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James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log... (Read 71868 times)

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Brilliant.

Ref the Naranjo de Bulnes. I stood below El Pilar del Cantabrico (13 pitches, F8a+) last September and for a team of this calibre it looks like a brilliant thing to try on-sight in a day without faffing with fixing ropes etc. In the shade a proper impressive piece of wall overhanging for the first 150 metres with ring pull bolts to keep it spicy. Orbayu (8b+/8c) also looks amazing of course, though has 'proper' bolts. Nice camping next to a hut and 20 minutes from the base of the wall. Go to it Caff et al!

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This is ace. I was on Orkney a couple of weeks ago and was wondering when Caff would be back for Longhope. Good luck to everyone going and have a good time. Good luck with ferries too, the Scrabster boat has been out of action for a few weeks so I guess the other one has been extra busy.

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#27 Longhope report
June 02, 2013, 07:00:31 pm
Longhope report
2 June 2013, 4:09 pm

Having finished work and set off up the M6 to pick Ben up from Preston train station

 the weather was perfect. Alex Mason kept us company until Kendal where he was

 staying with George Ullrich, the car had an holiday atmosphere. After a night in Applebly we

continued North in convoy with George and Alex. Ben was in charge of the music

and by the time we hit the border my ears had had so much hiphop I was imagining

an ejector seat button on my gear stick. Pulling up beneath the Buckle and

stepping out the car I couldn’t believe our luck, it was shorts weather. The

base layers left behind we all set off for Craig Y Banchair/ Tunnel Walls.

   

The last time I’d climbed here was 13 years ago with Stuart Wood, Nick

Wharton and Dave Birkett. We’d had a good day climbing the extreme rock route

the Risk Business and some other routes further left but rain had stopped play

there the day after. Romantic Reality was a route I’d had on my list that year

and I’d not gotten around to climbing.

 

The first pitch looked grim, a 6a Whillance pitch it was filthy with moss and lichen,

 I managed to get Ben to lead it. After a few kg of crap coming down he arrived at

the belay and having expected him to come down saying it was too dirty and that

we'd do some of the sport routes to the right. I thought shit I’ve got to try the 2nd pitch

now.

The dirty crack pitch on Romantic Reality   I climbed up to a roof about 20 ft above the belay which thankfully had great pro.

 I pulled up above it and feeling like I’d had too much for lunch had a few moments

 on the ‘slopey holds’ which were a bit dusty before reaching the good gear above.

 I was chuffed to get an awkward hands off rest in the damp corner above to help

 get something back from a flash pump for the brilliant steep moves up right leading

 to a huge sinker jug. The rock beneath the dirt is great and the route is well deserved of

its place in the Extreme Rock book. Its got me well keen to head up to some of the great

 Scottish cliffs and I may even rekindle some keeness for Indian Face but only to tick the

 Extreme Rock book. The teenagers had a great time on The Risk Business. We stayed at

 the CC hut in Roy Bridge and got to Gills Bay for the Ferry over the day after to eventually

 make a base at Rackwick Bay Bothy.

Alex and George on the Risk Business, Tunnel Walls   The next 2 days it was COLD. We walked up to deposit the ropes and abbed over.

The ropes blew horizontal and making the mistake of having my gloves off for a few

 minutes meant I had hotaches soon after. Looking up at Ben having trouble negotiating

 through where I’d redirected the rope in the top roof I was concerned I’d have to use his

corpse as a ledge to help clamber back out. We went back up and worked out where

the descent was. The lads did TOMOH being a bit sheltered from the NW winds. The

day after felt even colder and with all of us having a midday pint in Longhope

town shivering by the fire the route did seem a long hope with daydreams of

Southern France becoming a recurring theme. The day after the wind thankfully

dropped and myself and Ben managed to get on the climb. I’d remembered a lot of

the sequences from September and we cleaned the holds and did some links on it.

The pitch definitely felt harder than the year before as I couldn’t do the last

hard move the same way locking a low crimp and getting a jug static so I did it

similar to Macleod with a higher drag/crimp. Having the Meltdown to aim for

previously had meant I was a lot fitter then. Ben made the hard bits look easy

and the easy finger jam bits look hard. We walked back down and got prepped for

the day beyond.

Ben working the top pitch on the last move of the upper crack       Ben shaking out on one of the lead cruxes showing he has ditched his vertigo   Waking up the next day at 3.30 we both felt pretty baked and my little toe was

 throbbing like in a cartoon. We reached the top before 6.00am and I actually perked

up a bit from the walk. A twitchers paradise a few Peewips were trilling as we found

our gully where lots of fun bumsliding down lilies and avoiding fulmars led us to the

boulder beach. This area feels a little like the Lost World and brings thoughts

of Hitchcocks ‘The Birds’.Lots of Shags made loud rustling noises before

shooting out from beneath boulders, Ben was often shocked by them but I told him

not to worry as I'd dealt with birds like this before.

 After working out where to start I set off up the 1st pitch which

involves climbing like Pacman to avoid the Fulmars. Ben leads through making

short work of the E6 corner beyond. We made pretty good time. The Vile crack was

slimy and felt like some of the green E3s you get in the Lake District, with

some reasonably pap rock beyond. On the 4a traverse left disaster struck. As I

walked along the outside of a ledge system with numerous Fulmars I crouched past

the last one, victory in sight when one‘got me’. I was gutted. The Vice/stomach

truffle was a unique pitch neither me or Ben had done anything quite like it, I

was thankful the Fulmars had disappeared from it as a facefirst puke attack

doesn’t bare thinking about. Ben bombed up the Guillotine and I actually used my

knees to get on it, very poor style. I thought about stomping on it to get rid

of it but I think it will do another few years and wasn’t certain I could manage it.

   

We arrived beneath the final pitch around 15.00. Both of us were feeling

the session the prior day and I was wishing we hadn’t gotten up quite so early.

Having been on the pitch more times than Ben I went up. I was hoping to climb

fast and confidently but it didnt end up that way.  

Climbing the lower wall I placed the cam.5s above off a good fist jam,

they didn’t go in how I’d like and I made a quick reverse to the belay to warm

up and nurse my tired arms. After 15 mins of shivering in the cold I set off. I

reached the crux reach halfway up and couldnt decide whether to campus my foot

on like I did last year or to use a small foothold like Macleod. I tried to

campus it on, and fell off. I pulled back on and do the move with the foothold

and lower down to the belay thinking we were going to have to come back up on

the Tuesday if the weather was any good. I was not looking forward to this as

there were some great looking new routes to try on the rest of the island. After

a half hour rest I managed to lead back up and get through the crux. Climbing

badly I reached the poor shakeout beneath the last hard moves before rejoining

the Arran/Turnbull link. After 10 mins here I spooned my way through the slap to

the double knee bar rest feeling elated. I was pretty confident of doing the top

crack when tired and having told Ben that it'd be E3 6b on the grit I'd of

looked a bit of a knob to fall off it.  

I did however cock up extending one runner and with a heinious amount of

drag I nearly blew the very last move for a jug above the last roof. Ben came up

and together with Adam Long we had some drams of Orkney Whisky to celebrate. The top

pitch is as good as it looks in the pictures and video. Heading down Kath, May

and Dan had joined the Rackwick bothy basecamp party. Bens slotted a short vid

together of our ascent.



   

I was impressed with Dave Maceods ascent as it was fall free and the top

pitch is a slippery devil which when placing loads of kit will feel 8b, to do

similar we would've probably needed another session and a rest day as well as

the fact that me and Ben were swinging leads. Drummond and Hills effort hanging

out in the land of the birds for a week back then left me dumbfounded, a

stunning effort. The crag feels like it belongs to the Fulmars and the less time

spent on it for me the better.  

   

I think the Longhope may well be physically the hardest sea cliff climb

at the moment, in terms of having the hardest pitch with the top pitch being easier if you

like jamming and crimps. It’s not that sustained a climb with the lower

pitches being a good laugh but most of them are possible in a pair of scrambling

boots if you’re capable of climbing the top pitch. Something like the Impossible

Wall that the Belgians did is likely to be another contender for the hardest sea

cliff being super remote and with lots of hard pitches.    

Old Man Dan Vajzovic on top of the Old Man, with Puffin      

The following day I guided Dan Vajzovic up the Original Route on the Old

Man of Hoy which was a great day out. I’d managed to climb around a Fulmar

knowing it would have plenty of puke left for Dan to give him the full Hoy

experience.

George and Alex had a good epic attempting the Turnbull/Arran link of Longhope

 involving a headtorch traverse across one of the green breaks into a gully high on

the face they arrived back at 3 in the morning. 2 days previously Alex had managed

 to scald his leg with boiling water, he had a cold and the weather was poor when they set

off so it was a great effort. They are thinking of calling it the Long Hopeless link.

George beneath the Death Corner project on the right. Its steeper than it looks in this picture, honest.   After 2 rest days I was really stoked to try what I’d naffley dubbed as the Death Corner

project. This ended pitifully low, getting belly height with a ledge where I was going to get

rock shoes on a chock I’d put a sling around moved and I looked at the huge

flake I was on dubiously. The tide was about to block escape back to Rackwick

bothy and the breakfast scenes so we retreated. I think I’d chosen a shit line

to access the corner and further left may be better. We’ll be back. Later that

afternoon I watched Alex and George climb the classic 2 Wee Laddies. Reading a

French Phrasebook I knew very little when they started but felt pretty fluent by

the time they reached the top. I eyed up lots of fantastic knew lines right of

the Mucklehouse Wall area which will be where I head first next visit before

I  climbed and prussocked back out for hopefully the last time.

Ben and Adam on Two Wee Laddies, Mucklehouse Wall, Rora Head   The final day on the islands we had a great morning on Yesnaby where the quality

 of the rock feels close to grit. Me and Ben soloed a few of the easier classics with

 Ben spotting me as we went before we tied on for Dragonhead, a little gem.

 I'd placed some chalk on some poor holds hoping to red herring Alex but his route

 finding skills were too good and to be honest I would have felt guilty as we all thought

he looked like a teddybear with his beard! The food in Julias café in Stromness was a perfect

finish to our exploits. We did try to get up to the Cobbler on the way back but

in a gap between 2 hills in the cloud and the rain we were lost and wet. I was

thinking of using ip dip dog shit as a method for choosing the way but we went

down and went home. Something to look forward to for next time.

Alex and George loving Dragonhead on Yesnaby, Orkney   Thanks a lot Macleod for some inspiration and cleaning efforts to mum for giving us a nice cake to take up, Kath n May for the Pancakes, Ben for still climbing with a git and to James the Rackwick Bothy Warden+Trust for taking excellent care of the best bothy in the world.



Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#28 Clogwyn Du'Arddu: Margins of the Mind
June 12, 2013, 01:00:40 am
Clogwyn Du'Arddu: Margins of the Mind
11 June 2013, 9:53 pm

   The spell of good weather coincided with a cancelled ML assessment and an

extra week off work which led to a varied and great week of climbing. The

quantity of ascents of most of the tricky routes on the Final Judgement Wall on

Cloggy has been unprecedented that I know of and shows how many good climbers

there are operating in North Wales at the moment. Routes which have been getting

ascents apart from the obvious are It will be alright on the Night, Authentic

Desire (3 ascents) and Shaft of a Dead Man, the culprits are Calum Muskett,

George Ullrich and Alex Mason.  

    I’ve wanted to try Margins of the Mind for well over a decade. A John

Redhead route from 1984 its second ascentionist Nick Dixon suggested it may have

been the first E8 in Britain. At a party some years previously Johnny Dawes had

mentioned that it was a ‘feral climb’. Neil ‘the Youth’ Dicksen hit a purple

patch early in 2008 and got close to an onsight going back a few days later to

polish off a groundup, but you know how they always ham things up in films?

Having done a bit of climbing with Neil I thought I’d save a separate report for

him at a later date. On his first effort Neil spent about 4 hours on the climb

and I was intrigued as to what took him so long.

Me and Neil the Youth on the belay of Hellbound, Smoothlands, Devon. Composed of 2 pegs and 3 skyhooks it was one of my least pleasant belays, luckily Youth didnt test the factor 2 fall off the 6a/b moves above it.      On the Monday I had 2 top ropes on Rare Lichen on the Gribin Facet with

Alex Mason, working out the moves and the gear before leading it. It’s a great

route, serious but after working out the moves the climb felt ok and the

Longhope was a considerable step up in difficulty. For some of these hard routes

the American grading scale does make a bit more sense 7c R/X for Rare  compared

to 8b R for Longhope gives a better idea of the difference in difficulty. After

a quick top rope on the Gribin Wall Climb I decided to leave it for being fresh

one day after work as I’d enjoy it more, it's probably easier technically than

Rare Lichen but a tiny bit bolder.

    The following day myself and Calum headed up to Cloggy with Ed Booth.

Calum cruises up Authentic Desire for a warm up and Me and Ed second up. A great

route, the more microwires you have the better you can protect it.  

Calum showing his better side on Authentic Desire with ed Booth getting some glory shots.   On the top I get racked up and with Ed belaying I set off on unbeknownst

to me one of the hardest unsuccessful ‘efforts’ I’ve given. Shuffling over loose

crap at the start I was struggling to work out where to break through the first

roof which Neil had mentioned was an issue. After some mincing I commit to

slopey backhands and make the pull to ok fingerjugs. After plugging cams into

rattly thin downward pointing flakes I shimmy up to the peg and thread a sling

through it. After going up and right then down and left then up then down then

right then up then down then left then up,(you get the point) eventually I crack

a sequence for the mid crux and reach for a small flake. Making steep moves to

get stood on it I try and place a poor RP and can’t resist shouting Redheads

iconic line down to Ed "you’ve let me down Ed, you’ve !!!!!!! let me down you

!!!!!!!". Ed went quiet but it was meant to lighten the mood.

     I reached the juggy shakeout on the left and realised Neil the Youth had

in fact let me down by saying the wire was good. 2 Rps 'sit' next to each other on

the top of the block with, I bluetacked a big skyhook down and equalised the lot,

thinking the hook to be the best piece. It had taken some time to reach this

point and I grew well acquainted with the next section. Up and Down, up and

down, Sorry Ed. Up and Down. Locking off the sidepull youth used I was still a

mile off the jug and definately felt the route was pushing my comfort zone of hard

moves above shit gear when knackered. On one effort a small pinch offered extra

height gain and spurred on I started to move up but the bugger snapped. Somehow

I stayed on and prevaricating on the shakeout I wondered if I was trying hard

enough. It was a progressively loosing battle from this point really.  I had

felt tantalisingly close to success on a few goes but I was KO’d. Joe Brown had

told me he never did a move he didn't think he could downclimb and I felt kind of

similar on much of this route. Rather than lowering off the gear and going up

Octo then rapping for it I got Calum to throw me a rope (when he’d put his

rescue on facebook I wondered if it may have been better to have fallen and

died) and pretty much hoist me out as it was a swifter affair. Ed Booth who is

taller than me came up saying he couldn’t lank that move either but having

belayed for hours its surprising his body worked at all . Although the effort

had ended in social embarrassment I was actually pretty happy with my effort at

the time and a bit blown away by Neils efforts some years before and Redheads

effort in 1984. I’m sure I would have backed off sooner without having seen Neil

going for it.  At 20.00 Calum was keen for one more route, having poured the

rest of my water over my shaking toes to cool them off I said I was going

down.

George Ullrich the day after making a brilliant OS on Shaft of a Dead Man with the Final Judgement Wall in the sun   After a rest day involving ice cream and chores the Thursday found me back

on the same wall with George Ullrich. After climbing Octo George started to get

racked up for Shaft of a Dead Man. I can’t resist abbing down and looking at the

move which had stopped me. Pulling on with my feet at the high point I couldn’t

believe it. Having thought it to be a solid 6c move, the move appeared easy. I

pulled on again for good measure and did the move again. How could I fail so

near, the move felt easy whereas I was adamant it was 6c on my attempt. I jugged

back up thinking I hadn’t given it 100%. George makes a sterling onsight of

Shaft and having had a pretty derisive kicking on it many years before I was

happy to second it clean still feeling a bit baked from Tuesdays effort. Unhappy

with how easy the move on Margins appeared and being 2 routes from completing

the climbs in John Redheads book One for the Crow we leave the kit and return

the day after. We climb the Hand Traverse to warm up which feels pretty cold and

windy but in a great position. Wondering if I should have a rematch with

Margins, I did.

    Setting off at 11.00 the face was still in the sun. I climb the first roof

which is about E5 6b. Reaching the peg I go into the mid crux (like the hard bit

on a 7b+/7c) immediately followed by the next few meters ( like the crux of an

E6 6a)to the shakeout jug where I placed the poor wires and put on 2 hooks and a

pap hook beyond for good measure. It’s probably hard E7 6c to reach this point

and the crux for shorties lies beyond. Pulling up into the reach move I crimp a

small thing and hop my left foot high. At this point things are starting to feel

wrong and a few seconds later eyeballing the 2 finger sidepull crimp for my left

hand things not only felt wrong but I began to realise I’d made a mistake. When

looking at this move on the abseil the rope must have been taking most of my

weight, the pap hook falls off and I have to lay it on for the jug which feels

miles away.  The easy move was in fact a pretty grim one. Thankfully the gear

didn’t get tested and expecting George to come up saying all the gear was fine

he concurred with my fears. We guestimated the climbing to be between 7c and 7c+

depending on wether you can reach. It is certainly harder than Sping in the Slate quarries.

   It’s a serious climb which would have been a bad joke at E7. The best

protection on it is the peg but the guide says it’s poor and sawn off. I had

visions of falling, all the gear ripping and the loose flakes the cams were in

coming out to finish off an already battered body but to be honest that was

looking at it with a pessimists eye. I’d recommend taking a few skyhooks and

some bluetak as they are the best bits of protection. The route would have been

properly cutting edge in 1984 and youths ascent in 2008 I rate as one of the

hardest ground up ascents seen in Britain.Cheers to Ed and George……not sure

about Calum.

Snowdon Lilies at the base of the 'grim gully'       Neil Dicksen in Pembroke at the start of an ace UK cragging trip in September 2008

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#29 The Crack at the Arc'academy
June 29, 2013, 01:01:05 am
The Crack at the Arc'academy
28 June 2013, 6:14 pm

     A week in and around Chamonix mid June involved helping out with the Arc'teryx Alpine Academy for a weekend, meeting a lot of sound people, watching some special films, some downhill mountain biking! and some climbing. I'd taken all of my warmest clothes having heard they'd had an abnormal amount of snow for the time of year but stepping off the plane in Geneva the speaker mentioned it was 34 degrees.

    The weekend of the Academy was very busy in the mornings and I was impressed with Tanja Kulkies and Veronika Kraler for not having nervous breakdowns trying to organise who was going where. I helped out with some sport climbing sessions with Mina Leslie-Wujastic and Luka Lindic. Climbing on Gaillon in 30+ temperatures we stuck to the shady sections of the cliff feeling sorry for Nina, Josune and Rikar and the teams who were multi-pitching without reprieve from the sun. The levels of enthusiasm in our group was pretty impressive as coaching and heckling from the trees at the base felt pretty tiring in the heat. Cheers for everyone who came and Isabel and Alisa for looking after us.

   The day after myself and Luka went to find Thai Kickboxing, after getting lost trying to find it in Switzerland a few phone calls later we arrived at the crag which incidentally was back in France. We warmed up on some sport routes on the right and the 7b crack which would be E4 6b in the UK and a classic. My friend Matt Perrier (aka Ug) had said to take 3 friend 5's and 3 friend 6's. We'd managed to borrow 1 cam 4, a 5 and a 6 from Dougal Tavener, a friend whose current appearance is similar to that found in 1970s Yosemite with long blond hair, aviator shades and usually a rollie in mouth he can usually be found with his knew white BMW parked outside the Elevation Bar in Chamonix itself.

   First go I got reasonably close but after a tussle getting stuck with chickenwings trying to squirm over the crux bulge at half height my body gave up. Having seen a picture of Tom Randall with his leg above his head I decided to try the same, second go up before attaining my high point I inverted and with both feet above my head it took a few moment to realise I was no wideboy and couldn't move. Third go got most of me above the crux bulge and I could taste success, this feeling lasted a few minutes but I grew sicker and sicker before the git spat me out.

  After only 3 goes I felt pretty rinsed but I'd got the 'gist' of how to tackle it. Next go I got stood above the bulge and having thought the upper crack looked easy I had to down climb to retrieve a cam to protect the upper crack and was very thankful to have protection as it felt quite touch and go. Sleep didn't come easy for the next few nights with sores acquired on elbows and shoulders, I left the crag with a good deal of respect for the wideboys as I don't intend to climb any more off widths if I can help it.

   The downhill mountain biking was something I was quite dubious about and with various people wiping out early there was good reason to be cautious. Wrapped up in body armour it felt like being a teenager again, tire burning your friends to try and get them off their bikes. At points on the downhill tracks there would be 2 options shown by a red arrow and a blue with the red offering a trickier option. Mina went the way of the red arrow and asking advice from downhiller extraordinaire Harald on how to do it - he shouted back "you don't". Big thanks to Tanja Kulkies and Veronika Kraler for organising the week. The rest of the week had its good points like meeting Emily and its bad points like hanging out with Jack but generally the holiday made me realise why so many people went and spent a winter in Chamonix and never returned.

         Luka Lindic beneath the 7b crack with the crack on the right being Thai Kickboxing       The accommodation in Le Praz with great views of the Dru behind. Its very similar to Llanberis

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#30 The Indian Face
July 10, 2013, 01:00:47 pm
The Indian Face
10 July 2013, 10:04 am

The weather is great for 2 weeks in Wales, a rare treat after last year.

On Tuesday 9th July I set off walking up to cloggy with 2

ropes, a rack and a grigri. At some point the week before I’d decided I was

going to go up and try and do Indian Face in a day. Walking up I thought about

the interesting characters who had been on or climbed it and the impression it

had left on them.  I planned to try the crux moves on grigri, check the gear,

toothbrush some of the footholds before George Ullrich was to meet me at 14.00

and if I felt prepared then….

I had a near religious belief that this was how it was going to happen and

this has nearly brought me to grief on more than one occasion over the years but

having good faith in the efficacy of ones performance is pretty paramount with

doubt being the number one cause of error in many sports. Now was as good a time

as any as my disposition for the bold has deteriorated over the years and it is

not likely to improve. I’ve done a lot of trad climbs this year and had done

Gribin Wall climb with Calum the other morning just before the rain came in. I’d

been on it once before after climbing Rare Lichen and after a quick

re-acquaintance on a rope it went ok. Nick Dixon said he found it as hard as IF

so it seemed an opportune time to test this.

Calums picture of Gribin Wall climb   When much younger I’d planned to try this groundup but being older, not as

bold and having a mortgage to pay it had dawned on me it was not going to

happen. On the Monday I climbed with Ryan Pasquil and Katy Whitaker in the peak

explaining my plan to try some of the moves before leading it I think I may have

disappointed Ryan. I was looking forward to seeing what the climb was about from

the safety of an ab rope and was also very curious as to where I had got stuck

13 years before on still one of the closest calls I think I’ve had even through

a great deal of youthful soloing.

    In the summer of 2000 I made my first and most eventful visit to the cliff

with Adam Wilde. We climbed Vember and at the base I’d run to some climbers on

the White Slab area to borrow their guide for a description of Masters Wall.

Booting up at the base of the groove Adam Wilde asks me if I’m going for the

Indian Face. I’m shocked and actually worried as I did give it some thought for

some moments. At this point in time I was ridiculously confident although I admit

 to not living like an athlete, Ambleside was more of an 1980s scene it was a time

without concerns, especially not about being Homo-athleticus. Wall climbs

suited me down to the ground and I didn’t expect any problems with the climb.

The week before I’d made short work of the Bells the Bells and a few days after

I’d soloed up Grand Alliance in a few minutes just before it rained. Most of my

climbing was without ropes which made the serious climbs feel ok and I was

planning on trying to pay homage to big Ron trying to replicate his 100 in the Lakes and

Wales. It’s only reading the guide now and looking at the picture of Moffat that

I realise I went badly wrong.

     Pulling through the first roof I moved up and after spending a few

minutes trying to find a rock 6 I throw a skyhook on and rather than moving up

right which is where Masters Wall goes I climbed about halfway up the groove on

Indian Face before reaching right and committing to 2 or 3 hard sequences which

felt desperate. Getting stood on a 1 cm edge 4 inches wide I thought I was in

but I soon realised I couldn’t move right, I daren’t move up as although there

was something to aim for if it was not very good I would be dead and the

footholds appeared to runout. I tried to escape onto the resting ledge on Indian

Face just up to my left feeling pretty desparate by then. Climbed out I untied

and dropped the ropes to Adam. What followed was a truly life-changing

experience. I’d been on the climb for some time and Adam didn’t know the cliff

so it took him a while to throw the two tied together 9mm across the face to me

from quite far up to the right. By this time I’d been in the sun for some time,

I’d thrown my rack off to save weight, most of my fingertips were bleeding, I

couldn’t feel my toes, my tendons had been screaming for more than 30 minutes, I

thought I had seconds to go for 30 minutes but you do try your best to hold on

to life. It’s hard to describe that last 30 minutes on that bloody wall but

being tortured before knowing they’re going to finish you off soon is perhaps

not too far off the mark. When the rope reached me I struggled to tie a proper

knot, I think I got a weird slippery hitch in before I sailed 50 foot down right

into Vembers drainpipe crack and quickly slid down that.

    Arriving at the base I was totally blown, Adam was very much the same. I

left my rack and my rope (which had gotten stuck) at the cliff, I didn’t think

I’d be climbing again and wanted to disappear from beneath the jaws unable to

look at the face. The next day me and Adam went down Cwm Pennant and I had the

best tasting egg sandwich I’ve ever had and with my feet in a river I was loving

it. It took a good month to feel my toes again and over the years when people

asked if I was going back for Masters Wall I knew there was absolutely no way.

Seb Grieve went on the Indian Face soon after and was good enough to send me

back the few skyhooks and poor runners from the climb, his note read "none of it

would of held btw", I’ve still got the note. It put a damper on operation upward

movement for a brief time but it may have saved something worse happening at a

later date.

Seb Grieves message he gave me when sending back my hooks   Arriving at Clogwyn Du’Arddu  on this Tuesday, 2013 there was only 1 other

team on the cliff. I made a base and after looking up the starting groove and up

the ominous scoop above I round to the top and abseil over. Looking down the

crux headwall to the resting foothold I’m glad I never tried it from the deck as

much as Redhead would think me someone of low libido. I’ve never been on a climb

with so many ‘almost holds’ for both hands and feet where it ‘s easy to get it

wrong and what could be a 5c move could become a 6b move. I dicked about on this

bit getting a vague method for the step off the rest ledge I was happy with. I

go lower and inspect the gear at ¾ height, the nest. I was a little disappointed

as Neil Dyer had said he thought there were some ok wires and Al Hughes had said

when Johnny did West Indian Face there were some good bits of protection. I

found 1 ok RP but if not placed perfectly it would pull through and it was hard

to judge if it would take a fall. 3 other rp1s near it weren’t that inspiring

either. I checked the moves and gear lower down and was a slightly appalled. The

filed down rock 6 mentioned in the old guide is not therewhich is why I didn’t

find it in 2000, where I presume it went a quarter in offset 5 or sideways rp5

may take some bodyweight. 3 meter beyond a 3rd in sideways

rock 7 again possibly takes some bodweight. These 2 bits are your pro until the

‘gear’ nest at ¾ height, I can only think the gear has changed over the years

for redhead to survive a fall down the groove or else the ‘Gods’ were smiling on

him that day. Adam Wainwrights words about it essentially being a solo began to

make sense. I checked the trickier moves on the way back up and brushed them

feeling nervous knowing it would be my last opportunity that day before a crunch

time decision on wether to try it.  

   At the base a few friends have come up to the cliff, Evans, Emma, John,

Luke, Will and Al Hughes. Asking the time my gut turns as they say it’s 13.20,

40 mins before George arrived I was hoping for 2 hours to decide. The surety I’d

felt before checking the climb was gone and I spent the brief time brooding with

myself. The word unjustifiable was in my mind a good deal of the time. My legs

had felt a bit wobbly when walking off the top and a foot shake almost anywhere

on the climb could be more than likely fatal. I was disappointed I wasn’t the 19

year old who told himself if he could physically climb a route he would climb

the route.  George arrives and I tell him I’ve not decided. I get racked up

anyway. Al Hughes asks if I could down climb from a little way up which produces

a positive response from me as I think to myself I could down climb the whole

bloody route so what’s the problem. I still had not decided wether to try it but

set off up the groove fast anyhow. Stepping left through the first overlap I

climb poorly and 5 meters beyond I plug in the 2nd shit runner, sit on my heels

for a minute and have a word with myself. Letting being scared effect your

performance on this climb is a poor idea but telling your body that is easier

said than done. I thought briefly about down climbing but thought I could still

slip off and could still end up on the ground from 15 meters. I figure it’s

safest to carry on. I climb the groove a bit differently to how I did playing on

my grigri and plugging in the nest I grab the rest foothold and get stood on it.

I bluetak 2 poor skyhooks on and rest for 5/10 mins. I know that it’s all about

the next move for me as beyond the climbing eases enough that it would feel just

like soloing an E4 back in the day. I committed to it with a slightly different

foot sequence than I’d tried and went to the top fast before any day-terrors

could set in.  It admittedly felt good latching the finishing jug and although

I’m uncertain if it’s worth the risk at least it means I can ‘tick’ extreme rock

now. George comes up easily and Calum afterwards.

Al Hughes (Stone monkey Al) shot aiming for the rest foothold   I think at my best I may have ground upped to the nest of rps, possibly

the footledge but no way higher, I would’ve got too tired looking for none

existant runners and nowadays I would of got too scared and would of lowered off

from the RPS (hopefully) or have down climbed from lower. The Indian Face is a

true headgame with relatively steady climbing (by modern standards) but with the

seriousness impeding your performance on it with lots of bits it’d be easy to

cock up and get scared on.

    I think Calum may try it today and George on Thursday so it’s about to

become a trade route. Good luck to them both. I’m going to stick to cracks and

bolts for the rest of summer!

Al Hughes shot, a poor place to be, better then the 'resting foothold' just down to the right though.       The best bit of the Indian Face, the finishing jugs. Al Hughes piccy

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#31 Re: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...
July 10, 2013, 01:49:20 pm
 :bow: :bow: :bow:

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#32 The Big Bang & Premuir footage
August 14, 2013, 09:56:42 pm
The Big Bang & Premuir footage
4 August 2013, 10:05 am



   Some old school footage from Al Hughes and Al Leary of Neil Carson on the Big Bang LPT for the Welsh channel S4C. Apart from talking through the style of the route Neil talks about how he thought climbing could be in the Olympics. When I was starting out climbing Neil was an inspiring character, climbing well in the UK competitions, sometimes winning them as well as putting up a climb which at the time would have been amongst the hardest in the world.

   The Ormes are really coming into there own the past few years with loads of great new climbs being put up on them with 3 friends polishing off really good projects and a new guide coming out it seems an appropriate time for this footage.  

   In 2011 I told myself I'd do whatever it took to try and climb the Big Bang. The long repoint style epitomises everything I hated about climbing when I was younger and on moving to Wales George Smith asked if I was going to try it, I said absolutely no way thinking I'd never ever have the physical capabilities and would never be boring enough to spend days and days trying 1 climb. The repeat came after a not inconsiderable effort over 2 months involving no alcohol or cake, waking up before work with my blood boiling for training and worst of all resting on some nice days. At the start of the siege I was onsighting some 8as in the UK and the odd 8a+ abroad and couldn't touch it. Chris Doyle shouted at me that his Grandad could do better, I retorted I'd send him a postcard from the 9th grade.

 

    It's about 8b+/8c to 3/4 height where a fingery crux of V9/10 at the top is reached and you need to be hitting the end boulder problem relatively fresh to succeed. After finishing the siege on the 31st July I 'peaked' smashing through a bit of a performance platuea and for a month or so afterwards no climb felt off the radar in Britain before I went back to normal - bummer. Although I went back to normal it was Carsens brainchild which taught me that a section of climbing which feels like it takes everything can end up feeling easy with enough effort and attitude and led on to the ascent of the Meltdown the year after. The climb had taken me 13 session that year but it ended up saving me time as soon after I climbed routes which would normally have taken me a few days each I could do in  a few hours.

   

  Although I followed a vague/flexible structure to my training, rest and attempts it wasn't until afterwards whilst reading some sports science style books where things started to make sense about the siege. The best one I'd recommend is 'Bounce' by Matthew Syed, other than Dave Macleods book obviously. Some good snippets I found useful were:

   

When the body is put under exceptional strain extraordinary physiological processes are activated.

Top performers take active steps to stretch their limitations every session.

World Class performance comes by striving for a target just out of reach but with a vivid awareness of how the gap might be breached, over time through constant repetition and deep concentration the gap will disappear.

Purposeful practice is transformative

A few key points to performing well for sporting types were:

        Setting specific goals

        Working Hard

        Showing tremendous discipline

         Taking responsibility for their actions

         Receiving immediate feedback

         Putting as much emphasis on technique as on the outcome

         

  I thought I'd finish by showing some footage from the opposite end of the rock climbing spectrum, at least in terms of scale. Pictures of the big walls were definitely one of the reasons I first got hooked on climbing.

    The video below was probably the hardest pitch on Premuir wall which myself, Hazel and Dyer climbed last year. This is pitch 25, overlooking the base of the Nose more than 2000 ft beneath us. The gear for the corner has to be preplaced as its fiddly RPS which would be near impossible to place on the lead. The morning after climbing it Dyer got some footage of Hazel showing how the blank corner can be climbed. The corner is harder than Hazel makes it look being probably 8a+ on its own before finishing with an evil bouldery crack above. Your shoulders and calves are gauranteed a thorough drumming on this corner.

 It was a desperate pitch. Climbing the 2nd to last pitch (another desperately slippery 8a+, gear pitch) by headtorch with Hazel and Neil on night 6 stands out as one of the wildest moments in climbing the last few years and the ascent had an element of everything I got into climbing for.  



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#33 Scotland & Extreme Rock
August 30, 2013, 07:00:44 pm
Scotland & Extreme Rock
30 August 2013, 2:25 pm

          Had a great road trip up to Scotland climbing a variety of esoteric and classic climbs. I’ve often wondered how Scottish climbers dealt with both the poor weather and the midges but before setting off Northwards Julian Lines assured me there was always climbing to be done up in Scotland. He wasn’t wrong and we managed to climb every day for 8 days on some of the best single and multi pitch climbs I’ve done only getting partly shut down on an over optimistic walk into the Ben on the 2nd to last day. Having taken up 8 bottles of midge stuff I actually hardly used any and didn’t really notice the dreaded midges although Sophie wasn’t as lucky. Whilst up there the usual suspects were very active with Tony Stone having cleaned up some great routes, Blair Fyffe was keeping an eye on the avalanche conditions and Ian Small & Co were putting up some knarly knew routes. Murdo was obviously doing loads as well.

 

    Highlights of the trip were climbing Steeple, Juggernaut- thanks to Tony for the chalk(quite reachy/dynamic so chuffed to os it) and Dalriada on the last day, as well as staying at the great Hutchison Hut beneath Etchachan. The

lowpoint was walking out from the Hutchison hut and a farcical retreat off Wild Country as the last route of the trip. Although we got rained off Titans Wall/Agrippa area of the Ben the routes themselves look absolutely stunning and

I can’t wait for a return visit.

Sophie enjoying one of the great corners on Steeple      When in the Cairngorms if the weather is too poor for Shelterstone and Dubh Loch then the Pass of Ballater has excellent granite which stays dry even in the rain, like an inland Sennen Cove and Ballater itself has some excellent

cafes, particularly the Bothy. The lines at Shelterstone look to be some of the best slabs in Britain and deserve some attention. It unfortunately crapped out before I could try Run of the Arrow but I'm looking forward to going back and seeing how impressive Dinwoodies first foray on it was to the last gear as well as Whillances ascent.  

   

  Scotland holds more Extreme Rock routes I’ve not climbed yet than anywhere else and I was keen to reduce the list somewhat. I’ve now got about 55 left to do in Britain. Most are between E1 and E3 but with a few outstanding E5/6s and of course Revelations in the Peak. I’m hoping to get it done in the next 2/3 years as almost all the routes I’ve done from the list have been great and they are found in some of the best places (apart from Avon). Calums just lent me his copy to make a plan of which ones to go for next.

  The final day of the holiday we met up with Dan Varian, Kevin Avery and Mickey Stainthorpe. Driving from Roy Bridge we met them near Arrochar where it was raining and grim. Varians enthusiasm led us to walk up where the crag was wet and in the cloud. We minced at the base feeling cold before racking up to do Club Crack (which felt hard when damp). Getting back to base the cloud had cleared and the crag became dryish very quick. Me and Mickey set off up Dalriada which was exactly how it looks, absolutely stunning. It’s pretty easy to fluff the crux and when the top headwall is unchalked it’d be easy to cock up so I thought the E7 grade seemed fair enough as some of the pegs will disappear soon no doubt. Dan and Kevin both made light work of it making for a great afternoon.

Crux moves on Dalriada. Picture Kevin Avery      Whilst they were on Dalriada I borrowed their rack and set of up Wild Country a Dave ‘Cubby’ Cuthbertson route from 1979. I grabbed the good hold at the base of the crack and swung out onto it and was quite disappointed by the gear beyond. After plugging in 2 crap wires and half a cam I reversed to a lower ledge to rest and retrieve a different cam. I climbed back up to my high point and remembering it used to have a stuck rock 6 I lobbed one in high up the crack. I used one of my q-draws on it and feeling too knackered to do the crux beyond I stripped out the gear beneath thinking to down climb protected by my wire and come back when fresh. Unfortunately as I stripped out the lower gear my arms went to the end of their tank, I had time to throw back in an outward

pulling rock 2 and pulling outward on it whilst saying the classic words ‘take’ to Sophie on the ground I watched to see if the rock 6 was going to hold. A few frantic moments later I plugged in a good cam 1 above. As well as being really knackered and quite scared I had Jack Geldards smug voice saying ‘you can’t win them all’ reverberating through my head.

    Admittedly I was tired and the route not in great nick but the crack is tricky to get gear you’d want to lob onto and you are on a countdown. Good onsight/flashes from Macleod and McNair and a great effort for 1979 as I think

it could be knocking on for both E6 and 6b. It’ll have to wait for fresh arms and a return visit now. I was impressed with the quality and difficulty of many of the Cubby routes we did on the trip.

Some of the best routes were:



Steeple- a contender for the best E2 in Britain

Freakout- The main line of Aanoch Dubh

Spacewalk- Great crux right at the end

A Sweet Disregard for the Truth- On a great wall, good gear, steep and brilliant.

Juggernaut- Brilliant reachy/dynamic climbing. Crux for me was leaving the jug, I got a heel on the jug and flagged. Probably the best short E7 I’ve done, tough for 6b, good gear but need to climb quite fast. A Macleod classic.

The Handren Effect- Great wall climb with pretty good small wires/in-situ stuff and involving lovely pinches on the 2 upper hard bits.

Dalriada- Climbs as well as it looks, a must do.

Just a Little Tease- Extreme Rock cover & fun dyno at start.

Cosmopolitan- Great gear, easy to make it 6c if you weren’t careful!

Plague of Blazes- Great rock with good abseil point.

  I’ve got a week or so booked off for the start of October and it looks like it’ll be back to Scotland with Calum, I’ve told him he’s no chance on any of these routes that are harder than E4!!!



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#34 CRAG RESCUE WEEKEND
September 01, 2013, 07:01:26 pm
CRAG RESCUE WEEKEND
1 September 2013, 2:58 pm

  I'LL BE RUNNING A CRAG RESCUE WEEKEND ON THE 9TH AND 10TH OF NOVEMBER. THE COURSE IS IDEALLY SUITED TO REGULAR TRAD CLIMBERS WHO'D LIKE TO GET THEMSELVES OFF MULTI-PITCH AND SEA CLIFF CLIMBS WITH OR WITHOUT THEIR PARTNERS.          

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#35 The Ambassador, E8 7a
September 28, 2013, 01:03:13 am
The Ambassador, E8 7a
27 September 2013, 9:29 pm

    The climb goes up the arête before following the line towards the top just left of the abseil rope. Small dots of chalk give the line      Johnny Dawes had mentioned that the blunt Prow of the Milestone was a possibility over a decade ago but had played down that it was any good. My friend Calum Muskett had tried it early in 2012 and had gotten close but seemed to have lost interest in it in 2013 as he'd not been on it and it didn't appear he was going to get back on it in the near future.

   The week leading up to it I'd told most people I know my plan to go and try the arête so I shouldnt have been surprised Calum got wind of it the day before I'd planned to check it out. I abbed the arête on my grigri and was pretty impressed with the quality and difficulty of the moves as well as with Calums high point near the top which left me dumbfounded as to why he'd left it. Getting a feel for the moves I realised my old boots wouldn't work, Reeves arrived at the base and I abbed to him and picked up my new boots before jugging back up to get a better feel for the crux moves and to check the gear placements.

   Just before setting off for a lead go I received a txt off Calum saying it would be nice if I gave him a week to attempt it before trying it. Not feeling (nice) like I had as much time as a young man to keep returning I replied an ascent was unlikely as I'd bust my tip and felt the climbing was tricky. It was however too fun not to try.

   At 3/4 height the climbing goes from easy to suddenly steepening on the right side of the arête, a powerful move to a backhand and a reach to a sidecrimp on the arête using a poor foothold is followed by a wild step through to prevent a barndoor. You can place 2 good RPs here but they are difficult/desparate to place. It then follows a fantastic seam line with minimum footholds feeling like a gritstone problem. My first go I got through the crux backhand move but the demons of Muskett made placing the RPs desperate which combined with a rope fankle I only just managed to flummox to the last hard move before falling. I pulled the ropes and after an hours rest and some fingertaping I got it having left the gear in from my first go. Mark Reeves was as ever excellent company for such an endeavour. The climbing ways in at about F8a and Pete Robins thinks its one of the best around near that level and suggested the 7a tech grade, the E8 bit's open to question as the route is safe but it just feels that little bit too hard?.

   The name is in homage to Calum and may make some more sense in the not too distant future. Although the name had an element of teaching a youth humility and some small sense of Ian Hislop smugness there was also a glimmer of guilt. That disappeared when a friend said its not like you've stolen his girlfriend and perspective was regained. I think Calum is closing in on a very good new project which I wouldn't be surprised to have named after me! I've some vague ideas of what these names might be.

   The Wrinkled Retainer is definitely lacking attention at the moment considering its one of the best E5 6bs in the area giving a brilliant line and gear it comes highly recommended. One last point to make is this climb is way, way, way too hard for Jordan Buys.....



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#36 Rapid Rock, September 2013...
September 28, 2013, 01:00:49 pm
Rapid Rock, September 2013...
28 September 2013, 10:11 am

Above Stromboli Buttress on the 1st week with Nicholas, Fruit, Kate, Dave, Tina and Paul. The September 2013 Rapid Rock at Plas Y Brenin has sadly come to an end. Its been a great month and we've been lucky with the weather when compared to last year.



   I've run 3 of these over the last 4 years as well as being involved in a few others. During the month we've generally climbed all over North Wales, had people leading multi-pitch routes from diff to E1 and have made them confident and self sufficient for future climbing plans.   A wet forecast meant a fun day out on the Carreg Hyll Drem Traverse. If anyone has not done it and the weather is turd on a weekend its worth heading to warm up on before going to the Indy or Beacon climbing walls.

  Tina unfortunately twisted an ankle badly just before the final week but this is Tina on the left with Kate and Jake a pitch behind. Luckily Tina could come for the final evening in the Heights pub in Llanberis. I expect to bump into most of them on a cliff sometime and expect some scintillating rope skills.

  Cheers for a great month folks and thanks to Jake, Andy, Reeves, Mike and Paul whose efforts all helped to make it.

 





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#37 Re: The Ambassador, E8 7a
September 29, 2013, 06:41:39 pm
The Ambassador, E8 7a
The Wrinkled Retainer is definitely lacking attention at the moment
Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...

Quite bloody right. Disgraceful product of tree murdering eco vandalism.

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#38  BLCCs 2013
October 09, 2013, 01:00:50 pm
 BLCCs 2013
9 October 2013, 11:47 am

  Having become a provider for the new Mountain Training coaching awards I decided to head to the

  BLCCs to see what was involved in current competitions. It was held at the new Awesome Walls in Sheffield which had been heralded as the National Performance Centre by the BMC, the pictures looked ridiculous and the venue didn’t disappoint.

   The first day was the juniors and the vets with a large crowd of parents and supporters. Quite a few people I’d climbed with over the years were there, Vicky Askew, Catrin Rose, Emily Allen, Stan Harris, Cameron McLoughlin, Connor Byrne. I was very impressed with everyones performance and as I’d booked myself on to compete

the following day I could’nt believe how relaxed everyone seemed as I was bricking it. The quantity of talented youths who obviously put a lot of hard work into their climbing really came through and the 3 different viewing levels

made for a good show.

   The following day arrived and thankfully quieter than the day before I was tied in to try the qualifier I wasn’t looking forward to by 10.30, having been set by the Frenchman Yann ‘genome’ it had a nasty looking slopey blob boulder pretty low down. Ed Hamer had just pissed up to the last move before me and thinking I could static the lower moves like Ed it became apparent I wouldn’t be. Slipping off the aforementioned blobs the next young man in line said “I thought you were going to walk up it”. The next qualifier was thankfully a Mark Pretty special involving small holds and not being too steep.

Ed Hamer nearing the highpoint on the mens final, a powerful effort.      Having felt a bit deflated after Yanns route, not thinking I’d make the final and feeling ravenous having been staying light for Bransbys 8c the Beast on the Diamond which had been wet the last 3 times I got stuck into a sausage sandwich and a big rocky road. Feeling ill afterwards I became more ill when they said I’d got through to the final. In isolation I did feel a little old but thankfully Dave Barrans was there as well (sorry Dave). Stepping out my friend Ben Bransby cheered and I cursed him under my breath on the way out to the final, Ben was the first ever British junior champion and I knew the strong devil would’ve found the first qualifier and this final ok. Another Yann route I was glad not to suffer the social embarrassment of falling off the first move using a sloper. Halfway up the wall at a ‘big brain’ hold I thought looked tricky to negotiate from the ground was where my summit bid ended so at least I’d read it correctly. Apparently Yann thought 7c to here which would make this my worst performance for many years but I gained more respect for people like Vickers and Legrand who topped these buggers out in the 1990s.

   

   The final was great to watch. Connor Byrne, only 17 yrs old got really high in the roof. Ed Hamer blasted across the roof to fall at the easing in angle on the last few metres. Dave Barrans was unlucky enough to slip off still full of beans at the start of the roof which was a shame as Barrans was looking brutally strong. James Garden got well across the roof before falling. The last out and the only person to top both the qualifiers was a young Canadian Elan Jonas-McRae. Appearing able to take his feet off the majority of moves this caught up with him in the middle of the roof leaving Ed Hamer the winner of the Senior mens.

    The Senior womens final was on the same heinous roof. Molly Thompson Smith put in a fantastic show topping it out and Tara Hayes wasn’t far behind. At 15 yrs of age it makes Molly the youngest senior womens lead climbing champion.  

Molly Thompson Smith high on the womens final with Connor Byrne starting up the mens.       Super strong siblings, Charlotte and James Garden on the finals.      I’d definitely recommend competing or watching if you’ve ever given it any thought as by doing so you are helping to support the British competition circuit and you can see some impressive displays and some scary falls! Worth

practicing on some slopey blobs before going on Yanns routes, I know I will.

   The following day found a surge of excitement on Burbage South with Ben Bransby. Abseiling down Parthion Shot I was glad to discover a fingerjug/good crimp left near the top of the broken flake as well as quite a few good small wires. I pulled into position and found a good way of doing the big move up to the ‘ledge’ above. We had a rope down it and discovered that the top move to the pocket is pretty nails if you are a shorty although you are stood on a ledge so there are no excuses really. This was one of the routes I really wanted to get done whilst in the peak area and I was a bit gutted about hearing of it being impossible but it’s only a bit harder than before the flake snapped at the moment at probably around 8b.If anyone goes to try it could they go gently with the fingerjug/crimp.

Ben Bransby demonstrating the stretchy first moves on Parthion Shot

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#39 Re: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...
October 10, 2013, 07:51:29 pm
Having to diet for 8c now Caff!! Must be getting old  ;)

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#40 Ticks Groove
October 16, 2013, 01:00:45 pm
Ticks Groove
16 October 2013, 8:34 am

On my first trips to Wales many of the times would involve a Paul Williams guidebook.

   Falcon…"you pull out right and the exposure hits you in the face like a frying pan"

 Great wall… "An ascent on a warm sunny summers evening will remain embedded in the memory long after the cold winter nights have drawn in"

 White Slab..."An incredible aura surrounds this fabled route; it exerts a magnetic pull that compels one to climb it....sooner rather than later...."

    To say he brought the climbs and their history to life would be an understatement and out of climbers past that I would have liked to have met he’d be top of the list.

    One of the lectures he used to give was called ‘The Slate of the Art’ showing what was going on in the quarries at the time and brilliant to see by all accounts. Paul had eyed up a big corner line going the full height of the Lost World hole found behind Twll Mawr (where the Quarryman is). Being one of the lesser visited areas of the quarries it’s managed to stay unclimbed for many years.

     Martin Crook and Ray Kay had attempted the line but did not return for an ascent. In about 2006 I rang Neil Dicksen quite excited about the prospect of trying it, spinning him a yarn about it being one of the last great lines left

in North Wales. He drove over from Conwy and we made the pilgrimage into the pit where it started to rain and we were forced to hide out in a tunnel. Being Neils 21st birthday he was unimpressed with the venture. We left empty handed. Reading through Simon Pantons recent and excellent slate guide this October I found a note on the Ticks groove project which reignited my enthusiasm for an attempt.

Alex leading the 1st pitch on Ticks Groove with Mark Reeves belaying. Picture, Simon Panton.      Myself, Mark Reeves and Alex Mason decided to try our luck. Mark was already a pioneer of many of the climbs in this part of the quarries. Alex had given up smoking the prior week so myself and Mark offered him some advice on how best to quit smoking as we didn’t want him becoming irate on the climb. He took the advice and sucked on a variety of items for much of the day. Climbing down the 3 sets of ladders to gain the level we were surprised to see Simon Panton getting pictures of Hosey on his knew route ‘The Beast Within’ with Ben high up on the left side of Lost World. Its rare to see anyone in Lost World or its adjoining pit Mordor.

    The Ticks Groove appeared bigger and better than I remembered. Alex set off up the first, mildly chossy looking pitch making rapid work of it. Reeves went up next with me staying out of the line of fire. The 1st pitch was quite deceptive being steeper and less ledge shuffly than I’d expected. Looking up the main corner there were some uninspiring looking blocks low down which I figured would be the termination of our attempt.  

Luckily after prevaricating about wether to pull on the main dubious looking block I just got ready to push it towards Mark Reeves if it came off and managed to get entrenched above the main danger blocks. This 1st third seemed like an easier version of many of the Pat Littlejohn sea cliff routes where you pull on things just because you know he did but you don't know if the holds will stay on or not.

About to commit to the moves to gain the tree. Picture, Simon Panton      Beyond the jammed in blocks the corner offered some excellent, technical and reasonably sustained climbing leading via some airy moves to a tree, afew metres beyond there is a brilliant ‘5c mantle’ leading to easier ground and a brilliant grass ledge which feels kind of on its own in the middle of nowhere. As Alex and Mark came up behind 4 Ravens flew past in convoy making their signature cawing sounds and the pit had a wild air about it. Ascending the main groove had been a close run thing on a few occasions but I was confident we could find a way out somewhere above if it didnt rain. Luckily the logical continuation corner wasnt as bad as it looked.

   The final pitch finished with a 10 meter technical corner with good holds at the top just as all the footholds runout making for an exciting scamper for the final moves of a great climb. The climb was found by one of the keenest

climbers ever and having done some great routes over the past year this adventure felt as good as any of them.

Ticks Groove, E6 6b:

Pitch 1: 20m, E3 5b Follow loose blocks carefully up leftwards to a ledge

near the base of the corner

Pitch 2: 35m,  6b Climb the corner via some dubious blocks with lots of care,

at ¾ height it becomes quite technical and sustained with excellent moves to

gain a tree, the bracken groove above the tree leads via a ‘5c mantel’ to easier

ground and a good grass ledge and belay.

Pitch 3: 10m, 6a Step back right into the main corner where sustained

technical climbing leads to some great finishing moves.

J.McHaffie, Mark Reeves, Alex Mason, 10/10/13

The Lost World, a blankish wall on the left may have some knew routes to go. Picture, Simon Panton

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#41 Optical Express
October 27, 2013, 06:00:27 pm
Optical Express
27 October 2013, 5:17 pm

   My most recent sponsor is quite an interesting one. I’ve had particularly bad eyesight for 2 decades and when I got handed my first pair of glasses my optician told me I’d be wearing them forever.

   For some of the aspects of my work I need to wear contacts. ML assessments involve night navigation

and if the weather is poor I can’t read a map and often feel like I’m going to trip over if I’m wearing glasses. On an effort on Rumblefish on Dinas Cromlech 1 contact fell out and my balance went to shit and an undignified retreat ensued. The last trip to Yosemite involved 3 or 4 eye infections with the last one leaving me near blind for 2 days and very light sensitive for weeks. Ben Bransby is the only person I know with a stronger prescription than me at -9 or so. I vaguely remember a story Pete Robins told me of Ben losing his glasses on a ledge in Pembroke on an attempt of a new route. To cut the story short Ben could no longer see and built a crap belay, Pete couldn’t get up the top pitch and wanted to hit Ben for losing his glasses, they had an epic retreat into the sea. This is a very vague outline of the story but you get the picture that being myopic can be a pain in the arse sometimes.  

Ben Bransby, one of Britains best and blindest climbers about to lob off the last move of the Nose on Eigg, Scotland.      Inspired by Calum Musketts positive attitude I sent off emails to 6 Laser Eye Companies not really expecting a reply. I received a reply from one saying that some British Cricketers had used their company and had paid, I emailed back thanking them for their reply but mentioning that Cricketers get paid to play.  

   The next email was from Mary Francis at Optical Express saying that I’d make an interesting case study. Since then I’ve been quite blown away by their level of support. I’m coaching out in Cyprus until the 4th of November (if I make it out of Britain through the storm tomorrow), I’ll watch and take part in the Welsh Climbing Championships at the Beacon and soon after that I’ll be zapped.

   With how Optical Express have been to deal with so far I’m feeling confident about going there and having it done. As part of the sponsorship contract involves naming a new route after the company I figure they are pretty confident as well. Ray Wood is getting some footage of before, during and after the eye surgery so I’m going to do my best not to cry before going in. I’m pretty happy to have Ray there to help get home post operation.

Ray Wood filming at Indy Wall . Ray has a good eye for the finer things in life...      As well as being liberating for my lifestyle their sponsorship also means I can afford to go out to Patagonia in December with Tim Neill. If we get the weather window we’ll try and free the Compressor route on Cerro Torre. Fingers crossed.  

Cerro Torre, Patagonia

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#42 Mountain Trainings Coaching Award Scheme
November 07, 2013, 06:00:32 pm
Mountain Trainings Coaching Award Scheme
7 November 2013, 12:29 pm

   

    I applied rather last minute to become a provider for the Mountain Trainings climbing coaching award schemes. I’ve run a lot of Climbing Wall Award trainings the last few years and figured the coaching awards would fit in with these in a logical manner. Climbing walls are where most people have their first taste of climbing so improving the input at this grassroots level makes sense.

 I was sceptical before arriving at the provider workshop on the 26th/27th of September worried it was going to be too similar to the Fundamental courses with a few snippets of BCU waffle on top. The 19 providers chosen were an eclectic bunch specialising in performing, teaching and/or instructing and I wondered how it was going to be pulled together to deliver a consistent award scheme.  By lunch time of the first day Martin Chester had sold each of us that this award scheme was the greatest thing since sliced bread and having read numerous books related to teaching and motivation over the last 2 years I thought the courses made excellent sense and would fit next to the Fundamental courses nicely.


Martin Chester on top form at the MCC during the providership workshop    

    The BMC Fundamental courses are primarily about what to teach whereas the coaching schemes are more concerned with some good methods of how to teach, plan, analyse and give feedback. Part of the ethos of the award is to give good practice and teaching skills to a large body of people working with beginner and intermediate climbers on a regular basis. This will hopefully make many peoples’ first contact with climbing a more positive experience and give instructors/coaches more strings to their bows. The 2 awards levels to do this are the Foundation Coach and the Development Coach award, with a Performance coach award being piloted in the spring of 2014.  

 

  One example showing the importance of how we communicate is shown in Dwecks book, Mindset. How the difference of 6 words can have a profound effect on performance in anything.

 
Students praised for ‘talent’ rather than effort would go on to do much worse in tests.

Talent based phrases: “you’re a natural at that”  “you made that look easy”   “you’re very intelligent”

Effort based phrases: “you worked hard for that”    “you could do harder”

 The groups praised for effort would persevere on tests for longer, enjoyed them far more and did not suffer any loss of confidence. Groups praised for talent didn’t want to look ‘unintelligent’ so if there was a choice of an easy or a hard test they’d choose the easy one. 90% of students praised for effort took the harder test looking at it as a potentially fruitful challenge.

    If you are working with people in the context of teaching it’s hard to ignore this type of research. Have potentially great climbers lost motivation or ‘flatlined’ through being told how great they are? Are people sticking to the same party piece routes because they don’t like being seen to fail on something new?

 

   Another good example is the ‘Gorillas in Our Midst’ test from Simons and Chabris. Volunteers were asked to watch a basketball match between a team in red and the other in white. They are asked to count the number of passes the red or blue team make. Halfway through the game a guy in a gorilla suit runs across the screen. More than half the volunteers missed the guy in the gorilla suit.  The experiment was later done with Basketball players who all saw the guy in the Gorilla suit.

 

    Experts are deemed to have more conscious bandwidth. This can be linked into many facets of climbing from the briefings instructors give before a bouldering session to Z-clipping and even shoddy belaying.

  Many elements from the coaching award scheme have not been widely brought into the world of climbing although excellent books like Dave Macleods 9 out of 10 climbers does touch upon many of them. It will be interesting to see what the effect is over the coming years.





Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#43 Laser Eyes!
December 04, 2013, 12:00:42 pm
Laser Eyes!
4 December 2013, 9:17 am

     I was pretty nervous about the laser eye surgery booked in for the 20th November. I’d managed to drain my adrenal gland somewhat the previous day trying a tricky climb called Parthion Shot, which my friend Ben Bransby succeeded on via a valiant effort.

   Everyone I’ve spoken to who has had it done said it was the best thing they’d ever done, and just before going into the ‘laser room’ I read peoples’ accounts on the wall of how great the experience had been to give myself some last minute positive affirmations. Ray Wood had come along as a friend, filmer and driver, so I knew if I did a runner out the door I’d never live it down.

   I went in and after a surreal five or 10 minutes I was thanking Antonio, Margaret and team for their speed and efficiency, and I was on a high knowing the crux of it was done. Ray got some suitably cheesy footage of me walking out the shop with shades on and we went for a nice lunch a few doors down chatting about how it had went and felt.

  On the drive back from Liverpool to North Wales the anaesthetic wore off, which after a few minutes meant I had to strip my t-shirt off and use it as a handkerchief as my sinuses started to wake up. The two days post-surgery I was told could be discomforting, and I was impressed with how accurately the instructions ‘what to expect post laser eye surgery’ were in predicting how I’d feel. I never felt what I’d regard as pain, and the eye infections I had in the past from using contacts in dry dusty areas had been a hundred times worse.  The recovery mainly involved being sedentary for a few days, which was actually quite nice and was perfect timing to get through some Michael Thomas CDs on Spanish in preparation for the trip to Patagonia in December.

   As the days progressed post surgery I found out what 20/20 or better meant, although my eyes were still settling I was able to see details in the lichens and mosses in the garden I couldn’t define before. It felt a bit like being ten again, which would have been around the time I still had good sight before it took its rather large deterioration from early to late teens. At day six I found my glasses in the bottom of my OE bag thinking I’d left them there and a bit gutted not to have the memorabilia. Putting them on it’s how I’d envisage an ‘acid trip’, this was why people I passed them to over the years to try on would always say “OMG, your eyes.....”.

Emma Twyford beneath the new arete climb        One week later I went out climbing for the first time post treatment with Emma Twyford and Ray Wood. We put up a new climb on Holyhead in the late afternoon, having been there quite a bit over the years I’d noticed a few unclimbed lines. This route follows a short, steep arête, quite exciting for its size. Setting off up it involved a big move to good but odd guppies allowing some tricky gear to be placed before cheval style moves to finish, probably about E5 6aish. It is yet to be named but we’re going to do something slightly special for it in conjunction with Optical Express. At the top of the climb Ray asked me: “So what is it like compared with before?”

   Well, for a start it’s a hell of a lot clearer, which is hard to describe how much so to people who have always had great vision.  I don’t have to wear contacts, thereby reducing the risk of the eye infections which had become more frequent the last two years. It means that I don’t need to wear glasses when out on the hill, so I’ll be less likely to be unable to see where I’m putting my feet when it’s raining or unable to use a map on ML night navigation exercises.

   It has felt more liberating than I was expecting and I think my semi-blind friend Ben Bransby, the most squeamish person concerning eyes, is contemplating it seeing as how both myself and Adam Long have mentioned its merits.  I’ll be one of the people now singing the praises of laser eye surgery and hope to put it to good use on the rock in 2014.

 Massive thanks go to the Liverpool Optical Express crew for the new eyes, Ray Wood for loads of help and of course the team at Optical Express head office for supporting it and organising everything.



Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#44  Parthionless to Patagonia
December 08, 2013, 06:00:36 pm
 Parthionless to Patagonia
8 December 2013, 5:16 pm

     The year coming up I decided to resign my contract with Plas Y Brenin. I’ll be running some of my own courses, doing more MLs for Phill and Lisa George and will be climbing more. I’ll be joining the RAB team which is great as even with Calum on it they are a great bunch.

   Myself, Calum, Fran Brown, Shauna Coxsey, Fran Brown, Molly Thompson-Smith, Steve McClure and Hazel Fundlay have become Ambassadors for the BMC. The BMC have always done a lot of good work on behalf of climbers and walkers in Britain so I’m looking forward to helping them in any way possible.

   I was a little disappointed not to do Parthion Shot as an end of year tick, partly because I’m nervous of someone pulling what is left of the flake off while I’m away in Patagonia. I tried it 3 times on the lead on 2 different days. The first time was with Ben Bransby. I’d mentioned to someone the day prior to trying it that Ben could easily do it but might be a bit too cautious. After a quick re-check of the moves and the gear Ben goes first and I realised he meant business, getting to the high lead crux I think he’s in when suddenly he’ mentions’ he is coming off, I take in some slack wondering what to tell Kath if Ben spoons himself. He slams in a bit but lands well. The belay had been more stressful than I expected and the cautiousness I mentioned before was most assuredly with me. On my turn I prevaricated on wether to set off, feeling nervous and not in the mood. I give it a go and with numb fingers get to the top shelf beneath the lead crux, there is no way I was continuing, fingers numb and not into it. Next go Ben goes for broke and spending an age on the footshare at the top with numb fingers he tops out and I took him off belay with relief. My second go I did intend to give it everything as it would have been nice to do it together as we did on Careless. Shaking out at my previous highpoint my fingers in my left hand felt stiff and I knew they were useless, I drop off broken and awaiting laser eye surgery the following day. It was the most powerful effort I’ve seen from Ben for some years and at the end of the day it was hard to say if it was the belay or my 2 attempts I was most tired from, either way I was impressed and the footage of Ben on it is well worth a watch.

   A week later with a big team I gave it one more lead effort whilst back in the Peak. Body feeling tired from the day before but with considerably warmer conditions I get a few moves higher before dropping it and at least felt happy my head was in gear although I felt a bit of a pleb. There were 3 other people looking at Parthion and another 3 on Dynamics of Change with Pasquil nipping in for a quick OS of Balance it is, not that he was under any pressure. Compared with ten years previously I think the physical standards of everyone at the crag was at a great level and there just seems to be a lot of bloody good climbers around at the moment even without Pasquil to help boost the average. Half the people there had climbed 9a and the others could easily do so, half had climbed a few font 8bs and all had onsighted and/or flashed (thats a flash where you’ve never been near the climb on an abseil rope!) E7s and E8s.    

   Some days later I encountered the prophet of purism, John Redhead in the Heights at a great talk by Paul Pritchard. Chatting about some climbing experiences I could see where John was coming from with some of his views on modern climbing. I think this year more than ever ascents of ‘big number’ climbs E7-9 headpoints have probably been more regular than E6s getting onsighted. A meeting with Johnny Dawes some days later involved a similar conversation with him (not him) mentioning that they were 'only' climbing 8a and doing similar levels, I think Al Hughes video 1980s...the Birth of the Extreme was very well named. There are more E8s and 9s to go for nowadays and although physical standards have improved a lot we all still get as scared as they did in the 1980s. On sport climbs as you progress up the grades the risk of serious injury doesnt increase like it does with the UK grade system. I’m afraid I’ll be one of the first out with my top rope next year but will try and keep it for special occasions.

A chat about climbing ethics in the Heights with John Redhead. Calums pic      I’m off to Patagonia for 5 weeks from 9th of December with Tim Neill. It is somewhere I’ve thought about visiting since I got into climbing and Tim is a contender for the keenest climber around so I think it will be a great way to see in the New Year. We’re hoping to try the Compressor route, some big routes on Fitzroy and climb routes like Exocet. Worst case scenario is I stand on Tims shoulders to get a good axe placement in the Cerro Torres snow mushroom. Calum Muskett and Dave Macleod are coming out with the same objective soon after and I’ll be sorely disappointed if we get most of the way up, have to retreat for whatever reason and these punks have it all chalked up!       Tim explaining to Calum that he'll not even find Cerro Torre let alone climb it.

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#45 Patagonia
January 24, 2014, 12:00:33 pm
Patagonia
23 January 2014, 9:06 am

    Cerro Torre in the morning light        The final headwall pitch had been challenging, super exposed and at the end of a cold bivy and 2 days climbing in the cold. Seracs three times the size of Kilnsey hang off granite monoliths nearby. Myself and Tim look down at another team low down on the climb. The BD pro team had been forced to retreat off the first hard pitch, fiendishly strong as the leader was he was unable to pull his partner up, fond of waffles and dolce de leche his second had been risking breaking the belay anchors. We give them a wave and turn around to continue up the thankfully easy angled snow slope, still not too soft from the sun. As we top out....

   I wake up from the dream and look out of the plane again at the layer of clouds beneath, it had been getting thicker and thicker as we’d crossed the Atlantic and as we neared GB there were no gaps. This was appropriate as beneath those clouds lay bills, dampness and replays of some of the worst weather for decades. None of our objectives had been achieved, in fact we hadn’t even gained the base of any of them, but it had still ended up being a great trip. I looked back on a month in Patagonia with Tim Neill:



Day 1:
Fly into El Calafate, a small airport in a fantastic situation on the edge of a glacial lake. A 3 hr minibus journey across flat plains tracking the edge of a huge lake brings the pointy granite peaks into view and the sudden contrast of plains into peaks gave a good insight of why this place holds a place in the heart of many people. We get dropped off in the town of El Chalten and head to the Aylen Aike Hostel ran by the gregarious Seba. Growing rapidly El Chalten was the name given to the higher peaks such as Fitzroy by some of the first inhabitants of the area.

    After a 30 minutes walk down the high street I looked in a mirror and my forehead appeared to have been microwaved. I forgot that although the Montreal Protocol was one of the most successful bits of international environmental legislation the hole in the ozone layer is very close. Some Patagonian regulars informed me it’s the easiest place to get burned, they lived in California.

Day 2: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing.....

Day 3: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs,  in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing.....

   We have seen the first condors of the trip. In the middle of the day a huge horse gallops full speed down the El Chalten main street trailing 20 metres of rope, a few minutes later 2 dogs came running after it!

Day 4: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing.....

Day 5: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores, boulder and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing.....but there is a blip on the graphs and the talk moves to a ‘window’.

Day 6: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs...

a hive of activity begins,  objectives are talked of, files sharpen axes and everybody makes ready for an exodus to the hills.

Day 7: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs...

People shop and pack. Josh Wharton and Brian leave us a gas canister. The world is a small place, Josh lives in Colorado but his grandad had helped set up the Ogwen Mountain rescue team back in North Wales.

Day 8: Getting my rucksack on in El Chalten I wonder if I can move the pig of a weight out of town, 8 hrs later having attached ourselves to Mikey Schaeffer and Co halfway along we enter our basecamp, Niponino. On the walk in Cerro Torre had popped out of the clouds, Hazel cleverly observes free climbing it at that moment would be tricky as it was plastered white. The landscape is incredible and it’s very hard to grasp the scale of all the granite faces, the seracs and overhanging snow mushrooms hanging off many of them.

Tim on Chiaro de Luna       Tim on top of Saint Exupery     Day 9: We wake at 1:00 with the intention of trying Exocet but the temps feel like a summer morning in Camp 4, Tim makes a great call of going back to bed and trying a rock objective. We get up at 5 and go for Chiaro de Luna on Saint Exupery. Although cold with often ice filled cracks it gave a great day out. Getting back to camp we encounter horror stories from people who had attempted Exocet, the best being Marc Leclercs and Jason Kruk who had to wait under a boulder for 8 hrs for the bombardments to stop so they could abseil off.

Day 10: Set off on Yellow Grey Arrow/new route and decide we’re 5 hrs too late. Abseil off and do Rubio Azul which gives a great view of the Cerro Torre summit headwall, from close up it appeared quite featured. The sun had melted the snow off the headwall and I grew more optimistic about getting on it. As we abseil off the weather craps out. We camp and get no sleep, listening to the wind ‘charging’ in the glacier before battering down the valley sweeping the rain into our tent. We walk out early back to the great food in El Chalten. Our stash was where we wanted it and all we had to do was wait....

Day 11: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing.....

Team Epic TV (being Jack Geldard, Rob Greenwood and Matt Pycroft) had an eventful window helping with the rescue of 2 climbers who had taken a bad fall off the Supercanaleta. It took all night and at the end of the rescue Jack gained some sage advice from a man also on the rescue:

“First time in Patagonia? Let this be a lesson to you on self reliance”

Jack took the advice literally and was hardly seen outside of the kitchen for the duration of the holiday, his baking was 2nd to none.

Days 12-20: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing.....

This is the easiest place to hitch I’ve been, people and families go out of their way to make space for hitchers, very welcoming. Jack, Rob and Matts time has come to an end. The film in production for Epic TV should be watched by anyone thinking of eating out in El Chalten as they visited every restaurant and cafe on their trip. Myself, Tim and Hazel may have put up a new 4 pitch route on a nearby cliff, unfortunately its not worth giving a name to.

Days  20-21:  Another window appears and myself and Tim enthusiastically walk through the rain to get to Niponino on New Years Eve to try a new route on El Mocho on New Years Day. A lone fox is one of the few other inhabitants of Niponino. It snows during the night and combined with spindrift and cold weather we end up walking back out disgruntled and wondering if we were being men of low moral fibre. Maybe it was bad karma for putting an equivalent of 3 tonnes of CO2 each into the atmosphere with our huge flight? Other teams head in as we leave, carrying axes, Mikey Schaefer and the Kauffman brothers succeed on an excellent new route the Super Domo on Domo Blanco.

The best pizzas in the world at the Chocolateria     Days 21-26: The wind blows, the climbers eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana is playing....

Dave Macleod, Calum, Ally Swinton and Ben Winston arrive. It’s good to have renewed energy bumped into our trip, we’ve climbed almost every day but the sports venues are by no means similar to Ceuse and we were feeling the lows of the meteographs, accentuated by Tim reading Birdsong and me reading a very good but slightly bleak post apocalyptic book.

   Dave looked exceedingly strong doing a font 8b in 2/3 sessions and I hoped Calum had not left his jumars back with his statics on the torres. The rarity value of getting up any of the bigger climbs in Patagonia certainly adds to the flavour much like the rarely in condition Welsh winter climbs.

 Days 27-30: Our final window. Short and cold we were aiming to repeat Super Domo.

The Fitzroy range on our walk in       Tim on the first of the 3 brilliant final ice pitches with Rolando Garibotti going up the top pitch in the distance       Tim had his 70th birthday as we climbed, looking up the final ice pitches        We set off at 2.30 and with 1 team ahead and 2 teams behind we walk in via a cloudless morning and great views of the Fitzroy range. The first part of the climb had some great easier ice pitches, the middle had a techy mixed pitch which Tim dealt with smoothly and the final 3 ice pitches looked superb. Owen the ozzie and Mike from Colorado were hot on our heels and Pete Graham and Ben Sylvester right behind them. As Tim climbed the 1st of the top ice pitches I watched Rolando Garibotti climbing the final, crux and intimidating top pitch managing not to send down any ice onto us by hooking it. As I seconded this last ice pitch I noticed a good 6 inches of slack between me and Tim and I shouted to let him know.

Tim traversing out on the final pitch with an annoying converter insignia in the middle       The CAC calender on top of Domo Blanco with Fitzroy behind        We were lucky to top out on Domo Blanco with a view across the Patagonian ice cap (something I felt we’d missed out on), to our original objective Cerro Torre and back towards Fitzroy. This ascent made the trip for the both of us. The line of Supercanaleta particularly stuck out, being a huge corner with an ice streak in the back splitting the huge peak. It’s the best mixed/alpine style line I’ve seen and having been wondering what brought people back for a 2nd holiday it suddenly became clear, it was certainly the best winter line I’d seen.

  Above: Some footage of the area whilst abseiling off Domo Blanco

   The walk out the following day we retrieved all of our kit and although we had heavy bags the walk back to El Chalten felt considerably easier than on the ‘empty bagged and handed’ New Years day walk out.

Days 31-2: Last 2 days involved being knackered from the walk out and pizza+alfajores from the chocolateria and feeling the weight of the good food whilst trying to boulder. Ed Brown and Paul Reeve arrive to bolster the Brit contingent. Colin Haley told the best 4 jokes I’ve ever heard and gained huge respect points but then lost them all by mentioning how he liked the band the Streets.  We met the person named the ‘Troutman’ who managed to maintain a conversation on fish migrations for 40 minutes+. It was time to leave.

The final morning our friends, Seth, Neale, Zach, Lowri and Ryan helped me and Tim to get our stuff to the minibus and we said our goodbyes to them and Seba, the owner of the finest hostel in the world. We were sad to leave but knew that....

  .. the wind would blow, the climbers would eat empanadas, alfajores and watch the meteographs, in Aylen Aike Hostel Nirvana would always be playing....

  Big thanks to Tim, Calum, the BMC....

& to Glyn & Scarpa, Dan Thompson & Rab, DMM, Sterling and the Chocolateria for goodies.

 

   

Zach, Neale and Seth the Alaskan checking the meteographs in Aylen Aike Hostel

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#46 Re: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...
January 24, 2014, 01:38:42 pm
great post.

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#47 The Llanberis Slate
March 09, 2014, 06:00:29 pm
The Llanberis Slate
9 March 2014, 5:30 pm

   The Dinorwic slate quarries are an impressive and atmospheric place to climb having some of the finest pitches around and also offering some of the best views of Llanberis, the Pass and Crib Goch. In its hayday it employed about 3000 people directly and shut down in 1969 when the first recorded rock climbs were put up such as Opening Bid (71) and Gideon although the quarryman undoubtedly did some of the faces before climbers arrived.  Drying in minutes it is possible to hide in one of the blast shelters waiting for the showers to stop before setting off and can be climbed on throughout the year. Meaning 'to split' slate has some of the sharpest edges found on any rock with rockovers and mantelshelves involving getting your feet by your head being common, as are doing these moves a long way above any protection. Some of the huge pits are named after where the slate was shipped out to, Australia and California, Vivian after an quarry manager and Twll Mawr immortalised in the Stone Monkey video means big hole in Welsh.

   These finest pitches include routes such as: Seams the Same, Comes the Dervish, Ride the Wild Surf, Pull my Daisy, Central Sadness, Slipstream, The Rainbow of Recalcitrance, Naked before the Beast. Equally as good are the Lakeland equivalents found in Hodge Close Quarry: Malice in Wonderland, Ten Years After, Wicked Willie, Limited Edition, First Night Nerves, Stage Fright are all some of the best slab pitches to be found south of Scotland. I know them to be some of the finest pitches as on a great trip to Wales in 1999 with Colin Downer and Wez Hunter we did a spectrum of classics includingThe Cad, the Moon, Sexual Salami, Cardiac Arete, Lord of the Flies, Edge of Time, Weasels. One that stood out for quality on this week was Central Sadness in California, found through 2 tunnels it takes the centre of an impressive face and had 2 paintings on the scree opposite which were highlighted against the greyness. A serious first pitch leads to a stunning well protected crack on the 2nd.

      In 2007 I was swinging around on an Dawes project called the Meltdown, getting nowhere I was a little embarrassed when Joe Brown appeared on the sidelines. He told me he never did a move he didn't think he could downclimb. I found this pretty amazing as having done many of his climbs I knew they were hard enough to get up the moves let alone downclimb. I'd got into climbing with a story my dad used to tell in his talks he gave at the Moot Hall in Keswick every week with myself pressing the projector button for him. I presume it was the 1970s:

  Dad was at Shepherds crag and a guy comes up to him and says:

Guy: "Do you fancy doing something hard?"

Dad: who is this guy? "why not"

Dad was belayed a pitch up and the guy was leading the 2nd pitch and says:

Guy:"Is it alright if I fall off"

Dad"Pardon"

Guy:urgently "Is it alright if I fall off"

Guy falls 30 feet gets back up to dad and says

Guy: "I dont mind falling off"

Guy gets back on and does the climb.

  A week later a man with long hair went up to dad in a pub and says:

Long hair: "Eye eye, I hear you been climbing with Douggie"

Dad: "He fell 30 feet"

Long Hair " Douggie Hall, he's one of the best climbers in Britain, he falls off every week".

I think its fair to say he didnt fall off very often in the following years but the idea of falling off being often ok with modern protection helped drive things in the following decade, the slate climbing Golden Years.

 

   In the 1980s climbing in the Slate quarries really took off, with a strong ethic on making extremely serious climbs it appeared to be a competition on who could climb the hardest whilst placing the least protection. The runouts and falls which have occurred on slate are legendary. The majority of routes on the Rainbow Slab will have seen at least falls of 40-60 feet, arse grinders. Dawes came off Paul Pritchards route 'A Cure for a Sick Mind' trying to jump clip a bolt from standing on the Rainbow and missed hitting the ground on rope stretch. Pete Whillance took a 100 ft fall off Life in the Fast Lane. Redhead fell off Dawes of Perception and his partner Towse had to jump into the Vivian Pool to save Johns life although he did break his thumb. Lucky falls aside it's a place for a balanced approach as at least 1 person has died on a route on the Rainbow slab.

   I've enjoyed hanging out in the quarries probably more than on any other rock over the years and even enjoyed getting a schooling off Will Perrin, Hock or Pete and having to call in all friends at various periods for belay stints on Bungles or Meltdown. Climbing on it is primarily about confidence, flexiblity and crimping.

   

The fantastic Rainbow Slab     A great new guidebook, not sure about the cover      The hardest and most serious trad routes climbed on slate are still appropriatley remnants from the 1980s. Raped by Affection, A Cure for a Sick Mind and probably the hardest and still unrepeated Couer de Lion involving runout F8a climbing (body sideways style stuff) and a knarly E7 just to get to the first protection. If anybody is so inclined more serious routes could be 'made' but the 90s and 00s resonated a less minimalistic bolting stance and I'll hold my hand up to lacing mine.

  In 1990 the quarries got given there 2 hardest sport pitches, Bungles Arete courtesy of Sean Myles and The Very Big and the Very Small from Dawes which gave Britain its technically hardest slab pitch. The holds are small enough that most people can have a maximum of 3 goes before exploding at least 1 fingertip. It's a climb which many very good climbers have done with 1 rest but dispensing with the rest is tricky. Steve Mcclure repeated it in 1998 and after a particularly turd morning I managed it in 2005 with Pete Robins doing a tall mans version in 2010.

   The hardest sport routes in the quarries are remarkably varied: Bobbys Groove, Cwms the Dogfish, Medium, Concorde Dawn, New Slatesman, Manic Strain, Serpent Vein, Meltdown, Misogynists Discharge, Sauron, Untouchables, Darkhalf, Wall Within, Wish You Were here, Tambourine Man, The Very Big and the Very Small.

Walls, grooves, aretes, corners, slabs, overhangs. A climb to suit most peoples tastes with each offering high quality interesting climbing in very atmospheric areas and with plenty of projects left to go.

   With the new slate guide and Dawes autobiography pointing towards the Meltdown I was glad to get it done before someone else with a similar boredom threshold to myself. I was actually thinking of putting a halfway lower off which is a 3 star 7c and if anyone can be arsed go for it. To get to 3/4 hieght is superb 8b+ a bit harder than VBVS which leads to a sting move mantel into a hard traverse. It's tricky to grade and my friend Pete Robins who has recently replaced the bolts suggested it could be 9a many years ago but since its ascent he's more reticent. It would be good for it to get some attention as it has some fabulous climbing on it and is the most chuffed I've been at getting up a climb.

   The quarries currently have routes which cater across the spectrum from the timid climber to the adventurer. They are always a place to be on guard in as although the Welsh slate was regarded as high quality it's not like climbing on granite and the bolts which protect some of the climbs may have been placed by people who didn't know anything about it! If you get bored of the limestone, dont feel too fit or are watching the showers pass through the slate should be a port of call.

Adam Hocking trying for the 3rd ascent of The Very Big and the Very Small       Pete Robins, a New Slatesman!

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#48 Yosemite trip report 2014
June 06, 2014, 01:00:32 am
Yosemite trip report 2014
5 June 2014, 7:18 pm

Salathe Wall & El Niño

  ‘The Salathe Wall is El Caps most natural line and possibly as Royal Robbins dubbed it “The greatest rock climb in the world”.

   The trip to the valley had come around quickly. I’d contemplated not going as I felt I should be working rather than gallivanting across the Atlantic but Dan McManus’ enthusiasm had won. The last time we were together in Yosemite we were lost in the dark on the top of Golden Gate, bone weary and on a timer to get to the top before the rain came in. Having just got down off Muir wall 2 days previously a 1 day effort to do Golden Gate was unwise but having seen an inspiring talk by Glen Denny about climbing in the 60s before heading out I was after an adventure and so was Dan

   We went with large but flexible ambitions; to try and free an aid climb on the left side of el cap, complete Golden Gate in a day, possibly do another big free climb and if there was time at the end a solo of Astroman. Lucky the word flexible is in there as we didn’t do any of them!

The view from 1st entering the valley and Dan in his wife-beater vest      We arrived in the valley on the 4th of May and between the Ferraris I spotted a homeless person being arrested. Having escaped San Francisco I presume she didn’t have a permit for dossing. I’m keen on conservation myself but believe that if John Muir was around nowadays he’d be booted out of the valley at gunpoint by a lobotomised ranger.

   The new free route was meant to be up Never Never Land and I’m convinced you can pick a good free line in from Dihedral Wall or the left but the main slab will await a visit from Ondra. It wasn’t for us.

   The Salathe headwall crack is something which has inspired me for years in both pictures and stories so with Dan psyched we diverted attention to this.

  Haulbags were packed and having hauled them beyond Heart ledges we wanted to get them to Hollow Flake before coming down and climbing to rejoin them. Just before Hollow Flake it hailed lightly and I idly wondered if I could do the HF when wet and confidently told myself ‘no problem’. About 10 metres from the top of HF the hail came down properly. I watched it pile up on my shoulders and tried not to move my left foot to keep a foothold dry. Dan having been in South East Asia believed he was in the Arctic and had disappeared to dig out a jacket from the bags. An undignified slither down eventually followed and we left the bags there.

Hazel handstanding the El Cap Spire      We set off at 5.00am, 3 hours later than we wanted due to some overnight rain. Dan had put himself forward for the monster OW, a British E6 and one of the final pitches of the day. He led it brilliantly and we arrived at the alcove quite battered from hauling and climbing. We ate little.

   Day 2 was a success in every way. We did a long pitch off the spire to arrive at the Boulder problem pitch. At the top of an awkward corner I got spat off and in flight a voice came up:

“Caff, your going the wrong way”

  James Lucas, Hazel’s American partner had arrived on the fixed lines. I’d been interrogating people on these about the demise of ethics in Yosemite but was glad James had come up to offer good advice. Anyone willing to put fixed lines down the whole of El Caps most popular free route was obviously unhinged and it was a problem for psychiatrists rather than ourselves.

  We both flashed the techy boulder problem and headed down to rest for the day on the spire whence Hazel and Walker had arrived. Hazel managed a handstand on the Spire and numerous card games were had. She mentioned that she had a sore shoulder.

Long Ledge, our home   The 3rd day I knew would be hard and it was, involving numerous hanging stances, hard pitches and hauling our heavy pigs. I seconded Dan over the ridiculously exposed roof to arrive at the headwall about 16.00 ish. I felt battered but still thought I had a chance of flashing high up on the pitch having not fallen on the route up to here. However, 3 to 4 meters up I hit the inside of the egg shell boulder moves and instantly slumped off, a mixture of freeing, dogging and backstripping eventually led to the ‘in space’ belay where Dan led through to arrive at long ledge in the dusk. Once again battered, we ate little.

  The next day was more like it. We woke to great views level with snow on the plains above the valley on the opposite side and went about making long ledge home. We went down for a look at the headwall pitch which thankfully wasn’t as bad as it felt the night before but was still an endurance heart-breaker of a pitch, especially when cooked from climbing for a few days. The final 2/3 metres of the 50m crack pitch which lead to a weird leg in hole hands off and the belay supply the crux, giving 2 to 3 6c moves on thin slippery 2 finger locks. There is a good shakeout at 10meters and a poor one at 38m.  To do the Groove or GBH at Malham should they have good pro would be a considerably easier affair and the grade the headwall gets should be taken as meaningless to any European. Its exposed enough that a toilet stop is an essentail prerequisate before going near it and a defib may be of assistance.

Dan on the headwall crack        First attempt on the headwall pitch     Having an afternoon tea we look up to see a blonde lady abseiling down to our ledge...it was Hazel. Although Dan was a very modest man even he could see that this wasn’t the first time Hazel had feigned an interest in climbing to come and hangout in our company. We told her she wasn’t the first young lady to come down and she’d better have some gifts, luckily she brought both wine and cupcakes. She mentioned that she had a sore shoulder.

   Day 5 is time to try the pitch in earnest. At 43 metres I gained the better jams where a rested climber can get some small recovery before the final crux. I was not a rested climber and got spat off. I was a little bit embarrassed about running out of juice so quickly, with Hazel watching from above. I thought I’d last a little longer 2nd time round with the increased experience but no, I ran out of beans even sooner! A rest day was in order.

Day 6 Dan did an ace lead on the boulder top bit of the crack, doing it first go, 12c/d leads to a weird small cave and a boulder problem just above. Lots of cards and tea were had. At night when inevitably all fears and doubts come to call I worried about the final 10 metres of the crack knowing 1 rest day was not going to get my body up to full speed with various days and years of abuse flashing to mind.

Day 7 arrived and after a quick warm up we ab in to the stance at the base. The jump left out of the eggshell to gain a good crack goes well. The shakeout at 38 meters gets used for 5 mins trying to get rid of the sickly feeling of pressing on up the very aerobic crack above. Getting past my highpoint I’m relieved to get some recovery on the better jams. The final move involved a very non text book move using a right outside edge (retains much more lateral stability and edge) on a nubbin and pirouetting round to grab the jug. I was a little nervous about falling outward facing the exposure if I fluffed this move. It felt surprising to gain the rest. It would have been nice to link the next bit as well but would certainly have required another rest day (A honn said it wasn’t much harder). Dan came up and after I’d sorted out the next bit of the crack we had a brew and made ready for departure from long ledge. A fantastic 12a led leftwards off the ledge, like a very exposed Pembroke E5 and some easier pitches led to the top where we saw a hummingbird. After a crippling walk down we gained the pizza and beers in curry village.

   

   The celebrations peaked one Saturday night in camp 4 where various opinions were set forward around a camp fire, I can’t remember where they came from but there were a few interesting ones:

>It was said that many conservatives and republicans should do community service for their injust and greedy policies.

>The Norwegians around the fire were shown to be from the most equitable society.

>People who quote Larkin were known to require sectioning, this came from numerous sources.

>The radio was being murdered from insincere love songs by naff boy bands

>Tax people had the least honourable profession, like the opposite of Robin Hood.

>Many great climbers can get booted from boot companies nowadays even though they’ll have made boot companies 1000s in marketing value shown widely on the hardest climbs round. They haven’t clocked up enough air time via social media sites shouting about how great they are! Its about the selfie not the send Ry.

>Investment should be made into exploring the final frontiers now so we can ship Farrage and his voters to another planet.

>It was recognised that miracles do occur, shown by not only Pete Robins but also Jordan Base gaining a driving license

   When the celebrations finished and we could see again we looked up to the Cap wondering what to try next. Dan was keen for a look at El Nino having had enough of cracks. I was interested to find out just how impressive Leo and Patches ascent was back in 1998.

The legends Tobias Wolf & Thomas Hering, bearers of extraordinary beta and beer   The most driven climber I’ve met Tobias Wolf and his ace friend Thomas Hering had just done it and supplied us with some very detailed information. They knew how much energy was required to carry an extra kg on the face and made our organisation seem farcical by comparison and we were certainly haemorrhaging a lot more cash.

   The first pitch, The Black Dyke had a reputation as being the hardest pitch and the next 2 were also meant to be runout 7c+/8a. The reputation is well deserved. The Black Dyke is E66b/c to the 2nd bolt where committing moves lead to the crux of the pitch where the unlucky can sample a minimum fallout of 10m, Dan thought this pitch harder than Slab and Crack at Curbar. The 2nd pitch has a 10m runout after the crux and would be E6. The 3rd pitch, the Galapagus has a massive 5c/6a rockover where you’d fall forever before sustained 6b/c with a few sections that look impossible until the very last minute/second!  A bust finger combined with sun/tiredness blew our first go up but the 2nd found McManus on blistering form, sending the Black Dyke, Missing Link and flashing the Galapagus on 2nd.

Dan about to go up the Missing Link pitch with the amazing line of the Black Dyke veering down to the left   Jill Byron had left some water nearby for NAW but had had to leave the valley. Jane Gallwey let me and Dan have the water and some other supplies which were priceless.

  After a bit of plotting we set off and climbed and hauled up to the naff bivvy, the Big Sur, we went ledgeless to save on weight. That afternoon we set off on the hard 2 pitches beyond. The Final move of the M&M flake involved a leap for a jug. Apparently unexpected wins can accrue 4 times more excitement than those you expect, hence gambling addiction. This was how the move felt.

   Dan made an impressive flash of the Royal Arch, a bouldery pitch which I managed after some time with a tip ready to explode. A grim bivvy on a sloping shelf led to day 2 after little sleep.

   The Enduro corner felt about E6 and the next 12cs only E5s which led us to the Rotten Island and the great roof above. Dan sorted out the mass of shit gear in the roof and checked the moves and I blew the flash at the lip with a mix of fear, tiredness and shit sequences coming into play. Dan sent it first lead and I was happy to 2nd it clean. We were chuffed to get this forbidding pitch out of the way.

The winning bingo feeling having latched the M&M flake       Dan about to do ridiculous feet first moves on the black roof, top tip is don't do it his way     An E4 and stunning E6 led to our final bivvy.

    Becoming irritable is a hazard of big walling. The rope fankles, the stuck haulpigs, the sun and the climb itself can make it feel that all is conspiring against you. Dan had certainly had the best bivvy spot on the Big Sur but hadn’t stopped moaning about it all day and I was worried about where Dan’s breaking point might be. I was feeling pretty confident that if it came to fisty-cuffs to get the best bit of the ledge I’d be ok, I’d watched Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger on the flight over besides which although Dans tall he has a vegan look about him. Luckily the cards settled things.

   The day after things started well. Dan did really good leads on a techy 7b+ and the intimidating Dolphin (E5/6) roof/chimney. The Lucy is a Labrador was our last hard pitch and all that was stopping us from a clean ascent. The problem with hard pitches high up is that every morning big wall free climbing you wake up feeling bolloxed and with skin which feels that it's suffering from a nuclear disaster. The bugger bugger of a pitch was wet. After more than an hour of stressful drying, working and cursing I managed to spoon my way through it and Dan had a similar affair, narrowly missing out on a flash. It would have been pretty devastating to fail at the last hurdle and it made for a stressful 2 hours.

Dan wrapping himself and the ropes in knots on the Dolphin pitch, high on El Nino      The final few pitches were stunning, easy but runout on good rock. The igloo bivvy appeared to be the best on El Cap although it can’t be as good as it looks in heavy storms as it’s where Drummond got swamped when Harding came to his rescue.

  We got to the summit and shook hands. It was a fantastic climb. I wondered about the teenaged excitement of Leo and Patch back in 1998 over having the route with very few falls. It stands out to me as possibly the best effort on rock by Brits abroad for a number of reasons with the tough onsighted pitch of the Prophet up there. They would have been on blistering form and have had a fair wind behind them to do it so well. It also has a very intimidating atmosphere from the Big Sur onwards with reasonably technical hauling involved.

Seflies on the top, a modern essential      Tobias and Thomas had been waiting for us with beers at the base the night we bivvied and we hung out with them when we got down and had a pancake morning. Their help, knowledge and encouragement was instrumental to our ascent and I was able forgive them for being kayakers and just hope Tobias brings out a book on big walling.

Our timing back in the valley couldn’t have been better with a spring party going off in Foresta. We managed to secure an invite.

  The next morning I woke up feeling a million pounds. I’d not soloed Astroman which I’d been thinking about for months but we’d done a hell of a lot of great pitches. With the normal scepticism gone I bounced out of the tent to admire the Vista and looked back curiously at what I’d trodden in. It took me a moment to recognise it and although a bit grim I couldn’t resist an evil smug smile....Dan wasn’t going to enjoy the drive back to San Francisco. A great trip.

     

  There are thanks for many people on this trip:

Dan: obviously for being such a good egg and giving great chess games.

Tobias and Thomas for being ace

Jane  Gallwey and Jill for supplies & Steve for the whisky

Mike Kershner for dosses in the Pines

James Lucas for beta and having a sense of humour

Dave Gladwin and Kiwi Mick for dosses in camp4

Sterling rope for shipping us out a rope for hauling

Andy Kirkpatrick for a morning of comedy

Hazel for the wine, cupcake, tips on cultural language differences and lack of literacy.

Dan, Bron, Jane and Jacob at the brilliant spring festival party

Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


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#49 A Journey through Lakeland
July 04, 2014, 07:00:32 am
A Journey through Lakeland
27 June 2014, 9:30 am

            In 2003 I was living in Wales but all I could think about was this project in the Lakes. The idea was to climb as many great Lakeland routes as possible in a day.  I’d thought about it since 1999, inspired by Big Ron’s circuit in the Peak but it took a few years to take root and develop, with lists I’d make getting tricky beyond 80 routes. There was also a distinct lack of strategy in the planning, with me thinking to set off and finish on Esk Buttress taking in whichever routes I’d please along the way, the route I was going to finish on if I had the steam won’t be mention. I’ve always had a rough guesstimate of how difficult I’d find the task depending on the routes taken in. I thought I could do about half any day of the week, to do ¾ I’d have to be going well and to do the lot I’d need a fair wind behind me. This was surprisingly accurate.

   A week or so before I was going to make my first attempt on an overly ambitious list of routes I set off on a route called Exponential Exhaustion at Kilnsey. I got passed a technical wall to better flat holds but these were dusty and a minute of flapping found me in mid air. The thread which appeared good exploded when I came onto it and the rock hit me in my ear with some speed. I arrived near the base and Rob Fielding lowered me the rest of the way. He turned away in disgust which made me worry at first that my ear was hanging off but it was only a small hole in my ear. A trip to A&E left me with stitches, a compression strap on my head to prevent Cauliflower ear and slightly dodgy balance for a week or so. It’s still the worst fall I’ve taken and could have been much worse as just before I was going to go for the thread I uncovered a key wire hidden by some vegetation which is what stopped me. I was a little superstitious at the time and took it as a sign not to attempt the solos. This was a good thing as I doubt I would have got close back then, confidence can only get you so far. It never came together again but was always in the back of my mind as; a would have, could have, should have......

Top of llech Ddu looking towards the Menai Straits, Herford climbed in the region roughly 100 yrs ago.      A decade later the scheme came to mind again, more as a curiosity at first, looking at lists, thinking about possible routes and cliffs you could visit. The last few years I’ve done about 0.1% of the soloing I used to do and in the spring 2014 I began to get reacquainted, re-climbing routes like Fingerlicker, Silly Arete, doing 10+ routes at Gogarth in an afternoon and running into the Carneddau for routes like the Grooves on Llech Ddu. It did feel harder. Routes that had felt akin to paths a decade ago felt like they were a much bigger deal.

  When I set my full first list out in March or so I felt a pang of despair. It was considerably watered down than a decade before but still looked ridiculous on paper. I started to work out realistic timings and these made it worse, maybe people were correct about it being a mad idea. It took me back to the book ‘The Life of Pi’ when Pi s dad tells him the story of a karate expert thinking he can fight a Tiger to put him off going near the dangerous animals in the zoo. I was concerned I was being as deluded as the karate expert who obviously gets killed rapidly in the story.

First watered down list, 90 % of it stayed the same but needed to rearrange a few   Pat & Craig     I’d not booked any work in for the last 2 weeks of June, hoping to get some good weather during the longest days of the year and looking forward to hanging out in the Lakes, visiting family nearby. It turned out to be one of the luckiest of weeks, the ‘stars truly aligned’ for it. I worked on an ML assessment on the weekend of the 14th of June and on the afternoon of the 2nd day where my lower body normally feels like it has been done over in an American prison instead they felt fresh, the hauling and climbing in Yosemite had delivered a good fitness base.

  On the Tuesday of that week I arrived in the Lakes feeling a little rough but with fantastic weather and an ace forecast. I headed straight to Goats crag, a tiny crag beyond Reecastle which I’d not been to before. The views back towards Scafell and Greatend were incredible and I did everything on the cliff before heading to the big Goat crag to go up Preying Mantis and stash an ab rope on top. Heading down I did a couple of E2s I’d not done and arriving at a tiny esoteric cliff in the woods named Macs wall was blown away to meet other climbers. Pat and Craig from Carlisle who had known dad. We headed over to check out Millican Daltons buttress which was unfortunately filthy although I did Cold Lazarus for old times sake, this small buttress was removed from my list.

  The Wednesday was the key reccy day I’d decided upon, the make or break day, leaving Stonethwaite campsite I was going to run up Langstrath to Flat Crags and work my way back to my car. If I choked or was crawling off the hill the idea was a dud and I felt a little bit anxious about finding out just how pie in the sky the idea was.

   I did a load of routes I’d not done before loving Neckband, after 2 cans of coke in the ODG I payed for it with a headache as I topped out on Gimme. On the run between Pavey and Sergeant Crag Slabs I saw 2 red deer enjoying the solitude of the fell top apart from myself. I got down to my car feeling like I’d had one of my best days out climbing. I knew I could do a lot more, having done a lot more running to access Flat crags than I’d be doing when starting from Scafell. The game was on.



A view from above Heron down Borrowdale on the main reccy       I worked at Eden rock the day after and gave a talk there in the evening. Julian a friend I’d not seen in over a decade came and mentioned it was his 50th on the weekend and he was keen to climb on Bleak How and heron. I couldn’t believe my luck and gave him my rope to use and dump there saving me a walk. Julian is married to my favourite ever teacher Liz who apart from teaching me lots interesting geography gave me some of the best advice as a teen, don’t get in a car with a drunk friend driving.

  Friday morning arrived and I did 6 routes on Grange crags finding more of them in a climbable state than I expected although with agricultural finishes. Later that morning I head up to Reecastle with Ben Pritchard and Rich Heap to get some footage for the BMC. Rich asks if I’ll get lonely. I thought it very strange as I’m happy walking alone in the lakes and am doubly happy climbing alone there. Many of the climbs are like meeting old friends or flicking through an old diary.

  The weekend was spent relaxing. Sophie comes up from Wales and we visit my sister, Heather, brother in law, Richard and Godson Thomas. They rent a beautiful National Trust house on the quiet side of Windermere, near where the Swallows and Amazons was thought up. The Saturday night we spend in the CC hut in Grange, appropriately there was a poster of Dan Osman doing a half lever whilst soloing a big flake saying don’t let your fear stand in the way of your dreams. Sunday I drop my car off at Stonethwaite campsite and Sophie drops me at Sheps cafe. Hock picks me up and we went round to Wasdale and had a meal in the Head with Craig Naylor, farmer, climber and grandson of the legendary fellrunner Joss Naylor. We all chose the Cumberland sausage with mash.

  We hike into Hollow Stones and set up camp. It’s quiet but Mary Jenner, Mark Greenbank and Keith Phizaklea are on the way down and come for a chat. Dave Birkett is checking out possible new climbs on a hill around the corner. Later Rob and Craig Matheson come along as well. By 20.00 it was only me and Hock, my enigmatic friend I’d known since primary school, who indirectly helped start me soloing. Hock said he’d meet me at Falcon Crag sometime in early 1996, he didn’t. I set off up Spin Up and Funeral Way. From then on it opened up a different world of climbing. Dick Patey was in his mid 50s and lived near the Borrowdale hotel in the 90s. He was fit as sin and I watched him solo MGC regularly and routes like the Bludgeon. We were convinced he was ex-special forces. I used to chat to him about good routes to go for.

 I’d brought the tent up for both of us but Hock decided not to, being fond of the stars and sheep he went and slept under them!

Hocking enjoying the evening at Scafell       At 2.55 my alarm went off. I’d slept well and felt rested but looking up towards Scafell it was pitch black. I carried a small rucksack with a thermal, trainers, an empty bottle for stream water, some food, a map and a compass.  Not hungry I forced down some food a small tea and set off.

  CB was the biggest route on the list and in its own way the most intimidating. The 1st ascent of this in 1914 was visionary with the kit they had. Leaving Sansoms shoulders to grovel up the crack before bringing Holland up was some feat which dad would speak of in his lectures in the Moot Hall in Keswick. Mabel Barkers and Menloves efforts were incredible also.    

  It was the centenary of the 1st ascent this year and I’d read a great deal about the 1st World War and what was ‘involved’. Herford died in it in 1916 at the age of 25. His essay ‘The Doctrine of Descent’ is a brilliant piece of writing concerning mountain climbing.

Starting on CB felt like paying respects and the story and tragedy related to the climb was like fuel.

Central Buttress, Scafell       I topped out at first light and felt relief, scree running back down to meet Hock before contouring round to briefly join the Corridor Route a path my dad had helped build. After a few routes on Piers Ghyll crag and one on Undercarriage wall feeling much like grit, I continue running and receive a stunning view of Styhead Tarn, Derwentwater and Borrowdale in the Dawn light. It was a crystal clear day, 4.30 in the morning with empty hills.

  I track round to Esk Hause and Ore Gap looking back towards Scafell, the East Buttress is in full glory and the Main Face shown as a silhouette. Dropping off Bowfell I arrive at Flat crags, Simon Gee is there and after a quick handshake I head up Fastburn. I run down to Neckband and set about 6 routes. I was only going to do 5 here but looking at a crack at the base called Cut-Throat I thought it looked easy after America. I was wrong, it was dusty, smeary and quite strenny.

  I dropped down into the valley noticing some Bog Asphodel and Sundew between the Bedstraw and bracken on the way up to Gimme where I set off up Intern. I 1st climbed this with Alison Iredale in 2001 the same day as the twin towers. I drop down left and set off up Gimmer String. On the top Steve (superfit) Ashworth is there having bivvied on the top. I used to work with Steve and it was great to see him. 15 mins later I arrived at Pavey Ark.

Gimmer String. Steve Ashworth   Ray McHaffie in Borrowdale, 1950s      I first climbed here in 1999 and arriving I soloed Astra and Cascade before belaying Dave Birkett on his project. He told me he was concerned if he fell off he would hit the ground. He got really high and fell off. His gear held fine but it gave me a shock. Dave has only deepened his legend through the years putting up incredible lines. Whilst working with him and Paddy he would tell us that he was the best dry stone waller in the world. Nay said we but 2 years ago he won at the Chelsea Flower Show. He was the best!

   I go up Capella and Poker Face before heading via Cove crag and Bright Beck Cove towards Sergeant Crag slabs. The 2 red deer are there again on the quiet felltops.

Dad found Sergeant Crag slabs in the mid 90s and it gives some of the best single pitch slabs between VS and E2 in the Lakes. He brought me up here to climb my first HVS, Lakeland cragsman. Hock was there having driven round from Wasdale and I quickly do 5 routes before pulling back up the hillside to jog to Heron. The climbs here are small but on perfect rock and it is a great place to visit after Bleak How. After Heron I drop off to Bleak How and Fat Charlies Buttress before arriving thankfully at my car. I’d told myself at this point to pretend I’d stepped into a fresh body and was just starting. I stuck on Leftism, the music of mine and Dans Yosemite trip and if you’re into that kind of thing a contender for the best album to have left the 90s.

  I arrive at Goat a short while later and head up Preying Mantis. I first did this with dad who said a friend of his once got his fingers trapped in a fingerjam on the 1st pitch whilst seconding. He couldn’t free them so dad started to go down to him saying he’d have to cut the finger off. His friend freed the finger. Tumbleweed Connection, Bitter Oasis, Mirage and Footless Crow are some of the finest climbs in the lakes.

  I head up a few shorter ones before heading to Grange crags. Dad once told me Colin Downer came round the house threatening to beat him up if he did any of Downers lines on this crag. I was curious as to how I’d be on these ones. Sudden Impact and Rough Justice have 5c moves about half way through. I was a bit tired but mainly in my feet. I headed towards Shepherds and the sacrilege of missing out dad’s favourite cliff, Black Crag was not lost on me. I took it off the list a few days before starting but intended to do his climb the Niche later on.



The best café in the world     After an egg butty at Sheps cafe I cover Sheps in the heat of the day feeling very muggy. Porcupine felt hard, Aaros as ever the most pleasurable and by the time I reach Brown Crag Grooves I know I’m tired. Shepherds is nearly always dry, has the ‘best cafe’ at the base and offers great views across Derwentwater. My first climb was on here, Donkeys Ears.

  Hock picks me up from beneath and we drive round to Reecastle, a crag in a truly stunning setting near Watendlath the views from its top are back towards Bassenthwaite Lake. There is a small crowd back from the crag. Maxine Willet from the Mountain Heritage Trust has brought the Abraham Brothers camera up. It’s great to see Duncan and Evon Booth with their kids and with them feeling confident enough in my ability that their children won’t see anything traumatic I feel buoyed. Nicole Macgregor, Clare and Henry Iddon are also around the cliff, part of Hocks enigmatic social networking. Two climbers allow me to use their abseil rope speeding up events. It feels warm and I do 8 climbs as fast as I can. Towards the end a climber asks why I don’t do Thumbscrew as he found it easier than some of the others. I’d intended to but was too tired to do it safely. Since leaving Shepherds I didn’t think I’d complete the challenge. Fatigue had properly arrived. I did a pleasant techy E2 on the south crag, Widowmaker and myself and Hock headed up to Goats. Enjoying the smaller climbs I feel like at the end of a long few days sport climbing. Rogue Herries I’d left till last on this cliff as it was the hardest and I didn’t think I’d do it but wanted to pull up to look at the first hard bit, after a minute I commit upwards in what became the only bad bit of the entire day.

  Feeling pretty battered I decide to leave Lower Falcon, although it would have been great to do the Niche. At the garage in Latrigg Close we grab a sandwich, lucosade and Hock some tabs before we set off into Thirlmere. This used to be my commute road and as Castle Rock appeared in the evening sun the journey with my primary school friend felt a little surreal and brought ‘The Heart of Darkness’ to mind for some reason. The travel from goats to Castle Rock was the biggest rest I’d had and arriving at the crag I got a 2nd wind. A few routes on the south crag meant a move to the north with 5 routes left to do. I really wanted to do a 3 pitch one, Thirlmere Eliminate and Harlots Face. These routes involved Jim Birkett, Paul Ross, Don Whillance, Joe Brown, Pete Greenwood on their first ascent and were cutting edge for the area at the time. Thirlmere Eliminate went well being a corner at the top you can bridge and get all the weight off tired arms. I think I’d done most of these climb with my friend Wesley Hunter sometime in the 90s, we had a load of adventures and some truly ridiculous teenage arguments on the cliffs.

 At 10.15 or so I finished on Angel Highway and was glad I’d had a frenzied hour negating the need for headtorch climbing when tired at the end. I sent Sophie a message. Hock had brought up some bottles of Cumberland Ale and myself, Hock, Simon Gee and Henry Iddon got stuck into them before heading to the Oddfellow Arms in Keswick for another pint. Lucy Wood had made some great food which me and Hock got stuck into sometime after midnight before bed. The next morning I met Hock and Lucys lovely baby, Olive Tinker Hocking. Dave Birkett got in touch to see how it had gone.

 I was deeply touched by the level of support given by people both on the day and in congratulations afterwards on what I’d seen as a personal pilgrimage through some great memories of the Lake District. Some climbs were big, some were tiny, some were clean, some were filthy but all were in the most fantastic landscape.

Thanks a lot to everyone involved before, during and after for having some faith in a somewhat out there idea. If you get the chance go and climb in the Lakes.   Nice one Hock.



Simon Gee glad to be leaving Castle Rock holding a Cumberland Ale       The Southern Comfort was given to me by the Rapid Rock crew from last year, I'd saved it to celebrate     FIINAL LIST

CB     Heatwave 95         Shaun & Haley          Sleeping with the stars              Piers de piece

Wheel of Misfortune   Fastburn     Gillete direct      Razor crack   Gandalfs groove direct    Sweeney Todd    Cut Throat     Aragorn   Intern    Gimmer String

Capella    Poker Face  The confidence man     The futures bright     Slab, ridge and arête      Nibble   nibble  Bright Beck Corner     Confusion Wall    The Tinkerer      Little Jack

Asphasia    Quicksilver     Holly Tree Crack    Deathstroke       Between the Lines

Heaven knows Im miserable now     Flamingo Fandango     Big Foot    The Question    Little Corner   Barefoot    Joie Pur    Traverse of the Frogs

Amistad con el Diablo     Bleak How Buttress

Cellulite   Cholesterol Corner   Supermodel    Reassuringly Stocky

Preying Mantis   The Sting     Paint it Black   Zombie in the Dark     One Across

Fuel Crisis    Driving Ambition   Desmond Decker    Rough Justice    Sudden Impact   Red Neck

Mule Train   Black Icicle   Porcupine   Hippos might fly    Straight and Narrow    Grasp   Poop & Clutch  MGC    Shanna   Aaros   PS  North Buttress   Imago    Jaws   Conclusion    Brown Crag Grooves        

White Noise    Rack Direct     Rack Finger Flake    Water Torture    Bold Warrior   Gibbet   Guillotine   Gauntlet   Widowmaker

Mort     Balancing Act    Light Fantastic   Pussy Galore    Munich Agreement   Optional Omission    Nightmare Zone    Berlin Wall   Stranger to the Ground    Rogue Herries  

Mackanory

Green Eggs and Ham    Reward    Romantically Challenged     Pinnacle Wall    Final Giggle  

Harlots Face    Thirlmere Eliminate     Wingnut    Angels Highway



Source: James Mchaffie - Caffs (B)Log...


 

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