[subseasniper]

Hey all.

So, I'm getting well into my bouldering and have been eyeing up a route known as 'Chewin the Fat' as a potential highball. Link below, it is route number 5.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7538425@N05/3848358258/#

It is six metres in height, slightly overthanging but my main concern is the landing kind of sucks. The platform at the base of the route is tidal and there is a seaweedy, crappy rockpool right below the climb.

I need to think long and hard before committing to this and am looking for some advice or pointers on my first proper highball experience.

My thoughts are to level off the rockpool at the foot of the route with some rocks so that I have a level and dry platform to put my boulder mat on. Also, the climbing here is pretty desperate and the route will need cleaning as it has hardly ever been climbed so there will be a bit of pre-inspection cleaning and playing around before I hit it highball style.

Unfortunately I only have access to one mat at the moment, a relatively new and in decent nick DMM Highball. Would this be adequate for a climb of this height if I have two decent spotters below me?

I am really keen to do this as I regularly do an easy five metre overhanging crag as a warm up and I love the feeling of climbing without ropes.

Any types as to approach, mindset etc would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

[SA Chris]

Looks like an ideal spot for a some rockpool siphoning! It's so hot right now.

Filling the pool with rocks may not improve the landing, if the rocks are too big it might make it worse, unless they are small pebbles that will make it flat enough to land on safely. Can you fill it in with some sand? I think TRing first is probably a prudent option;  given the E grade I would assume the crux is pretty high up. Once the landing is set though, with one good mat and a couple of decent spotters you should be OK, worth jumping off from a bit lower down a couple of times and getting a feel for what you are comfortable with falling off before going for it.

So where exactly are you based?

[slackline]

Wait for the tide to come in.

[Sasquatch]

A couple of thoughts. 

1.  This is already an established climb, so I personally wouldn't go messing around with the landing unless you plan on putting it back to its original state.  Find more mats, get more friends with Mats, find some lumber to put your mat on, etc., but in the end, leave it as you found it is how I try to operate.

2.  You have a personal choice to make between going down the headpoint vs. groundup style.  Each has something good about it, so don't get caught up in the better/worse style debate.  Alot of this will impact your decision on #1 and be impacted by what you can find/do for #1....

Good luck and have fun!!!!

[subseasniper]

Any 'improvements' I make to the landing will not be anything permanent. Any stones I chuck in will be sucked right out of there when the next big storm hits.

I am not particularly concerned about ethics, I will top rope it to get a feel for the moves and hang on an an rope for a bit to clean the holds.

Looks like good clean fun.

Any more tips / thoughts?

[erm, sam]

How about choosing a highball problem with a good landing for your

first proper highball experience

? If you are not sure how you will find it being high up on hard moves, finding out above a shit landing is perhaps not the best way.
If you don't know from experience the limits of your mats and spotters abilities then be careful not to bite off more than you can chew.

Any body else want advice from a scared old man, send an SAE with your question to:
My knees can't take any more,
P.O Box 6b,
Cheshire.

[Sasquatch]

Any 'improvements' I make to the landing will not be anything permanent. Any stones I chuck in will be sucked right out of there when the next big storm hits.

I am not particularly concerned about ethics, I will top rope it to get a feel for the moves and hang on an an rope for a bit to clean the holds.

Looks like good clean fun.

Any more tips / thoughts?

Makes sense to me.  Have fun!

[Johnny Brown]

Just build up to it carefully. If you don't fall off you won't get hurt...

[account_inactive]

Just build up to it carefully. If you don't fall off you won't get hurt...

Start small and then build as big a patio as possible....good advice from a man in the know.

[subseasniper]

Thanks for the tips guys. I haven't been climbing for a couple of weeks as I have gone man down with a viral chest infection. Once I get back in the game I reckon I will go for it. I often warm up on a five metre, juggy overhanging wall so I think I will be able to get my head round it all.

Me got me new shoes, me new boulder bucket but me ain't got two working lungs so me got to lie in bed pissed off.

[Gritlad]

Me got me new shoes, me new boulder bucket but me ain't got two working lungs so me got to lie in bed pissed off.

Have you got Me Julie?

[subseasniper]

Me got the fire, me got the water but me no got no paper cup