s top-roping, brushing and cleaning Pete had worked out his sequences but I was getting totally shut down by an impossible reach on my line.  That night I had a strange dream that revealed a new sequence to me – this could be possible! I’ve had dreams like this before (probably like many people) and they always turn out to be useless – the pocket you imagined in your dream is never there or the hidden foothold really doesn’t exist…. However, as it turned out – the new dream sequence worked!! I couldn’t believe it. Just as we were preparing to lead our routes, the hoar frost set in and yet again we had to leave the Churnet empty handed. I fretted for the next 4 days of snowy weather wondering if Andi Turner would turn up and use his Staffordshire reach or Gary would snatch his 4 millionth route from under my nose… God, the worry was killing me. New router’s paranoia!!     Fortunately we returned on Friday to find perfect conditions. A quick check of our routes from the comfort of a tight rope confirmed they were ready to go, so we later dispatched them that day. My route features a huge cut loose move across the roof and a bit of spicy climbing up the final arete, which was very enjoyable – this created ‘Captain Cut Loose’ probably about E7 6c. Pete crimped and gnarled his way up the very bold lower arete of his route and ran it out on the upper headwall to create a desperate E8 7a – ‘Pieces Of Eight’.  Below is a very short film of Pete Whittaker climbing the 7a crux of ‘Pieces of Eight’

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pete’s thoughts on his ascent of ‘Pieces Of Eight’

As soon as I walked round the corner and Rainroach Rock appeared I knew I had to climb the square cut overhanging left arete below the big capping roof. The line just stuck out like a sore thumb. The lower moves on the arete are very bouldery, fortunately it was very much my style of climbing with lots of gypsy beta involved and some hard heel hooking. The moves are very on/off with some bad slopers and a couple of classic churnet pebbles (however if taller you may well be able to reach past them, lucky you!). Unfortunately the landing to the route is not very appetizing, it slopes away and has a tree stump exactly where you would land. I used a few rododendron cuttings and pads to create a bedodendron, making the start more appealing.  After a few false starts I managed to get up the start, pumped myself out on the easier slopey headwall and thankfully topped out. It turned out to be a lovely little route on a great looking piece of rock.  

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Two Of My Favourite Things
25 January 2011, 4:02 pm

The 2011 edition of the Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race begins in early February and is undoubtably the toughest race of it’s kind in the world. I photographed and wrote about the race in 2009 when the British team won the event for the first time. My pictures from the 2009 race are here – http://alexekins.photoshelter.com/gallery/Wenger-Patagonian-Expedition-Race/G0000Tk8nH0_eWwM/

Clif Bars, Bloks and a Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race Buff - Copyright Alex Ekins The British competitors are hoping to win for the third time and are now called Team AdidasTERREX and are sponsored by Clif Bars. I am lucky enough to be a Clif Bar Brand Ambassador so it seems an opportune moment to post the picture above that I took on the recent Team AdidasTERREX media training day.

Clif Bar website here - http://www.clifbar.co.uk/

Team AdidasTERREX – http://teamadidasterrex.com/

More info on the Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race here – http://www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com/



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Three British Mountain Guides
2 February 2011, 5:51 pm

Alan Kimber - Copyright Alex Ekins Allen Fyffe - Copyright Alex Ekins Mal Creasey - Copyright Alex Ekins

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A Nice Day Out On Ben Nevis
13 March 2011, 11:53 am

Myself and Three Jagged Globe Clients on Ben Nevis - Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Gobbler’s Roof – The UK’s Hardest Offwidth
19 March 2011, 11:10 am

Tom Randall Climbing 'Gobbler's Roof' E7 6c at Harbrough Rocks - Copyright Alex Ekins Tom Randall Climbing ‘Gobbler’s Roof’ E7 6c at Harbrough Rocks. The UK’s hardest off-width. First ascent by Pete Whittaker. The grade does not truly represent the difficulty of this route. The training for this route required 100,000 sit ups, ten hours of heel/toe deadhanging and one visit to a campus board. Objectively this route is two grades harder than Ray’s Roof.

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Inspiration Dedication
3 April 2011, 4:00 pm

Pete Whittaker on the first ascent of ‘Inspiration Dedication’ E7 6c in the Burbage South quarries near Sheffield, England.

The landing is appalling and there is no protection until the huge detached flake near the top.

Click here to view the embedded video.



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Ice-Fishing in Sapmi
19 April 2011, 1:13 pm



Ice-Fishing Sami style in Sapmi. Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Pod Sac Alpine 50
3 April 2011, 6:26 pm

My first rucsac was a Karrimor Jaguar. It set the standard for pretty much all of my rucsac choices ever since – big and simple, no side pockets, fixed back, with limited fixtures and fittings. I then had a very minimal red Troll Trolltind sac that I used for rock climbing for years and years. It was utterly indestructible, you could have cut it up for abseil slings. I have since used Karrimor Alpinistes, a great Mountain Equipment sac, a Macpac that I didn’t like at all, a Crux AK47 which I sold on almost immediately, and a ridiculously lightweight Golite Pac which I have used in Borneo, on Kilmanjaro and in the Rwenzori mountains.

 

I was a little late in catching on to the cult of Pod. Originally hand-made in Sheffield, Pod Sacs gained a reputation for good design with no superfluous frills and an incredibly durablility.  My first was a Escape Pod, which I have used as a crag sac for over 10 years and I still use for carrying my photography kit for rock climbing shoots. I now own four Pod Sacs – my original Escape Pod, the excellent Black Ice (one of the best all-round rucsacs available), a Tear Drop (which a friend embarassingly described as looking good for shopping in Sheffield) and now the Alpine 50 which have been using continuously over the last six months, throughout the Scottish winter while working for Jagged Globe and as an mountaineering instructor training and assessing on the Single Pitch Award, Walking Group Leader and Mountain Leader Award.

Pod describe the Alpine 50 as a lightweight pack honed for the alpine environment. Functional, weather resistant and can be stripped down to suit the needs of the lightweight alpinist.

• Roll top closure provides weather resistance and gives secure closure even when the lid is stripped.
• Tapered profile allows good freedom of movement and easy packing.
• Extendable / Quick release lid with internal and external pockets.
• Thermoformed back panel with closed cell foam sheds snow and does not absorb water.
• Removable internal framesheet and alloy stave for support.
• Removable load bearing hip belt with gear loops for racking.
• Internal light grey PU coating increases weather resistance and aids viewing of contents.
• Ice axe / walking pole / ski pole carrying system.
• External wand pockets constructed from ultra-tough leno mesh.
• Rope carrying loop.
• Front and rear haul loops.
• Internal pocket and hose outlet for hydration system.
• Seams triple stitched and bound.
• Internally bar tacked stress points.

The first thing I noticed about this sac was that it is very light (1.6kg / 0.85kg stripped). It is quite narrow and has a roll-top closure that will provide protection to contents when the lid is removed. The lid has two zipped pockets, one with a key clip. The sides have compression straps and mesh wand pockets with when used together can carry equipment such as ski-poles, ice-axes, etc.

I started off using the Alpine sac as I received it, with the removable lid attached and all the straps and clips in place, however as the Winter progressed I removed and cut off more and more. It is now stripped down to its barest bones. The narrowness of the sac allows great freedom of movement and you can swing your arms about in all directions without any restrictions. The fixed  back system is simple with pre-curved shoulder straps, a removable waist belt with gear loops and a chest strap. The system works very well, is secure while climbing and is undoubtably the comfiest and best fitting rucsac I have ever worn.

To conclude this a versatile rucsac that continues and expands upon the great Pod heritage. While designed for and eminently suitable for Alpine and Scottish winter  mountaineering, the PodSac Alpine range is also excellent for hill-walking and as rock-climbing sac.

 

 

 

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Cold
9 May 2011, 10:05 pm



Quite possibly the best mountaineering film trailer I have ever seen…..

Click here to view the embedded video.

 

 

 

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Tom Randall at Burbage South Boulders
18 May 2011, 6:53 pm



Off-width master Tom Randall demonstrating immaculate technique on the gritstone boulders at Burbage South in the Peak District National Park

 

Tom Randall - Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Pete Whittaker on Melvyn Bragg
20 May 2011, 2:10 pm



Off-width master Pete Whittaker goes both feet first on Melvyn Bragg V8 at Ramshaw Rocks, Peak District National Park

Off-width master Pete Whittaker on Melvyn Bragg - Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Wild Country Karabiners
22 May 2011, 9:39 pm



Some lovely Wild Country karabiners under construction in North Wales

Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Johnny Dawes Autobiography
4 August 2011, 5:06 pm

 Johnny Dawes in Sheffield working on his autobiography - Copyright Alex Ekins Rumours concerning a Johnny Dawes autobiography have been circulating for a number of years. Johnny would be seen in cafes throughout the land scribbling in notebooks and on scraps of paper. Strange drawing and symbols might be glimpsed. Sometimes wonderful snippets and passages would be read aloud. Some said that it would never be finished and others that it would be unpublishable.

Well it does exist and I’ve read some of it. It’s all we would hope for and expect from Johnny. It’s funny and frank. Historic, strange and illuminating. And yes it will be published. Soon……..Johnny Dawes outside Cafe ?9 - Copyright Alex Ekins

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Fig-Four vs Schmoolz
11 August 2011, 10:46 pm

Ever since the invention of ice-climbing, climbers have devised methods for training for the specific skills needed to ascend snow, ice and mixed. Trees have been climbed with axes and crampons. Rock has been abused. Grivel used to sell plastic picks to retro fit to existing axes. Rope Race had a foam sheet, the Beacon Climbing centre in North Wales had a dedicated dry-tooling area and most successfully The Ice Factor in Kinlochleven uses walls of real ice.

However driving to Scotland to train isn’t always practical and over the last few year two similar pieces of equipment have been developed that offer a more convenient method for getting strong for your attempt on those steep Northern Corries mixed routes or for your visit to Vail.

The idea is so simple it’s strange that no one has thought of it before. A bent bit of wood designed to mimic a modern ice-axe handle with a thin rubber loop at the pick end for hooking over the existing holds on a normal climbing wall. These training aids allow climbers to accurately replicate the actions of steep winter climbing indoors, without damaging the holds or base panels of existing climbing surfaces. The design allows climbers to train at their local climbing wall or at home on their cellars or woodies.

Both the Figfours and the Schmoolz use the same principle but with some subtle differences between the two devices

Alpkit Figfour

The original and award winning design. Developed from an idea first imagined in 2004. The Figfours are beautifully engineered, It is obvious that a lot of care and thought has gone into making the Figfours as good as they can be. The wooden handle is comfy and can be hung onto without discomfort for extended periods of training. The handles offer less support than the Schmoolz but that does mean you get pumped sooner but consequently stronger quicker. The large rubber loop fits easily over larger holds but also grips well on smaller crimps.

www.alpkit.com/dryice £65 + free postageDan Bradley using the Alpkit FigFours at The Works bouldering wall in Sheffield - Copyright Alex EkinsSchmoolz

The Schmoolz are a copy of the Figfours but with some subtle differences. Most immediately obvious is that the handles are shaped to resemble a modern leash-less axe. This means that the Schmoolz are easier to hold onto. The handles are also thinner which will suit climbers with smaller hands and the children who tried them preferred the Schmoolz over the Figfours. However some people found that the pronounced curve at the bottom of the Schmoolz handle meant that a lot of weight was directed onto the little finger, which became slightly painful after extended use.

www.schmoolz.com £60 + £5 postageTom Randall using Schmoolz at The Edge climbing wall in Sheffield – Copyright Alex Ekins

Conclusion

It’s obvious that both the Figfours and the Schmoolz do pretty much the same thing. I preferred the Figfours but having said that, I don’t think the difference between the two devices is that great and I’m sure that climbers would be perfectly happy with whichever of the two tools they buy. Both are available to buy online.

Thanks to Virgin Active Sheffield, The Edge, The Works, Dan Bradley, Tom Randall and Ed Chard at The Association of Mountaineering Instructors.



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Three Politicians
6 September 2011, 3:00 pm



George Galloway - Copyright Alex Ekins

Nick Clegg - Copyright Alex Ekins

Charles Kennedy - Copyright Alex Ekins

 

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Wide Boyz USA Begins
13 September 2011, 1:31 am

Two years ago on the Greek island of Kalymnos a fiendish plan was devised. Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, while happily clipping bolts on a sun kissed sports climbing paradise, decided to climb the worlds hardest wide cracks. These wider fissures are described as offwidth and demand a brutal technique.  If sports climbing is two people in helmets hitting each other with soft foam covered cudgels in the TV show Gladiators, climbing offwidths is a no rules, bare knuckled fight in a Northern English pub car park.

 Back in the UK, construction began under Tom’s Sheffield home. They built wide cracks of wood, splintered offwidths, a sit up bar and, as demonstrated by Tom in the photograph below, the ‘The Hastonator’. A brutal training regime began. The tally of pain and dedication currently stands at 17,510ft of hand-fist stacking, more than 250,000 core conditioning movements, 42,300 pull-ups and bicep curls and 15hrs 45 mins of dish holds.











Hard UK offwidths began to be repeated, Ray’s Roof was soloed and a new route created with the industrial ‘Gobblers Roof’, now the UK’s hardest offwidth. A trip to Europe last summer resulted in repeats of Thai Boxing, Gloves of War and The Impossible Crack. And now the next stage begins. Wyoming’s Vedauwoo, Utah’s deserts, Indian Creek and Zion beckon.

So where do I fit into all this? Well in four hours I get on a plane to Salt Lake City to join Tom and Pete and to continue documenting their travails and tribulations. I’ll be blogging here and on the Rab blog, photographing for Climber and doing loads of  filming. Tom and Pete are blogging at Wide Boyz. Enjoy.

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Wide Boyz in Vedauwoo Part One
18 September 2011, 6:30 pm

We made it Vedauwoo. Here’s a quick taster of some of the bouldering that was squeezed in between the rain. The weather has improved now and Tom and Pete are getting ready to crush. More news to follow soon.Pete Whittaker on 'Life Without Parole' V5 at the Dungeon in Vedauwoo. Tom Randall on 'Desiderata' V5 Legendary American wide crack masters Brad Jackson and Justin Edl taping up beneath 'Squat' at Vedauwoo Pete Whittaker on 'The Warden (long version)' V7 at the Dungeon, Vedauwoo

Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog

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Wide Boyz Banner
21 September 2011, 6:13 pm

The team at Vertebrate Graphics have made a fantastic promotional banner to help promote our USA Wide Boyz  road trip.



Source: ALEX EKINS » Blog