[Jaspersharpe]

Well for me the best thing about 2007 was starting climbing again after about 12 years off. Didn't have any expectations except for wanting to enjoy it which I wasn't able to do in any of my previous attempts at restarting (extreme weakness being too frustrating). And I've totally fallen in love with it again so that'll do.

With a one year old my time for climbing / training's been limited so although I've achieved nothing major I'm pleased with my progression. A decent trip to Font four months after starting again, a few nice days out on the grit and a visit to the Tor for the first time in a long time. But then the weather, dark evenings, busy weekends and little injuries and illnesses conspired to prevent me getting out as much as I'd have liked. Anyway, The Works (training board in particular) has been a godsend for me and I've noticed real gains in the last couple of months. If I keep fit then 2008 should be good.

Top 3 UK problems

The Nose - Burbage West: Cos I flashed it warming up for a crack at WSS before ripping a monumental flapper after 3rd go at the latter.

Trackside etc - Curbar: Cos I did everything (except the hard stuff) on the block 1st go on a nice sunny day.

Out Of My Tree - The Tor: Cos although it's shit it was 15 years since I'd first done it so was very nice to retick in a few goes.

Top 4 Abroad problems

La Coeur - Elephant: No 1 on my ticklist for the holiday. It's a great problem.

La Moreau Assis - Elephant: Because it's 7b and I was only aiming for a 7a tick.

La Joker - Cuvier: This is also shit but having never tried it before I wanted to get it done. Last day of the holiday I finally had a go at it when feeling physically sick with exhaustion. Blew the flash, wanted to vomit, did it second go.

Lots of stuff - Sabots: A top day.

Top 3 trad UK/Abroad

Er, no.

Top 3 sport UK/Abroad

Nein danke.

Top 3 board problems

Red problem, Blue problem, Blue problem. 

[Fiend]

[Wow, someone else has done this.  I did this years ago, early on in my climbing career and just loved it, (particularly that final wall).  A surprisingly good litle quarry.  Did you do Tricky Dicky or any of the other quality lines there?

Word.

It was a real "big grin" climb. How much fun?!?

Didn't do anything else there tho, was a flying visit. Certain Surprise looked good, as did the harder things although unfortunately they also looked hard

[BenF]

...as did the harder things although unfortunately they also looked hard

And they are.  In fact I reckon there are some serious Crocker sandbags there.  Although I was young when I used to climb there (it being only 45 minutes from my parents place and better than my local crag - Ham Hill) I found everything hard and fingery.  That Red Rag to a Bull needs finishing as I found it utterly desperate and I was way, way off redpointing it back then despite having done a few other E5's onsight at that point.

I've done it, but only done Certain Surprise there as well.  Not many ever seem to want to go there (apart from for a grudge match with an E5) as they don't warm up on E2/ old E4 or are convinced it's (the sport's) all nightmare around vertical gnarly edge cranking. 

Certain Surprise is pretty good too, as is the E3 next to it (again if I remember rightly).  You're right though, no-one ever seemed to go there back then, don't know about now but I suspect it's even quieter.  This has got me thinking about heading back there for a rematch on Red Rag and other stuff, next time I'm down at my parents and have a pass to climb (and don't just head to Portland as usual).

[grimer]

Video Kills, Split Rock Quarry - pure climbing pleasure, as good as any juggy euro-wall climbing, with good trad gear.

Wow, someone else has done this.  I did this years ago, early on in my climbing career and just loved it,

I've done that too.

[Three Nine]

Top three boulder probs, UK

1. Horror Arete, Bridestones
2. Pebble Wall, Almscliff
3. The Arete, Neddyfields


Top three boulder probs, abroad
n/a

Top three soloes UK

1. Freeborn Man, Conner Cove
2. White Rhino Tea, Berry Head
3. Anaerobic Crack, Hound Tor

Top three sport routes UK

1. Thread Flinstone, Torbryan
2. Insatiable, Cheddar
3. Vin Chaud, Wallsend North

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

1. 7b left of Arnecue.com in Tarn as was 1st redpoint I did
2. Superwoman, Diablo
3. The Italian Job, Diablo

Top three new route/prob put up

1. I almost put up a really shit eliminate on 5b wall at Sea Walls but chickend out...

Paz - I'd be keen to get to split rock.

[Bonjoy]

Effort to Doylo for kicking off the Best of 07 in my absence and again for ticking your Pill Box Proj (just read in mag).

A year of two halves for me. Half one mostly taken up with planning big trip and sorting van out, consequently only managing to squeeze in a few UK things. Half two was six glorious months around Europe, mostly routing, but with the odd week of bouldering.

UK Sport

Revelations - Rapidly running out of excuses to not go on Mecca...
Grooved Arete - Great route, pretty steady at 8a+ if you use as much faggotry as I did
Energy Vampire - Good though not amazing, but haven't got many other UK sport routes to pick from. Not english 7a in a million years

UK Trad

Shame on me, did bugger all. Keen for sorting this one out in 08

Budgie - Beeston tor
Catharsis - Beeston tor
Erm that's it

UK Bouldering

River Of Life - Best roof in peak
Who Needs Ready Brek - Surprisingly pleasant and footworky rather than the hideous footless crimping I expected. Great last move
The Hulk - Great spring conditions. Cool and airy as the leaves where still off the trees

Sport routes abroad

A lot of quality to choose between

El Corredor De La Muerta - Rodellar - Stupidly long and steep, plus first 8a flash ever, very enjoyable.
Adios Pepita - Rodellar/Alcanadre - Another seemingly endless stamina battle. Forty five metres with no decent rests, across very wild terrain at one of the most beautiful crags you could envisage
Mal D'Amores - Rodellar - Another near perfect sport route

Very hard to pick those three out and could just as easily have picked Gladiator - Rodellar, Kings of Metal - Rodellar, Collisium - Rodellar, Aromes De Montgrony - Montgrony, L'Anarkista - Terradets, Latido Del Miedo - Terradets, Flix Flax - Terradet...

Bouldering abroad

Didn't do very much.
 Unkown sloper prob near river - Magic Wood - Well good, will post a pic some time and hopefully someone can identify
 Steep 7b arete on good finger edges or little slopey arete, don't know names of either - both at Sector Techos Albaracin
 Arete Du Star SS - Cuisinere - Brilliantly subtle moves, reminded me of Desert Island arete

New routes/probs

Salle Goose - Surprised to find this well hidden line on a crag i'd searched several times before. A real fight for me, I'm not very good at slaps.
Goose Canon - Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooose
Salad Fingers - Probably the best of a whole circuit of problems done at Cocking tor. Exceptionally nice sloper

Also chuffed to get the 2nd acsents on Finger Bang and Secret Dyno

Worst of 07/ ones that got away

Turning up at Birchover quarry to find Urban Cuture Dispatched burried under several tonnes of mud.
Nearly doing Sofa Surfer at Magic Wood only to be thwarted by endless rain
Spending three days on Cossi Fan Tutti p1 and then falling off my best RP when a foothold broke, never went back

[Somebody's Fool]

My money's on Grit Deluxe.  Amazing holds.

[a dense loner]

you don't have money

[Jim]

And even if you did, you would owe it to me