[nai]

getting hitched myself a fortnight ago )

Congratulations

[AMorris]

Not gonna have a load of categories to contribute to, nor a particularly strong ticklist, but I have enjoyed some nice boulders.

Top 5 Boulders
Crescent Arete, 5+ - What do I say about this. Happy to have onsighted it, and absolutely loved both the movement and the experience. Magnificent and one of my all time favourites I reckon.
Not to be Taken Away, 6C - 10 minutes after doing Crescent Arete in a day of highballs. Extremely enjoyable and memorable, if not quite as good as the aforementioned. I felt my eyes drift left to 'the big one'...
Grasswind, 7B+/C - One of the most aesthetic boulders I have ever climbed, in an absolutely stunning place. You could put those moves on grimestone in a shithole and it would still be a classic, it really is the full package. Was absolutely roasting that day so everything felt like hard work!
Animal Magnetism, 7B+ - "You better do this now cos am I fuck walking up that hill again", said Matt as I put my shoes on. The unthinkable almost happened and I thought I was going to flash something, until the universe realised what was going on and spat me off tickling the top of the lip. Universe in order again, I got up it 3rd try. Belter. Walk worthwhile? For me, not for Matt.
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, 7A - Absolutely brilliant climbing on a day where I was really not feeling it. Barely pulled onto the rock that day, so I am glad that I decided to crawl out of my gruesome mood to get up this one.

This has been a year of area development, meaning I have done more FAs than repeats. All of these are at the Wen.
Top 4 FAs
The Warlock, 7A - Lovely traversing on little sloping edges and sea smooth feet. A lovely sequence and punchy all the way. Reminiscent of the Witch in the Pass, so named for that.
Cubeliminate LH SS, 7A - Although this is an eliminate, it is a fantastic burly line up a very prominent boulder. The Wen test piece and one that I do every time I am there. I actually did the FA of this in 2019, but the left hand start sidepull crumbled making it a bit harder at the bottom.
Barnacle Thumbs, 7A - As lowball as lowball gets, and only exposed at a very low beach level (unless you do some digging, which I did), but the moves on this are cracking and it is quite different to everything else there.
Crabbing in a New World, 7B - The full traverse of Dog Whelk roof took me a few sessions to link. Sustained, with the most droppable move being the last one. Really happy to have done this one since when I first discovered the place this was the line I wanted to do, but could find a good solution to. Turns out its all in the heel toe camming!

Now for something less self congratulatory
Top 5 spankings
Wedgie Wall, 8something - Despite training I was just too week at the start of 2020 to get up this. Not surprising as its hard! I was also way too psyched to know to stop before it completely ruined me for the weekend. Window of opportunity (as minuscule as it was) has probably closed on this one since moving down to Cardiff and getting injured on my left hand.
Barrel Traverse, 7C - I reckon I can do everything else on this boulder on any given day, but this just totally repels me! Proper Nemesis problem for me, which is great since it gives me something to not do whilst my mate is trying the classics.
Jerrys Problem, 7C+ - The day after trying Wedgie, so this one wasn't destined to go well. Managed all the moves bar the first slam into the gaston, but despite being able to get my fingers in there, I was just not strong enough to hold it. Revealed some shoulder weaknesses though which is good.
Working Class, 8A - I actually did better on this than I thought, as I was just having a play on it while my mate tried Poverty RH. Got that match move, but it has barely started at that point... One to come back for.
Y Anodd Iawn, Project - Cool looking bloc at the Wen which I thought might yield a 7B+ ish from the sitter. Turns out that is probably closer to what the stand is. The moves from sitting completely repelled me, having no feet and holds the wrong way round. Only gave it 1 session, and almost did the stand. Maybe one day I will be back.

Looking at my logbook I was actually surprised at how much I did, though if I didn't have the Wen it would have been significantly smaller. My major positives this year were life related, rather than climbing, so it was nice to reflect on some of the best rock I have hauled myself up in 2020.

[abarro81]

No foreign bouldering and no trad this year...

Top 3 sport routes (UK)
30 is the New 40 was most pleasing thing I did from 2nd Jan until end of 2020, but I put it in the new things section to milk more of of my "top 3s"!

Malcolm X (Chee cornice) - It's not the best route at the crag, but a nice reminder of fun times at a dry cornice! Good climbing on not very nicely glued holds. A timely reminder of the importance of subtleties on rock after lots of fingerboarding in lockdown - holding a hold slightly differently being the difference between falling off and it feeling pretty chill. 

Auctioneer (WCJ cornice) - Pleased to flash this with good beta from Ed just before we went to FJ. Fun route (unlike Ape Index, which is shit).

The Bulge (Kilnsey) - Fun days out at Kilnsey in the summer, trying my proj and doing the odd flash on things like this. More please!

Top 3 sport routes (abroad)
Sandokan (Masriudoms) - I've said this before with long onsights/flashes, and I'll say it again: everything I want from rock climbing. 60m of glorious climbing to the top of the Masriudoms cave, continually interesting, never desperate, just flirting above and below the line of control through the harder parts, no idea how I was going to get down on our rope if I blew it near the top... Perfect start to the year on New Year's Day. Everything basically went downhill from there 

Masters of the Universe (Frankenjura) - The main thing I wanted to do in Fankenjura, mostly because it looked very non-Frankenjura on the video of Ondra onsighting it. Very fun, even if I did find a non-dyno way for the crux. I bloody love roofs.

Penumbral Solar Eclipse (Frankenjura) - I'm not a short route kinda guy, but this was great, with a really cool finishing boulder (nice holds, cool cutloose, big pounce to the lip of the crag, stick your heel above your head etc.). Favourite thing I did on our remote work/holiday trip to FJ. Really hoping that we can do more of this in 2021 (should have been in Spain doing it now, but scuppered by covid )

Top 3 boulders (UK)
Looking at this list, I really didn't do much good bouldering in 2020!
Triggertrocity - After a bit of a meltdown in Feb about how abysmal it was to live in such a wet country and spend most of life waiting for 6 weeks of holiday a year, finally in mid March I refound a bit of love for climbing by, of all things, going to the cave. Got well psyched to try from the back to the top straight through the middle. Then we got locked down after having 2 sessions there and not been back since. Fun anyway, need to go back for extensions.

Under the Greenwood Tree - Surprisingly good, and happy to flash it.

Tetris - More grit like this please. Fun session out with Ed

Top 32 problems/routes put up
30 is the New 40 - the direct start to 42 at the cornice. Tried it the year before, but it got wet. Top of my to-do list in the UK for 2020, very pleased to do it early after lockdown, and probably the first FA I've done that's actually not shit! Really cool kneebar sequence just after the crux, which of course made me happy, and a good excuse to learn to bolt too.

Bleat Fighter - Extension shuffling at Griff's, mostly wanted to do it so I could use one from my list of Griff's names.

Top spankings
Working 9-5SS into Sean's Roof - broke the foothold for my kneebar at the start of Sean's. It still goes (with knee and with jump) but is prob too hard for me now so sacked off trying.

Kilnsey proj - perhaps not really a spanking as I cleaned it up, got good sequences, discovered it's about the right level of difficulty for me to be psyched on, could try it on my duff finger (which somewhat saved summer) and even bolted a direct start... but wetness and family stuff meant I never got to redpointing despite putting about 10 days of effort into it. Big goal for this year, fingers crossed for a dry Spring/Summer.

My finger - fucked it again in Feb. Fudged on through the summer and Frankenjura. Had some injections from Volker but they don't seem to have done much so it's back to old-school rehab

Existential crises - had a few. Why do I live in the UK??

Brexit - what a dumb idea. Tupac sums it up best

Fuck Brexit, fuck Boris, fuck Vote Leave as a staff, record label and as a motherfucking crew
And if you want to be down with Brexit, then fuck you too
Tories: fuck you too
All you motherfuckers, fuck you too
All of y'all motherfuckers, fuck you; die slow, motherfucker
My .44 make sure all y'all kids don't grow

I might have got the lyrics slightly wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant

[Duma]

Always the best thread, nice one everyone!
Bouldering
Probably the least bouldering I've done for nearly a decade...
Weekend Warrior, Saddle Tor
It's a tiny bit eliminate, but the movement is so good you can forgive that, and was such a lovely day last winter. Was 7A+ bitd when known as problem 6, the finger jug broke and Squire reclimbed it at 8A, it's since improved again and is around 7B+/C and hopefully stable.
The Woodsman 7A, Bovey Woods
Brilliant slab in the woods, saved a day when everything else was condensed to fuck.

Trad
Only a day in Pembroke and one in N Devon for proper trad, but I'm going to count some dartmoor soloing with mats...
Rock Idol E1, Mother Careys
Pretty much perfect, glorious summer day too.
Sacre Couer E2, Blackchurch
Think this may be the best trad route I've ever done. Incredible feature and location, 30m of consistently engaging, calf burning slab to the top of the pyramid. Sitting atop this belaying was probably my happiest climbing moment of 2020. Went out and bought some stiffer shoes straight afterwards though!
Limbo Dancer E4, Hound Tor
Taking the trad tick for this, two mats and no spotter def doesn't make up for the back-breaking boulder in the landing! Chuffed as had reversed from the lip many times over the years.

Sport
Probably my best year of bolt clipping, if not ever then certainly since 2003 or so. The walls being shut much of it, combined with the scarcity of local bouldering, has meant a rediscovery of not just how much good stuff there is around, but also how often you can get a worthwhile day out of a crappy forecast.
East of Sweden 6b+, Ban-y-Gor
Probably the pick of the routes I did on first day out after lockdown, and mostly for that, but it stands on its own merits too. Ban-y-Gor  was the (re)discovery of the year for me, had one visit there nearly a decade ago and dismissed it, but some great days this year.
Heady Days 6b+, Ban-y-Gor
Best of its grade I've done in the UK, amazing position for the grade in the top section.
Almost Me 7c, Ban-y-Gor
Chossy lower wall, but amazing pulling above on jugs through incredibly steep ground, especially for UK sport. Pulling round the prow with the Wye way below is brilliant.
Pioneers of the Hypnotic Groove 7b, Foxhole
OMG this is so fucking good! Absolute must do at this grade. Feels like Spain, and was hot enough to be Spain that day too.

[Andy F]

Sport
Atmospheres, Pinfold Crag
Did this on an excellent day out with Fiend. Proper burl for most of the route with a surprisingly delicate finish. Fabulous.

Day of the Long Knives, Rhubarb Buttress
Great climbing on excellent rock. Fun all the way to the belay.

Ring of Fire, The Tor
Took me far longer than it should, longer than anything else at the grade.

[Will Hunt]

It might not be seemly to say it, but I've had a fantastic year climbing, and even general life hasn’t been too taxing. I've done some (for me) hard stuff, got into projecting a bit (I've previously never really had more than a couple of sessions on something in quick succession), and have had a great laugh with my mates along the way. Forgive the long post, but there’s been lots of stand-out quality.
 
Trad
Desperation Crack, Brimham, HVS
A freezing day in March. It started to sleet and hail halfway up. The last section was desperate but was eventually beaten.

Wall of Horrors, Almscliff, E3
Top roped by Dolphin, climbed by Austin. The moves, the history, the positions. Cor!

Earl Buttress, Earl Crag, E2
Absolutely perfect in its formation. Peerless.

Big Greeny, Almscliff, E3
The last of the Almscliff “big 3”. I’d seconded it before and always meant to get round to leading it, but could only remember a nightmarish rounded top out with one hidden edge to take you over it. It turns out that when I seconded it over 10 years ago I had done a more direct finish, avoiding the nice positive holds to the right! All that avoiding the route had been for nothing!


Highball
Didn’t do a huge number of highballs this year but those we did felt really significant, particularly the Caley ones which had been long dreamed of.

Desperate Dan, Ilkley, 6C (E6)
18 pads! Most of them are there to form a platform to lay a couple of pads on that then cover a nasty boulder. I felt like the top wasn’t fall-offable and it wasn’t entirely straightforward. There was a moment when I did the crux and made the conscious decision to press on which felt great.

Strangeness, Caley, 6C+ (E7)
Maybe the first ground-up punter ascent? i.e I cusped it. Second go, ground up, having jumped off after the crux on the first go. After seeing Dave and Franco do it I popped my shoes back on and committed to the top. Exciting!

Great Flake, Caley, 6C (E6)
The HMS Warburton sailed serenely to the top. I followed in his wake. At the top, the crux presents itself and is very committing. Laying away into not entirely positive slopers, with high feet, some 7 or 8m off the floor. My mind emptied and I climbed. Allez!


Boulders
Monochrome, Burbage, 7A+
Were ever a more perfect set of moves devised? Flashed Boyager and then waltzed to the top of this, thoroughly burning off the assembled Peakies who were labouring under the impression that they were actually 7A+ and 7B respectively.

Pinch 32, Baildon, 7B+ (soft)
Kind of shit, but kind of good. It makes the list despite of its obvious flaws. It was just really satisfying to find a sequence that brought it down to my level.

Rumble in the Jungle, Hawkcliffe, 7A+
Superb arete climb. Felt quite similar to Suavito. Felt like it wasn’t going to happen but the connies improved and I went up for a last go.

Code Orange, Hellifield, 7A+
When we were told we could go out for unlimited exercise I booked the day off work and went to Hellifield. It was so good to feel movement on rock again after the hiatus, and this was such tasty movement.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAS6Rc9DOPi/

Lay-by Arete, Slipstones, 7B+
The big one for the year! Not the biggest grade, but I’ve been spat off the move to the break on this before and really wanted to do it. It was a glorious day at Slipstones. Snow on the ground and the tops. Gorgeous sunshine illuminating the rock in vivid colours. Superb craic throughout. I was getting into the move to the crimp each time but just not quite making it click. Then, after a bit of a rest, it just happened. YYFY!


Sport
A little group of us found that our desires aligned, and we ended up at the same crags and on the same lines. We had an absolute ball! My previous hardest sport climb was Illywacker which I’d already upgraded to 7c. At the start of the year I had intentions to do some more 7c’s, but having seen Sam Marks huff and puff up the start of Subculture I’d be fucked if I wasn’t going to at least try and keep pace.

Sunset Boulevard, Gigg North, 7c
Ended up taking much longer than I’d hoped, but I really loved those top moves. Fiesty and droppable. Refined the beta and when it went it felt so triumphal to power up through that undercut at the top.

Divine Brown, Gigg North, 7c+
7c+ was not supposed to be on the cards this year, but Sam made it look inviting. Having just done Sunset Brown (i.e. doing the top crux), I got onto the lower wall and discovered that it’s steep but all jugs. It felt awesome to be hanging about on the flake at the top and actually recovering. The top crux culminates in a punch for the final jug on the lip of the cave. Monster!

Comedy, Kilnsey, 7b+/c (kneepad)
Somebody told me there was a kneebar that improved the mid-height crux so I strapped on the filthy rubber contraption. I shambled through the bottom crux about as inefficiently as possible and made it to the rest. Recovered a bit there then juuuuuust about clutched the redpoint crux above it. From there it was slap after slap up the jugs on battered arms until I eventually, somehow, reached the belay. I was so pumped it took a couple of attempts to lift the rope and get it in the chain. Ben later said he thought I was off from the second move. A scrap from start to finish – 4 star experience.

Obsession, Malham, 7b+
Jim somehow tricked me into trying to onsight it putting the draws in, so I inevitably had to come back and do it second session. Climbing with Yorkshire legend Andy Crome, Upstairs on the brink of oblivion, the birds swooping, the multitude below gazing upwards. The sun beat upon us and we watched for a line of clouds that might last long enough for us to do the route. Boredom got the better of me and I set off, squinting against the glare. The Malham gods smiled upon me and the clouds came just as I arrived at the rest below the top crux, which I just about clawed my way through. Liquid rock climbing.

Honourable mention: Subculture, Kilnsey, 8a
Not the best route and not the best experience, but a much harder thing than I’d expected from the year.


Craic
For me, climbing is about so much more than the grades and the training and the 1-5-9. Climbing is joyful; climbing is the stage on which the greatest dramas of our lives play out; it is the dojo in which we spar with our friends. Climbing is life. Some of the best moments are when you’re stood around laughing your heads off at some silly thing that happened at the crag. These are the most memorable craics from the year.

Burbage raid with a big team
We descended on Burbage with one goal. Climb and downgrade as many low 7s as possible. It got off to a rocky start with Velvet Crab but by the time we moved onto Boyager we were hitting our stride. Many laughs were had that day.

Kilnsey
I can’t bring myself to relate the story in full here. It involved some loud, brusque barracking of Ben as he crawled his car along the road at the bottom of the crag, looking out of his window at the routes. Except it wasn’t Ben’s car, and it wasn’t Ben…
It was appalling, but I’m still laughing about it.

Slipstones
I’m so glad I caught this on camera. The silly sod had ticked the narrowest bit of the wholly commodious break, so when he slapped for it he missed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJboG7kj0US/

Weekend in the Lakes at Eskdale Fisherground and Carrock
Wasn’t wholly impressed with the climbing but we had a good laugh. Especially when poor 8c Jim declared that Rob’s Wall was piss, 6B, and he was going to get it next go. I think he fell off it for the next hour before giving in.


New
Dennis the Menace, Rowantree Tor, 6C
Nice bit of arete tech.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8rtEopDFh8/
 
The Nestlings, Low Huller Stones, 7A+
A contrived oddity which actually had a great move on it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CATOxU2j0ld/

Lifetime project and king line
I believe this has already been repeated.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_r7xPODdpu/

Spankings
The Prize, Brimham, 7A+
I’ve fucked this up and not sure what other chance I’ll get to finish it off. Now all my mates who are likely to want to do it have done it and it needs loads of pads and a good spot.

Junkyard Angel, Malham, HVS
Obviously I got up it but it took me ages and I was quite scared at the top. It’s such a shame I can’t wrap my head around Yorkshire limestone trad because it means I’ll probably never get to do some really inspiring routes like Face Route, Slender Loris, etc etc.


Misc
Crook Gill
A scorching hot and humid June evening. Nobody was keen for Kilnsey. Met up with Julie and we plodded up Strans Gill which was bone dry. Then onto Crook Gill. Dark, wet, intimidating. A series of short waterfall pitches of varying shapes and sizes interspersed with swims and scrambling. Definitely one of the most thrilling activities of the year. We giggled our way along it, wondering what beautiful thing we were going to encounter next. If you’re ever wondering what to do on a day when it’s too hot to climb, do this.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CB5NM1zjcxN/

Holiday to the Lakes
Got the kid out on the rock and also did a nice multipitch – Rake End Wall.

Board rediscovery
Set some cool problems which I really enjoyed.

Guidebook
Things are really starting to happen. Still a way to go but it’s getting there.


Worst
A Crimson Tear, Ilkley
Arbitrary, skin-shredding rubbish.

[nai]

Apart from a few hours trad with Lagers I've only bouldered this year and aprt from one March trip to the County it's all been Peak and Maglime.

Best of the Best
Gulliver's Travels, Church. Superb limestone sublety to a groundhog final move
Hitchhikers. I mean, it French starts off a boulder, is only two moves long and doesn't even top out but is somehow totally brilliant.
Fin SS, Gib Tor. Had bottled the top on my own a few days before. Dropped off once then had a word with myself - you've done the stand so know what's coming, sea of foam, staked down pads, spotter, prime connies, do it now or give up on it.  Went on to have a classic day also doing S&M sit and Night of Lust Left Hand.

The penny drops took a few years but eventually worked them out
Hot Toddy, Froggatt. Tried this once previously and made absolutely no impression, on return the sequence seemed quite obvious but the subleties needed a bit of working out, dead good

Kidneystone, Gardoms. A YYFY after 10 years of making excuses. Also a great problem.
Sisyphus. Owler. I groaned whern Dolly suggested it and nearly sacked him off, always seemed so improbable.  The move seems a long way but getting the distance isn't the problem, it's about creating enough time to snatch the break before you peel of rightwards, just needed a bit of lateral thinking.


The old-skool problems I should have done years ago.
Fab Arete, Curbar. After all that, it's fine. Now dare you go for thearete at other end....
Crimpy Roof, Stanage Right. Repulsed previously at the wet heather cornice. A really nice bit of roof climbing with an awkward nervy finish.
Doggy Style. Burbage South. Last problem on the red circuit and curiously the only one I haven't done before. When I get there I remember having tried it years ago. Turns out to be condiditions dependent, shouldery and plain hard, odd that the 7As on the same boulder have more ticks. Scraped up it with a final effort as the sun set.

Chinks in the choss - didn't go to the usual Peak lime after lockdown so these are decent problems on Eastern and Southern lime
Faith Left Hand, Roche. Lovely bit of rock above the break where the difficulties lie.
Bad Habits SS, Roche Good move to and from the sidepull
Pokemon City limits. So Basic. Sit Start, big move for a crimp, hard match, big move for the finishing hold. No subleties. What's not to like?

[jwi]

Isn't more than three entries for each category cheating?

[duncan]

Great to read as ever. Like most, this year was somewhat constrained by the usual but also by other stuff covered in the 2020 Aims thread. I was active for about half the year.


Top three overseas trips cancelled:
Céüse, with a great team, for a big birthday in June. The gîte people were incredibly decent about it and I am very keen to give them some business as soon as I can.
Fontainebleau, with the family. Les Courtilles du Lido were totally fine about cancelling; DFDS ferries were not, the bastards.
Japan, with the family, for the Olympics. Mixed feelings about this, not especially a fan of the Olympics but visiting Japan is always cool and the lad had shown conceptual interest in hiking up Mt. Fuji with me. Bonus number four (sorry jwi): the usual trip to do a big route somewhere, with HG, but this never reached fully planned status.

Top three vicarious thrills:
In lieu of the real thing, I read a lot of books about climbing. These are some of the most inspiring.
The White Cliff. Grant Farquhar’s love letter to Gogarth. Very big, a lot that is magnificent, some tangential material, and some choss. Much like the cliff.
The Great Sea Cliffs of Scotland. Various artists ed. Guy Robertson. Mostly extremely inspirational. Not sure what Sarklet is doing in there but I guess it couldn't be only places that need non-scheduled boat access. It’s got me even more syked for the Scottish islands, if that were possible.
Boulder Britain. Nearly bought a proper bouldering mat this year as I finally have a car that can carry one! Very keen to do some more bouldering this year.

Top three ongoing projects:
Road Rage 7b+ (Portland). Great moves, challenging for me, great to see csl improvise his way up it despite a crux hold going missing between sessions.
Chulillia 7b+ (Brean). I did two or possibly three moves on this, fell off and stubbed my toe which is still black two months later. The crag was unpleasantly crowded and I won’t be going back until the Bristol climbing walls have reopened. This might count as a spanking rather than ongoing project.
Living Dead 7b (Uphill). Classic cornflake pulling. It would have gone in a day had I had more than a couple of hours before doing my family duties. I’ll bring more skin and tie-off the peg next time.

Top one concrete boulder problem:
Undercover (eliminate). ~6A. (Fairlop Waters, the big roofed block). The roof without the biggest holds, superb showboating opportunities!

Top three sport routes:
Through the Barricades (Blacknor) 7a+. A quick working, first go. A good start to the year, didn’t climb for five months after this!
Clashing Socks 7b (Brean). An unusually quiet day at the crag, a quick working to refamiliarise myself with the moves, and it went quite smoothly.
Peppercorn Rate 7a (Winspit). Another quick work and go, the one trip grabbed between lockdown 2 and tier 4.

Top Only three trad. days out, from a very quiet year:
Mask of Red Death (Rhoscolyn) in the morning followed by Resolution Direct (Gogarth) in the afternoon, with HG. The Anglesea revival! 
Tout Le Monde Sur Le Bacon (Uphill Quarry), with the lad.  One of the first routes I ever climbed - a TR and solo with school friends in about 1977. Repeated it with the lad, who at least feigned interest.
Various E0s (Stanage Popular) that I’d soloed back in the day but now find rather challenging, with Fiend! It was ludicrously busy and I couldn’t think for the life of me how we’d ended up there but it was great fun and we bumped into cheque which was nice of course.

Top three life events:
Left my job.
Put house up for sale.
Survived covid.

[AJM]

It’s a little hard to subdivide this in some ways since I did such a narrow range of things this year!

Between my daughter being born at the end of 2019 and a global pandemic I didn’t touch rock until June and I basically just bouldered and did DWS, and didn’t stray very far from home with the exception of one trip to Northumberland in lieu of Font. So with that in mind:

Best three southern boulders:
Phat Slapper, New Cuttings - a nice techy fingery sequence leads to laying one on for the finishing ledge
Sharp Arête, Combeshead - just a really nice arête climb
Hanging Flakes, Combeshead - up this and down the Flake Crack, surely two of the Moors best at their grades right next to each other?


Best three Northumberland boulders:
Monty Pythons Direct sitter - hardest problem I’ve done in ages, cool moves
Neb Roof, Shaftoe - took me ages to work out a sequence through the roof and felt very satisfying when it went
Lorraine start, Bowden - just a really cool clean line

In all honesty I could pick out so many problems from this trip, especially at the easier end where (having never been there before) I had that great luxury of being able to just do classics as my warm up every day.

Top three spankings
Russian Roulette - as a symptom of how unfit I got over lockdown. I did it at the end of the season, but the spanking was in June, I remember sitting on the big ledge at the end of Big Easy having got monstrously flash pumped and having realised I couldn’t recover sitting on a ledge! I decided I ought to get going anyway and took my first dip of the season pumped out of my tree at the base of the crack
Berry Head - bit of a head fail of a day, didn’t want to go high
It doesn’t feel that much like a spanking, but I feel I should have tried a bit harder on my goes on Swinging Nineties as I made fairly little impression on it.

Three most soul-replenishing days out:
First day back on rock for 8 months, at St Aldhelms head bouldering. The weather was perfect sunshine, the setting is great, so despite the fact it was far too hot and that I climbed like a bag of spanners it was magnificent
I had a day at Combeshead on August Bank Holiday. Crisp start, then glorious sunshine, didn’t see any other climbers until the end of the day, just a wonderful setting, big blue skies, peace and quiet
I had a great weekend on Portland in September - brought the family down to camp atop the dws, saw an old friend and played tour guide with mint conditions and great tide times. I didn’t really do anything new apart from finishing Russian Roulette but had a brilliant time enjoying classic routes.

Honorary final mention, hard to categorise or find a trio for, goes to the discovery that my son quite likes coming out climbing with me. It restricts me to certain places (he’s 3, so has little legs and only moderate tolerance for rough ground and long walks), but I wouldn’t have got half as much climbing done this year without him in tow and it’s been great watching him have fun too.

[tomtom]

Some great posts here - inspiring.

For climbing hard 2020 was by best year to date. I was climbing better than I ever had going into lockdown, but that forced me to train in a structured way for the first time in my life. I started a training diary and in the 280 days since I started - I’ve trained or climbed on 204 of those days. I built a narrow but steep board in the loft room - and the project of building it - and subsequently using it kept me sane and gave me escape from the first 5 months of perma child care until the schools re-opened. This really pushed me up a level - I last did 7C back in 2013 and post lockdown ticked three - and one 7C+. I was simply stronger when I came out of my attic...

No ropes involved this year

Top Boulder Problems:
The Starship 7C, Wilton 3 I was close-ish to this around the New Year and after - but post lockdown it went on my second session. Its a lowball - but quite technical with lots of moves for the height ‘gained’ and 2-3 very droppable moves. It went on a lovely late spring day - with a cookoo calling in the distance.

Nemesis 7C, Wilton 4 Spurred on my Starship - and feeling strong - I started working this problem. Took about 4 sessions I think - and I had to figure out a different way of doing the crux from other ways on film. Again, quite a lot of micro beta - and some powerful moves. Surprised when it went - didnt know how to get down - and ended up trotting alongside the road to get back with just my climbing jeans on. Who cares :D (its on the video below)

Ron Burgandys Moustache 7B, Helsby Barrel Buttress Oh I’ve been trying this for years... it takes a series of small (8-10mm) crimps across left and joins a 3* fairly highball 6B (the Barrel) to the top. All the one arm lock off training I did seemed to help - and I found I could lock into the final position on the traverse to bring the right hand across and then up. But - I’d done all the moves in isolation but not together (the last reach on the traverse feels about 7B on its own..). I turned up one Sunday evening - when I’d had a stress migraine/headache all day - hardly eaten, felt nauseous and just needed to climb to forget about everything. Did not really feel good after warming up - but then it just went. From beginning to end. Disbelief - and pleasure in one.

Grasshopper 7C+, Stronstrey Bank this traverses via a crossover into and then up Noisy Cricket 7C. I’d managed to do NC in a session (!) but the move after the crossover was powerful - and hard - and then you had to do some fairly stiff pulling to get to the top. It took two sessions - but it was super satisfying to figure out my own way of doing it, working out where I was going wrong and figuring a way to overcome it. Something Pete Robins said in Grimers Podcast about climbing smarter rang true for me with this. First of the grade for me - and its probably soft - but felt like a real achievement, and that the hard work training had paid off.

Fast Cars and Camper Vans F7A, Carrock Climbed at Carrock mostly once or twice a year for the last ten years or so... Never got close on this - always eyed it up. Got it on the last chance of a trip - during a week of dire weather (floods) just before a shower blew in. 3* problem on magical rock. Fantastic.

Top Days out: 
A lot of my climbing was local (lancs) and I didnt stray further from home than Trowbarrow (a shit session :D) after March - but I had some great times meeting up with Dolly, Nai, Plattsy and on occasion Lagers in the Peak. Memorable trips included when Pete did the Rib at BBG south. I f*cking had all of my hand around the top hold and dropped it - then couldn’t get any closer - but any disappointment went watching Dolly do it - after ten years or so of trying. A couple of fun sessions at the P being sandbagged and a good day out in December at the North end of Stanage.

Spankings
Where do I start... Probably with Rodins Requiem, a 7B (the fastest drying 7B in Lancs I’d wager) face climb at Wilton 3 with a weird/knacky toe hook pull your weight across with opposing gastons move. F*ck, I’ve had ten or more sessions on this - and came close when trying to show RMan how shit I was at it! But kind of froze and had to drop off. I’m bloody closer to doing the 8A sit method than the 7B....
Jamie and His Magic Torch 7B (Curbar) - watch me giving it the finger in the vid... FFS, knacky slightly slabby grit arêtes are my forte... apparently not this one...
Kudos, The Press... usual things I circulate on during the summer.... came close on Kudos though.. should have gone really.

Top Training Achievements Given lockdown - this should be on the list :D 1 arm lock offs - never done one before this year. Progressed from needing 8kg assist to doing my first one in about 6 weeks - then took ages to repeat and ended up the summer doing them carrying an extra 3kg (both arms). Got 1 arm PU’s down to 4kg (from 14) assist - but with appalling form and not starting straight armed... then my elbows felt like exploding. Starting again on these but watching my form..

Life Stuff Moved sideways with work - from a department (with toxic management) to an institute that seems so nicely run I keep thinking it might be satire.. This has been a very positive move - though hard through guilt of letting former colleagues down. Enjoyed spending time with my lad more than I would have (even though it drove me spare at times), and managed not to get divorced :D

If you’ve got a spare 5 min to time to waste - I’ve tried to capture most of the above in the edit below:



 

[T_B]

Fontainebleau, with the family. Les Courtilles du Lido were totally fine about cancelling

Yes, we missed our trip too. Hopefully they’ve sorted out the delaminating swimming pool for summer 2021!

[Duma]

The crag was unpleasantly crowded and I won’t be going back until the Bristol climbing walls have reopened.

Love it when someone drives from London and then complains that the locals are making the crag busy

[Carl]

Basically all grit solo bouldering this year, with a few nice exceptions. Can't think why...

Top 3 Boulders
Kidneystone - Really nice moves, although took probably too long to figure out the top section!
Deliverance - Have climbed it before, but still feels really good to latch the top!
Left Hand Man - Not actually climbed yet! Went from feeling nails to piss when I got the beta right, which felt great. Now I just need the top of the problem to dry...

Top 3 Routes
The Rasp - Just great. Nice and sustained, without anything too cruxy. Even managed to maintain some semblance of style at the top.
The Dangler - A good fight!
Doorpost - Jugs and jams everywhere. The Cornish answer to Muldoon at the Araps! One of the few routes in the UK that may have enough jugs for my girlfriend to consider it worthwhile.

Top 3 Spankings
Made in Sheffield - Basically couldn't even comprehend pulling on. Feels like my complete anti-style, so I should probably get back there and try it again.
Nicotine Stain - Got about 2 moves up and immediately got stuck.
Butterfly Crack/Melvyn Bragg combo - Joint entry for pissing about on offwidths. Got very spanked but great fun.

[remus]

Obligatory "it's been a funny year..." but all things considered feel like I've gotten quite a bit done. Made a conscious decision to focus on doing a bit more volume which feels like a good choice. Had a couple of trips early in the year (pre-lockdown) which in retrospect was very fortuitous. Good sport climbing scenes through summer and managed to squeeze in a couple of long deep water soloing weekends which were a lot of fun (if not hugely productive).

Top 3 Sport Routes

A trilogy of cheedale 7c+s. All top quality, all done quickly in great pre/post work sessions with good friends. Not the hardest stuff but just getting out and doing some routes felt like a treat after lockdown.

Toys for the Boys, Nettle buttress. Pristine crimps and some funky moves which was very satisfying to work out.

A Vision of Loveliness, Two Tier Upper. Pristine glue job. Got a great spray down from GVG and fired it off quickly. Two tier upper is such a classy crag, just a shame there's not a few more decent routes up there. Having said that the trav there looks ace, psyched for a return trip to get on it.

Tequila Mockingbird, Chee Tor. Classic Ron and (criminally) my first route at the crag. Loved the bolting on this too, just spaced enough to feel a bit spicy.

Honourable mentions

Superbowl 7c, hollywood bowl. Fun climbing in to the cave then super funky sequence from there, this was one of the first hard routes I got on after lockdown eased and it was quite a change from climbing on the board!

Kleptomania 8a, hollywood bowl. Quality kneebar boulder problem on a rope.

Pig in the Roof 8b, Leonidio. If it's 8b it'd be my first. More fun knee bar climbing though. Excellent stuff.

Top 3 Boulder Problems

Bouldering psyche has been a bit hit and miss this year. Feel like I've managed to sneak in a few decent sessions though.

eatswood Traverse, 7B+. Gritstone for the limestone climber. Pumpy, techy and great sequence. I reckon all the link ups in here are under rated too, great training venue.

Cave Problem 7B+, Raven Tor. Very satisfying 'click' when the heel move fell in to place. Felt close-ish on the sit but had some problems with seepage.

Piss 7B, Higgar. Was fumbling around ineffectually before a nice German couple turned up and offered up some beta. Wild mantel+slap for the top!

Honorable mentions

Linkups at Cucklett Delph.

Top 3 DWS

Spent quite a bit of time falling off Cutlass so most of these are bits and pieces that were squeezed in between. In retrospect it'd would have been good to get on something hard that was less bouldery and/or done some more volume.

Full Magical Mystery tour 6b/S1/XS 5c R, Berry Head. Shit conditions for trying anything hard (light rain all day) so thought I'd just try and do the full 2km magical mystery tour, with vague plans of trying to link it in to Wizard of Oz to make the ultimate dws trav. Completely epic and totally fucked by the end of MMT with no way Id have had any hope of doing WoO. High/low light would be committing to a horrendous, high trav on shale above a big boulder. There was hope on the horizon in the form of a good looking down climb but when I got there I gave some of the holds a tentative kick and they all fell off, so had to reverse the shale trav. Super spicy.

Bronski Beat 7b, Berry Head. Another pristine number from Ken. Description in the guide is a total sandbag as it makes the top sound like a romp whereas the crux is right at the end! Made for a good DWS experience though.

Jehova Kill 7b, London Bridge. I'd chickened out of doing this in the past so nice to get it done this year. Definitely helped having some team psyche. Hope nobody pulls off the clock at the bottom of the groove!

Top spankings

Gritstone. Im seemingly incapable of getting up anything actually hard on grit if there isn't some trickery involved.

Cutlass. Put in quite a few days on this in the end and made some progress but didn't really get particularly close. Quite a frustrating route to try as I find the move to the pocket pretty droppable and then it's very bouldery from there so you don't get to do a lot of climbing per splashdown.

[teestub]

Gritstone. Im seemingly incapable of getting up anything actually hard on grit if there isn't some trickery involved.

Not sure I’ve done anything in grit where there wasn’t at least some subtle trickery to be had!

Is there a ‘right way’ to go on Magical Mystery that would have avoided shale, or would the other option be swimming? One of those that lurks on the lifetime ticklist!

[scragrock]

First Time posting on this thread, For some reason i find myself with some extra time on my hands.

90% of my climbing is F.A's cleaning and developing so my tick list pretty much reflects this-

Top 3 F.A-
Rooftown,Strathnairn
Count Duckula- Long lip traverse of the Danger Mouse Roof, has a spicy "fall down the hill like a rag-doll" start to a cruxy left arete finish.

Stilletto- The long lip traverse of the Danger Mouse roof going the other way, Follows Donnie Murdo and keeps going to a Nasty mantle finish above Baron Greenback. Robbie Phillips backed off this saying "Fucking Sandbag" hahahaha

Slotless Extension- A really good link up on the £25 Bloc, Chuffed with this as its powerful and sequency, Got the Heavy Send.

Top 3 repeats-
Just before the first Lockdown

Blackjack 7a, Benjy's ridiculous one move, one hand catch Dyno on the £25 Bloc. 3* problem

Neg Prog 7a+, The now infamous and well traveled line on the Wobble Bloc. This took a few sessions{as usual} . Lock-down happened  a week later.

The Very Big Lebowski f7c at Ruthven. Bit of a surprise tick as my back was fucked, I suspect it's NOT 7c....Cause i cant climb 7c even when i'm on top form.


I get Spanked on everything i climb so its hard to pin it down to just 3.

[nik at work]

You lot are amazing, I feel like I must be wasting so much time non-productively by comparison...

Climbing
Errr..

Least productive climbing year for a very long time I’d say, for a variety of reason. But the highlights...

Moving to the Peak, at least I’m well positioned to start climbing again.

Meeting up with Dan and Tom, just amazing to see these two again.

Walking to Burbage North from my house for a spot of easy solo/highball action.

Non climbing

Went snowboarding for the first time in years, was amazing obviously. Why did I ever stop doing this??

Developed a couple of new sporting interests (road bike, MTB and fell running), maybe I’m not a “climber” anymore, just someone who climbs...

Work and life (notwithstanding Covid related restrictions) infinitely better than 2019, future looks good.

And Duma I agree, Sacre Coure is outstanding. I did it a few years ago and it still sticks out in my mind.

[Duma]

And Duma I agree, Sacre Coure is outstanding. I did it a few years ago and it still sticks out in my mind.

Just brilliant isn't it? We ran out of time/tide for Jamaican Dub, but I'd like to go back for that too.

[Yossarian]

Had virtually written off training and any productive climbing at the start of the year thanks to 4hrs+ of daily commuting, the effect of train beers, etc. Was in shit shape when I could be bothered to visit the jammed sandstone early summer. But then got resyked, so help with a training plan, and ended up feeling pretty good, albeit too fat. Generally lack of climbing success was mainly down to the latter, which I’m quite excited about redressing now...

Best climbing experiences

Light blue circuit at Rocher Canon - daughter and I did most of this over a couple of days in August. Note to self - always start Font trips with circuits like this rather than get lured by individual problems

Red circuit at Apremont Envers. Managed slightly less of this, but what we did was really good.

Generally exploring new places (to us) in Font, inc Roche aux Oiseau, Cuvier Est and Rempart, and JA Martin.

Top spankings

I basically refused to acknowledge that I should try easier things, so just about everything this year was a spanking.

Le Bivouac, Cuvier Est - I like to think I might’ve flashed this on a good day. Hadn’t studied the videos carefully, failed to spot the heel potential on the first move, sweated like a pig.

Graviton, Sabots - Nearly did this last time. Was hoping the inside right heel beta was going to help trick my way up it, but it just felt desperate.

Salathe Wall, Rempart - I slapped the crimp below the top loads of times, but couldn’t catch it. Children were extremely patient that afternoon.

Other climbing

Daugher and I had two fun trips to the Churnet and one fun day at Anston Stones. More of this when we’re allowed please.

No trad, a tiny bit of local sandstone (hordes then weather spoiled this), one sport trip to Cheddar which resulted in meltdown / vowing to sell my gear on eBay for 48 hours.

Other stuff

Some decent MTB days out on the South Downs Way. Have kind of lost the appetite for hairy scary mountain biking, and seem to now prefer pottering on picturesque trails equipped with a luxury picnic. Did a bit of road biking but managed to avoid getting sucked back in.

Had some help with training plan in the second half of the year and was rewarded with great progress and lots of syke.

[remus]

Is there a ‘right way’ to go on Magical Mystery that would have avoided shale, or would the other option be swimming? One of those that lurks on the lifetime ticklist!

On that particular section (near-ish to the beginning of part 4) there's a low way that turned out to be steady, just didn't look it which is why I tried the high way.

For me I found part 4 quite a bit more adventurous than the other bits, rock quality is definitely a bit softer. Having said that I wouldn't let it put you off, it's generally pretty easy to swim sections if you don't fancy it, and there's reasonable water under quite a few of the harder/chossier sections so you can try it relative safety.

[Nibile]

For climbing hard 2020 was by best year to date.

Guy-trains-for-first-time-in-life-and-has-best-climbing-year-ever shocker.

[reeve]

As with the yearly aims, I haven’t partaken before but since I enjoy reading other’s entries (definitely the best thread of the year!) I thought I should do so. It’s been good looking through the logbook to pick out these.

Top three six trad
With the dearth of options available for me in the sport and bouldering lists, I’ve borrowed some of my allocated routes from there and added them in here (hope that’s okay with you jwi  )

Premonition and Bloodlust Direct, Sheigra. Impossible to decide between them, so they can both go in. The best of many highlights from 12 days in the North West of Scotland. Sheigra is top of the list for places to visit again next year for me – perfect rock, beautiful place, and jugs everywhere to make me feel like a hero. How climbing feels in my dreams.
Slanted & Enchanted, Baslow. For a very brief moment, it all came together and I remembered how to do it. Made more memorable by falling off on my first go and ripping two of my three pieces (including the one which I thought was so good that I would go for it!). If a side-ways wire had come out, then this would be in the top spankings list. A power terror scream for the final jug and a wave of euphoria.
Beyond the Beyond, the Range (Anglesey). Definitely the least conventionally classic on the list. Marie told me that she quite likes climbing on choss, which I took at face value. Knowing what she’s like, I should really have been more circumspect in how energetic I was in persuading her to abseil in to belay me on this. As with much of Anglesey’s best quality low-quality, the rock is comprised of very hard bits which are too brittle to be trustworthy, held in place by talcy-mud which is too soft to be trustworthy. If only they had shared out their quota of hardness it would be a very different medium. Marie pulled off three holds as she seconded (with much cursing of both me and the rock), and I later discovered that I had gone the wrong way and made it much harder for both of us.
Ivory Tower (Kinder South) and East Rib (Shining Clough). Two moorland grit routes from two different crags, both great days out with Marie and Cheque. I've really fallen for moorland grit trad in the last few years: the long walk-ins, relative quiet and remoteness, gritty rock, weird features, sweat, racing back for fish and chips from the Ranmoor Friery (best chip shop for vegetarians in Sheffield btw). Oh for it to be summer!

Top three one sport
Three?! Ha! I was too injured for most of the year, but I did do Supercrack at Lorry Park Quarry which I thought was fantastic

Top three two bouldering
Both from the very start of the year (before I was injured)
Bin Laden’s Cave, Gardoms. How did I never do this before? Great. And soft
HMS Daring, Birchen. Tried and failed a few years ago. Team psyche, lots of pads, and the send train having already left the station meant I had no choice but to try really hard to keep face.


Top spankings
The tides on Old Man of Stoer. Having done it before, I could confidently explain to Marie that the ledge at the bottom is above the high tide line. In response to her protestations that the tide line appears to be above the edge of the ledge (that, in retrospect, actually made a lot of sense and I’m not sure why I ignored them) I affected a well-rehearsed tone of ‘I’m the expert here’ confidence and we left our gear at the base of the stack. All went well (in fact, if I were permitted seven, this could have made it into the top trad routes list), until abseiling back to the base when I had to rescue Marie’s shoes and my swimming clothes which were being dragged out by the encroaching waves!
Ignis Fatuus, Agden Rocher. Having previously built up quite a credit belaying Cheque when he has been beleaguered on some route or another, I used these credits up when I began a prolonged battle with this piece of shit (it’s actually good, in an Agden Rocher kind of way). After much a to do I decided that discretion is the better part of valour and hastily retreated, muttering about all the gear being barely bodyweight. Cheque ab’d for my gear and judged it all as ‘good’. Ho hum.
Walking in to Carn Mor. Walked in through rain and midges for 13 miles with three days of food plus all our kit. It rained and the air hummed with midges. We walked out for 13 miles with two days of food plus all our kit.
Golfer’s elbow. Did I mention that I was injured throughout most of the year?

[Fiend]

Yo Reeve, where is Beyond The Beyond?? Can't find it in t'book.

[reeve]

I knew that if anyone asked about that route, it would have to be you

It's an indirect start to a right hand finish of One Step Beyond, although that description makes it sound rubbish so I omitted it from my previous description! It's on UKC if you're allowed to look there: https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/the_range-671/beyond_the_beyond-460580 I am still a bit confused about what I climbed that day but I think I basically did OSB until where it meets BtB, then followed BtB for the top bit (basically stepping right earlier to get onto the overhanging part earlier).

Edit: just to be clear, it isn't in the book but you can work it out from the description on UKC, except I think the description gets its left and right mixed up at one point which doesn't help the situation.