UKBouldering.com

Calling of the grit? (Read 283619 times)

highrepute

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1288
  • Karma: +109/-0
  • Blah
#1075 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 12:31:32 pm
Cheers Highrepute...

Thought I'd sum the seasons - its not a great trend... close to horizontal trend lines tend to mean f*ck all... Doubt its significant, but there is a trend. Moving average (chart below) is maybe better...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IiJWsBA1tnLvbXW91PkLO9chGInJZqac-oZYG2h9aXs/edit?usp=sharing

(edit - not a criticism if it comes across as that. More just me musing about data and trend lines!)

Interesting. No offence. Can't really remember what I was actually looking for. May have been a reason I separated seasons. Maybe testing hypothesis that winters getting warmer buy autumn's getting colder, or some such.

The value we're playing is a bit weird too. It's some combination of frosty and dry days to give "chance of a grit day", not sure how representative that actually is. Does ~30 perfect grit days per year sound right?

There's a lot of yearly variation too. 2010 looks to have been the best grit season ever, followed closely by the worst in 2014.

If you just look at the last decade then there might actually be an upward trend.

Should find the data source and add in 2019.

nai

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4008
  • Karma: +206/-1
  • In my dreams
#1076 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 12:46:21 pm
2010 looks to have been the best grit season ever, followed closely by the worst in 2014.

That was the year of the epic snow and sub zero temps for (what felt like) months

teestub

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2574
  • Karma: +166/-4
  • Cyber Wanker
#1077 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 12:48:18 pm

There's a lot of yearly variation too. 2010 looks to have been the best grit season ever, followed closely by the worst in 2014.


Wasn’t 2010 the first big snowballing year?  Was before I started keeping training diaries so can’t check.

Edit: Nai confirms that I think. How good was that year in actuality? Assume there was a lot of dripping, boulders in snowdrifts and inaccessible crags! (I was in London)

nai

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 4008
  • Karma: +206/-1
  • In my dreams
#1078 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 12:54:30 pm

There's a lot of yearly variation too. 2010 looks to have been the best grit season ever, followed closely by the worst in 2014.


Wasn’t 2010 the first big snowballing year?  Was before I started keeping training diaries so can’t check.

Edit: Nai confirms that I think. How good was that year in actuality? Assume there was a lot of dripping, boulders in snowdrifts and inaccessible crags! (I was in London)

pieceing things together, early in the year was when the snowballing happened then in December there was more snow and an extended freeze into 2011.

Ross Barker

Offline
  • **
  • menacing presence
  • Posts: 160
  • Karma: +14/-2
  • Deathly afraid of traverses
#1079 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 01:12:15 pm
Not related to the winter of 2010/11 because I wasn't climbing then, but I was wondering how much people managed to get out during the beasts from the east in winter of 2017/18? Seems like it would have been prime snowballing conditions if you were able to get anywhere (though lows of -13 might have been a bit too extreme)

tommytwotone

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Southern jessie turned Almscliff devotee
  • Posts: 3633
  • Karma: +199/-3
#1080 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 01:15:23 pm
Have I missed something!? Is it available?
If you mean the crosswords, did you miss them a year ago

https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,30334.0.html

That's weird - was thinking about this last weekend.

I'll pull my finger out. I have a feeling it'll be a later call this year so I may have a bit more time than I'd assumed!

Will Hunt

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Superworm is super-long
  • Posts: 7976
  • Karma: +631/-115
    • Unknown Stones
#1081 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 01:19:50 pm
It's been a strange one. Dodging the Peak Park Rangers aside, I had four of the five three weeks back and was anticipating an early call. But the final one proved elusive, until dawn this morning. I think Red Roddy has been shielding tbh, he's getting on.

We've been in season since October!

cheque

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 3389
  • Karma: +522/-2
    • Cheque Pictures
#1082 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 03:26:28 pm
I was wondering how much people managed to get out during the beasts from the east in winter of 2017/18? Seems like it would have been prime snowballing conditions if you were able to get anywhere (though lows of -13 might have been a bit too extreme)

There weren’t drifts in the right places (ie under the crags) because the wind was coming from the east.

carlisle slapper

Offline
  • **
  • menacing presence
  • Posts: 193
  • Karma: +114/-3
#1083 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 03:53:20 pm
worth a mention (not seen it brought up yet) that average warmer air in winter = >humidity potential and a nighttime 0˚c min with a daytime max of 8 or 10˚c leads to the condensation nightmare that is much of dec-feb season in recent years as the warm moist air from the day dumps it on the rock overnight and doesn't take much of it back the following day. On the more fragile grained rocks this is a whats really a depressing trait of current average trends. I can only ever remember being condensed off once or twice per year pre 2015, where as 2017-2019 it seems to really have become more of an issue for me. Humidity is the a big part of the key rather than just air frosts for bon con 1. As some of the best grit crags get little or partial sun to burn the condensation off it can hang round for days in the right conditions.

Bradders

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2785
  • Karma: +135/-3
#1084 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 04:04:35 pm
Not related to the winter of 2010/11 because I wasn't climbing then, but I was wondering how much people managed to get out during the beasts from the east in winter of 2017/18? Seems like it would have been prime snowballing conditions if you were able to get anywhere (though lows of -13 might have been a bit too extreme)

My memory of 2017/18 season was that it was brilliant; fair amount of snow around from early December, January a bit of a washout but then March was when the actual "Beast from the East" hit and it extended the season. The cold easterlies gave some amazing conditions as it actually wasn't very wet, just really cold. Still plenty of low single figure temps days in late March. Caley was in good condition for months.

Only issue I had in terms of getting out that season was arriving at the Crookrise car park, getting halfway up the little slope at the entrance and then sliding back down it on the ice :lol:

tomtom

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 20282
  • Karma: +641/-11
#1085 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 04:24:59 pm
worth a mention (not seen it brought up yet) that average warmer air in winter = >humidity potential and a nighttime 0˚c min with a daytime max of 8 or 10˚c leads to the condensation nightmare that is much of dec-feb season in recent years as the warm moist air from the day dumps it on the rock overnight and doesn't take much of it back the following day.

So Diurnal temp range might pick that up...

Added NAO index into the mix... (same link from earlier) as from memory that tends to pick up when you have blocking high pressures in operation (ie mint conditions)...

Air pressure is probably a decent approximator of good grit connies too I'd bet (in general terms)....

Sea weed next...

JamieG

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1278
  • Karma: +80/-0
#1086 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 04:36:49 pm
Another thing I was wondering about is number of windy days each winter. I believe on a global trend wind speeds have decreased over the last few decades (although according to wikipedia that trend might have changed recently). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_terrestrial_stilling I believe in general wind speeds are down day to day but then we are getting bigger storms so the average might not tell the full story. A good breeze is definitely important for getting the best conditions. Especially for crags the don't catch as much sun.

webbo

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 5028
  • Karma: +141/-13
#1087 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 05:48:57 pm
Anecdotally the winds don’t feel like they are decreasing. This summer has seems to have been windy on most days and this seems to have continued into autumn. This is from personal experience when riding. Also the forecasted wind speeds appear wildly in accurate.

JamieG

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1278
  • Karma: +80/-0
#1088 Re: Calling of the grit?
December 01, 2020, 05:57:48 pm
Yeah I'm not sure what the UK specific trends are. This data does seem to show much change over the last decade or so. https://www.statista.com/statistics/322789/quarterly-wind-speed-average-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ You could have fewer windy days but higher speeds and that wouldn't show up in the averages.

I also suspect being an island nation we are much more dependent one what is happening at sea. And I think the global stilling trend is more relevant for mid continental areas.

But I do find myself hoping for a decent breeze over anything else to get good conditions. Keeps the midges away in summer and helps dry the crags in winter.

Fiend

Offline
  • *
  • _
  • forum hero
  • Abominable sex magick practitioner and climbing heathen
  • Posts: 13413
  • Karma: +676/-67
  • Whut
#1089 Re: Calling of the grit?
April 05, 2021, 08:45:54 am
JB, this coming week is a strong stand against those filthy fossil fondlers after they've kidded themselves that their polished-based choss might be in. Chapeau!

haydn jones

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1044
  • Karma: +95/-2
#1090 Re: Calling of the grit?
April 05, 2021, 08:47:34 am
You may have notice the lack of lime being called. This is definitely not due to laziness. The Connies on the grit are absolutely bon! Soon though.....

SA Chris

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 29221
  • Karma: +630/-11
    • http://groups.msn.com/ChrisClix
#1091 Re: Calling of the grit?
April 05, 2021, 08:48:21 am
Snow falling here. T Shirt Sat Morning.

shark

Offline
  • *****
  • Administrator
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 8697
  • Karma: +625/-17
  • insect overlord #1
#1092 Re: Calling of the grit?
April 05, 2021, 09:03:16 am
You may have notice the lack of lime being called. This is definitely not due to laziness. The Connies on the grit are absolutely bon! Soon though.....

Griffs drying nicely. Tick, tock

mark20

Offline
  • ****
  • junky
  • Posts: 874
  • Karma: +128/-0
#1093 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 23, 2021, 09:32:39 pm
 :bounce:

Fiend

Offline
  • *
  • _
  • forum hero
  • Abominable sex magick practitioner and climbing heathen
  • Posts: 13413
  • Karma: +676/-67
  • Whut
#1094 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 24, 2021, 10:11:47 am
Any callers done any classic grit ascents on the Eastern Edges recently??  :-\

haydn jones

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1044
  • Karma: +95/-2
#1095 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 24, 2021, 09:17:00 pm
I did peapod yesterday...

remus

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2857
  • Karma: +146/-1
#1096 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 24, 2021, 09:40:48 pm
Im no expert, but the forecast for hathersage is saying 10-15 degrees c and rain for the coming week. Not good grit conditions surely?

Wellsy

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 1405
  • Karma: +102/-8
#1097 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 24, 2021, 09:47:23 pm
Unseasonably warm of late but often cold too. I've been just going out on grit the last month or so though.

Fiend

Offline
  • *
  • _
  • forum hero
  • Abominable sex magick practitioner and climbing heathen
  • Posts: 13413
  • Karma: +676/-67
  • Whut
#1098 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 24, 2021, 09:53:26 pm
I did peapod yesterday...
Surely that's it  :o

Remus - rain? In the Peak? In October? Surely not. Cancel all callings  ::)

teestub

Offline
  • *****
  • forum hero
  • Posts: 2574
  • Karma: +166/-4
  • Cyber Wanker
#1099 Re: Calling of the grit?
October 24, 2021, 09:59:39 pm
The leaves are turning but there’s still mosquitos out around here and it’s not even big coat weather first thing yet, feels a way off at the mo.

The hump season where everyone’s lime problems start seeping but it’s still a bit warm for grit connies!

 

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal