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First Tor Outing of the Year
31 March 2012, 9:28 pm

Hi, I have decided to start a blog to record what I have been up to climbing wise and to share beta and information with other climbers. After years of snooping at other climber's blogs I thought it would be cool to actually write down some of my experiences. I have kept up an 8a.nu profile for the last 12 years which I will keep up, see http://www.8a.nu/Index.aspx?CountryCode=GBR. No trad on there but don't worry, all the juicy details will be splashed over here!

So down to business, today was the first day of the Tor season for me. After hearing of tales of Mecca being ticked it was time to get involved. Psyche has been high for grit bouldering this winter with highlights for me being Zorev, Brass Monkeys, Sole Power and other easier stuff. I decided to stick to the Peak this year and have only been over to Llandudno to the Cave once so far. Three years ago, my last full season in the Peak before leaving Manchester to work in Jersey and Dorset for 2 years, I was going to the Orme every weekend but I decided this time to focus on some unfinished business on the gritstone, which has been great. Finishing old projects means starting new ones which keep it interesting and climbing on grit regularly certainly helps with strength, I feel wiped out after a good session on the grit!

I got on Make it Funky after warming up and chatting to all the regulars. It had certainly not got any easier since I had 2 sessions on it in October 2009. Back then I linked a few of the upper moves together so I was keen to see if I could make some headway.The bottom traverse was wet so I tried the middle bulge which is a burly Font 7c. To be honest it felt desparate but I knew that would be the case, I was only going on it to try the moves and to see if my ring finger still fitted into the mono after I hyperextended it and broke it in Ceuse last summer. It fits but not quite as well as before and I couldn't do the mono move after two goes.  Not to worry, I will put this one on the back burner, try and tick some other easier routes and maybe come back to this later in the year. My goals for the spring/ summer are K3 at the Cornice, Full Tilt at Kilnsey and Idefix at Malham. Best get to it!

After the Tor, I went to Gardoms where The Gritstone Treaty was ticked, a nice Font 7b with another mono, not that scary actually with 4 pads. Then I had a go on Heartland, a short Font 7c which is a bit low youth! If this is 7c then the Make it Funky crux is certainly the same grade. I got close but no cigar.

So, that wasn't too hard setting out my first blog post, see more like this soon!



Source: Ted's Blog

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Dartmoor Hit
7 April 2012, 8:39 pm

Hi I thought I would update you on my last couple of outdoor missions. Last sunday I was up at Kilnsey at a freakishly dry crag trying Full Tilt. I refreshed all the moves since my last go on it nearly 3 years ago and did some good links. I need to invest in a knee pad for that top kneebar but I managed to find a slightly easier method for that killer last move!

After a good couple of training sessions down at Stockport wall I felt in decent shape for the weekend's exploits. A trip down south to Devon to visit family gave me the opportunity for a quick visit to my favourite south west crag, Bonehill Rocks. I have been coming here since 1997 and have gradually worked my way up the grades, ticking a lot of the classics along the way. I was stoked to do Tsunami about 2 months ago and meant to return to finish off The Wave Traverse, the rightwards finish to this, without finishing up the Wave, a classic V6. Check out Dave Henderson's excellent online topos for further detail: http://javu.co.uk/Climbing/Guides/DartmoorBouldering/Bonehill/ After trying my original beta on Tsunami for 45 mins, I had an epiphany and thinking back to Dave doing Tsunami in Gone West, I revised my sequence to crossing through on the crimps and spanning to the slot rather than cranking on the bear claw. It worked and the problem went down next go, another one off the list! Then I tried Floater, an unrepeated V9 following a higher break to the Wave Traverse, quality climbing but ti was unfortunately born without a landing in the initial moves!

After looking at a crimpy sidepull left of the Wave I thought that was maybe something John Gaskins could pull on. I didn't look totally impossible so I tried to envision how you could pull on such a hold. Surprisingly, it proved to be simpler than I first thought and the problem went at a lowly V6. I named it Rip Curl to fit in with the nautical theme of this sector. The link from Tsumani may bump it up to V9. Check this video I made. Peace out.

 



Source: Ted's Blog

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Jura Calling
23 April 2012, 8:12 pm

Heyup this will be my last blog post before my upcoming 12 day trip to the Frankenjura with my good homie Ethan Walker! The last couple of weeks have mainly been hitting the plastic for some intense training sessions but I have managed to get out on zee rock a few times. I have invested in a new camera that takes sick HD movies so watch this space for some forthcoming productions from Germany soon! Check out this vid of Mossatrocity stand start I made to test the thing out. I managed to work out the bottom moves but the full link will have to wait til May when get back. Hopefully it won't be too hot for the odd grit tick then.

The weekend before last I managed to work out Ben's Sidewall at Gardoms finally with Ethan. Camming your foot between the ledge and the underside of the roof seemed to take 3 grades off the problem and it went from practically impossible to easy in about 2 minutes, that's grit for you! I tried Heartland again and nearly managed to link this, doing the crux move for the first time but the next move after slapping up for the slopers on top of the boulder proved elusive.

Just a few words on training, how do you train for a trip involving hard bouldering with a rope on? Well, I have been doing 2 - 3 hour bouldering sessions mixed up with route sessions with between 10 - 13 tie ins. Never less than 10 tie ins is the golden rule! Stockport Wall has been great for this as the problems are cool, challenging and long too. The routes are also good - keeping the fitness topped up has been key for me this year, I feel fitter at this stage than usual, remember its not all about power folks!

When I get back from the Jura, it will finally be time to hit the lime so I intend to get involved up at Malham, Kilnsey and the Tor. Psyched to check out a new area on this trip and sample some German cake and beer too. Keep it real!



Source: Ted's Blog

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Jura Report
24 May 2012, 10:09 pm



Hi well I have been back in the UK for a couple of weeks now and the awesome trip we just had to the Jura has just about sunk in! It was such an amazing time, with so many cool experiences on and off the rocks that there will not be space to record it all on here. Hopefully these pictures will give a flavour of the holiday. I managed to get my 3 hardest climbs of the trip on video somehow so here they are, enjoy, beta available upon request! So, this ain't no war and peace epic, maybe more text next time, I've kinda busy since I got back.

A big shout out to our wonderful host Tanja who put us up and provided the full Bavarian experience, beer and schnitzel included!

Catch u soon folks! Peace

Slimline 8a+

Inquisition 8a

Leftfield 8a

Selected pics:





























Source: Ted's Blog

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Taking Stock
7 July 2012, 11:04 pm

Well its been a while since my last post I thought I would wait until i had something to write about. Since coming back from the Jura in May I have been trying to keep it real on the Peak/ Yorkshire crags. First up was Climb of the Century at Malham which I tried with Keefe Murphy. He gave me some excellent beta and I managed to find some tweaks to the beta myself keeping my feet very low to avoid the heinous looking move on the cover of the last guide! It was a close run thing on the redpoint as i had to improvise the top slab with extremely pumped arms, luckily I made it!

Next I got stuck into my projects Idefix at Malham and Full Tilt at Kilney. Idefix was going well before the recent deluge with a new highpoint being reached with 2 moves to go before easy ground, although these are the redpoint crux. I have found taping up whilst working the crux moves off the very sharp pocket seems to work in saving your skin as 3 years ago, I had to stop this route when nearly ready to redpoint it as I had a pretty bad puncture wound on the side of my finger, I still have the scar! Dave showed me some great new beta on Full Tilt going direct past the fourth bolt where i have always gone (desparately) right on a big detour. It involves a crazy flag move and a tiny LH sidepull so you don't have to make the huge reach off the undercut, which I am too short to span. So, this one is prepped ready for when the crags ever dry out.

After work evening sessions are in full swing right now and I used the time to get Chimes wired again so I could have a crack at Waddage. I managed to link from the end of the roof to the jump move OK so it all came down to the dyno. I sessioned this and got it wired in the end but it is a really physical leap from a massive hold. If it was on Minus 10 it would be V5 I reckon. With the rest out right, you are basically climbing two routes (8a+ with a 7c/7c+ on top after the rest). As others have said, it is a bit of a psycological battle up there as you don't want to blow it after doing chimes. On the redpoint, I managed to get through the bottom OK and it all came together up high after a 10 min rest in the break.

I bagged off Idefix due to the state of the crag and switched it up by trying Overnite. I had always saved this for the flash but realised that this was perhaps being optimistic. It nearly went down in a session but I missed a key hold on the top flag move (which incidentally is one of the funkiest I have done on the catwalk, very cool) and fell off this on redpoint. I went back the other week to seal the deal and was lucky to be able to redpoint it past a wet sidepull by the fourth bolt which I had to towel dry and chalk on redpoint.

Since then I have done Ring of Fire at the Tor, which is one of the last ones on the right wing at a reasonable grade I haven't done. Here is an impromptu vid of the ascent, not the greatest quality but which will offer some beta if nothing else. Remember, stay right of the bolts at the top, don't use the minging slopers by the bolt!

Last weekend, I tried the Inch Test and nearly stuck the sidepull on the crimpy english 7a move but no cigar, this will have to wait til next time. I did eat the rich, which is a nice 7b+ but make sure you actually get your hands over the top of the crag before dropping off and avoiding the loose looking jugs to top out - lowering off before the roof misses out a couple of beefy moves.

Anyway, off the the Orme tomorrow to seek out some dry stone, which may be a forlorn hope at this rate!

Peace.



Source: Ted's Blog

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Some more ticks
26 August 2012, 8:12 pm

Well since I last wrote, the weather was pretty diabolical up until the last 3 weeks or so and it was all about finding dry rock anywhere possible.

Evening sessions after work have been quite productive and I tried Zippy's companion route to the right of Waddage, Fowl Play, which is an 8a+ that gets virtually ignored, despite very good climbing for the most part. It was the only thing dry I hadn't done so I was keen to get involved. The top moves are very thin and involve a very tenuous rockover using a small left hand gaston onto the 'slab' just where the route joins Waddage. I could barely do these moves in isolation whilst working the route so was a little apprehensive about linking the whole thing. Luckily I need not have worried as it came together quite nicely. The start of Green Alternative (a burly 7c) leads to a poor rest on an overhung ledge before Rooster Booster pitch 2 kicks in (a physical 7c). Then the route gets a lot easier at the Cream Team break where you move left to a junction with the Waddage rest. I was able to get almost full recovery before the top bit, which I reckon has to be V6 moves at least, the incentive in not falling was avoiding doing all the bottom bit again!

At Kilnsey, I reluctantly decided that Full Tilt was not an option due to it being too wet so got stuck in to Cold Steal instead which I initially found pretty hard. With repeated attempts, it soon got easier though. On redpoint, I pumped out on the last 4 moves just before the last clip which was gutting so had to come back the following weekend to seal the deal.

At Rubicon, the last few evening sessions of the year were spent trying the Pinch Test, a very tricky 7c+ of Zippy's and one of the last lines at the crag which I haven't done which won't involve protracted sieging. That said, it took me 4 sessions so it was with relief that I clipped the anchor yesterday. I managed to capture the ascent on video so here it is. This may be the only video in existence of this route so I hope the beta is of some use, it took ages to work out!

Today, I was quite tired second day on trying the Inch Test and didn't manage to make much headway so that will have to wait until the Autumn cool when I return from the south of France, which is where im headed tomorrow. Ceuse will be on the agenda although this trip will be more of a sightseeing journey to be honest, it would be good to sneak a 7c or two though!



Source: Ted's Blog

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Southern France 2012
8 September 2012, 8:18 pm



Well I just got back from an 11 day tour of Ceuse and Gorge du Loup. It was great to devote some quality time to climbing and not just sometimes squeezed in evening sessions. I made the walk up the hill to Ceuse twice in a lightning visit there. It took a day to switch back into stamina mode on the pockets there but by day 2 I managed to clip the chains of a rather stout 7b+ called Machoire d'Ane, which has a pretty desparate crux move. Some onsights of Dietetic Line and 2001 Odyssey de Grimp followed, both stonking 7b's.



Classic Ceuse panorama

This was my 4th visit to the crag in 7 years so I decided to change focus and visit a completely different area, with a (thankfully) only 5 min walkin! Gorge du Loup is only a hop skip and a jump from Nice and sits in a river gorge which is prone to a cooling breeze when the sun is out which makes it possible to climb here in the hottest summer months despite the crag being at a low altitude.



Bar du Loup from Gourdon, above the Gorge



View out to the Med from Gourdon

After an intro day where I ticked the heavily chipped Mechanik Destructiv, a burly 7c and a few easier sideshow pitches, on day 2 I got stuck into a route which is difficult to avoid at this crag, the ultraclassic Deverse Satanique, an amazing 45 degrees overhanging wall festooned with tufas and kneebars! The first couple of tries up this rig convinced me that it was going to be quite a battle but with a couple of burns on day 3, it started to fall into place. A rest day later and I tied in below this classic stamina testpiece and managed to get through the crux wrestle with a tufa and into the strenuous kneebar beyond. Some juggy but steep pulls on tufa follow before the final drainpipe tufa which guards the chains and is eminently fluffable. Thankfully I managed to negotiate this last obstacle and keep the pump enough at bay to complete the route, truly a king line!

Next up was Cascade, an amazing 8a extension to Mechanik. It involves some huge tufa features and unsurprisingly some more kneebars on seriously steep terrain. It took a little working out but once I knew what i was doing, it went down the first time I could get back up Mechanik, which suddenly seemed distinctly uphill for 7c. You can rest in a bivy cave all day if you like which makes grading this line somewhat problematic. Here are some pics of Mechanik on the send go.







Our Czech friend Petr suggested a neat little 8a called Vigor on the far right of the crag as something for my last 2 days so I got stuck into this but it felt hard due to me being pumped from the 8a I had just climbed. After a rest day spent lounging around by the river pools in the gorge, reading and eating ice cream, I felt sufficiently rejuvenated for this to feel much easier and it went down on my last day after I luckily managed to get a belay from some visiting Poles.

Back in Blighty now, it is time to get stuck into Peak lime now that Kilnsey appears to be out of commission. Mecca extension will keep my busy I reckon judging by this morning's session. Progress was made on the moves and I managed the hard bit in two halves but need to get hold of a new pair of boots to cope with the micro edges. It was nice to be back on Mecca after 3 years away but it feels good to have had a break too. Till next time!



Source: Ted's Blog

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Back to the Box, an epiphany
15 October 2012, 8:30 pm



Hello to all readers. My next post has been inspired by a visit yesterday to an old haunt of mine, the Pill Box wall on the mighty Orme. I had it in mind to try and settle an old score of mine, a V12 traverse of Ormesman Chris Doyle which I had invested considerable amounts of time and effort in trying to repeat back in 2009. This had always been classified as unfinished business with me as I had come extremely close in April of that year before deciding to sack it off in favour of getting on routes. My best effort is already on my facebook videos for those interested.

I always meant to come back and finish it off. However, circumstances conspired against me and I ended up being made redundant later in the year, moving to Jersey and then Dorset in 2010 and 2011 for work before moving back up north just over a year ago. Whilst being away from my old training venues in Manchester, it was difficult to train power due to the dearth of bouldering facilities worthy of the name. In Jersey, the best climbing wall was in a corridor, mostly vertical and dated from 1986! and in Dorset the best bouldering wall was no more than 7 feet high with holds also from the 80's. I made the most doing lots of routes outside and managed to get quite fit doing 100 move circuits in a private facility near where I lived in Sherborne, Dorset. However, there were no dedicated 45 degree boards where you could do well set power problems of more than 2 moves.

Back in Manc, for the past year I have mainly been doing routes with only the odd power session thrown in top it up. This was because I was minded to keep fit for Spanish trips and UK routes. This approach has worked pretty well and has enabled me to tick British 8a+'s and the odd foreign 8a. However, the steely power for Font 8a has not been worked on properly since 2009. I have managed to get up Font 7c's and the odd 7c+ but have not been in the bouldering form needed bust out the magic 8 grade for some time now.

Yesterday, second day on on the Box and first climbing visit since April 09 was a rather humbling experience compared to how climbing on here used to feel 3 and a half years ago although positive in that I can see where I need to get to now. I did Pill Box Original, Whisky Bitch and Mr Whippy, both 7a+'s, again and did all the moves on Drink Driving. It seems like a fair bit of work will be needed to get back in the shape needed to do it. Still, I am psyched. Back then it had not had a 2nd ascent - that cachet has now gone as it has now had 3 or 4 repeats. My inspiration comes from the following footage I have found in the archives of the first repeat of Malteser/ Last Rites, a classic Font 8a linkup a couple of months before I nearly did DD. This includes the crux of DD, the big span left to the poor pinch/ crimp.

The day I did this, I had already done 2 other 8a's in the Cave, and it was one of the best days' climbing I have ever had. Here is a link to an article that mentions it: http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=388

Anyway, to get in the shape to it do DD again will mean doing more bouldering at Stockport Wall but this is no hardship as it has an excellent circuit of problems and a massive 45 degree board. I will do a session bouldering every Tues and a session routing every Thurs to keep the fitness going and will try to do some pullups on Weds too.

On sat, I managed to do the top pitch of Mecca Extension which is 8a+ which i have been working on for the past few weekends and nearly did it linking in the 7c+ groove of Mecca so am syked for that probably in the spring now. Seems as though the moves on this are not as hard as Drink Driving! Bouldering on the Box over the winter should provide plenty of power for the extension, it will just be a little chilling on that north face in the icy wind! Mercifully, the warm car and hot flask are only 20 seconds away. No pads in the sea this time.

Venga bichos!



Source: Ted's Blog

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I was half expecting TED or...

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Burbage Breakthroughs
2 December 2012, 9:07 pm

Hi folks well the grit season is now upon us and the tor has become a distant memory. Its all about the grit now and the Orme, if wet. Several sessions have now been had on at Burbage West on Famous Grouse and today was send day at last and one of my longest battles was finally over. I had been trying this problem with the Nick Reyner beta from the only video I could find of the problem but had to sack it off after many sessions failing to get my right foot up above the roof. A breakthrough came when I managed to get the second sloper for my left hand after trying standing on a low smear and flicking up to it. This is a very knacky move but when it works it is very satisfying. I managed to get stood up over the roof pawing the slopers but my left foot kept blowing off the break foothold, which is very blind. A couple more sessions went by with backwards progress unfortunately as I was tired from overtraining on one of them and a little hungover on the other!  I binned the low left heel method as well as while I could statically lock up to the second sloper this way, i could not then get my left foot up from that position. The left heel on slab method was also tried but I could not throw my heel up this high.

Today it all came together, I knew I was feeling stronger and conditions were mint. The flick to the sloper was working every time although getting the left foot up was still extremely touch and go as you have to squeeze like crazy between this very poor hold and the arete while nimbly running your feet up a blank wall to waist level, which is somewhat desparate. I even managed to embarrassingly fall off with the good sidepull jug in my hand when my foot blew off a poor smear which was agonising. Happily, it went down the next go, feeling much easier on the slopers due to the excellent conditions.

The sit start was tempting and thankfully I found a way of starting side-on which made it pretty easy. While brushing the second sloper from the neighbouring boulder I noticed I was holding it too high on a very poor slopey part. I ticked up a slightly lower rugosity which looked a little more positive and this proved to make the difference. The move getting the left foot up felt a little easier this time and the sit was in the bag. Video footage of the stand will be aired soon!

Another problem that I managed to get on film is True Git which i was shown how to do today; i later found out I had not done it properly as you're meant to start matched in the low break but i reckon the stand start is 7a+. Here is the vid:

 

Later, I met Dave up by Western Eyes and after many attempts managed to do the lower moves to getting stood up. I have been trying this for a few years so was chuffed to do the desparate slap with the right hand for the good sidepull off the very slopey break. Unfortunately I didn't have the top bit worked so pinged off and was expertly caught by Dave before going for a spin down the hill! I got a bunk up and managed the move to the top break. So, although I could have perhaps done this with a bit of luck on the upper arete, it remains a work in progress. After watching Dave do the scary direct finish, it looks as though this will have to be done as well rather than stepping off into the gully, better get psyched!



Source: Ted's Blog

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Suirana and more
29 January 2013, 11:21 pm

Well I have been back from Suirana for over 3 weeks and a fantastic trip has just about sunk in now. I went out for 11 days from 27 December through to 6 January with climbing on all bar 2 days. New Year's Eve was celebrated in fine style in the bar in Suirana moving down in Cornudella until the early hours.

Highlights from the trip included a redpoint of Zona 0 on the last day, Un Rato en Cado Postura, a neat 8a on Campi Pigui Puqui sector which has a desparate top wall and slab and an onsight of Kameleon, a 50m 7c up at Monsant. I was pleased to feel a big increase in fitness during the trip just from the sheer volume of route climbing following a period of predominantly bouldering. In all, 14 new ticks of over 7a were logged although i also repeated a few ones I'd done before. I got on Migranya, a butch 8b which had initially been my goal for the trip but which got superceded by my attempts on Zona. The latter route was more my style, being a crimpy wall climb for the most part, akin to similar 8b's at Malham or the Tor. It took 4 sessions in total although I didn't really think I had it in me in the first 2!

The route comprises of an initial 4 bolt 6a+ to a near hands off rest followed by another 4 bolt 7b to below the crux. I managed to step off to the right 1m to some good footholds to rest a little, which proved to be the key as on other earlier attempts, I had forged on into the crux following the chalk with virtually no rest and had been spat off due to the pump. The crux 3 bolts are probably Font 7a+ in total  and there are 2 methods. You can either go right up via some burly right hand sidepulls with a big throw with your left hand for a flat edge (a very cool slap!) or beetle off lefwards using a razorblade crimp for your left hand. The left hand way was very harsh on the skin and not as satisfying so I stuck with the right hand way. Then you have 2 bolts of 'tick tacky' 7b climbing up very small edges, gastons, crimps and sidepulls leading up to the final break, where a decent shakeout can be had, although you had better be fit to recover!! After a traverse 2 m rightwards, the final crux, which is probably about Font 6c/7a bars entry to the exit slab, which is probably 4+! This last hard section is pretty brutal and involves a massive reach off a tiny undercut for a 2 finger pocket, flag, then a back 3 sidepull pocket for the right hand which leads to a fat pinch for the left hand which you must use to do a big slap to the finishing crimps.

This trip has only served the whet my appetite for more at this crag and I have shelled out 30E for the massive rockfax Catalunya guide so will defo be returning for more soon. I have considered Renegoide, an old skool crimpy 8b+ wall climb, or Mr Cheki, a Toni Arbonne testpiece of the same grade with a viscious pocket move as suitable candidates or indeed Migranya, (or 'Miiggggrraaaaanyaaaaa', said with an outrageous Spanish twang, as we jested about). It will be back to the board for the last one though ;).

Since being back, I have been out and about on the grit and have managed to tick Blind Ali's Date, a good link up at Remergence. Here is a video of an attempt before the send go. Blind Date feels hard on the link until it clicks and then its easy, always the way with bouldering!

Since then a good day at Rowtor was had, ticking a bunch of 7b's including My Apple and the Yoghurt Hypnotist and I managed to get up Nefertiti, the highball Font 7a+ at Burbage North on another day with Ethan. Check out the video on Ethan's blog! I have even been down to Nudas Tartan in the wet to scope out a new sequence on Tarantula, which should make this feasible and also Minus Ten to repeat Sean's Problem (just for old times' sake mind).

Here are a few of my Spanish photos I didn't put on Facebook, I hope you enjoy. I'm off to a Pro-Balm comp this weekend which will be my first plastic event for quite a few years so I'm pretty psyched! Peace out











Source: Ted's Blog

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Gritstone Roundup
22 March 2013, 8:24 pm

Hi folks just to update you on the last few months of activity on god's own rock. I decided that instead of costly trips to the Orme I would focus on Peak gritstone to generate some new ticks instead of working on things like Drink Driving, which would require a lot of work towards the redpoint, with no guarantee of success.There's nothing quite like a tick to keep the enthusiasm up and that has been my primary focus. I have been through my guide to see the glaring ommissions and made a point of seeking some of them out. Unfortunately, I managed to tear a stomach muscle about 5 weeks ago on repeated attempts on a steep problem at Stockport wall which stopped me in my tracks a bit as I couldn't even get out of bed without pain nevermind swing my core around on steep ground! This proved to be something of a blessing in disguise as I managed to tick some slabs and walls which i perhaps wouldn't have otherwise tried.

My best grit ticks over the last 2 months have been:

- Brad Pit (with top out) (see vid below)

- Ben's Wall

- Barry Sheene

- Shirley's Shining Temple

- Silk

- Who Needs Ready Brek?

- Business Lunch

- Stump Hole Cavern Sit (Flash)

- Brutal Arete

- Beneath the Breadline

- David

- Flatworld Lefthand

- For a Few Beagles More

The highlight was probably Shirleys and big props to Dan Cheatham for his vid for all the beta. This took me 3 sessions to unlock as it features some vicious cranking on minute pebbles and crimps if you can't get the palm-down to work (as i couldn't). Ironically this came on a sunny, hot day and i was in 2 minds as to whether to sack it off and come back in the evening. Im glad i persisted though and the first time i managed to crank through the start bulge, I made it up the rest of the slab via some pretty eye-popping rockovers! Luckily some people nearby gave me a spot although with my 3 pads it would have been fine to lob off i reckon. This was a fair bit harder than Silk and more sustained, fair at Font 7c for me.

On Barry Sheene, i managed to finally get the heel toe to work to generate enough reach (just) and perhaps the most satisfying tick of all was Ben's Wall, which I have been trying since 2008! Here is a video of a near miss a couple of weeks prior to the eventual send, agonisingly close but no cigar. I was getting concerned about the problem's potential to rag your A2 pulley on the nasty undercut pocket the way I was doing it going with my right hand. Thankfully the time it went down, I caught the pocket so well, there was no outswing (unlike on the vid), a great moment after hundreds of tries over the years.

Brutal arete was great and lived up to its rep. I was joined by Emlyn and Ben who showed me the numbers (cheers guys!) After a near miss (see vid below) it went down next session.

Equaling my hardest flash was Stump Hole Cavern Sit, thanks to Chris's vid, it proved to be a very short visit there. A dash down to the Roaches as my third crag of the day yielded Who Needs Ready Brek, which is pretty amazing and about as crimpy as they come.

Looking to the future, I was surprised at being able to pull on to the Joker fine, unlike in previous years, and having a few waves at the top. This has now moved onto the project list and I look forward to a tussle with it perhaps next winter now the lime season is nearly upon us.

I leave you with one from Dan Cheatam of Famous Grouse from last year, capturing a well desired ascent after literally years of tries! Sometimes its all worth it.  



Source: Ted's Blog

[Zods Beard]

Nice tick list!

[b3n99]

Hi Ted, it's Ben from Brutal Arete. Awesome grit tick list there, really good to see you got a lot of the projects ticked off that you were talking about!

[205Chris]

Gritstone Roundup
22 March 2013, 8:24 pm

Brutal arete was great and lived up to its rep. I was joined by Emlyn and Ben who showed me the numbers (cheers guys!) After a near miss (see vid below) it went down next session.

Source: Ted's Blog

You call that a near miss? This is a near miss 

[Kingy]

Cheers guys its been a good season on the brown stuff so far. Yes I would have to agree that takes the biscuit for a near miss Chris. Quite a mighty lob there!

[Fiend]

Nice report and good effort Ted.

[Gritlad]

Nice list Ted. Bens Wall still feels desperate even with your beta! great work on that one.
Emlyn

[comPiler]

Frankenjura 2013
7 May 2013, 9:23 pm

Welcome readers, time for an update from the Jura from our spring trip. ?Well it would be fair to say that the crags were a bit wet to say the least but we made the best of it and traded in our dreamt of projects for some 1 and 2 star material which was dry and probably almost as good as the stuff we meant to get on. We had an abortive visit to the southern crags where we had planned to get on, amongst others, Hercules, a superclassic 7c at Barenschlucht, and maybe Nightmare, an amazing 8b with an infamous clip off a mono. However, a deluge of rain and seeping crags put paid to that plan and scarcely had the tent been pitched at the deserted campsite when it was taken down and we had bailed back up to our base in the north.

The crags in the north of the Jura are relatively unsung but boast some pretty high calibre climbs with such lines as Nikita, the standout 8a+ classic and the brutal Raise the Roof, an 8b+ which could not be much steeper! Unfortunately, most of these climbs were seeping but the lads managed to get up a few 8a's and 8a+'s at Holzgauerwand, where Nikita is located, despite the odd spoogey pocket (make that most pockets!!)

For my part, I managed to get up Infiziert, a nice 9+ or 8a at Rolandfels that consisted of a sustained wall on crimps and small pockets leading to a wet crux crimp and shakeout jug. From there the style changed to some awkward pull of slopers and strange pockets leading to the loweroff. Quite a few redpoints were expended on this section resulting in some exciting whippers!



Ethan on Nullkommanix 8a+ (Rolandfels)

We had a rather character building doss in the cave at this crag on a bed of leaves living the true outdoor life! The morning brew sure tasted good made with water hulked up the hill from the nearby river.

The saving grace of the trip was definitely a sunny wall called Kuhkirchnerwand near a charming village called Loch. This crag was dry and south facing but the flip side was that it was hot as hell in the sun and pretty busy at weekends to boot.



Crag scene at Kuhkirchnerwand, Loch

The popular steep 8a+ of Primeur de Luxe that saw sends from Ed and Ethan seemed to often have queues but thankfully it was so steep that people were not on it for long.



Ethan on Primeur de Luxe 8a+ (or 10-)

I went for a bouldery number called Fingerfood 10- (or 8a+). This had a Rubicon style crux right off the deck which was probably V8 involving pulling on a tiny tooth and then rocking onto it to gain a shakeout jug. The final 4 bolts were probably 7b+ or 7c with some intense pulls on small crimps and pockets.



Fingerfood 8a+ (or 10-)

Sam and I indulged in the Wolfgang Gullich classic crack of Heinzin 8 just to the left, originally climbed on trad I believe that gave an exercise in technical bridging with some jug pulling and rattly finger jams to boot, awesome!



Heinzin 8 (or 7a)

Another good find was the microcrag of Andeltodrom, which is randomly located in the middle of some dense woods and rather difficult to find with the limited (to say the least!) descriptions in the Extreme Frankejura Select guide. The crag is tilted at 45 degreees for 30 feet and climbing on it is like going up a giant woodie. Hakuma Madada is the route of the crag at a stout 7c on some tasty pockets, and saw several flashes.  

We had a couple of nights out to nearby Bamberg to sample the infamous weissbier, which at 2 Euros a pint is hard to quibble with! Snitzel was duly sampled along with the ubiquitous sauerkraut. Drinking and hard sending don't tend to mix, funnily enough, but luckily there is a place for both on any well balanced trip.





To sum up, to borrow a quote from Dosage III, whenever the season was, it was not now! We had a blast, didn't we boys!!



Sam on Stalingrad 7b+



Ed on SMS 8a+

 



Source: Ted's Blog

[comPiler]

Mecca Extension
22 June 2013, 11:13 pm

Well some of the dust has settled since I finally managed to complete the extension last sunday so now seems as good a time as any to set down some thoughts. Hopefully the following will cause others to get psyched and get out there to send some things at their personal limit! This might be a bit long for some tastes but if so, just skip to the last paragraph! Ever since ticking Mecca in 2009 I had a vague notion of going higher and had briefly checked out the extension in 2006 when I could barely do a move. You need to put a lot of time in up there to get used to the snatchy and insecure style of movement on poor fingerholds and timebomb smears. Yes, the top half is in complete contrast to the lower part, which is essentially a power endurance fest. Instead, it demands execution of complex and tenuous, technical moves which, once learned, start to feel easier once the engrams become engrained. I had such a battle getting up Mecca since first trying it in 2006 that all thoughts of the extension went out of the window. 50 sessions and 4 years later, I eventually clipped the chains once I got back from the Dolomites in August on a trip with Ben Heason.

Over next 3 years, I moved away from Manchester to Jersey and Dorset before returning to my homeland in 2011. The Tor fitness was not quite there though and it took all of last year to get back up to scratch. I had a difficult decision to make because I had wanted to get on Make it Funky as I had done a good link on this from the end of the crux to the top after doing Mecca and wanted a completely new project. However, the best laid plans are sometimes blown to smithereens and I hyperextended my right ring finger on the famous 7c+ Mirage in Ceuse summer 2011. Having sent 8a on it on the last day of the trip, the finger swelled up and an xray back home revealed that I had an avulsion fracture! A fragment of bone had been ripped away from the joint by the force of the finger bending back...gnarly!! Luckily I was back in action after 6 weeks rest with no ill effects apart from my fingertip being a bit fatter. So, the Make it Funky bolt hole mono move is no longer so feasible, oh well such is life! This is what prompted me to try the extension seriously.

So last summer I went up there again after speaking to Adam Bailes who was close to ticking the route. I was psyched to be able to do all the moves that session. I kept going back up there and managed to gradually link from the pocket before the traverse to the top, a breakthrough at the time. Then from the Mecca belay to the top. It was this link that opened my eyes to actually climbing the thing. Before the winter rains set in, I managed to link from the base of the Mecca groove to the top, another big buzz as it was the first time I had skipped the last clip, which you need to do in order to tick the route, it being too strenous to clip. Sometimes, you need to man up! I knew then that it was on next year.



Gaining the base of the final flake

Another big change was embracing the kneebar for the moves up the groove. In the past I had been a little resistant to change but a change of heart made me check it out for the first time only to be blown away by how good the moves were using the knees, although it did make the top section signficantly easier. What used to be moves at my absolute power endurance limit are now much more manageable from the ground with the hands off rest. Having said all that, I can only stay there for 20 seconds or so as the core strength rapidly drains in such a strenous position. At the end of the day, its personal choice on this one....

As the top was wet for much of March and April, I only managed to get back on the route after returning from the Jura in April. Progress was slow in the first couple of weeks and I only managed to repeat the horn to top link after several sessions. Gradually, the moves began to feel easier and I started trying the last link I would attempt before trying it from the ground, from the 3rd bolt to the top (i.e. the old 'pocket link' on Mecca). This felt a lot harder adding in the crux part of Mecca and it was only after a few more sessions that this eventually fell with me pumping out at the base of the flake quite a few times. Shaking out on the big flake above the Mecca belay, I began to feel some fitness building with each session, it was exciting seeing the progress. This brings me to how to train for this route? I think it is really a fitness route for people who can do Mecca. So you need to be quite fit and it was for this reason that over the winter at Stockport wall I trained routes on the plastic (10 tie-ins minimum per session!) as well as regular bouldering sessions. There are 47 moves til the finishing jug (25 for Mecca) so you need something more in reserve than sprinting up Mecca only to slump on the chains.

Evening sessions after work were the key, this way you can get plenty of contact time, which is essential if a project is at your limit. The next problem was getting up Mecca again! I started trying again from the ground after the top pocket on the traverse got frustatingly wet and stayed that way for 3 weeks or so. Progress was slow and I began to fear I was not as strong as 4 year's ago and that I may have blown my chance by not having bouldering enough. Luckily I was wrong and it was a week's rest off the route in flying out to Pisa for a uni mate's wedding that gave me some much needed time off. Doing Full Tilt at Kilnsey last Tues, which I had been trying for years, I knew I felt stronger and this gave me added confidence and psyche.

On Thursday evening I managed to get to the last 2 moves after getting my heel on the flake and getting the next right hand crimp above, so close!! I was mega boxed though and the final British 6a moves to the final jug, which I had never fallen off before, transformed into seemingly impossible barriers and I was off skydiving back into space! 2 days' rest was called for and on the sunday, trying to keep nerves at bay, I set off on my redpoint. This time I was less pumped the whole way on the top section and had something left for the finish. Clipping the chains was a massive buzz I have to say with it being my first 8c. I would recommend the siege of a route at your personal limit to anybody, just as long as you are making progress, however gradual.

So, thanks for sticking with the above ramble and have fun out there, stay psyched!



Source: Ted's Blog

[comPiler]

Smith Rock
30 October 2013, 11:14 pm

After much effort over the summer putting time into redpoint attempts on Kabaah at Raven Tor (close but no cigar), I travelled out to Smith Rock for a 2.5 week trip in early October and have just got back. I thought I would share some of my experiences in case any brits out there were thinking of making the trip over. It is quite a unique spot out in the wilds of Oregon with an extensive history of both sport and trad climbing. The standout routes there have to be To Bolt or not to Be, the USA's first 5.14a done in 1986 by Jean Baptiste Tribout (only the second in the world after Punks in the Gym in 1985) and of course Just do it, the USA's first 5.14c done by that man again, Jean Baptiste. 'To Bolt' as the locals call it, has always inspired me as a line since I first started climbing as it looks so blank  and featureless, the epitome of impossible! I had always fancied  checking out To Bolt, although I never dreamt I would ever be able to  climb at the required level, 5.14a, it sounds outrageous! I must say,  having done  Mecca in 2009, and climbed 8b+ I thought perhaps I might be ready to  give it a shot.

Peder on To Bolt or Not to Be 5.14a

I had been to Smith in August 2007 for a week and for a day in 2009, on a trip which proved to be too cold in December, resulting in me bailing to Bishop. 4 years went by and I realised that it was now or never if I was ever to try this rig. Flights were booked and I found myself setting off down the US26 from Portland, destination Bend. I was incredibly lucky to be hooked up with some of the very friendly and welcoming local climbers by my main man Brian MacAlinden from the Climbing Works so a big holla out to him!! Justin Brown was very kind indeed in putting me up for my whole trip and introducing me to the local scene. This proved invaluable in terms of gleaning beta for the route and for the purposes of spraying and generally hanging out.

So, on my first day, I thought I would do some on-sighting and warm into the style of climbing, no tufas here or kneebars in the Dihedrals! Magic Light 5.11d is a great warmup and then it was straight on to the main event, the magnificent 5.13a Darkness at Noon. What a climb! 35m of relentless edge pulling up a gently overhanging wall, very thin at the start, a chilled out midsection and some steeper cranks up near the belay. This was my first 7c+ onsight so I was chuffed. I managed to follow up with an onsight of Full Heinous Cling, a companion line to Darkness at 5.12c, although several notches easier (I had redpointed the lower halfpitch in 2007). To finish a good first day, I did Karate Wall, a majestic 5.12c, again 35m of endless edges on a gently overhanging wall and then a very stout 5.12a 'Take a Powder', my arms were tired after all that!



Full Heinous Cling 5.12c

After a brief look on the first day, on day three, I got down to business and got on To Bolt. There are over 100 moves and it is extremely complex to get it all figured out. It basically boils down to a 10 bolt, 20m 8b+ to a reasonable shake on a good foothold with poor handholds. You are then treated to a pumpy 7c or 5.12d to finish on 5 further, spaced bolts. This is a real test of your ability to hold it together as it is by no means easy and has several very awkward lockoffs, balancy highsteps, foot-changes and cranks for distant edges when pumped out of your brains. People have blown the last moves and indeed have fallen eyeballing the belay, truly heartbreaking for them. There are countless epic tales associated with this route. Sonnie Trotter got through the first 10 bolts only to fall off the last section. He tried to get back up there but could not after repeated efforts and I believe the experience proved so stressful that he quit the route for other projects. This from a climber who has redpointed 9a! (I was actually sat next to Sonnie in the Depot pub chomping on my burger one night, wad point!) Drew Ruana did the route very quickly earlier this year, but bridged out unwittingly into Sunshine Dihedral for a brief rest at the 9th bolt leaving many questioning was this ascent valid? Who knows, opinion is divided, all I know is that the video of him on it is an amazing piece of footage, the dude does not appear to ever get pumped! Paige Classen also crushed the route this year as did some French wads.

   Eric on Karate Wall 5.12c                                 Ryan on Latest Rage 5.12b

So, how did it go? I managed to figure out the extremely thin and crimpy moves up to bolt 9 where there is a good shake before a nails rockover using tiny opposing sidepulls guarding the approach to the resting foothold at the 10th bolt; I also linked some sections together in my first couple of days. I did the 'French Connection', which is Alan Watt's link of Sunshine Dihedral, a tricky 5.12a trad route to the right (we used pre-placed wires) into all of the climbing after the 9th bolt, adding up to a testing 5.13b, or 8a. I also managed to redpoint from the ground to the 6th bolt and then from the 7th bolt to the top. I tried to go from the 6th bolt to the top to bag the coveted 'one hang' ascent but unfortunately, I split a tip on my forefinger halfway through my trip which was a bit of a bummer to say the least. Still, best not to get downhearted, at least it wasn't a finger injury and these things easily happen, especially on a route of this nature. In fact, the locals said the temps were really warm for October, up in the 70's for many days. This only left a brief 2 hour window before darkness in which to try the route. Sometimes, it was too hot even then to bother trying. My skin therefore ground down gradually until I literally saw red! In cold conditions, this would not have been so much of a problem.



Peder on French Connection 5.13b (the last half of To Bolt or not to Be 5.14a)

I tried climbing with tape but it was almost impossible to grip the edges properly. I have therefore resolved to come back in the Spring for a rematch, this route is too good to quit on! The last week was devoted to some fun climbing at a lower grade, which was tape friendly. Still my tip was very painful as it refused to heal properly under the tape with all the edge pulling. Regardless, some stellar classics were bagged including Crossfire 5.12b, Last Waltz 5.12c, the stunning arete left of To Bolt, Go Dog Go, a great 5.12c on a spectacular tower with a dyno at the crux, Watts Tots 5.12b, the USA's first ever sport climb and the Quickening 5.12c, a steep pumper of a line in the Aggro Gully. I also had a protracted tussle with Mama Docus, a really tricky 5.13c in the Aggro Gully, which is much steeper than most routes hereabouts. This one got away unfortunately as I found the crux slap, high on the headwall, pretty hard to stick after all the steep climbing to get there.

Jess on Last Waltz 5.12c                                                                      Mama Docus 5.13c



The crux, desparate!



The thuggy lower section (shared with Aggro Monkey)

Anyway, enough rambling, here are some more photos of the trip, I would thoroughly recommend a trip to anyone, it is really different to Spain and France, the climate is kind, it never rains and the locals are all super-friendly and speak the lingo, whats not to like?! A big shout out to Justin Brown and Andi Renden-Brown and the other locals I spent time with for making my trip so great and for Justin in sending his first 5.14a Badman (by none other than that man again, Jean Baptiste, he gets everywhere!) Oh and if you're out there, try and avoid imbibing too much of the local beer, which I found to my cost can be rather strong at 10%!

Justin on Badman 5.14a



Last Waltz 5.12c

Justin on Mama Docus

  The Mama Docus (off the crux!)

The final moves of Mama Docus Watts Tots 5.12b

 

The crux of Aggro Monkey, keep you eyeballs in their sockets for this move!



Source: Ted's Blog

[ferret]

glad you had a good time.
i wouldn't encourage people from portland to go to smith, never mind from england!
horses for courses and all that, tis a pretty place, shame its all sharp tweaky vert stuff on frozen mud.
good ticklist for 2 weeks in that place, surprised your skin was't worse

[Fiend]

"rig", Ted, really?? Surely a bit yoof-speak for you?!

Looks an amazing place, would love to go there, I need to get my act together.

[cheque]

Nice report Ted. I'd love to climb at Smith too. Bad luck on the temps.

Did you meet my mate Courtney out there?

[Doylo]

Teds too posh for the word rig