[haydn jones]

Definitely best thread, love reading through everyone year, inspiring stuff!

[Dave Mayes]

Mixed year with some good highlights but not much depth.

Top three boulder problems, UK
West Side Story, Flatworld and Tetris all within a week. Special.
 
Top three boulder problems, abroad
Pensees Cachees, L'Angle Ben's and Jet Set.

Top three trad routes/soloes UK
N/A

Top three sport routes UK
Chimes of Freedom for the feeling of being on the big boys wall at the tor, Orange Sunshine cos it's good and Arch Enemies cos it's even better.

Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Mostly unsuccessful except for a great arete at Saint-Pancrasse

Top three new routes/problems put up
N/A

Top Spankings
Great White - 7c my arse
Careless Torque - HARD
Trying to play 5-aside without any fitness
Everything in France

[jwi]

Top three boulder problems
I actually did three boulder problems this year!

• Midnight Lightning, Yosemite Camp 4. Fun climbing on good holds. Psyched out on the mantle above a gigantic sea of pads during a mass siege. Went back by myself the next day and managed to borrow a pad and two spotters. With some positive encouragements the mantle turned out to be completely trivial and by far the easiest move on the entire problem
• Blue Suede Shoes, Yosemite Camp 4. A fun little slab. Missed the flash/on-sight by quite a bit.
• Casual Moves, Jonsberget (Sweden). Close to my parents place. Climbed really well. Good climbing is where you find it.

Top three trad routes/solos

• Globeros en Alaska, Pared del Catalonia, Montrebei. I'm pretty sure that this is the only route I used gear on this year, even though the crux-pitch is almost entirely on fixed pro. At least the only route with removeable pro I actually completed. Full write up http://steepground.blogspot.fr/2016/03/globeros-en-alaska-7a6b-250m-mont-rebei.html
• I also had a fiasco on Astroman, getting held up by the slowest team ever. We were quite close to start an international incident until I showed some good-will and rescued them after their leader forget to untie the knot before pulling the rope when bailing/rapping off.

Top three sport routes France

• Les ailes du désir, Gorge du Tarn. World-heritage route.
• Démon, Verdon. Not in the best of styles, but still, a fantastic route. Well worth doing!
• Quand le blues l'emporte sur la raison, Saint Léger. Actually not that good, but since I've failed on almost anything good I tried this year...

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

• Dimensiones Paralelas, the new cave above Hermida, Spain. Fantastic double tufa rails that goes on forever and ever. Power screaming/whimpering on every move from the good rest to the top. Totally a muerte. Could not climb anything else that day. Possibly the best line I've seen on limestone in this grade (7c+).

Top Spankings

• La Renverse, Las Devotas, Bielsa. Was too pumped to clip the last draw, got through the crux but fell off when I broke a foothold just below the anchor. Then spend two days more without getting back to my high point (admittedly in >35°C temps...).
• L'Adrecador, Terradets. Fell several times on the very top of this surprisingly hard route, before changing to an easier sequence. The next go I fell lower down with the rope in my hand, just about to clip the bolt above the one everyone skips. Fell backwards upside-down and the rope twisted around the neck. Was still bleeding from my neck on to my shirt the next day when giving classes.
• Al Andalous, Saint Léger. Fell with my hand on the finishing jug on the last go on the last climbing day of 2016, the day before new years eve. A fitting end to a year full of disappointments

[fatneck]

Top three boulder problems, UK

Tangled Up In Blue - Dove Lowe
Blackstone's Best - Blackstone Edge
The Eternal - Wicken Lowe

Top three boulder problems, abroad

Can't pick three problems but had the best trip I've ever had to Font and Chironico in April - superb weather, great company and whilst I didn't climb anything hard or noteworthy, I climbed a LOT and had a brilliant time!

Top three sport routes UK

Sport routes!!?!

Top three new routes/problems put up

Shipwreck Prow - Porth Ty Mawr - boss rock, great situation and one of the best problems I've done anywhere! Real privilege to get the FA and a very entertaining experience to find and develop the climbing here.

Porth Dinllaen - various - great to finally climb here with other people and realise that it's not shite!

Top Spankings

Brian Spray - again!

Life ticks

Finally properly gave up smoking!!

[Monolith]

Top three boulder problems:

Only did a few at Ysgo. Lovely day out though.

Top three fell races:

Black Combe. English Championship race that saw a big crowd get very lost in dense clag to the sound of Benny Hill and a cowbell. Did an extra 1000ft of climbing as a result. Painful but fun.

Anniversary Waltz. An awesome horseshoe that I gave a full recce beforehand. Will try the Teenager with Altitude this year I think for the longer tick.

Yr Aran. South Snowdonia is such a beautiful landscape and very quiet. A proper local 'out and back' race with an amazing fast descent.

Best mountain day out:

The Autumn recce of the Pen Yr Ole Wen/Carneddau leg of the Paddy Buckley Round midweek. Not a person in sight and certainly one of my favourite runs anywhere.


Life ticks:

Formed a new drinks business with two peers that launches this year. Really exciting and can't wait to announce it.

Visited the remote Exuma Islands in The Bahamas and saw some pigs on an island beach there. Really chilled.

Managed to do a 165 mile two day bike ride from Wirral to Penrith with work. Wasn't at all sure I could do such distances and gave me the confidence to try some longer stuff this year.

Bests to you all for 2017, some awesome achievements by all here.

[cheque]

Mine are all easy as I put climbing to one side to move and make a film this year. I wouldn't advise doing that if you want to get or stay good. I have had so much fun being shit though!

Top three boulder problems, UK

Remergence, Burbage North April was my busiest climbing month as it was after I moved but before I started shooting and the daylight/ temperature relationship was great for evening grit. I'd never bouldered at Remergence before and did the classic problem pretty quickly before moving on. On Christmas Eve I had to  totally battle to repeat it. Both times felt great.

The Elf Direct, Kyloe-in-the-Woods This was only last week. The previous time I went to Kyloe in I was injured and there was nothing I could do with a knackered finger but I loved the place. This time I could climb and did this with a spot from some geordies. It's pretty high and all the holds are better than you think they'll be. 

G Thang, Gardoms Going off the guidebook grade this is the hardest problem I'd done for 18 months, but I think it's more 6B than 6B+ if you're my height. Anyway, I did this on my birthday, which was that amazing inversion day in late November, with a bunch of UKBers and my mate since childhood at the crag. Just went for a walk after.

Top boulder problem, abroad

"Problem 8", Glendalough In July I was so psyched to visit Ireland for the first time and do some rock climbing for the first time in a month at the beautiful-looking Glendalough. I hadn't bargained on it being the hottest day of the year and I'd forgotten that bouldering is actually really quite hard. I was so pleased to find this north-facing slab that was the only problem harder than 4 that I got up.

Top three trad routes/soloes UK

Titanic, Stanage This is a VS at an obscure bit of Stanage I'd never climbed at before. It's really good. I honestly found this as hard and as satisfying as when I was first leading VS.

Scoop Face, Castle Naze Two months after I first started climbing I ended up at Castle Naze to climb on rock for the first time since I used to toprope in the scouts. I clearly remember thinking that when I could lead this that I would be a brilliant climber. This September I led it in anything but the style of a brilliant climber and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mad gear placement.

Bond Street, Millstone The only real forward climbing progress I made this year was getting to grips with continuous cracks. I've always loved jamming but always hated looking up and seeing just the crack. I was so sure I wasn't going to succeed on this and when I got to the top I was the happiest I can remember being at the top of an HVS for years. 

Top three dangerous seacliffs I got my poor acrophobic girlfriend to teeter across the top of

It's only when you see a normal, sensible person doing these things that you realise how sketchy they are.

Fisherman's Steps, St. Bees Sandy chain-trusting. Can't believe she's still speaking to me to be honest.

Promotory adjacent to Skomar Arch, Pembroke Three 8th-grade leaders helped Rache get back up from this.

The Castle, Pembroke Would probably have been fine if it wasn't for the helicopter downdraught.

Top Spankings

God this is hard to narrow down.

Flying Buttress Direct, Stanage "Let's warm up on this" says my partner, before vanishing over the lip in his trainers. I fall off 3 times seconding. "Go round and do a training lap on a toppy". Five falls. Flash pump. Nausea. Done for the day. Pride compels me to mention that I have led this before. 

Breakfast, Burbage West I am ludicously inflexible all of a sudden. I can't swing my leg anywhere near the heel-toe. "Don't give up Mike, have another go" says Guy. How supportive the Sheffield scene is. "I love seeing tall people fail on this". 

Technical Master, Millstone I've been trying this problem on and off for more than 6 years now: you've never seen someone have a problem they've never topped out so wired. Even now I can get to the flatty my new-found talent of getting pumped on boulder problems stops me. Last session was a disaster- damp arete in the morning, no skin left on return in the evening. Honourable mention- Conan the Librarian, Mother Cap which I always try on the same day, also have wired but have yet to top it out. On the aforementioned session I got to the last break 10 times in a row but my weeping skin spat me off it every time.

[Three Nine]

Best boulder in UK: Green Dot Traverse 7B

Best boulder abroad: Le Toit at Cul De Chien 7A

Top routes (didnt go abroad):

Drugstore Cowboy 8b - piece of shit, but look at me I did 8b
Stanton Warriors 8a+ - much fun, plus is 8b in new guide, look how brave and humble I am
Mustard Custard 7c+ - I like slab climbing, and this is really good
Oesophagus E1 - i always wanted to do this

[andy popp]

Top three boulder problems:

Only did a few at Ysgo. Lovely day out though.

Fatneck's fabulous fortieth bash at Ysgo was probably my best of 2016, climbing wise. But in the autumn I had some beautiful solitary days exploring the utterly obscure Big Rock Park near my new home - graffiti everywhere, eliminates - but like JWI said above, good climbing is where you find it. I really enjoyed those days.

[Duma]

Top three nine boulder problems, UK

Way too much good stuff this year to cut it down to three:

Carnage - Hartland. SW classic. Had left it way too long before trying.
AWOL Apprentice - Tintagel. Dirty finger jam but still class.
Paul O Grady SS - Ogwen. First day of N Wales trip went straight here - didn't dissapoint.
The Pinch - Sheep Pen. Wanted to do this for over a decade, great to be out with a mate from way way back for the first time in years too. Fantastic move, just a shame it's over so soon.
Incredible Shaking Man SS - Ysgo. Could have been pretty much anything at Ysgo to be honest, loved it all. Almost plumped for Higginsons Scar instead. What a place.
Wonderwall - Crafnant. Had a random pic of this as my desktop background years ago - so chuffed to go and do it.
China in Your Hands - Gardoms. Most unlikely move of the year for sure.
Giza - Burbage. Just stupidly good connies that day.

Top three boulder problems, abroad

All from a first trip to Magic in September:

Grit de Lux - Magic. One of my favourite things ever, let alone this year.
Du Cote de Seshuan - Magic. Hardest thing I did this year, great process, running out of time and beans on final day, such a satisfying move to end the problem and trip on - just gave me time to jump in the river before the long drive to font too.
Beach Mantle - Magic. what a move. Toss up between this and Blue Sky's Mine which is also mega.

Top three sport routes UK

Actually did some routes this year, probably only one that really deserves a mention though:

Shadow Walker - Cheddar. So happy with this, great climbing and position in the eye, felt like I had to learn how to pace and rest (unlike the other hard routes I've managed, which I just sprint through). Hardest route I've ever done, after barely tying on for 3 years.
Honourable mentions for:
Academic - Avon. first sport route since 2011 I think, and second grade 8 ~13yrs after my first. Great confidence boost.
A Day Called Zero - Cheddar. Pure bouldering on a rope.

Top three new routes/problems put up

Only one worth mentioning, and I stole it (accidentally!)(sorry Remus!)

Scales - Neath Abbey. Not too much to look at, but really nice movement and unlike anything else here. Shame it hasn't seen any attention since I think.

Top Spankings

Hunters Roof - Huntsham. Not been on it much since the summer, but still no joy on the crux. Need to train up the biceps for the undercuts.
All the 8's I tried in Magic...

[Ally Smith]

Top 3 trad routes/solos:
I've only done a handful of trad routes this year, and the only thing I remember particularly was doing King Kong at Wintour's Leap with a rack that had a Friend 2.5 as the biggest bit of gear...

Top 3 UK sport routes:
Bullet, Kilnsey - surprise RP success having been struggling to get up Man With A Gun, the first time I got up that I went to the top :-)
Encore! Magnifique!, The Gap - local classic and great to climb somewhere new
Start to High Break, Longridge (well it isn't a boulder problem is it?) - so pumpy, so satisfying, even with my sequence including bat-hangs and kneebars (ended up doing this quite a few times trying the full traverse - see spankings...)

Top 3 routes abroad:
The Beast, Waterval Boven - this massive wall has amazing Euro style stamina cranking
Monster, Waterval Boven - see above
La corva de la felicitat, Margalef - pure climbing pleasure

Top 3 boulder problems:
Jerry's Roof, The Pass - in a session having faffed about on it not years ago and not being able to do the reach/cut-loose Broken Direct, The Cave - only significant cave tick of the year - lots of technique to overcome the difficulties (not 8A+ this way!)
Bend of the Rainbow, Longridge - felt unlikely, then suddenly remembered how to climb on steep slopers and it all just clicked

Top 3 new routes (I finally got round to placing a belay rather than just doing link-ups/extensions!):
Almost Familiar, The Cave (7c with Doylo & Adam's beta) - new sport route extension to Parisella's original
Enter Sandman, The Gap (7c+?) - good fun extension to an existing 7b+ http://allysmithblog.blogspot.nl/2016/08/another-newbie-enter-sandman-7c-gap.html
Baba O'Riley, Malham (8a?) - chuffed I got to add my own route to one of my favourite crags. I kept falling off my 8a+ sequence trying to stand up over the lip, eventually i re-worked a subtly different foot sequence, and it went down next go http://allysmithblog.blogspot.nl/2016/08/a-blog-week-until-im-up-to-date-post-2.html

Top 3 4  's:
The Traverse of the Gods, Longridge - multiple sessions where i'd get to the end of high-break, fall off, then be too knackered to have another quality go
Devil's gorge headwall project - finally got through the crux crimp pull through the lip and on to the headwall proper, then dropped the last move to the top of the crag. Then it was too dark for evening sessions and i never got back on it 
Jack of all Trades, Boven - last day redpoint to the very last hard move and a huge whipper - very unlikely to go back and get it done now 
Hidrophobia, Montsant - NYD 2016 - fell above the final bolt so pumped I took 2 days to recover!

[Will Hunt]

I've had quite a crap year bouldering but made up for it by trying hard (for me) on trad and getting some good ticks. There were very very few problems (none?) that I did in the UK where I got that great rush of joy at topping out.

Top Boulder Problems (UK)
Picnic Sarcastic RH Sit, Bowderstone - gets 7B but actually 7A+. Great moves.
Handy Andy's, Earl, 7A+ - Wanted to do this for ages.

Top Boulder Problems (Abroad) - Font was definitely my bouldering highlight of the year. I didn't try anything hard, just chugged along steadily between 6C and 7A+ and did loads of great problems in good company. Nailed the tactics and didn't pour time into lost causes or shit problems.
L'Angle Ben's, Isatis, 7A+ - Squeaked my boots and the footholds were as jugs. Floated up to the top like a bird on the breeze. A perfect feeling. Best problem, if not the hardest, of the year by far.
Le Bond de l'Hippopotame, Roche aux Sabots, 7A - Epic.
Le Toit du Cul du Chien - 7A - People talk trash about this problem and it doesn't deserve it. If you go before the knobhead student crewz arrive with their Bluetooth speakers then it's great.
Charcuterie, Cuvier, 7A
Duroxmanie, Cuvier, 6C - Wow!
The little bit of the orange circuit I did at Apremont. Beautiful. Committing scrambling above crap landings. Really imaginative use of rock that would be overlooked in the UK. Teetering along ledges, groping around corners to discover hidden jugs, it's just amazing. Really want to go back and do the whole thing.
Memoire d'Outre Tombe, Rocher Fin, 7A - looks a bit dabby but really nice roof climbing.
Boule de Gnôme, Rocher Fin, 7A - beautiful feature. Climbed with a really nice group of people from Cologne.

Top Problems Put Up
Secret Service, Burn Stones, 6C
English Rose, Twin Towers, 7A+ - Totally morpho dyno problem. Go go gadget arms. A fun highball finish.
Plummet Earth, High Crags, 7A (soft) - One of the best of it's kind in the area at this grade?

Top Trad Routes - did loads more trad than usual. Joined the Leeds Mountaineering Club and had some great laughs at the Tuesday night trad session. Friendly bunch of people and good craic on the weekend trips.
The Padder, Eastby, E1 - Climbed with an old friend who doesn't climb much now. Did it in really really stiff shoes. Terrifying!
Stingray, Beyond the Azimuth, Carreg y Barcud, E1 - Maybe coming to a cinema near you. Really enjoyed these two. Had to work really hard on BtA fighting shit connies. Really absorbing experience. Pumpy one moment and balancy the next.
Age Concern, Craig Caerfai, E2/3 - Not the best route but a great experience. Belayer got very wet feet.
'Arries 'Ook, Almscliff, E4
Zukator/Grasper Connection, Tremadog, E2 - Led the Grasper pitch. Wanted to do this for ages. Amazing climbing up an amazing feature.
Joker's Wall, Brimham, E4 - Definitely the hardest route I did all year. Really happy to onsight it. One of those very rare occasions where you come a hair's breadth from failure but JUST scrape through. Nearly fell off the first bit moving right to the rest. Got VERY pumped going back left. Hadn't placed any gear on the left hand side so was looking at a really nasty swinging ground scraper. Just managed to get some gear in. Double fist jams, heel-toe by your hands, reach round and undercut, slap hand over rounded top AND FIGHT LIKE FUCK! SCREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAMM!! And get into the final niche. Think it's all over. Realise it isn't. Place more gear and begin the ballet dancer's finish. Delicately pulling on undercuts and smearing onto the steep slab. Final cam in a hollow hollow flake. Top out. Relief!
Everything we did on Scafell, which was The Yellow Slab (HVS), Ichabod (E2), Saxon (E2) - The last pitch of The Yellow Slab is horrific. It's a 20m traverse across a concave slab. You start by placing some gear next to the belay. You then pass a Damoclean block which some nutters have put gear in the past. No fucking thank you. Carry on traversing. Teeter around off balance. Place some RP's that you couldn't hang your coat off. Continue traversing. Wonder if you're off route. Continue traversing, now crying probably. Not sure where they bury the HVS leaders who try this. Finally place a blind wire around a corner. By the time you traverse around to it and can inspect it, you're in reach of the final belay. HORRIFIC!
Ichabod - I didn't lead this but I reckon it's a very strong contender for best single pitch in the country. A huge, intimidating pitch.
Saxon - I ended up leading every pitch on this. The middle pitch is obviously the money-pitch. One moment you're doing all this bold, delicate, searching; the next moment you're confronted with a nails crux move (6a, surely!) at which point the angle changes and it instantly becomes a crack climbing pump fest. Sprint finish up one of the finest, most historic walls in England. Fucking amazing.
Carnage, Malham, E2 - Didn't lead any of it but had a great time just being up there as a team of three. Good craic.
Dream of White Horses - no further information needed.
Brazen Buttress, Mother Carey's, E2 - Epic. It just keeps coming. I didn't lead this one but really enjoyed the climbing.
Strapadictomy, Froggatt, E4/5 - Ground up scenes with a small crew. First go up I placed the gear on the left and then fucked up by doing the press out to the flake before placing the wire. Jumped off. 2nd go up, gear now in-situ, got into The Bancroft Position on the flake and was so overcome with excitement about the climb and the position that I fell off! "OH MY GOD! I'M ON THE FLAKE!". Done third go.

Best DWS
Giant Farts, Barrel Zawn, 7a - The holds are properly invisible from below. Fortunately I had a local activist leaning over the top shouting beta at me. Technical goodness.
The Might of the Stalactite, Cala Barques, 7a - EPIC!
Barrel Traverse, Barrel Zawn, 6b+ - First DWS. Nobody on the crag except for my non-climbing brother in law and I. Was going to do one of the easy ones to get started but saw the breaks leading away into the dark of the zawn and couldn't resist. An experience not to be forgotten.

Didn't do any particularly memorable sport routes this year.

[Bonjoy]

Boulder Probs Peak

Scratches 7C+ – Ramshaw
One of those lines spotted and cleaned, then slightly regretted showing to a better climber. Good to go back and get the repeat. Great techy sloper mauling.

Back Street Mime Artist 8A – Burb North
A tribute to Iain Farr’s epic patio skills. Great moves. Wow, that’s two bum scraping lips travs on my list already!

Blob Fish 7A – Kinder Pagoda
The consolation prize after we’d lugged all the pads up to Upper Edale Rocks to try the big roof LGP, only for the key foothold to snap off. The weirdest set of moves I did all year, classic moorland ball mauling.

Boulder Probs rest of UK

Heathen Chemistry 7C+ – Forest Rock
Best of a good bunch done with Rocketman Rob Smith at this Leicester slate oddity. Superb precision groove climbing on low friction smears and sidepulls all facing the same way.

Tasty Jones 7A+ – Talfarach
Best prob done on Fatneck’s birthday weekender. Good scenes. Totally awesome problem which gets a pretty trivial write up on the topo. Best prob I’ve done on the Lleyn for sure.

Black Mamba 7B – Barmouth Quarry
Fine bit of mid-wales esoterica while the rest of the family did the beach thing. Slaty prow guppying.

Boulder Probs abroad

Anglophobie SS 7A – Reconnaissance, Font
Best prob done on a week where the conditions were almost relentlessly grim.

Trad/solo UK

Road Runner E6 6b – High Tor
The sportier end of trad and an old guide cover tick. Cheers Shark.

Approaching E3 5c – Chee Tor
Another highlight of the vert shortlived 2016 trad comeback.

Xebecs E1 5b – Barmouth Slabs
Best of a good solo session. Stunning views.

New Probs Peak

Proper Gander 7C – Roaches
Best new prob of the year for sure. Absolutely made up to find something of this calibre within spitting distance of some of the most popular bouldering in the peak. Brilliant and varied climbing on amazing holds and a  heart in mouth topout. The Roaches were kind in 2016, this, The Real Thin 7A, Quite Something Else 7A+, Leathered 7B+, Mixed Beast Feast 7A+, Ursa Major 7A+, Atomic Dustbin 7A+….

Pugnax 7A – Laddow
A toss-up between this and Animal Grace at the same crag. Two totally different good probs together make the long walk in well worth it.

Village Green SS 7A+– Wimberry
A bit of solo summer gritstone. Fine arete moves into a neglected JD highball.

New probs non-Peak
Scotch Aig 7A+ – Sheild Aig
Torridon was mostly too hot and midgy for bouldering, so finding this black basalt beast on a beautiful beach near the camping was a bit of a saviour.

Bleau’s ‘ard 7A - Reconnaissance, Font
First proper FA in font. Sweet little prow. Shame the rest of the week was a wash out.

Veni, Vidi, Vici 7A+ – Round Hill
Nice to do something marked as a proj in the guide, even if it doesn’t turn out to be too hard. Couldn’t resist the name, given the Roman theme.

[dunnyg]

Top three boulder problems, UK

Trackside - tried years ago when I first started with my dad and nearly did it. Went back years later and only just did it!
Jokers wall traverse - Pump fest!
Glen campus low traverse - Personal one session battle. Required all I had to do the last move!

Top three boulder problems, abroad

Iron man - buttermilks  - On my own at the buttermilks first thing. Undeniable crablike line
Heavenly path - happies - Saw others climb it in raging sun. Too high. Days later, the psyche and connies were good and it felt heavenly...
Boule de gnome - font - At the end of my best day in font. Loved every move.

Top three trad routes/soloes UK

Resolution direct - saw others on it last time I was at gogarth, thought it looked ace. Got on it!
Cenotaph corner - Wasn't planning on getting on it, but it was dry and didnt have anyone on. Love the long pitches, though the idea scares me! Ace day.
Strapadictomy  -  Ground up on other peoples gear. No expectations but got up eventually! Good to try hard with a good crowd


Top three routes abroad (any genre)

The nose - Aid fest and slow. First big wall. What an adventure! King swing was incredible, best bit of the whole trip.
Supercrack  -  Nearly fell off the start. Cruising up the crack was dreamy. Didnt dare get on it last time I was in the creek!
Warm up handcrack/incredible hand crack - Glorious gold camalots. Basement crack abuse turned these into the most fun i've had with a rope on.
Scarface - using some good tactics, this felt steady!


Top three new routes/prolems put up
The sea is coming - porth dafarch - New routing with partner new to climbing. Route was actually not terrible!
From utah with love -Happies - Dirty sandy steep crack. In the shade so good for mid day faff. Shame it was escapable. Awesome location though

Top Spankings
Buttermilks - everything above v4 felt impossible. Nive place to fall off though!
Green traverse - shipley - I can get to the end. I can sometimes do the last bit. One day I will do both....
Wigglin worm - Indian creek - Don't let those "wide boyz" fool you. 5.11 offwidth is desperate. Fun and incredibly hard.
Think pink - Indian creek - on a tommy top rope, camalot 3s and 4s with a steep start. My logbook says even powerscreams didnt help

[Will Hunt]

Boule de gnome - font - At the end of my best day in font. Loved every move.

Dat was dead good dat wa'n't it?

[Stabbsy]

A focus on training for a particular fell race meant I did a lot less climbing than in recent years.  Wasn't feeling the love for busy sport crags, so mainly ended up exploring some moorland grit alongside a bit of trad bumbling.

Top three boulder problems, UK
Cockerel Wall, Ash Head - Best of a good bunch of problems from a day out at Ash Head. Poor conditions meant the harder problems weren't worth trying, but the variety of easier problems more than made up for it.
Weight Watcher, Sheep Pen - 40th birthday weekend with some mates in North Wales. Not great weather, but managed to fit in sessions at Ysgo, Sheep Pen and The Pass (x2). Timed to perfection as, not long after completing it, the wind disappeared, the midges came out and we ran away.
Aurora, Roova - Birthday tick after a night at the Wensleydale Heifer near Leyburn (honorary mention as the best steak of the year). Limited number of problems at the crag, but the good ones are real gems.

Top three trad routes, UK
Magnetic North, Shepherds - A really enjoyable link-up on North Buttress, with the best bits of a number of routes (most of which I'd done previously) to give quite a sustained outing with a lot of good climbing.
Captain Reliable, Staden - Somehow missed this (along with Liquid Courage, Joint Effort and a few others) when I had a few visits some years ago, so had the chance to fill some gaps in the guide. This was the best of the bunch for me.
Sunny Goodge Street, Chee Tor - Another one I'd missed when I was a regular at Chee Tor. Taking advantage of the Chee Tor clean-up (although clean is probably a relative term in this case!).

Top three sport routes, UK
Think I tied on twice and didn't do anything of note

Top three sport routes, abroad
Festa Fotre, Margalef - Great consolation after waiting for a gap to appear in the endless stream of people on Magic Festival and Corva de la Felicitat. Threw my toys out of the pram, went back to Finestre, quick bolt-to-bolt then redpoint. Probably more memorable because the wild slapping up the final tufas, having not worked the top bit very well.
Resaca, Siurana - Another consolation after heading to L'Aparador for a last day redpoint of another route, only to find a team in-situ. One of those routes that looks to have few holds and yet is actually quite straightforward once you remember that it's a slab.
Crucigrama, Margalef - Best route of my second Siurana trip of the year. The lack of route climbing was really noticeable (see spankings), but there's so much quality across the grades that you set your sights slightly lower and get on with it.

Top three fell races
Three Peaks, Yorkshire - The main focus of the first 4 months of 2016. I'd never raced anything longer than 12 miles before 2016, so it was a massive step up and required a lot of extra miles to previous years. Having set a 4 hour target, I was made up to finish in 3:45 in fairly tough conditions (significant snow on all 3 tops). The moment of realisation was going up the last bit to Ingleborough summit feeling strong and had a massive smile on my face for the last 5 miles (possibly mistaken for a grimace by some).
Lee Mill Relays, Rossendale - A proper experience in filthy weather the previous year, we returned with a couple of strong teams this year. First time we've managed to get a vets team out from the club, ran the 1st leg for the vets and walked away with the V40 win. The men's open team were leading from leg 2 onwards and won the overall by a decent margin too.
Pendle 3 Peaks, Lancashire - Having recce'd the route a week before in hot weather, I was expecting a suffer-fest. Somehow managed to pace it well and pushed on through the field from halfway to score my first championship points in the English Champs (just the vets bit though!).

Top 2 spankings
National Fell Relays, Loch Lomond - Totally messed up the navigation leg of the relays in awful conditions. Lots of lessons learned for bad conditions on the fells!
Siurana/Margalef in November - The realisation that a summer of running and intermittent bouldering doesn't prepare you for bolt clipping trip in the sun.

[Doylo]

11th year posting on this thread. Didn't do many routes but a couple i was chuffed with.

Top three boulder problems, UK
Backhand Roof, Woodwell - Was good to do this quick after staring at it over the years. Beta from Paul Craven.
Chopsaw No.2, Gerlan - Again pleased to do this quick as pretty much my anti-style. Short, slopey and dynamic. One of the coolest moves i've done in Wales.
Severus Snape, Back Bowden - Did this and Sprung in a couple of enjoyable days on the sandstone.
 
Top three boulder problems, abroad
Nope

Top three trad routes/soloes UK
Still too young for this shizzle.

Top three sport routes UK
Only did about ten. One that stands out was Little Weed at Llanymynech. Only a little route in a quarry but i don't do much onsighting/flashing so was nice to fight and pull one out the bag.
 
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Nope

Top three new routes/problems put up
Final Cut, Parisellas - was pretty shocked to do Director's Cut but even more so to do it 4 times in a week a few months later and do the route extension. Directors is still awesome even with kneebars and when i saw Ally bolting the extension in Feb I never would have believed I'd link the whole thing that year.
The Holy Grail, Llanddulas Cave - after a promising start my head soon got frazzled by the redpoint crux and i gave up in July with no intention of trying it again (maybe ever).  A week before I went away in Autumn for 3 weeks I went back as I was in the roof climbing shape of my life.  Sure enough I finally stuck the crux and got into the kneebar and the end of Temple.  Fell off right at the end that sesh then came back two days later (probably last chance of the year) and nailed it.  Felt pretty fortunate that the stars aligned and I got up it. 
Big Trouble in Little China Low Start, Penmaenbach.  Had a good few days entertainment developing this overlooked boulder at the start of the year.  Didn't notice the low start until i went back in Autumn. Quite a useful boulder as it's probably the quickest drying in North Wales.

Top Spankings
The Tracks. Fell off the last tricky move in a sesh in the summer and fell there a few more times when I went back. Don't think anyone else has fallen off that move more than once.  Went back in winter, fell off that move a few more times and split a few tips. Spanked!
Pit Problem low, Trowbarrow. This felt nails.

[joeisidle]

No interesting trips away this year, so two categories will do for me

Top Boulder Problems:

Ron’s Arete at Earl
Scary but steady all the way - used up all my highballing psyche for the day on a scary high foot towards the top of this, but was rewarded with one of the better lines I’ve done

Bird Flu at Hen Stones
Spurred on by the Will Hunt “it’s only 6C” campaign I ignored the 7B guidebook grade and dragged my arse out of bed at 4 in the morning to walk through a cloud and get to it before the midday rain. 3 goes later it turns out he’s right and the easier sequence is one of the more uniquely contorted things I’ve done on a slabby arête.

Idwal Arete in Ogwen
Slabby highball aretes with flat but hard landings next to the road actually exist in Wales apparently!

Archery at West Nab
After staring at the Over the Moors guide for too long I finally got out to this remote crag and this tall 7A arête that no-one seemed to go to for some reason. Was sure it had to be sandbagged/bold/shit, but it turned out to have a flat landing, great line, nice techy moves and was only really 6B to boot!

Boing Boy at Clifftop Boulders
Snatched on a spontaneous afternoon in autumn where everything looked like it had been ruined by rain mid-morning only for glorious breeze and sun to save the day. A basic but satisfying move that I’d told myself really wasn’t likely to work for me.

Voie Normale at Craig y Llyn
Sums up everything I love about typical North Wales bouldering – it’s like what I imagine Magic Wood to be like if it was more damp and mossy, had sharper rock and required an hour of online research to work out where the hell it was.

Top Spankings:

Soft on the G
Couldn’t really get established, which was made even worse by the amount of people assuring me it’s piss

Stall
Yes I know it’s knacky – it’s still fucking nails!

[Will Hunt]

Bird Flu at Hen Stones
Spurred on by the Will Hunt “it’s only 6C” campaign I ignored the 7B guidebook grade and dragged my arse out of bed at 4 in the morning to walk through a cloud and get to it before the midday rain. 3 goes later it turns out he’s right and the easier sequence is one of the more uniquely contorted things I’ve done on a slabby arête.

Justice! Vindication is sweet.

[Fiend]

Top three boulder problems, UK:
Bouldering sucks.

Top three boulder problems, abroad:
El Gorro, Albarracin - a pleasingly hard flash that indicated the gym core work might have done something!
Supermafachato, Albarracin - blindingly obvious but undeniably brilliant.
Ilice, Albarracin - committing and rewarding.

Top three trad death choss routes UK:
The Complete Works, The Range - fantastic and possibly "climbing experience of the year". Easy squirming up a silt trench, 32 bits of gear including 12 slings, 3-4 of which were good, second pulling crux holds off twice, etc etc. Hopefully all will make sense in a forthcoming film.
The Great Crack Of Porth Oer, Porth Iago - a possibly unrepeated Martin Crook XS, great line, lovely location, classic climbing. "I'll stop saying below, just assume whenever I do a move something will come down".
Dogs Of War, Gogarth South - bland, commercial, select guide mundanity, but more harrowing than the above!

Top three trad intense challenge routes UK:
Black Magic, Pentire Point - could have been the best lead of my life in "mint connies", as it was I had to settle for the hardest lead of my life, but still satisfying.
Mad Mutt, Mur Ceninheinon - this was the other the hardest lead of my life after an easy warm-up in Goneril. Power-endurance trad in the sky. Again satisfying.
The Baldest, St Loy - no idea about the hidden RP (which Rockfax mentions along with an upgrade even with that knowledge), so ended up teetering on crystals 8m out from gear, a real "calm the fuck down Fiend" moment, and an amazing route.

Top three trad pure pleasure routes UK:
Antenna, Land's End - as steady as Longship's Wall was desperate, despite blazing sun, and really nice crisp wall climbing.
Solo In Soho, Pinfold - who'd have thought Clwyd limestone could be this elegant and pleasing?
Steppenwolf, Avon Gorge - who'd have thought Avon E3 could be this easy, steady, and just plain fun?

Top three sport routes UK that are Cheddar F7as:.
Shakin' Like A Leaf, Cheddar - very nice indeed.
Get That Man, Cheddar - quite hard and rewarding.
The Pirates Of Lamb Leer, Cheddar - climbed well and pleasing.

Top three routes abroad (any genre):
El Muro De Las Lamentaciones, Chullila - one of many great long walls here, this is perhaps the least logical but the most vibey and pleasing.
Maracuja, Zillertal - 8 days of psyche after first spotting it, a great route and a good finish to a fairly bumbly trip.
Arte Del Olvido, Sella - "an immense pitch" and Rockfax is actually right for a change, really cool fly-on-the-wall line up spaced pods.

Top three new routes/problems put up:
Really Too Obvious, Craig Bodlyn - a really obvious line and pretty fun.
Routey McRouteface, Craig Bodlyn - neat, elegant mid-grade wall up a good feature.
Unnamed bloc, Craig Bodlyn - pristine boulder bumbling in a great spot.

Top three tricks with a radio control car:
Flashing 6' tunnel loop-the-loop, HPI Savage XS - jaw dropped, and I knew I was right to sate the decades-old desire to try RC cars.
Skatepark rim slide, Carisma GT24TR - I thought a small 1/24 scale would make the skate ramps more challenging. Apparently not, though this minor trick was the most elegant (and least damaging!)
Custom motor, custom lighting, 22.5mph, WLToys P929 - it fits on my hand, glows bright red with 2 LED strips, and goes like a little missile.

Top Spankings:
Autumn in general  - depressed, inactive, slothful.
Some E3 in North Pembroke - the route was greasy and horrible and undergraded but the nighttime faff escaping and retrieving gear nearly had me giving up climbing.
Margalef in general - trained hard, prepared well, got psyched, climbed crap.

[Duncan campbell]

Bird Flu at Hen Stones
Spurred on by the Will Hunt “it’s only 6C” campaign I ignored the 7B guidebook grade and dragged my arse out of bed at 4 in the morning to walk through a cloud and get to it before the midday rain. 3 goes later it turns out he’s right and the easier sequence is one of the more uniquely contorted things I’ve done on a slabby arête.

Justice! Vindication is sweet.

6C is probably a little harsh? I thought 7A, with the left side being 7A+ (maybe? I can't actually do it) and the other 6C arete probably being more on the money maybe a little soft?

Great stuff coming out here - keep up the good work! Gus and Barrows I'm especially looking forward to yours!! And anyone who is a strong trad wad!

[Footwork]

Top boulder problems

- Slopey Traverse - Almscliff. Felt like it was going to go straight away. Instead it took bloody ages. I even dropped it on Morell's wall once. Still really enjoyed it and nice to feel strong again.

- Out of Sight - Bridestones. Brilliant. Quintessential grit problem, feeling like the move won't go and then you just do it and it's fine.

- King of Drunks - Wavelength. Good crowd scenes. Beautiful rose pass.   

Top trad routes / highballs

- Wombat - Malham. First time climbing trad at Malham (and on lime) and it felt wild. Extremely unfit after months of exams made this a real fight. Great day climbing with Tom who led everything. It just kept going!

- Supersonic - High Tor. Again on the soft end but this time fitter. What a route and what exposure up there. Old school climbing on pockets. Made me want to become a better trad climber.

- Death Drop 2000 - Caley. Brilliant highball I'd been wanting to do for a while. Need to keep your nerve pushing through the top.

- Sinbad - Slipstones. Perhaps my favourite highball of 2016. Ace moves on pockets in the upper reaches. I had just fallen off and then it started raining. I waited as long as I dared to try and let the pump go and jumped back on before the top got too wet making it a gripping affair!

Top sport routes

- Metal guru - Kilnsey. First 7c and really enjoying myself at the big rock umbrella. Nice boulder start, no hands rest on the slab and then a steady fight to the top.

- Under the Boardwalk - LPT. Never climbed here before. Lovely little rock pools full of fish things to watch whilst belaying. The top mantle on this was almost a heartbreaker.

- Cruisin' for a bruisin' - Yew Cogar. Another brilliant new crag. Got much more into my sport climbing this year. Sent in a session on a hot day. I love this magical place and can't wait to get stuck in to Vorsprung properly this spring / summer.

Top winter routes

- Blade Runner - Red Tard Cove. Good route of two halves. Winter climbing is just awesome.

- Hidden Chimney - Coire an t'Sneachda. Fun questing up the chimney all by myself to a blue bird top out.

- Red Gully - Coire an t'Sneachda. Other mates were one pitch from the top of fingers ridge so we ran down to do this. Pitch black by the first belay. No one wanted to lead so off I went alone into the darkness, just the crunch crunch of the snow, starlight above me and torchlight bouncing around the gully walls and making the snow sparkle like diamonds. 50m run out, by myself in that position just felt amazing. We did 6 routes that day.

Top new problems

- Plummet Earth - High Crags. Amazed we managed to get the FA of this. Proper good grit prow, slopers and burl followed by a contrasting delicate finish that's not over till it's over (as Will found out). Best 7a- thereabouts? Go do it.

- Dolis Dyno - Ash Head. I'm not one for dyno's but this one was nice.

- Siege of Orléans - Twin Towers. Almost emotional at the top. I visited the crag around 6 times and it was mostly wet. Even when everything was dry, a dastardly pocket full of water on the top would overflow just on my holds if the wind came from the wrong direction (and blowing 40mph...) Big and bold grit arete with a unique sequence to unlock it. The holds are poor enough that you can't just pull your way up it.

Top spankings

- Exorcist short - Almscliff. From thinking I'd never climb 8A after shoulder issues, I pull on and manage half the problem. Since then I've fallen off the last move many, many times. I know I can do it, but something always goes bloody wrong. Last session my foot popped off feeling mega on two small holds and I hung there, tried to get my right foot back on and then felt something give way in my left hand. Now nursing a swollen pulley and 2+ weeks of no climbing. Fuck. Roll on 2017.

[joeisidle]

Bird Flu at Hen Stones
Spurred on by the Will Hunt “it’s only 6C” campaign I ignored the 7B guidebook grade and dragged my arse out of bed at 4 in the morning to walk through a cloud and get to it before the midday rain. 3 goes later it turns out he’s right and the easier sequence is one of the more uniquely contorted things I’ve done on a slabby arête.

Justice! Vindication is sweet.

6C is probably a little harsh? I thought 7A, with the left side being 7A+ (maybe? I can't actually do it) and the other 6C arete probably being more on the money maybe a little soft?

Great stuff coming out here - keep up the good work! Gus and Barrows I'm especially looking forward to yours!! And anyone who is a strong trad wad!

Personally not for me, but it's a very weird foot sequence so I can see it being quite person specific. For contrast I spent 5 minutes trying to work out what the hell was going on with the other 6C arete and barely got two moves in!

[tomrainbow]

Didn't get out of Devon much this year...

Top 3 Boulder Problems UK (Existing)

1. The Jungle Book (7b+) - Bovey Woods Sits alongside Devon Sent as one of the best in the SW, kinder on the skin and higher with a slap for the top. More people should get on it.

2. Hang On Snoopy (6c+) - Cartoonlands A proud arete that I thought was a FA but, it appears, Mr Palmer beat me to it...by about ten years!

3. No Wray Jose (6a) - Wray Cleave One of the best easier problems on Dartmoor, steep with good holds and long reaches.

Top 3 Boulder Problems UK (New)

1. The Discombobulator (7b) - The Goldilocks Zone Very hard to unlock, this took a last ditch effort at the end of a session to through a glimmer of hope into the equation. Went relatively quickly with the right sequence.

2. Manna From Devon (7a+) - The Goldilocks Zone Surely the best granite in Devon. Subtle and technical.

3. Wrey Awrete (7a+) - East Wrey Barton Slappy, slopey stuff. Hard to figure out....just have to believe.

Top 3 Boulder Problems Font

1. Knees (7a) - Apremont Enjoyed working this out. Didn't enjoy falling off the easy move at the top.

2. La Fissure Evasee (7a) - Isatis A beautiful day and a beautiful place. Old school...

3. La Proue De La Passion (6c+) - Cuisiniere Last day, arms were screaming, brits next door were screaming, camembert was humming. Good problem.

Did some sports climbing but not a vintage year...

Did some DWS and kept falling in. Maybe my projects are too hard for me? It was fun failing/flailing though.

[georgenorth]

This year was definitely trad-focussed!

Top 3 Trad, UK

Fast City, Dove Crag, E5 What a crag! 40m+ of sustained overhanging climbing - like Kilnsey, but better and without the bolts and crowds.
Left Wall, Brimham, E5 Totally un grit-like climbing! The sprint up the headwall was mega with some funky moves and a spicy feeling slap to the ledge trying to ignore the potential massive lob. When it's good, Yorkshire grit really is the best.
Ghost Train, Stennis Ford, E6 One of those rare days when everything seems to flow.

Top 3 Routes Abroad

Oceans of Air, Tafelberg SA, 21 Surely one of the best trad crags (mountains) anywhere. This route was like climbing Kilnsey Main Overhang (except 100m off the ground) at about HVS.
Tequila Sunrise, Blouberg SA, 25 A brilliant adventure on a really wild cliff, complete with baboons, vultures etc. The route was excellent with 3 outstanding pitches, and quite a few really good ones. Definitely one of my top 5 climbing days out.
Bisexual, Cala Barques, 7a The last day of a really enjoyable week in Mallorca - we'll definitely be back.

Top Three Two Sport Routes UK

Obsession, Malham, F7b+ Mega classic, mega good.
Illywacker, Hollywood Bowl, F7b+ Felt much harder than it should have been! I fell off the top move (a lot) so was pretty relieved to get it done.

Top Spanking

Cave Route Left Hand Robbed by the wetness in the middle of the summer. Next year...

I didn't really do any bouldering this year apart from lots of traversing at Trowbarrow.

[Wil]

Top three trad death choss routes UK:
The Complete Works, The Range - fantastic and possibly "climbing experience of the year". Easy squirming up a silt trench, 32 bits of gear including 12 slings, 3-4 of which were good, second pulling crux holds off twice, etc etc. Hopefully all will make sense in a forthcoming film.

I was just glad to glance across and see Mike looking as pale as me watching this.