[remus]

Which holds have fallen off Against The Current Remus?

A bit hard to describe, but I was trying to link it from ~Over the Moorhens. From memory, I was getting a bird beak hold with my left then a few moves after that using a right hand undercut to roll over in to something (a thin glued edge?) The right hand undercut was gone the last few times I tried it, presumably disintegrated. I vaguely remember it being a bit wobbly so not totally surprising it's no more. I thought something else had come off but my memory is failing me.

I did all the moves on it last time I was there so it's definitely still possible, but feels a bit harder for me without the rh undercut hold. Definitely feels a bit harder for me (but then it's at my limit so always feels pretty hard anyway).

[User deactivated.]

Top 3 boulders

Theia (8A 7C), Harter Gold - This was one of those scenarios where the quality of the climbing,  the rock, the location and the build-up all combined to create an experience greater than the sum of its parts. I first tried it on a big day out, but didn't get very far; I could barely pull on the holds and couldn't get the kneebar to work. I wrote it off, but the following week, a sudden feeling that I could climb it struck me, if only I could get there before the sun came up (south facing), get there in 2 days time (likely to be the last cool day of the season), and get a better kneepad. Given how poorly I did the weekend before, it seemed like a long shot, but I paid for next day delivery on a Send pad, drove 3 hours to Harter Fell on a Friday night, slept in the car, woke at 4am and hiked 1 hour up to the boulder with 3 pads. Did it in about an hour as the sun was rising.

Jelly of the Beast (8A), Odin's Cave -
It's a limestone cave, it doesn't really go anywhere and a constant stream of tourists have you repeating 'crash mats' and 'climbing' every 5 minutes. However, thanks to an excellent and sustained sequence of big moves between decent holds, it was easy to stay psyched long enough to get it done. I had to climb fast, loose and 'high-risk' to avoid powering out and achieved some proper flow states. Hardest thing I've climbed on rock and I think my projecting tactics were reasonably good for a change.

Source of Secrets (7C+), Lobwell - Another limestone roof with big moves between decent holds! In contrast, this one is located in a lovely wood and it tops out at a decent height. I struggled with individual moves on the first session, but next session I somehow managed to pull it out of bag in just a few tries from the bottom. I've visited a couple of times since to try its bigger brother Kenzoku (see aims for 2023) and can never help myself from pulling on Secrets again, just to do those moves! 


Top route

Kleptomania (8a), Hollywood Bowl - I can't vouch for its quality since its the only route I've climbed in years. However, it's steep, it's burly, it's rainproof, and if you're a boulderer looking for a relatively easy 8a tick, then this is your route! I had fun on it and was surprised to clip the chains on a last go best go effort.


Top spankings

Enter The Dragon, Tremeirchion - this is the first time I've made a conscious decision to give up on a project after sinking more than a few sessions into it. The crimps near the start are so small, and as a heavy climber, I got fed up of driving 2 hours each way to split in just a few tries. Looking back, I'm yet to try it in cool conditions, so it might not be fully off the cards. Afterall, it's brutally shouldery and I haven't done all those one armers for nothing 

Side splits - trained multiple times per week, active and passive, loaded and unloaded. Almost no progress. At least finger strength doesn't make it on this list for a change.

[SA Chris]

Gynacology 7A, Kingussie - a surprisingly cool line in the midst of an otherwise unpromising heathery hillside. Not necessarily better than some other problems I did, but I found it, which always makes the thing more memorable.

When did you do this? We were in Kingussie summer before last, and walked the path up and over the top of Creag Bheag, must have only missed it by meters. Be good to have an OS ref if you have one.

This was in February or March. Rest day bimbles between winter beastings...

I can't lay hands on the grid reference just now (mapping app sign-in issues) but I put an approach description on UKC, the crag is named Gynack Roof. It's about 100m off the summit path on the north facing slope, bit of a heather bash.

Yeah spotted it on there. Will have a looksee next time, nice run up and over the hill. prefer heather bashing without pads.

[yetix]

Top 3 Mountains:
Flick of the Wrist

This one has been an epic for me and has taken far far too long to finish off.

Prisoners of the Sun

What a brilliant little problem, linking the first 3 moves seemed impossible upon arival but somehow the moves jsut clicked together and I found myself fighting to the top.

Worzel Gunnage

Another one I've tried far too much and very satisfying when I eventually stuck the second move.

Top 3 lime:
Broken Heart 

Basically got me back into reasonable shape after a period of trying to rehab some weird nerve issues for about 5 months

14 Years Later Low 

Somehow everything just clicked and I went from no where near the problem to standing ontop of it. Brilliant.

Working 9-5

Just because I didn't do much which was satisfying on lime this year to be honest.

Top 3 spanking:
Impropa Opera sitter. Lost count of how many times I've dropped the top move.

Never ending story part 2. Spent too many days falling off this one and realised projecting abroad isn't the one for me!

Levi Roofs. Fell off the last hard move almost every go from the ground for 3 sessions on the trot.

[andy popp]

Some really great entries so far - keep 'em coming! Even reading the board regularly it can be quite difficult to get a real sense of the climbing people are getting up to, so it's great to read these stories of adventures, large and small, from Pabbay to the Tor.

Seeing this is the very first year since 1978 I haven't once donned a pair of rock shoes I have nothing to add I'm afraid, but I'm still looking forward to reading plenty more posts.

[SA Chris]

Don't you still need to get to Torridon Andy? Plenty there for the punter, and stunning place even if you don't climb.

[Ross Barker]

I still have one session planned tomorrow, but that'll likely not yield anything worthy of this thread, so here are my entries now!

Top three boulder problems, UK

I found it very hard to pick a top three this year, having got out to loads of places and done some great stuff. Funnily enough, these three were all done in April!

• The Ramp Up, Bickerton - A grand total of 5 sessions, a couple last year and the rest this year. Definitely my longest project that's an hour or more from my house. Limit grade aside, it's a very aesthetic feature and the climbing is fantastic imo.
• Piss, Higgar Tor - A great problem, which combined with some more hard stuff at Burbage North made out to be one of the best days I had one rock, in the dying days of 21/22 grit season. I had also recently came back from Font and the style certainly scratched the itch!
• Inkerman, Craig Peniel - I visited here a few times this year for some hard stuff, but climbing this on my birthday with a few mates made for a truly memorable experience.

Honourable mentions to: The Severed Ear, Boyager, Douglass (despite being in a chosshole), Voie Normale SDS. Also Grinah Stones for the grand day out!

Top three boulder problems, abroad

Had my first overseas trip this year, certainly won't be my last!

• Big Jim, Petit Bois - Anyone who's tried this can attest to the quality. Last move crux, quite high up above a perfect landing.
• Le Pouf, Buthiers - Seems underrated, classic Font slapping above soft sand.
• L'Oblique, Roche aux Sabots - Memorable, skin-of-my-teeth flash as the last boulder of the trip before the rain started. Would've been smoother had I not committed to mantel on the worst bit of the lip!

Top three trad routes/solos UK

Didn't actually do any gear-placing this year at all, just one highball and one spur-of-the-moment second.

• Summit Arête, Bosley - Fun boulder start into juggy romping to the top. Had to be solo as a friend bailed, but kept my head cool and startled a family when I emerged at the top!
• Vibram Wall, Simonside - After walking three pads up that fucking hill and eating some chocolate, I opted for a quick second up this before heading off to find some boulders. Decent route!

Top three sport/DWS routes UK

Only got one draw-clipper under my belt this year, but my first DWS weekend as well which was wicked fun, and am looking forward to next season.

• Slobberlob, Llanymynech - The boulderer's cheapest ticket to 7b sport stardom. Spent about 20 seconds just fumbling the rope into the anchor, if that's any indication of how little I sport climb!
• Temporary Lifestyle, Cave Hole - Very first DWS, was absolutely bricking it. Repeated it a few more times on the same weekend!
• Horny Lil Devil, Lulworth - See top spankings...

Top three spankings

• Horny Lil Devil, Lulworth - On my third go I made it to the kneebar rest. At this point, the next bit is a little tricky but not hard, right? Well, being the elite-tier dipshit boulderer that I am, I decided that 15 seconds of rest was enough, I was getting bored, and tried to carry on. Obviously I was very soon in the drink! I also got a horrid calf cramp swimming back at the end of the session...
• La Balance, Cuvier - Amazingly fun bouldering. Definitely ruined my elbows for the rest of the trip, mind. Definitely trying it again next year!
• Dulcinea, Simonside - After a tantalisingly close flash go, I regressed, then progressed, then scrittled off the top, then was too tired to get there again. A bit miffed as I don't know when I'll next be up that way, and it's a big walk.

A couple more honourable mentions to Rigpa and Severus Snape, both still holding me off despite feeling within grasp.

Top non-climbing

• Getting engaged to my beautiful fiancée - Not really much else to say about this, we're both very pleased with ourselves!
• Got an electric guitar - I'm sure the neighbours are pleased with this one...

[/list]

[scragrock]

Ok i shall try again since my first effort was judged to be below par and i am lying on the couch feeling sorry for myself with the seasonal lurgi.


Top three boulder problems, UK
Strathnairn developments-
New Area is a compact wee venue with about 50ish problems and maybe 4 or 5 kinglines, will make for another excellent addition to the guide im hoping to get done in 2023.
1. The G{as seen in the latest Vid i posted} This 7m overlapping slab on the south face of "The Bean" might be the best of its kind in the Strath, i have No idea on grade as im shite at climbing anything other than mantles. I have bet Robbie Phillips 5 Scottish pounds that he cannot ground up on-site it{its That kind of climb }.
2. Missing Sid, an easier less invigorating version of Hissing Sid {my line over in Barry Valley}, A nice hanging arete on the North East face of the Bean.  All heels.
3. Jeely Peice, a pleasant surprise of a problem, just up the hill from the Bean is the Loaf bloc, spent a day scrubbing this then ticked it off on a return visit, techy moves through triangle finger pockets to a necky rock over onto the Top Out slab.

Top moments in the Strath

Will Bosi sending Below Zero 8b+ up in Rooftown. I originally cleaned this line{The infamous West Wall project on the Wobble Bloc} and quickly realised it was well beyond me. Amazing to see it get done.

Rhys Langlands sending his Project at Brin, Big Chief 8b, Amazing effort by a strong local lad. I have known Rhys for many years{i climb with Rhys's dad} he is a dedicated climber and a good guy.
 
Robbie gathered a strong team to hit Strathnairn in the summer, Aiden,Dan,Alex and others rampaged across the glen ticking off some really hard problems{in crap conditions} and generally made bouldering up here in the Highlands look easy, i was fortunate enough to cross paths with these guys as i made my way up to another one of my very forgettable projects, i suspect they thought i was just some rambling idiot out on day release ha ha

Top three boulder problems, abroad
Don't go abroad anymore as i am poor but did manage to get a cottage near Polin Beach in the far North West for a week, for me this is the best climbing in the country. Big sky's and turbulent seas with endless unclimbed rock, food for the soul. 


Top three new routes/problems put up
Probably the same as Q1

Top spankings
Its ALL spankings

Top non-climbing
The Birth of my Daughter Milly{as in La Foret}.

[Droyd]

I don’t normally write much about my own climbing as it feels a bit weird, but I’ve always enjoyed this thread so much that it seems a bit churlish not to contribute. It’s been a weird year due to health conditions and I’ve mostly climbed with my partner, so apologies for how Peak-centric and potentially soppy and boring the majority of this is.

Top three boulder problems, UK

Paul O’Grady, Ogwen
The climbing highlight of what was a very special trip last year, if only because I didn’t go on many. I tried PoG at the end of a trip the summer before in the heat and got well and truly spanked – struggling to do moves, desperately slapping about, having too many goes, cursing the sun being on the slopers, walking back down totally beaten, etc. At some point over the winter I stumbled upon a video of someone doing it slapping out right much earlier than we were trying and kicked myself and decided that I was going back ASAP. Fast-forward to March and my partner and I are in North Wales for a week, and I’d decided that the rematch was the big goal.

We head up there with a pad each so I’m a little worried about the top, but with both pads stacked under it seemed alright; it’s about 12 degrees and bright but not too sunny, so the holds feel good and the moves quickly fall into place, including a nice little knee-scum after the move out right that makes the crux feel so much easier. On my first go from the ground I get my left hand up onto the arete to do the crux of the stand, where you lob out to the very tip of the prow, look down, bottle it, drop off, and realise the landing is fine. We chill out for 20 minutes or so in the sun, make friends with some horses that come by, and the next go is almost easy, although the last couple of moves feel exciting. Rolling over the top feels great in terms of being a marker of progress, and getting to do it with my partner at the crag was really quite cool. We’d allocated the whole day to the problem on the assumption that it'd be a bit of a scrap but it’s barely 11 am, so we head back down to the car, go to the seaside, get ice cream, and swim in the sea.

Thread Nicole, Badger Cove
To an extent this feels like the kiddy play area at IKEA – the adults drop the kids off there before getting stuck into the real stuff. On the other hand, it’s a sweeping line of comfortable holds with a couple of cruxy bits, the second of which leads into a finish that is relatively high, committing, and a good bit harder if you’re pumped. If it was dry regularly and easier to get to I think that word would get around very quickly and it’d soon be popular. Definitely the best thing I’ve done at the grade on Peak Lime.

My first time visiting the crag we made the mistake of dropping down to the bottom of the valley and bashing up through the nettles, meaning that I spent most of my first session there with the feeling that the skin on my arms and ankles was on fire (and the person I went with is never going back); I also didn’t quite have the energy to work out all of the moves and link them but really doubled down on attempts. On my best go I got to the shake-out of the 6B before barely committing to the top moves and dropping off, and even after that had more attempts, falling earlier and earlier until I left the crag totally knackered and convinced that it was utterly nails. Going back a few days later with another friend, well-rested, we head down the fixed rope and I warm up on the moves and do it first go – some grunting at the top but basically cruisy. I spend the rest of the day lazing around and spotting people on things that I see no reason to pull onto.

Twisting in the Wind, Windy Knoll
Yes it’s choss even by Peak Lime standards, but Windy Knoll was where I spent a large part of the second half of the summer. It was interesting to see it go from an obscure, dusty cave to dangerously close to a victim of its own popularity, complete with landing improvements, ticks on almost every single hold, questionable link-ups and eliminates being put up on a regular basis, and controversy around first ascents. I had some lovely days there with friends, met a few really nice people and, choss factor aside, thoroughly enjoyed the style of climbing – possibly just because it suits me, but then that's bouldering.

I really do think that Twisting in the Wind is up there in the context of Peak Lime in terms of quality, and has a bit of everything; a discernible line up obvious features; good variety of holds, all of which are comfortable; a slightly exciting but ultimately fine landing; an actual topout. The meadow that you roll into is a beautiful place to sit in the sun, and it’s just far enough away from the hordes that you don’t have to deal with that many people asking you if you’re camping, even though the walk-in is measured in seconds rather than minutes. Nice one Jon.

Top three trad routes/solos UK
A terrible year for me in terms of trad psych for a multitude of reasons, but:

North Wales
Not a single route, but the North Wales trip I went on in the spring was my partner’s first time climbing in North Wales and she really came into her own there in terms of leading. She’s a massive Gwen Moffat fan so doing Tennis Shoe, with her leading all of the tricky pitches, was great. On the last day of the trip we went to Clogwyn y Bustach with some friends and mostly bouldered, but she and I took a break to nip up the hillside and solo Lockwood’s Chimney – her idea, which I think is particularly impressive given she’d been climbing outdoors less than a year, and she loved it. We also did Lavaredo at Carreg Alltrem on the first day, which I’ve wanted to do for years and was totally out there for VS. Due to health issues she’s barely climbed since and likely won’t in the near future, so while it’s somewhat bitter-sweet as a memory I’m grateful we at least got to do that together.

Womanless Wall, Standing Stones
As a trad climber turned boulderer I feel a good amount of shame for the fact that I don’t really trad climb any more, and when I do it’s usually shameless headpointing or repeating things that I know intimately at Stanage Popular on a sunny evening, but moorland grit trad is something that I’ve always enjoyed and felt is, in the context of being a middling, unadventurous, Sheffield-based climber, about as aspirational and adventurous as you can be without leaving the Peak. So it was nice to get to Standing Stones and shit myself on a damp, dirty VS having not tied into a rope for months. Most of the way up I was freezing and contemplating backing off, until I’d gotten through a tricky bit and found myself wobbling my way up the wet, loose, muddy top half feeling like there was no possibility of any gear holding my weight. I topped out and immediately began that classic process of repressing those memories and pretending that I’d had a great time, and repeated that process a couple of times over the course of the day before totally failing to do much trad for the rest of the year.

Twin Chimneys Layback, Burbage North
The best route my partner and I did on a nice evening out soloing on her birthday. This is one of those that, if you’re really into low-grade grit, is a real hidden gem; no polish, proper climbing moves despite the low grade, a bit of commitment needed that is rewarded with good holds, good line, and at the bit of Burbage North that doesn’t seem in any way appealing if you look in the guide. I think if you look at it from any other perspective it’s a ~6-metre high scrappy corner at a random part of a crag that’s pretty shit for routes in spite of its popularity, but it’s inarguably a nice place to watch the sun set.

Sport
Hilariously I did exactly one sport route this year, which was Slings Shot (5a) at Portland. I dogged it. Even for me, as someone who isn’t psyched by sport and has no goals in it, this was impressive.

Top spankings

Mossatrocity, Padley Gorge
As a Sheffield climber it’s such an obvious project, and I like heels and burly climbing. However: I’ve tried the stand on four separate occasions and watched people who are taller than me do it effortlessly, people who are shorter than me do it effortlessly, and someone with fewer limbs than me nail it (although he’s an animal so not really comparable). I’ve tried it every which way I can think of and just cannot bloody do it. I find the lower moves pretty steady, but have never managed to get a hand on top. The first couple of sessions I had on it were irritating, in the sense that I thought I could consistently climb 7A in a session and so was brought nicely down to earth; after the third I’d decided that it was a shit problem anyway, and the fourth brought with it that serene acceptance that comes with the ego getting completely shattered. I’m sure I’ll go back next year and get spanked on it again.

Colour of the Sky, Lound Hill
Inspired by creepily watching Liam’s videos I met a mate here during one of the heatwaves and we pieced together the bottom and played on the top bit on a rope while generally struggling/moaning and getting bitten by mosquitoes. While at the crag I got a text from my partner to say that she’d tested positive for COVID, which explained the cold I’d just recovered from but killed the psych for that day. I went back on another slightly cooler day and got quite scared by the top bit, having one go where I completely bottled the last real move and took a bit of a wiggy fall where I was saved by my spotter (props to Liam for doing this on his own with so few pads!). I had another visit at the end of the summer on what seemed like it should be a perfect day, meeting a friend there who’d brought loads of pads, well rested and just before I was due to take a week off climbing to go on a beach holiday – it all seemed so perfect. We found every square inch of rock totally condensed and ended up greasing around on slightly less condensed but still damp rock at an even shitter venue nearby before I gave it up and went home to do a fingerboard session. Still something of a priority given how good it is but god the conditions are fickle.

Paint it Black, Blackwell
I think that this was the first 7C I seriously tried, and I quickly got sucked in by how doable many of the moves are. This was the third summer in which I had a session on this, although the first in which I’d managed to properly fingerboard in the months before getting stuck in. As such I really thought that I was in with a shot, having climbed a few 7Cs over the winter and spring. My first session I even did all of the moves, including that miserable crux throw out right, but from there it went downhill. I had a session where I completely failed to do the crux move and instead did the moves on Working 9–5, and a session where, having done Working 9–5 and full of optimism, I started to warm into the moves and, about 10 minutes into the session, got a massive split in my right index and ended up heading over to X, where I mummified the finger and had a great time doing Batman. I have a real desire to do this as it typifies Peak Lime and is such a rite of passage, and can really imagine myself just floating up the moves sitting here at the tail end of December, comfortable in the knowledge that it’s absolutely gopping. I do dimly remember the reality of it, though – pulling on those miserable shap edges and feeling like the weakest, heaviest lump ever to live, then falling off and rolling around on the pads, my fingers in agony, surrounded by gravel and garbage and sucking exhaust fumes into my lungs.

The honourable mention on the spanking front is partner’s health condition/general life stuff, which has been tough, particularly in the second half of the year. Hoping to sort things out a little next year, though, and – as is always the case – it’s been good to have a few good friends around, who have been very supportive.

[RobK]

I don’t normally write much about my own climbing as it feels a bit weird, but I’ve always enjoyed this thread so much that it seems a bit churlish not to contribute. It’s been a weird year due to health conditions and I’ve mostly climbed with my partner, so apologies for how Peak-centric and potentially soppy and boring the majority of this is.

A good read this, thanks! Criminally, I still haven't been up to try Paul O'Grady. High on the list for next year.

[spidermonkey09]

I always enjoy reading this thread and thinking back over the year. I've been very lucky this year to have been able to go on several trips abroad due to the generous leave allowance of a first year PhD student...Suspect I won't do nearly as much of that for the next couple of years or so while I get my head down on my research, support my partner with her anaesthetics exams and walk the dog, so was very glad to do it this year.

Top 3 Trad

White Slabs Bunt, Wilton 1
I thought this was absolutely brilliant, one of the best E3s on grit surely? One of several really good afternoon/evening sessions in the quarries. Looking forward to more of the same next year.

Leucoycte Right Hand
Similar to above, but at HVS this is an absolute cracker

Slender Loris, Malham Right Wing
An early season trip to Malham with Matt and our first taste of the trad there. Matt fell off the final move paving the way for me to enjoy an extremely fortunate flash/clip up, with only the very top bit onsight and lots of luck involved hitting the good bit of the break. Loved it!

Top 3 Boulders

Lager Lager Lager, Earl Crag
Almost did this in a session but having got to the final slopers, I panicked, lost sight of the crucial foothold for the final move and dropped it. Came back the next week in baltic but totally mint conditions to seal the deal. Fantastic problem; Earl delivers again.

Treebeard, Sutton
A good session with Matt where we scouted it out and felt like we should have done it but had run out of skin by the time we worked out how to do the cut loose move without barndooring into the ravine! I came back the next week  by myself on a very marginal forecast but found it dry. Almost did it first go of the day before forcing myself to rest. Once on the arete it was still harder than I had hoped but I clung on and made it. Probably the best problem I have done in Yorkshire, possibly ever. Pleased I managed it ground up without abbing down it and doing it solo added a good level of spice to the upper section!

Grand Opera, Bowderstone
Had quite a few sessions up here early in the year with a psyched crew and ticked off lots of the mid 7s. Did Impropa quite fast and moved on to this only to drop the last move upwards of 10 times over 2 sessions. Persistent runoff necessitated abseiling down with a rag to clean the top hold directly before each go; finally I got it together and matched the top. Technically my first 7C+ although I know some people find it piss.

Top 3 Sport UK

I've done a lot of sport climbing this year so am divvying these up by location.

Grooved Arete, Kilnsey
Have wanted to do this for ages and really enjoyed trying it. Gradually progressed to the infamous 'jug' before the top crux and fell off there for a few sessions. Eventually after work I arrived on the crux crimps and felt absolutely hydraulic on them; so much so I was able to full crimp where previously I'd been dragging. Unfortunately with my left hand fully crimped I had lost a crucial bit of reach, which meant I fell off the very last hard move to a gaston! It went without issues next go and then warmed down by doing Dead Calm, which I'd been having goes on at the end of each session to build some fitness. Great day.

Twisted, Malham
Briefly tried this at the end of last season and then it got wet. At the start of the year I redid New Dawn quickly and thought I might as well try and finish it off. Fell off a few times at the bulge but some last go best go power screams got me onto the headwall and somehow I didn't pump off. I've since fully rebolted it so hopefully this great route will get some more attention now.

The Shining, Diamond
Some really good sessions down at the Diamond this year having not been for years. Conditions on one of my visits were absolutely mythical, it was like a crisp day on gritstone. Purely because of this I managed to nearly fall off all the way up The Shining but somehow stayed on with a massive fight. Had a fun onsight go on Shine On which I'm really keen for next year.

Top 3 Ceuse

Back to Ceuse for the first time since 2018 and had a great time.

Femme Noire
This was the main route I wanted to do and I was stressing a bit about it being busy/ lack of shade time as we were in a 3 and climbing in August. I found the mid height crux hard but made it through one evening as the light started to fade. Trying to balance the need to shake out and recover against the rapidly encroaching darkness I got to the final poor rest before the top slab feeling really nervous, pumped and a bit panicky. Set off and immediately went wrong but kept trying really hard and somehow stayed on until my hand miraculously landed on the finishing sidepull. Unfortunately I'd forgotten to move my foot up in the blackness which meant I was Vitruvianned out on the top slab, completely unable to move with the chain winking at me. I knew it was over and whimpered 'oh no...', before trying to move and taking the mother of all whippers halfway down the crag. I was absolutely gutted but Jack belaying found it all very amusing! The next day I pulled onto the top slab, immediately saw the massive foothold I'd missed in the dark and went to the top  . Great route though!

Grand Mur Malade
A route with very few ticks on ukc but another absolute stunner. Redpointed after persuading some grumpy Italians to let me have a go, which they agreed to but 'only if you are fast.' 

Petit Jeu Sans Consequence
After doing Femme Noire we headed along to Berlin and had a great onsight fight on this. Another brilliant vert/slab route at Ceuse.

Top 3 Red River Gorge
Having been in Chicago for a conference with flights paid for by my funding body it seemed a great chance to go to RRG.
 
Abyss, 12d, Miller Fork
Probably the best route I did in the whole trip. Great holds, cool movement, fun climbing and a bit soft. Whats not to like!

Tuna Town, 12d, Motherlode
Last day of the trip and thought I'd blown my chance by overdoing it on the warmup. Fortunately the crimpy bit at the top wasn't too bad. Great to do a massive pitch at the lode.

Return of Chris Snyder, 11d, Roadside
One of many perfect endurance pitches in RRG, joy from start to finish.

Life
Have really enjoyed going on some holidays with my partner this year after the lockdown years, alongside doing house DIY together and getting a dog a few weeks ago. Haven;t been kicked off my PhD yet either, so so far so good.

Spankings

Capitain Flam, Ceuse
There had to be a Ceuse one...at the end of a big day I decided this would be a fun warm down. Wrong; spiky bushes, trees, crumbling holds and choss eventually got me to a rest at halfway. Pulling off holds and getting covered in birdshit I lost my temper, grabbed a fixed draw and started stripping it. Will then proceeded to lower me at full speed into a big bramble patch. Lesson learned; quit while you're ahead!

The Thumb, Kilnsey
I did eventually get up this but had to work ridiculously hard for it, falling off the sequence turning the lip multiple times after doing exactly the same when I did Urgent last year. That sequence is like my kryptonite, I just find it desperate. Glad I don't have to do it again unless I get motivated to try the Full Tilt/Urgent linkup...

Cider Soak, Ansteys
After having a bit of a row with my partner I had an adrenaline fuelled redpoint and and got to the top shakeout feeling fine. Did the first 3 moves of the crux before experiencing a dramatic power loss on the final move, slapping the jug but not holding it. Didn't get back up there for the rest of the trip. One for next year!

[Droyd]

I don’t normally write much about my own climbing as it feels a bit weird, but I’ve always enjoyed this thread so much that it seems a bit churlish not to contribute. It’s been a weird year due to health conditions and I’ve mostly climbed with my partner, so apologies for how Peak-centric and potentially soppy and boring the majority of this is.

A good read this, thanks! Criminally, I still haven't been up to try Paul O'Grady. High on the list for next year.

Much appreciated. With the caveat that I haven't done all that much bouldering, and almost none abroad, I rate Paul O'Grady as the best problem I've done. It really is wonderful, and worth the walk.

Interesting to see multiple mentions of The Ramp Up at Bickerton - I saw Ross's social-media post a while back and filed it away as a problem that looked really good, and interestingly enough will be spending NYE not far away, with a couple of days free after. The UKC page says that it dries quickly and is a year-round option but, given it's sandstone and the amount of rain we've had, is heading there on Sunday or Monday a terrible idea? All info much appreciated and apologies for going off-topic.

[Wellsy]

Beretta; this was the first hard thing I did following my knee injury. It took several sessions and micro-beta changes etc, and was very rewarding in terms of feeling like I'd actually somewhat returned back to form. I also did it on a lovely sunny day, in some nice dappled shade, with my friends. Delightful.

Beautiful, the quintessential eastern lime experience.

Fucking grit.

Ha, that's my relationship with grit in a nutshell 

Tbh I love Anston. When I started bouldering ourdoors in early 2021 it was basically the only place I went, couldn't meet anyone inside, my mate lives a few mins away, so just went there most weeks. Just has really fond memories, my first of many grades, and I love the style of climbing there. You can have lovely long sunny evenings there pulling on nice sharp crimps above decent landings, rather than freezing your bollocks off at night in winter trying to figure out some featureless wall of nothing over a rocky pit in the Peak.

[RobK]

Interesting to see multiple mentions of The Ramp Up at Bickerton - I saw Ross's social-media post a while back and filed it away as a problem that looked really good, and interestingly enough will be spending NYE not far away, with a couple of days free after. The UKC page says that it dries quickly and is a year-round option but, given it's sandstone and the amount of rain we've had, is heading there on Sunday or Monday a terrible idea? All info much appreciated and apologies for going off-topic.

It's definitely a bit of a hidden gem. I also really enjoyed the lower grade stuff on the right hand side of the crag. The actual arete with all the hard climbing dries very quickly and there is nothing very fragile on it. You'd probably be fine with that. The roof to access it is a different matter. I imagine the jugs will be quite goopy/muddy, and it's chossy at the best of times (see my entry). Having said that, I'm not sure they ever really dry up, I've been after a dry summer and they were still smeggy then, so I'm not really sure where the the line should be drawn as when it is acceptable to climb and not.

[duncan]

Top three boulder problems, UK

Not one!


Top three boulder problems, abroad

Nothing here either...


Top three five E2s

Had a great year for UK trad. and could have easily chosen a different five almost as good.

Torro, my first rock route on Ben Nevis. Amazing weather, great company, and eight pitches which almost qualifies it as FLMH&MF. A cloudless sky after the morning mist lifted, we finished around 2pm, and the route was in the sun the whole time. I was fine with the walk-in but unfortunately didn't have enough oomph for a second route and was battered the day after.

Silver Shadow. Almost anything at Stackpole is great and this is one of the best. A good trip to Pembroke with Simon.

Troach, a representative from several glorious days up at Cloggy in the summer heat, with H. The E2 that thinks it's an E5, impressive for 1958, very much not following an obvious crack or groove.

Charenton Crack. Definitive 5.10d and pretty flippin’ uphill for an E2.

Ten Degrees North, thirty degrees Celsius. An unbelievably hot day in the pass, like summer in Spain, Dinas Mot in the evening was just about cool enough to climb. Immaculate rock and three continuously interesting pitches.


Top three sport routes UK

An unusually unmemorable year for UK sport climbing. I had two pleasant training days, a third when I fell off the warm-up and injured myself, and that was it.


Top three routes abroad (any genre)

La Galère a Ceuse 7a onsight on my birthday on a trip that almost didn't happen. Kept trying even though several moves seemed unlikely at first sight. Very satisfying. 

Las flores del mal 6c+ at Etxauri (ie 7a anywhere else), a very good trip with Simon. Got most of the way up this first go on my first day then spent the rest of the trip intermittently failing lower down. Pulled my finger out and stopped faffing on the last day.

Natilik with Wil and Martin. Great fun, very photogenic.


Top spankings

Covid after-effects lingered for a good six months of the year. Mild compared to many but as it affected one of my long suits, going at it all day long, I took it personally. This was followed-up with...

...Cellulitis in my right leg, which completely flattened me in May. Very nearly cancelled a Ceuse trip and the walk-in took 2 hours on the first go. The fatigue and breathlessness continued for several more months, my foot is still a bit swollen and my stock of size 9.5 Blancos need it to shrink back to normal. Investigations are ongoing.

Curved Ridge on Buachaille Etive Mor. First time I've given up on a Mod. Battered from the previous day on Ben Nevis and jelly-like quads. meant I didn't feel safe. It's given me something to work on the remainder this year.


Top three twentieth century music live events

London Sinfonietta: Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time, one of my all-time favourites, with The Editor who I first saw it with 28 years ago.

The lad: Gavin Bryars' With Miriam By The Water. Simple-sounding piece that's difficult to do well. He did it really well.

Kikagaku Moyo: farewell tour. with Ben. 1973 lives on! "A cracking late summer Sunday evening"

[Felix14]

A year where I became a sport climber, very much enjoyed it although slightly disappointed in the lack of trad psyche.

Top 3 Trad/grand days out.
Could just pick 3 big headpoints I did but they never feel that traddy in the end. Although most of the other trad-esque things I did were more highballs. Slim pickings. Anyhow:

Had an amazing evening in rock hall at the Roaches in January, some of the best weather I’ve experienced. So dry and crisp and a moon so bright you could explore the crag in the middle of the night sans torch. Was like being on another planet. The next day it was equally crisp with an inversion to boot. We got the pads under Entropy’s Jaw. After two mates cruised it, I felt the pressure was on and proceeded to wobble my way up, culminating in a desperate slap for the top, phew!

Scotland in early June, spent two consecutive days slogging up to Garbh Bheinn. What a crag! After being absorbed into the EUMC, we quested about on the lower extremes there. Class routes and would love to go back, maybe with some stronger legs.

The last one is a simple one but sometimes they’re the best. Following Sam up the big three at Almscliff and doing three other classics myself. Perfect gritstone, perfect craic.

Honourable mentions:
Bowderstone bouldering followed by Troutdale pinnacling
Hepburn boshing
Pembers psyche
And peak raiding.

Top 3 sport UK
Soft Option at Kilnsey. Many enjoyable sessions with lots of great friends. Felt so good to slowly inch my way higher and eventually slap that final jug.

The sea is a brown paper bag at Chee Dale. Great name, great route. Middle of a heatwave with my brother, skin falling to pieces.

Hard to pick this one but it’s between Innes Dreams and Staying Power at Yew Cogar. Both involved busy days at a quiet little crag. The scenes were great! Definitely my favourite venue this year, enjoyed laying at the bottom cocooned from the wind, staring up at those amazing holds.

Top 3 sport abroad (Kalymnos)
Fran-fran at Kalydna. An intimidating line and a total quest. Spent ages working my way up, felt a lot of doubt on this one. At least it was chalked!

Boom Boom at Odyssey. Wanted to do this for ages. Didn’t work it out very well and turned into a total fight. Scraped through the crux and then the last tricky moves to pull onto easier ground. With fingers pinging off a crimp just as I reached the good hold.

Leonides at Spartacus. Again, intimidatingly vert for me, but leads you on with a few more good holds than you’re expecting. Ended up being 35m of joy.

Top 3 spankings
Subculture at Kilnsey. Progressed quickly but was never really enjoying it. Gave up after falling off right at the top.
Pulsar Direct at Higgar Tor. That move is nails!
Pinky at Brimham. Fucking grit.

Top non-climbing
Leeds is great. 

[abarro81]

A good year. (Grades included because last year Guy told me off for leaving them out)

Top three sport routes (spring/early summer)
Momento Payaso (8b+, Otinar) - Things like this are why I go to Europe and why I train (and why I train my kneebars!). Sections and rests, gradually getting more pumped, leaving the final rest really hoping the holds round the lip aren’t going to turn out to be slopers and the relief when they turn out to be ok... 90s trance psyche-up… God I love that stuff.

El coleccionista de pasos L2 (8b, Otinar) - Another long wonder route – bouldery start, then tufa wrestling, then a beautiful upper wall. Basically a test of whether you can still onsight V2 boulders between huge rests after 40 minutes of climbing.

First Flight (8c+, Acepahle) - Cool fingery and shouldery crux low down, then an upper wall/slab that’s big moves on big holds on a slab – very cool and unusual. If all vert/slab routes were like that upper wall I’d be a lot more keen on them! First time in a long while that I’d climbed something hard on fingery holds which was cool too. Standing on the little ledge with only easy climbing above, facing out and taking in the view of the Bow Valley felt like one of those moments to pause, soak it up and store away the memories.
   
Top three sport routes (late summer/autumn)
Malcolm in the Middle (8c+, Chee Dale) - Had wanted to bolt this bit of wall for a couple of years, nice to finally get around to it. Climbed quite differently to how I expected, but that turned out to be a good thing as it kept the sequence further away from Monumental and so less eliminate. Not a spectacular three star line, but a satisfying little challenge and nice to do something new.

Queimada (8b+, Rosario) - You know the deal by now… Long onsight, fighting hard between good rests, gradually getting more and more tired… Wrestling the big dinosaur-esque tufa at the top was just the right side of exciting vs traumatic, one of those where you just have to go move-by move and knee-by-knee as there’s no chance of reading the sequence far in advance!

La Rubia (8c+, Rosario) - World class 50m pumper. Didn’t work the top well enough and fell off by getting stuck unable to reach the penultimate hold with my knee in a hole. Needed to gain an extra inch, and it could have come from any set of muscles from my fingers too my toes, but my arms were too pumped to pull, my legs were too pumped to push, and my core was too pumped to sit up any higher. Brilliant!


Top non-climbing
Not having any (major) mental implosions for a year (although hurting my back a few days before going to Spain did send me down the start of a pretty unhappy spiral).
Continuing to live our current lifestyle in a financially sustainable way.

Top two boulder problems, UK
Chilamb Baalmb (8A+/B, Griff’s) - Fun Griff’s season in Spring, doing dumb links so that we could exploit the endless puns

Super Size Me (8A, Curbar) - Cool kneebar sequence

Top two boulder problems, abroad
World is on Fire (8B, Frankenjura)   Very me – power enduro boulder in a roof, spinning around on kneebars and toehooks. Also a lesson that Germans drop map pins very accurately and you should follow those and not your instinct when looking for boulders!

New one (8A, Frankenjura)   Fun and chilled day out bouldering at a little roof with some locals and doing a new “tight line” though the middle of the roof (again revolving around tricksy knees, surprise surprise!)

Top spankings
Terminator (Frankenjura) - Pulled my lat/oblique, and with 5 days until we were due to drive to Spain I couldn’t hang on a bar with two hands because it hurt so much. Thankfully it fixed up pretty quickly!
Musee Imaginaire (Curbar) - Pulled my hamstring just before Spring’s Spain trip; not been back.
Doing a high volume of climbing - I just can’t do hard onsights and volume, meaning volume often gets sacrificed.

[Ross Barker]

Interesting to see multiple mentions of The Ramp Up at Bickerton - I saw Ross's social-media post a while back and filed it away as a problem that looked really good, and interestingly enough will be spending NYE not far away, with a couple of days free after. The UKC page says that it dries quickly and is a year-round option but, given it's sandstone and the amount of rain we've had, is heading there on Sunday or Monday a terrible idea? All info much appreciated and apologies for going off-topic.

It's definitely a bit of a hidden gem. I also really enjoyed the lower grade stuff on the right hand side of the crag. The actual arete with all the hard climbing dries very quickly and there is nothing very fragile on it. You'd probably be fine with that. The roof to access it is a different matter. I imagine the jugs will be quite goopy/muddy, and it's chossy at the best of times (see my entry). Having said that, I'm not sure they ever really dry up, I've been after a dry summer and they were still smeggy then, so I'm not really sure where the the line should be drawn as when it is acceptable to climb and not.

Pretty much on the money there. The pockets in the back wall and roof seem to require de-gunking during the first spring dry spell, it helps them dry out a little quicker for the rest of the year. I wouldn't bank on any of them being dry at the moment given recent weather. Less roofy stuff to the right like Campusology and Cheshire Life might be alright though.

The Dugout is about 30 minutes south and perma dry though if that's close enough for you!

[Droyd]

Thanks Rob and Ross, that's really useful!

[T_B]

Top three boulder problems, UK

I did very little bouldering in the UK this year. The highlights were more highball things..


Recurring Nightmare, Burbage (E4/5/Font 6b?).

Some people slag UKC logbooks, but I noticed someone had cleaned and done it in a cool period, in July. The following evening was also breezy, so we headed out in search of chalky coattails. Lots of up and down and encouragement from Tuffty and the sequence to get the ledge was finally unlocked using a delightful sloper.


Apartment with Fear, Wyming Brook (E5/Font 6c).

A mate had done this in the spring and I thought it might be worth a punt during the same breezy July weather. After hours of bashing around in the undergrowth getting all sweaty and bothered, I finally found the buttress. It’s big! And overhanging. The holds are that quite frictionless black grit and it’s quite forceful climbing. Worth seeking out.

Gritstone Megamix, Birchin (Font 7a).

I’d backed off this previously, but this time we had enough pads. It was October and by the time I did get stood up above the roof it was dark and suddenly rather than being stood in balance, I was a starfish. I engaged emergency grovel and dragged myself up to the break above.


Top three boulder problems, abroad

We had a family Font trip at Easter…

Hybris, Demoiselles

This is a highball black star 7b+ up the centre of a beautiful boulder, hidden away and utilising the most perfect wide pinch in all of Le Foret. I put a short rope and harness in my bag with this problem in mind having previously tied it GU. After working the top, it took lots of goes to stick the crux deadpoint from the ground. Once I had the pocket, I had to engage all thrusters to get my feet up. This problem has also opened my middle-aged-Dad-with-one-pad mind to others where a bit of pre-practice off a rope might make them more realistic/justifiable.

Poseidon, Apremont

More fabulous Font prow paddling. There’s a lowball compression 7c next to it and a doable looking 7c+/8a pillar as well.

Arete Scherrer, Restant du Long Rocher

Big moves with a small-ish crimp and pinchy arete. Combines well with the superb other 7a-7bs at the main Long Rocher sector.

Top three Grit trad routes UK

I didn’t have much of an opportunity to go trad climbing outside of the Peak this year, but had some great evenings out on the Grit in the spring…

 

The Fall, Curbar (flash)

A bit of a wandering line, but nice sequences and positions. I did a few things in this style in the spring. I don’t think I could’ve read the top moves ‘on-sight’ as it’s pretty blind, so was quite chuffed with the flash as it felt quite spicy. It’s a 3-star route, surrounded by 4-star routes.

Wall of Sound (flash)

I’ve always liked the look of this wall. Nic and I tried this years ago and we both downclimbed as we weren’t happy about the gear. Rich Simpson was there so can vouch for this. I could tell that I would need to bone the hell out of the first crimp on the crux, so spent a bit of time on the ground crimping a small edge before setting off. It’s a very bouldery route so I gave the moves full commitment. It all clicked and before I knew it, I was on the arete.

Apoplexy (headpoint)

There are so many good routes at Millstone and this one is a ‘baby E7’. I did wonder about trying ‘ground up’, having on-sighted Perplexity 13 years earlier, but decided it was probably asking a bit too much. The Perplexity arete felt v sketchy on top rope and I did not trust the wire at all. The upper arete is runout but safe. It’s gymnastic climbing with a big lock, heel hooks and slaps in a great position.

Top three non-Grit trad/winter/Alpine routes UK


Scarab (headpoint)

What I like about Stoney is the routes are hard. Scarab gets slagged off for being polished but it’s 7b climbing on small wires - brilliant. I need to go back to lead All Systems Go, as I top roped that one as well.

Summer Time Blues (winter)

I’d arranged to join a couple of mates for a weekend away in December in the optimistic hope that we could go and clip pegbolts on Anglesey, but the weekend coincided with the cold snap and Tuffty was ill. I picked up Rich at 5.30am. We drove to Borrowdale and walked into Gable thinking the chances of anything being ‘in’ were slim and that we’d be fell walking for the day. At Windy Gap the north-facing crag was looking decidedly frozen and white. We did a V 6 on the left with Rich leading the main pitch, topping out after sunset. There was no wind all day and I can’t think I’ve had a more magical winter day in the Lakes. Sometimes it’s worth making the effort and going to have a look.

Portjegrat Traverse (Alpine)

I went to the Alps for a week with work to do some filming on the Mittellegi Ridge, but it was during the bonkers hot period, so we didn’t go near it. The Portjengrat Traverse was the warm up earlier in the week. Recommended.


Top three sport routes


I didn’t do any UK sport climbing this year. I did two days in Swizzy rather than the Eiger, which was quite unexpected, but I had a Mountain Guide who belayed me…

Feenzauber, 7a, Sustenpass

Technical corner climbing. Very traddy.

Versuchung, 7b, Sustenpass

Overhanging prow on crimps and sidepulls. Missed a hold and cocked up the last move on the on-sight.

Quereinsteiger, 6b+, Sustenpass

Multipitch sustained wall climbing on excellent rock. Short-roped off the summit.


Top 3 races

London Marathon.

I trained for 16 weeks from mid-June through the hot summer. There is something quite empowering about getting fit. My longest long run in training was one of my best ever runs. On the day it all started unravelling quickly (possibly excitement, possibly a bit warm… my heart rate was through the roof), but I made sure that I soaked in the experience despite having a terrible run in purely running terms. It was a privilege to be out there on the course. I said afterwards that I’d never do another road race, but I have a feeling that I will try another marathon. It’s the ‘purity’ of the effort. In climbing you can use lank, or something’s a soft touch, or you get lucky. On the roads there is absolutely nowhere to hide.

Go Big Moor

Low key local fell race two weeks after London. I gave a good account of myself and was pleased to put my fitness to good use.

Trigger

My 3rd Trigger way back in January. I was seriously questioning my life choices at the end. 6 hours of being cold and wet is not much fun and my bad ankle did not like me. I have not entered for 2023.

 

[edshakey]

Top four boulder problems, UK

• Paul's Peach, Honley Old Wood: as well as the other lines of the slab. Great little piece of rock, in a surprising location. The perfect lowball slab!
• Nicotine Wall, Cwm Glas Bach: On first glance, I gave myself absolutely no chance. Crimps were too small, feet too high, next hold too far, etc.. all the classics. After a few goes it suddenly seemed plausible, and within a few more I'd done it! Really surprising. Was also on an incredible weekend in Wales weather-wise - mid/late March, not a cloud all weekend, actually warm in the sun (although freezing in the shade).
• The Diamond, Eskdale Fisherground: Nice height, nice moves, nice landing, nice rock (when slabby, tore me to shreds on the steeper stuff). I did unfortunately come away from the day with 12 ticks (bugs not sends ), mainly on my ankles, which was annoying.
• The Best Easy Arete, Torridon: Flash right at the end of a beautiful autumn day there. Really cool moves, not massively hard either. Stunning setting, will definitely remain on my list of places to go in Scotland, despite now having been!

Top three trad routes/solos UK

Enjoyed most things I got on, could easily come up with a few more lists of routes I enjoyed just as much.

• Hairy Mary, Suidhe Biorach: Best route I've done, for sure. Gambled on the forecast and walked over in time to do this before sunset. Abbed down as far as the junction with the corner but it was soaked beneath so belayed from there. The actual route was as stunning as the pictures make it look, with the kind of holds that we see in doors and think "Jugs are never that good outdoors". Finished in the last of the sunlight, boggy walk out in the dark. Quality.
• Whaup Edge, Eastby: A too-cold-for-trad day in January, when we only had trad gear in the car so didn't have a choice! Crazy pebbles (biggest around?), with a fair amount of spice.
• Arrow Route Direct, Sron na Ciche: Couple days after Suidhe Biorach, managed to get a dry day on the Cuillin when it seemed very unlikely. Just about the perfect pitch really, although maybe a small increase in gear wouldn't go amiss. Was pretty cool to look back down it when stood on top! Glad to tick this one off the long term list.

Top three of anything, abroad

• Dalle a poly, L'elephant: Been wanting to do it for years, finally actually went to the crag. Really easy in the end, with an ok number of pads, although still not enough to protect a good portion of it! Always feels great to be up at that height, with the massive jugs, and feel completely in control. Part of a broadly unsuccessful yet thoroughly enjoyable Font trip, not really getting up much but still having a great time.
• Sono in Fuga, Scogliera Di Salinella: Simply for the reason that both hands having monos/stacked monos, seemingly unavoidable, on an overhanging wall, on a F6a, is quite a rarity!
• Via Delle Punte, Monte Monaco: Another from Sicily, this time a 12 pitch full day mission! 13.5 hrs car to car, some in full sun in the morning, then quite cold shade later; a full mix of superb climbing on great (if a bit sharp) rock, to hacking through undergrowth on a weaving, ropedragging traverse; lunch in a tiny cave definitely not big enough for both of us; topped out in the last of the light. One of the overall highlights of my year, great day out.

Top three sport routes

Didn't really do enough aside from Sicily to make a list. One day at Giggleswick, half a day at Masson Lees, and one route in Never Never Land.

Top three new routes/problems put up

None, I just take, take, take

Top spankings

• Crocodile, Franchard Isatis: I know, shameful. Didn't even feel close tbh, although I appreciate that may not mean much on a boulder like this.
• Getting destroyed on the crux of a 6b in Sicily. Absolutely nails. Felt harder than the 7a+ next to it.
• Celtic Knot, Torridon: Spent ages getting tantalisingly close, no idea how I didn't manage, then slipped while spotting and went down arse first into the bog. An hour summed up in an instant.

Other categories

• Nearest epic: My partner scrambling around the foot of Gideon's Wrath at Sgurr a' Chaorachain, to second, and then losing her footing and taking a tumble, nearly off the terrace and over the next drop. Luckily was tied in, helmet on, but still was pretty scary - she was rolling for longer than I'd have liked! Stay safe out there everyone

Away from climbing...

Top races

• Peco XC (Leeds): New club, first race in a few months, first XC since school. Pissed it down the whole time, freezing cold, lots of mud. Excellent.
• Otley 10: Hilly road race, set myself what I thought would be an ambitious goal of 8 mins per mile, 80 mins, and finished just over 25 seconds, which I was very pleased with! Most importantly, felt like I cruised the hills, which gave me confidence for...
• Snowdonia Trail Marathon: In the middle of the July heatwave, got round in a decent position, and time, given the conditions. Had a great time, will be continuing that type of stuff in future.
• Honourable mention to Ilkley Incline cos it's just hilarious and brutal in equal measures.

[GazM]

Here we go again. It's been another fun year squeezing climbing around family life. I've added Instagram links to some so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Best established boulder problems

Keystone Prow 6C, Loch Eribol
A lone problem on a lone block on the shore of a north coast sea loch. Great moves through a really obvious feature with the crux right at the end. I had a week off in September and after a bit of time at Sheigra drove up to check out this beauty. What I didn't know was that it's tidal and as I arrived the sea was just creeping under the crux. I worked out the moves but just didn't have time to rest enough to get it done before it had turned into a shallow water solo. Tides, weather and other plans took me elsewhere but I made the journey again at the end of the week and got it done. A 5 hour round trip for one problem. Is that the definition of madness?
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci5darUDiZV/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Potential Seven 7B, Torridon
A long haul. I cant even remember when I first tried it but recall thinking it wouldn't take that long back. But it did. I tried various ways to do the crux last big throw and eventually settled on a way that I was very close to doing. With a couple of inches more reach I'd have done it years ago but I kept coming up short. Covid and other projects intervened but I worked on big moves and flexibility and when this season came around I was closer than ever, but still not enough. I could go from the start to the crux every time but then straight down to the pads. I'd never made the big move, even in isolation. By degrees I worked out slightly different foot positions until I found that a way I'd previously written off as too lanky was actually feasible and suddenly I could stick that big move. Then it was just a matter of rest and good conditions to make the link, but I was kept guessing till the last minute and the stars finally aligned on the last session of the year on the 28th of December. Phew.

Best new boulder problems

Am Bàta 7Bish, Torridon
Possibly as good as it'll ever get for me. Back in 2019 I stumbled upon this beautiful little ship's prow sticking out of the slope just beyond Torridon village: a truly aesthetic feature that screams out to be climbed and is probably as good a line as I've seen anywhere. It took a few sessions to clean and sort the landing and I did the stand start back then, but the full line has to be done from a sit. Of course, Covid lockdowns came along so I didn't get back for a while and it wasn't until January this year that it all came together. I really miss those sessions up there, overlooking Loch Torridon and over to Beinn Damph, eagles circling above me on Liathach, oystercatcher and gulls foraging on the loch shore. Magic.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYwzXiUIWiJ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

True Gold Dance 7A+ish, Gold Dance Boulders, Strathconon
The king line of Easter Ross choss. A bit of a filler, but actually the most logical way up a proper feature. Back in 2018 I did the original problem Gold Dance which squeezes between the obvious arete and a crack and starts sitting in between them on a wee boulder. As soon as I did that I realised the true line was to start sitting on the ground to the right, directly beneath the arete, but it was a fair bit harder. Ted Collins came along and climbed the arete direct without the crack to give True Gold, but that's actually an eliminate (all be at a very aesthetic one) because it avoids the Gold Dance crack which is within reach. So one cold night in January I took out the lamps and managed to link Ted's start into Gold Dance to give the logical line.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CY9JrQXoGPh/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

The Missing Lynx 6C+ish, Aspen Terrace, Strathconon
Summer in the Highlands is often pretty shit for bouldering. It's warm and humid, there are midges and ticks and there is loads of tall, wet bracken crowding round the bottom of crags and boulders. Rather than get frustrated trying to climb its a good time of year to get out the cleaning kit and scrub new problems that will be in good nick in the autumn or winter when the midges, bracken and ticks have all fucked off. This was the best (so far) of a handful I unearthed from this cool wall, and the ascent itself was made all the more memorable by dragging my kids up there with me and making a real mini adventure out of it.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjyRqUdDzU4/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Best established trad routes

Ossuary E5 6b, Reiff in the Woods
I don't think I've ever had a day out like this one before, when from the outset both Murdoch and I agreed we'd be headpointing. I was keen to do this route of Ian Taylor's, having looked across the loch at it from the boulders for years. A crack up the middle of the face of a giant block, guarded by small roovesbelow - safe but a bit of spaced gear and hard enough to feel justified in trying on a rope first. And the view from the belay above, looking over to Stac Pollaidh, is pretty special. Suffice to say, Murdoch onsighted it years ago and was headpointing harder things that day.

The Crank VS 5a, Ramshaw
Back in my trad days I always shied away from cracks and jamming, always being tempted more towards delicate slabs and open faces. I always knew it was a weakness and a new route I wanted to try (see below) meant I was keen to change my ways. On a hot day in August my very patient (non-climbing) wife offered to give me a belay while down in Stafford with the in-laws and Ramshaw was the obvious place. I don't think I've ever tried so hard on a VS, but it was nice to see that the work I'd put into learning how to jam had paid off.

Best new trad route

Katie Morag E3 6b (ish), Camas an Leim, Shieldaig
Bonjoy tipped me off to this one, a short fierce crack through a roof into a groove on a small crag on a beautiful beach in one of my favourite parts of the world. I gave it a clean and checked it from a rope and realised it was very safe but had a pretty hard sequence turning the lip and getting established in the groove - particularly tricky as I've always been shit at jamming. I tried it by myself over a few sessions but found it almost impossible to work the section under the roof (need to improve my ropework skills) and eventually realised I just needed to come with a belayer and try it from the ground - easier said than done as I don't know many folk that would be willing to essentially give up a day just to belay me. In the mean time I built some cracks on my board and watched some Wideboyz videos. Andy E of this parish kindly came out one day and after a lob on the first attempt I got up it 2nd go. The things dreams are made of.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdT3qNtjHla/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[andy moles]

(Grades included because last year Guy told me off for leaving them out)

I'm in favour of grades being included, firstly so I can see how much of a wad everyone is, and secondly because I haven't heard of all these things, so I'd like to know where they are and how hard they are to know if they could be in my own Best of 2025s.

[Wil]

I had a bumper year of adventures of all sorts, it's been good to reminisce about them! Photos here.

Top three trad routes/solos UK

• Torro, E2, Carn Dearg
  A gorgeous day and climbed the whole thing in the sunshine. Ben nevis has (mostly) been very kind to me this year.
• The Steeple, E2, Shelterstone
  Much harder than I expected. My partner only led the 4b pitch so I had a real treat. We camped out on top, but our plan to get a route done on Hell's Lum the day before was foiled by persistent rain. This eased off in the evening and we had brilliant views and a rainbow across Loch Avon. I spent a lot of time going back and forth on the crux, unable to find the hold in the one patch of seepage on the route, and it also started raining at this point. The corner pitch is one of the best around. We stupidly only took 7 cams which didn't matter too much, but did make for a few spicy runouts. The walkout was interesting too (see below).
• Elastic Collision, E3, Reiff
  We abandoned plans for winter climbing when the temperature on top of the Ben was 5C, and escaped to some early season sunshine on Reiff. First time there and a great couple of days.

Top three sport routes UK

• The Raven, F7a+, Minchin Hole
  Went to Cardiff for a stag do and linked it with seeing family and a few days on Gower with some friends. A little too hot, but Minchin Hole was a good call. We were actually trying to find a different crag, but failed. My mate put the clips in this and I stole the beta and flashed it. Was quite chuffed. Went for a swim and found the other crag too.
• Jump the Sun, F7a+, Minchin Hole
  On the opposite wall is this completely contrasting route, with a steep, bouldery section at the end. Had a real fight to get up it.
• Marlena, F7c, Dunkeld
  I thought this would be easy after a trip to Ceüse, but it's a totally different style. The moves started to feel easier, but I got really shut down at the top. I think it was mostly psychological in the end. I threw the towel in, deciding I needed a bit more training, and did the sensible thing of ticking the 7b+s instead, then had a burn because someone's draws were in. Felt piss, naturally. Probably my best week's sport climbing ever.

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

• Natilik, F6b+, Ceüse
  Mega route, wonderful positions and a real adventure. Good to top out onto the plateau even though it was freezing.
• Au Sud de Nulle Part, F7b, Ceüse
  Didn't think I'd get up a 7b here, nearly didn't on this one! A good confidence booster after taking a scary fall on another route.
• La Paz Del Borrego, F7b, Chulilla
  Was almost off every other move for the last 10m. Always good when you've got the fight. Invented a new karate kick manoevre near the top to keep myself on, which I will patent and sell to Honnold.

Top three new routes/problems put up
I'm such a freeloader.

Top three mountain adventures

• Point Five Gully, V, Ben Nevis
  All time wishlist route, didn't disappoint and I was plenty fit enough to enjoy it. Blue sky day too.
• Cuillin Ridge
  My birthday present to myself was to do this solo in a day. Flagged a bit halfway through, but an emergency coffee got me back on track and I was running down the final stretch to the pub. Had to skip the TD Gap due to damp, but the bypass is actually quite interesting and as a climber the tricky bits aren't really the fun of it, just the sheer volume.
• Curved Ridge and the rest of the Buachaille.
  Ticked the Munros in lovely September sunshine with the hint of frost in the air on the summits.

Top spankings
I'm glad this isn't limited to three. Year of the Spank for me.

• Some bastard took a shit on us on Point Five Gully. My partner was leading the Rogue pitch at the time. He went mental, I didn't know what was going on until the dirty snowflakes started falling. It did not smell healthy and everything I had with me had to go in the wash afterwards. Martin had it worse, being in a committed position and closer to ground zero. I may have been inoculated to some extent by 2 years working in care with confused, incontinent people.
• Je t'aime moi non plus, 7a, Orpierre
  Despite being pretty fit I just could not get up this, I powered out every time I hit the crux, and it's not even a particularly powerful route!
• Bought a second hand mountain bike. Promptly wiped out at Laggan Wolftrax, rolled right over, off the track, and got a pedal embedded in my leg. Could have been a lot worse. Wife was not impressed.
• Un Pont sur l'Infini, F7a, Ceüse
  Wanted to break my duck and get on a 7 early at Ceüse. Stumbled my way up this. Tried to redpoint but I was a bundle of nerves and not climbing smoothly at all. Lobbed off the crux and my leg fell behind the rope in between two bolts. Hit the lower bolt with my calf and flipped. All a little scary. Felt like a total punter. Some bad bruising and a bit fo ropeburn, but thankfully didn't spoil an excellent trip. Did not get back on!
• The Long Reach, E2, Etive Slabs
  I like to think I'm good at slabs and runouts. This should be my bread and butter, but I was pretty scared. We inched our way up, a lot slower than expected due to routefinding issues, runouts and wobbly flakes. Went the wrong way on one pitch, eventually made it to the final overlap to find that there were two large wet streaks barring progress. Started raining. Ran away. We abandoned a few nuts, then used someone else's anchor lower down. The cam in this popped as I was abseiling (to be expected, it was a seized up alien) which was a little scary, although backed up with 2 good nuts. Rematch this year. Had dreams of the Pinch Direct, but we'll see!
• The following day the only viable options seemed to be Tunnel Walls. Got totally spanked by the warm up. Will return.

Top non-climbing

• Bought a house!
• Entertained many visiting climbers and in-laws successfully at said house.
• Completed various training courses: Health and Social Care SVQ (compulsory for work) C# course with UHI (interesting to formalise coding I've done before, learned lots) Machine Learning through U of Stirling (confirmed my suspicion that I do not want to be a Data Scientist). Have been accepted on a free bootcamp from January to try to build on these skills with Git, Java, Javascript/CSS/HTML and actually earn some dollar. Advice welcome.

[jakaitch]

Normally just a lurker here but really enjoyed reading other peoples posts so I thought I'd join in!

Top three boulder problems, UK

Colt (Anston) -  Had a play on it last year and it felt a long way off for me so it was a really nice indicator of progress. Also, I grew up in Anston running around the woods (although I didnt climb) so it always feels special heading down for an early morning session when visiting my parents!
Bloodlust (Clodgy Point) - Beautiful weather, beers on the beach and a quick send on some cool rock.
The Pinch (Pleasley Vale) - The crag doesnt seem to get much love but I really enjoyed it (another one that was a stop off driving up to see family) and also my first of the grade in a session.
Honourable mentions - Knuckle Duster Sit (Hambrook) and Pop for the top LH (Biblins).

Top three trad routes/solos UK

Only got into trad this June so had a great time with some very patient/generous partners!
Strapiombante (E1 5b, Froggat) - First E1 in the peak and also my first proper whips on gear. Dreams of Strapadictomy in the future!
Gollum (E1 5b, Goblin Combe) - Cool moves past a huge flake, got pretty freaked a out, wanged some gear in and kept plodding. Had many after work sessions at this crag with a friend which looking back makes me miss summer even more.
Connoisseurs Choice (E2 6b, Sea Walls) - Felt pretty scary and was so happy to get it done! Might be controversial having an Avon route in my top 3, but its 5 mins away and I love the place!

Top three sport routes UK

First tied in in March, had a fun few months then mostly got distracted with trad!
Goal for next year, get on routes that require some endurance...
Hail Mary (7a, Tirpenwys) - Beautiful SW sandstone crimps!
Raw Deal (7a, Cheddar) - First of the grade (not sure if this stands) but felt really fun nonetheless.
Cut-Throat (7a+, Burton Combe) -  Just a big boulder problem with a few bolts, but again felt good and was a great time with friends.

Top spankings

Against the Grain (f7b+, Llangattock) - Actually made some good progress on it and failed on the last moves a few times, just a comiting release and big final move to get put together. Need to get back!
Study in Scarlett (f7a+, Lonely Shepherd) - Punted off of the final move a few times (which Ive done over and over every session). Not too sure why I havent done it yet...
Breakfast (f7a, Burbage) - Boxing day session, struggled with releasing the heel/toe and not swinging off. Really keen to get it next time Im visiting family in Sheff.

Top non-climbing
Published a few papers, entered the last year of my PhD and had some great weekends away in the van with my partner!

Fingers crossed for a successful 2023!
Thanks for the entertainment/procrastination this year!