UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => shootin' the shit => Topic started by: Will Hunt on December 28, 2023, 06:01:55 pm
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It's the best thread of the year. You all know the drill by now. Let's be 'avin ya.
(https://j.gifs.com/vQ1Qdb.gif)
Past years:
Best of 2006 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,6675.0.html)
Best of 2007 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8400)
Best of 2008 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,10682)
Best of 2009 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,13196)
Best of 2010 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,16693)
Best of 2011 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,19254)
Best of 2012 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,21364)
Best of 2013 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=23468.0)
Best of 2014 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,25227.0.html)
Best of 2015 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,26618.0.html)
Best of 2016 (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,27717.0.html)
Best of 2017 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,28587.0.html)
Best of 2018 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,29780.0.html)
Best of 2019 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,30390.0.html)
Best of 2020 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=31045.0)
Best of 2021 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php?topic=31676.0)
Best of 2022 (https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,33369.0.html)
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Top 3 boulders:
Les Grand Doigts, Crisis and Chainblock.
Top spanking has to go to either Mossatrocity or the storm.
Top 3 new problems put up: Chainblock, gunslinging sit start and land tax are all real bangers.
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You must have more to say about them than that Carlos?!
I'll be writing my essay for the next week or so ;D
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Yes they’re all very good boulders, very lovey boulders.10/10 would boulder again :beer2:
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:lol:
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Do not fear the rambling!
Trad
Master Spy Direct, Wilton 1
After finding most things at Wilton to be a bit of a path at the grade, this was a shock but it was so enjoyable to have a fight to the death and leave everything on the rock. When I topped out I just lay there panting "I'm pumped. I'm pumped." to nobody in particular. Pure joy.
Wipe Out, Wilton 1
Looks like shite in all the photos but this is utter 3 star class. Wilton wizardry, can't get enough of the place.
Comer, Attermire
A headpoint of a mere E2! I maintain that you never know what you're getting yourself into on Yorkshire lime trad so, seeing as we were above the route anyway, I threw a rope down it. Steady away with excellent gear in bomber rock. Attermire is a massively underrated after-work venue.
Sport
Baboo Baboo, Malham Cove
What a sensational route this is. The start of New Dawn to shake you awake, that comely flake, the Rest of the Gods, a moment of burl, smash-and-grab the crux, the peculiar and airy headwall culminating in a stupendous lash for the finishing jug as the drop snaps at your heels. Took more sessions to get right than other routes I've done at the grade, including punting it post-crux. Done on a day with just 4 of us at the crag, howling wind, pouring rain. Magical.
Lost in Thought and Lost in Time, Attermire
Not much to say about this one other than it's really good! The start is a steep jugfest which, if there were a belay at the top, would be among the best 7a's in the area, then it all gets nicely technical.
Dominatrix, Kilnsey
This is just pure quality. There is not a single bit of it that isn't amazing. And it's historic. And it's on the North Buttress. For some reason it took me ages to get through to the roof and the "crux" then went first go.
Bouldering
Yorkshire Traverse (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cr1ZF9TNEGH/?igsh=MXdkNGlmNDVmNXI3ZA==), Ruin Bank Woods
Spent some time rediscovering this and doing it from a logical sit to a top out. Brilliant long stamina trav at 7A. Couldn't fit it all into shot on a video. Piranesi, the problem which you finish up, with its crazy heel-over-head beta, makes the list in its own right.
Warstarter, Lad Stones
Grand day out at a new-to-me crag with a good crew of UKBers: Jim, Matt, Remus, Michelle. If only I hadn't just flashed Hades Lair, which shares the easy first move, this could have been my hardest flash (sorry if slipping that in there seems like a lame half-arsed brag but it meant something to me so it's here).
West Side Story, Burbage
A snowy day in the Peak. Warbs' Volvo just about got us through the mean streets of Sheffield and up the Ringinglow. We helped build the platform for Three Blind Mice, did that, then wondered what else to do. We headed over to this and found it dry with a snow free top. It's possibly the problem I've most wanted to do in the Peak but have never committed to trying it, assuming it would take several sessions. I did it to the porthole, rushed into the top and dropped it. I consoled myself that the tourist tick would have to do. Then Isaac Buckley wandered along and we spoke of WSS, The Boss and the washing of stone. I was inspired so went up again and did the top. A YYFY like no other.
A Hundred Eyes, The Crag Which Must Not Be Named
Graded 7A+ but I reckon this is worth 7B. Top drawer body-positiony bizzarity which feels impossible until it doesn't.
New
Hokusai (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqlsNjCjRdk/?igsh=OGtyZmlqOGRtaW0x), Ruin Bank Woods
This will no doubt be downstarred by more objective persons in the future, if indeed anyone bothers to repeat it, but I loved it. It's not tall, it's not handsome, but it is so perfectly formed for my dimensions it is almost beyond belief. If that pebble wasn't on the arete it wouldn't work, if that crimp wasn't there it might be impossible. It only just works. Perfection.
Dryad, The Crag Which Must Not Be Named
There's a video of this somewhere if you want to root it out.
Linden Lea (https://www.instagram.com/reel/Coh9Rs_jUaW/?igsh=MXgzazR2bHpxdWMyNw==), Ruin Bank Woods
Within that woodland flow'ry gladed, by the oak tree's mossy roots... There, for me, the apple tree, do lean down low in Linden Lea. The providence of the woods continues.
New problem name
Get Your Kicks on the A66 (https://www.instagram.com/reel/CncelFwqrzY/?igsh=NTZ2bHN4b3AwODRn)
Named for the occasion when a friend, after a weekend's trad in the Lakes, wanked himself off into a receipt while driving home along said highway.
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Been another rubbish year for climbing, injuries and life getting in the way.
However the rare bright bits shone very bright indeed.
2 new blocks
Cherry Bomb 6C+
Porth Ceiriad
A fine offwidth, felt good to be thrutching again.
Split Lip 7A
Marchlyn Mawr
A technical mantle I fell off many times over a couple of years.
I also was happy to enjoy a couple of vaguely normal sessions in the wilds of Wales, and even climbed other people's problems. Something I intend to do a fair bit of next year
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Trad
Andromeda Strain (E5, 5c) Carn Gowla
The guide describes this as: “An outstanding but extremely serious route. Protection on both pitches is appalling and although the difficulties are nowhere excessive they are continuous, making this one of the boldest leads of its day in the South West”
In fact it’s nowhere near as scary as that makes it sounds and I just really enjoyed the climbing throughout. Well worth taking a day off work for in October before the weather crapped out for the rest of the year.
DWS
Ong-Bak (7b+), Nare Head
I had a magical morning on my own, working out the moves on a rope with just a seal in the zawn for company before soloing this. DWS purists may scorn such tactics, but I don’t care.
Solo
Great Slab (E3, 5b), Froggatt
Had an amazing day at Froggatt during a quick weekend trip up from the South West.
Started by leading Downhill Racer after having a quick look at the top move on ab. Then soloed Great Slab with a bit of beta, before getting Artless second go above pads. All three were brilliant - these are the sorts of days that make me yearn to live nearer the peak again.
Abroad
Lionheart (E3, 5c-ish) and Al Thalamiyyah (AD+)
Had a fantastic trip to Wadi Rum towards the end of the year. Hard to pick a favourite, but from the conventional rock climbs Lionheart was probably the best of the bunch. La Guerre Sainte (7b) and Queen of the Desert (7a+) were also great (both 12 pitch clip-ups). Equally amazing though was Al Thalamiyyah, a Bedouin route that involved hundreds of metres of soloing in trainers and with a rucksack up some extremely exposed terrain, followed by a campfire and bivi on the top of Jebel Rum - a wild day out with two good friends that will live a long time in the memory.
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As Will said, best thread of the year. Some great ones already. Is there a word count limit? If so maybe I can use some of Dingdong's allowance.
Top 5 Boulders:
Paul O'Grady 7B, Ogwen
Finally made it up to this bloc, has to be one of the most photogenic problems around matched by the quality of the moves. It took a couple of sessions to find beta that worked for me and it never felt like a done deal. The top, which almost feels like a path from a stand, turned into a full on thrutch/fight.
Straight Up Arson La! 7C, Devil's Gorge
This turned into my winter project and also turned out to be possibly my favourite problem at the Gorge. Spent a good few lamp sessions trying this with just the bats for company. Eliminate but really nice moves and a cool straight up line.
Strongbow 7A+, Laggan
Bit of a slog to get to this and I got chased by some cows through some wet bracken. Had to hang my trousers off the fence to dry for a bit when I finally got there. Worth the trek though, almost felt like a grit arete plonked in the middle of Scotland, but better.
The Geminid Trail 7A+, Chevin
Up there with the best things I've done on the grit, maybe because it isn't very grit-like! Quality moves from bottom to top. Had a bit of a moment topping out to add to the experience.
Whisky Bitch 7B, Pill Box
I really like the moves and holds on this. Pill Box has a rep for just being ratty crimping but I'm not really sure that's true. Maybe for the really hard stuff, but this was just fun pulling on full-pad edges. Got all the moves to the sit the other day which I'm keen to get done next year - now that is ratty crimping!
Top 3 UK Sport Routes:
Axle Attack 7a+, Mayfair Wall
I'd been saving this for the onsight and also building it up in my head for a while for some reason, thinking it was going to be really hard for the grade with spaced old-school bolting. Turned out to be one of my best climbing days of the year, felt totally in control, read it really well, and made it to the chains with barely any pump. If only I could climb like that all the time!
Canyonlands 8a, Devil's Gorge
Another one I had been putting off for a while. Felt good to hit the lip off the final rockover.
White Hopes 7b+, UPT
The best route I've done on the Orme outside of LPT. Was expecting a beat down having watched a wad-friend battle with it a few years ago. Much better than I thought though with big moves between good holds the whole way, very un-Orme-like!
Top 3 RRG Routes:
Orange Juice 5.12c
Immaculate off-vert pocket/edge pulling. Five stars, if you can get on it.
Singularity 5.12b
Steep, even for the Red. Knee bars and lie down rests abound. Had one bolt to bolt and geninely didn't think I stood a chance which made it all the better.
Witness The Citrus 5.11c
Nothing but buckets for almost 40 metres. Just plain FUN.
Top 3 Trad Routes:
Chimes Of Freedom E2 5b, Mowing Word
End of a good day, spring tide with a big swell on its way in, the perfect time to pack up and head home. Until my mate decides he wanted to do one more route. "Do we have time?" I asked. "Oh yeah loads," he replied, "look Caff is about to ab in we can use his line.". Of course Caff is orders of magnitude slicker than us and by the time we had setup our hanging belay at the bottom he was pretty much topping out. My mate barely has his first piece of gear in before the first wave grazes my ankles. Needless to say I got pretty wet and was on the verge of floating out of the belay. What a route though, almost as memorable as the belay.
The Razor's Edge E1 5a, Mowing Word
A memorable run-out footless traverse to finish with. Hilariously this gets HVS in Rockfax.
Ultravixens E1 5b, Chapel Point
This probably took me over an hour to lead, the vast majority of which was climbing and down-climbing the start unable to commit or find any gear. Glorious pulling once I was round the first bulge though.
Let Down Of The Year:
I've Been A Bad Bad Boy 7c+, LPT
I remain convinced that this is objectively not a good route. A poor line, weird bolting and awkward moves. This turned into a bit of a battle of me wanting to finish what I had started, but also not wanting to climb something for the sake of a tick. Completeness won, not sure if that is a good thing or not.
Spanking Of The Year:
Almost everything at RRG. I always struggle with pure aerobic routes so knew I was going to find things tough but oh my. I never knew it was physically possible to get that pumped. If (when!) I make a return I think a 6 month block of foot-on campusing is in order.
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No better training for the RRG than FOC. :boxing:
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Yup, should have heeded your advice in the RRG thread beforehand. Next time...
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Love this thread. Keep the long write-ups coming! A good start, poor early/middle and good second half this year.
Top three sport routes - redpoint
Fabela pa la enmienda/Rollito pa la enmienda (9a, Santa Linya) - I'll do a two-for-one here. Always wanted to climb the whole way out of this cave. Such a good feeling! Some perfect rock, some total choss, some tricky moves, some being pumped on easy ones, plenty of getting boxed in your calves and feet... I love these long ones.
The Last Nacho (9a, Tor) - A dumb linkup, but probably the longest and most Euro bit of climbing you can get out of the peak district without getting very traversy. The Mecca-Crucifixion link is also one of the best routes around that level in the peak, despite its abject lack of popularity. If you gave it 8c (which it probably is really) it would be the most popular one in the country. Very nice to try a hard project close to home too, rather than on a trip or a 2 hr drive away.
Autoengano (9a, Rodellar) - Built for me. Pure roof trickery including a crux where you end up spinning around 540 degrees over about 10 moves. Managed to fall out of a kneebar past the last bolt by being sloppy, catching myself in the rope and getting the worst rope burn I've had in the process. Estupido, as one of the locals said in disbelief that anyone could be so incompetent.
Top three sport routes - onsight/flash
Sur La Route De Madison (8b, Rodellar) - World class, all the way to the top of one of the coolest sport climbing crags around, with one of the coolest approaches around. Full redlining above the last bolt at 45m.
Cada Loco Con Su Tema (8b, Rodellar) - If you on the shore then you sure not me oh. Piscineta is so good, and long routes like this are so good. Had some brilliant days here with Ella as part of a really nice stay in Rodellar - I forgot just how good that place is. More please! Key approach beta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7yfISlGLNU
La travesia de los gladiadores total (8b, Santa Linya)
Brilliant and terrible in equal measure - questing sideways on greasy choss across the big traverse line. Plenty of old in-situ death slings for good measure too. First time doing two 8bs first try in a day too.
Top the boulder problems anywhere
Hatchlink Extension (8B) - Full back to top through the middle of Parisella's. Basically what I want from bouldering, i.e. flowy trickery route climbing without a rope.
Belly full of Nachos (8B/+) - It's a dumb eliminate that replaces an easy no hander with a more strenuous no hander where it's hard not to lie on the floor... but I'm low on options for this category and it kept me amused.
Angry Old Man (8A, Franken) - Again not objectively very good, but probably the most fun day of a trip where I was falling apart a bit mentally. The sun even came out for about the only day that trip.
Top non-climbing
Seeing a councillor and hopefully getting my existential despair a little more in order after imploding mentally and physically in early summer
Top spankings
My brain/covid - got some of the good shit right from the source on a work trip to China, then felt post-viral for a while and got quite (unreasonably) depressed by it. Hope to do better in 2024, for both my sake and Ella's...
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My year was mainly dominated by training and doing the Bob Graham Round in August (did manage to climb an 8B to keep the ‘8B a year for 20 years’ dream alive.
April was mainly climbing, including a month ‘working abroad’ in Font with the family. April- August was mainly running, building up to around 100km a week but did manage to have at least two sessions a week on the board or easier boulders. September-Dec the realisation that 6months of reduced climbing, heavy legs and the last few years of mainly climbing on rock and not trying that hard has had a big impact on my strength/condition. So in October, for the first time ever, started working with Mason and have some structured training.
Top 3 boulders UK
Earth worm Jim 8A+, Sour Milk Ghyll| had always written this off as too ‘morpho’ however spent sometime figuring out a different sequence which used all the same holds but in a different order, almost felt like doing an FA until I realised this is what Jordon did.
Youth young and manhood 8A, Big Brother| another one I had written off as being ‘morpho’ but turned out it wasn’t at all. Another Newberry SW 8 off the list.
Bigger berry sit 8A+, Simonside| had a couple of half arsed goes here and there over the years but that first none hold felt a bit conceptual. In the end went in two sessions. Closest you get to font in the uk.
Top 3 boulders abroad (all in font)
The Realist 8A+, after ripped a flapper on my pinky (again) within three goes on Elephunk, I sacked it off and tried this which went pretty fast. Such a cool boulder that is rarely dry.
Toutes Peines confondues 8A, Black star 8, big, a little scary and some different style of climbing. Quality. Good session with the Quill, Tom W and Jacob.
Irreversible 7C, high and scary but not that bad. Climbed with James Turnbull (who was into finding crack climbs at the time). Enjoy climbing with James in Font.
Top 3 FA’s
Unrighteous 8A, Gouther| bit of a traverse, funky moves but actually a bit shit. However Atom Smasher RH SS was good.
Hall of shame 7C, Dalt wood roof| Kris Hall (hence the name) showed me this roof and we developed a few problems on it. Varian then got his shovel out to unlock some other lines. Has now created a cool spring/summer little venue.
Underpar 8A, Mardale head| sitting off the landing boulder on eagle huntress climb into the end of eagle. This is how I thought eagle would climb originally. Still annoyed I didn’t invest more time into EH and allowed Varian to swoop in, however in reality probably didn’t have the skill set.
Life experiences
Font for a month- trialling working aboard which didn’t end up being as much time climbing as I thought it would, but had such a valuable time with the family. Might try again before youngest goes to school.
Glean Pean with Alex- decided to go on a bit of an adventure and check out the hype of Glean Pean. Got there late and walked in to the bothy in the dark, slept over and then walked into the crag (15km in total?). On first inspection the place was absolutely mind blogging, there were 30 plus boulder’s Bowderstone size and loads of 40-50degrees faces. We got stuck into this amazing prow which we nearly did until Alex pulled off this hold (which looked unbreakable) and smacked and cut my head. That then set the tone and the realisation the rock was absolutely awful. Like a loose bad version of Dartmoor. We did a couple of new things, but then decided to bail early. Massive disappointment, if the rock was good it honestly would be one of the best venues in Europe.
Bob Graham Round- I did actually attempted to do this the year before with James Noble but it was badly planned and way way to hot. Did a lot of training, including double days. Had another date planned but aborted before due to horrendous weather and a stomach bug (Simon Richardson impressively got it done that day). Eventually got an amazing crew together and did it in August, the weather was perfect and had an absolutely amazing day, nailed my hydration and fuelling (which was mainly sugar) and didn’t really have a epic. One person per leg expect the first when John Hartley kindly offered to support about 7hours before I set of (legend), Sam Huddlestons also for leg 1. Rob Lay for leg 2 (even though he was a bit injured), recommended having Rob has a support runner, you won’t stop laughing. Cal Coldwell-Storry for leg 3, always feel in safe hands with Cal, bit of an all round beast as we all know. Also climbed up Scafell which was fun. Bobby (Cals brother) who is also an absolute weapon in the hills, he was amazing, took so much stuff and was good on the nav when it got dark. Caitlin Pearson for the final leg, always wanted Caitlin to come out and join. Incredible experience. 21hrs56mins but felt pretty comfortable. Massive thanks to my parents, wife and everyone who supported, was amazing to see the kids in Wasdale.
Work- shortlisted and won the ‘Nature and biodiversity project of the year’ at the Edie Awards for a flagship project The Rivers Trust delivered around financing large scale restoration through innovative models which we delivered in the previous year. Chuffed to be recognised, a lot of hard work went into that (however did confirm awards are a load of bollocks). Also got asked to present, by the Azores government, at their international climate change and adaption conference (the irony I know). Was a great trip and probably the largest conference I have presented at (150 people or so), took my dad along which was ace, been my inspiration for a lot of my work. Bit of a disaster to end, convinced my dad to go on an electric scooter on a 5 hour layover in Lisbon, he fell off, broke 5 ribs and a shoulder….. felt terrible.
Real talk- while it all seems flowers and roses, thought I would also share some challenges (not looking for sympathy, just being honest). I have a pretty tough year with anxiety this year, which has actually resulted in physical reactions like heart palpitations. I am aware it definitely impacts my family life and relationships as I have periods where I am really not there and lost in my head. My coping mechanism is to hammer myself, get exhausted which helps me sleep and distracts me however probably results in an unhealthy relationship those activities. I keep working at it, I think I need to address some of my long term issues like ADHD. Forever grateful for such support wife and parents.
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Best of 2023
Bouldering
Rock Atrocity 7C - this was a big deal for me. Having fondled the holds from the ground over many years, I genuinely didn't imagine I could ever develop the necessary skills to do the moves, let alone link them together. But it turns out I actually love this style! Went really smoothly and a lot more quickly than expected.
Runs on Weasel 7B and Weasel Power 7B+, Kentmere - significant mainly because they marked a return to bouldering after injuring my foot/ankle in Font. I enjoyed beavering away quietly on my own to work these out while the big boys were teaming up on the main event ‘upstairs’.
The Cannon 7A - consolation prize after failing on Paul O’Grady…. This attractively shaped lowball problem was far better suited to my dodgy ankles and was surprisingly fun. Heel hooks, toe hooks and some proper determination were utilised.
Sport
Mediterranean Dream 8a, Datca - everything I love about sport climbing abroad. Knees, pump, some hard bits and having to keep trying all the way to the top
Donkey Kong 8a/+, Nifada, Leonidio - what a line! Jaw dropping territory through the huge steep roof. Probably the most gymnastic and physical route I have ever climbed, glad to do it really quickly too.
Patatas Negra 8a, Twin Caves, Leonidio - in a day, which no doubt means it is soft, but also I felt like everything came together for me to climb well and confidently that trip. Wish I could bottle that feeling!
Trad
Space Mountain E5 6a, Craig y Forwyn - flashed on Jordan’s gear. Cop out, but an enjoyable experience. I found the climbing interesting all the way and had to dig deep particularly for the last few metres.
The Pretentious Gallery E5 6b, Wilton 1 - again flashed on Jordan's gear. I had no intention of climbing anything ‘hard’ as we were only there at Wilton Fest for 2 hours and had some beginner friends in tow. But it was clean, appealing and Jordan convinced me I would love it (I did).
Close to the Edge E3, Thirlmere - pretty much the only onsight trad of the year for me (must do more next year). Was a real journey! I did it in one pitch which felt logical but tiring and intimidating.
Spankings
All UK sport! I climbed 97% well most of the year, ie I felt like I was doing great but kept dropping the top of everything. DOH!
Soft Option, Kilnsey - dropped the top traverse (after the cross through crux section) multiple times. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
Never Get Out of the Boat, the Diamond - I'm blaming suffering and then recovering from a nasty parasite infection during a large chunk of Diamond season this year. But really I'm just a ‘dropper’ with no good excuse. It was all there but I couldn't seal the deal.
Militia, Giggleswick - could do it all but struggled to link it together. To be fair, all my sessions on it were ridiculously hot, and then it was wet for the rest of the year.
Arisaig cave again - flippin nails venue.
Shucks lair again - shut down again by the Cappell and dropped the last move of Doom Gaze, then access issues stopped play. Sad!
Honourable mention
Bat Route - made encouraging progress on this with some big links. It still feels like a fantasy goal, but it's now edging into the ‘possible’ category.
Had 145 days on actual rock this year and got to visit lots of new-to-me venues. So despite it being lean on sends, I've had a fabulous year of climbing.
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Real talk- while it all seems flowers and roses, thought I would also share some challenges
Real talk is good. When I was down earlier in the year it helped a lot to realise that other were in/talk to others who were in similar boats in terms of dealing with whatever shit it was that was messing with their head (or who were in a good place but had struggled on and off mentally along the way).
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for both my sake and Ella's...
Forever grateful for such support wife.
Having had my own personal intermittent head shit going on for the last few months I'd like to echo the sentiment of "thank fuck for wives".
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Great stuff everyone. A bit counter the spirit of the thread to mention individuals but 8B and the BGR in the same year :o
My year was mainly dominated by training and doing the Bob Graham Round in August (did manage to climb an 8B to keep the ‘8B a year for 20 years’ dream alive.
:bow: for this and the real talking.
Top three five Fairhead routes:
1. Sandpiper. This has a lot of climbing for an E2 and a great variety of styles, not just cracks. Getting into the pod isn't easy, getting out is harder!
2. Toby Jug. Further proof that the best routes get two stars. In one big pitch, this would be “Top 50” (aka 4 stars) and have queues if it was at Millstone.
3. Equinox and Salango in a day. The latter was a bit of a battle but my kind of climbing.
4. The X-Men. E3 6a isn't my grade usually so happy to get this done. Epic hand crack on pitch one, both incredibly sustained but very varied. Pitch two isn't 6a but is also very good.
5. The Hustler. Another E3 6a that wasn’t. Needed a pep-talk from Simon to get on with it but it was all fine when I did.
The Ceuse of trad. climbing strikes again. A flippin’ amazing 11 days and I'm nervous about ever going back again as it surely can't be as good!
Top three trad. routes it was great to repeat:
1. Perseus at High Tor with Simon. The first time I’d climbed at High Tor since dislocating my shoulder there 5 years ago. Felt cool to be back at the place. It would good to complete the unfinished business next year.
2. Deep Space at Mother Carey’s kitchen with Iain. Great to be climbing with him again, fabulous route, fun chimney at the top, the cave is a bloody cold spot to belay in February.
3. La demande, Verdon with Hugo. A repeat, from 43.5 years ago. Happy I can still be a useful member of a team for this kind of thing (just point me at the chimneys).
Top one Deep Water Solos:
1. Magical Mystery Tour. 118/200 of the lifetime goal to tick Pat Littlejohn’s South West Climbs (1st Ed.). This was ...different and necessitated a long process of acclimatisation to cold water before having the confidence to give it a go. It was good to get out of my comfort zone in several ways and I may resume in April. I’m not a cold water convert and it still felt like I was properly soloing most of the way. I did swim the few hundred metres back to the start which would have been unthinkable at the beginning of summer.
Top three tweaks:
1. Right hip, which has been grumbling away for 10 years but deteriorated to the point where I resorted to shark’s walking poles for a few days. Fortunately grovelling up easy extremes at Fairhead proved to be good therapy.
2. Left hip, a new addition with about the worst possible timing as it announced itself a couple of weeks before heading to Siurana. Typically my project required average left hip flexibility which all of a sudden I lost.
3. Left wrist. Embarrassingly from falling out of the jamming at the top of Thin Wall Special, despite it being an easy grade, playing to my strengths, and having done it three times previously. I now know a lot more about how to deal with TFCCs, having done the same thing to the right wrist last year, and it recovered much more quickly despite being initially much more painful.
Top three gigs:
Concert going hasn't quite recovered to pre-covid levels but I went to 35 musical events this year and there were some goodies.
1. Chineke! Junior orchestra, including The Lad, playing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Symphony at the Fairfield Hall. It’s a lovely Dvorakian piece, the band had spent an entire week rehearsing it full-time and sounded like a decent professional orchestra. The audience were a bit different from the usual crowd. I was ridiculously proud.
2. Kenny Barron at Ronnie Scott’s. Classic jazz piano trio. Nothing original about the playing but exquisitely done, the venue is legendary, the company was great, and it was a wonderful evening.
3. Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera. I wasn't sure about this beforehand, I'm well into double figures for performances, so a new production has to offer something special. Director Barry Kosky has produced some brilliant work and some stuff which just didn’t click with me, the cast wasn’t that starry, and stalls tickets were approaching Taylor Swift prices. We took a punt and got restricted view seats in slips (£14). I need not have worried, as soon as the lights dimmed and the 'cellos started playing that long opening E flat chord, the world was born again.
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I remember Sandpiper and the X-Men from my last visit..
15 years ago.
There's always another amazing route left to try
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Some amazing sounding years, well done all!
2023 was my first full year as a parent, and I made a real effort to be intentional with my days out climbing. It seems to have worked as I’ve done less climbing and training than in any other year, but it was probably one of my most enjoyable.
Best routes
A38 E6 6b (headpoint) - Blaise Castle Gorge
The first half of the year was pretty rough and for a spell in June my escape was driving to Bristol to top rope solo this. After a couple of solo visits I found someone off a facebook group to come and give me a belay.
Such an amazing route, gear is very good and very obvious, but the climbing wasn’t (to me at least) so I think it would be a tricky one to on-sight. Once you find all the holds/sequences it’s not too difficult (~7b?).
Felt quite straightforward on the day, although still very pumpy.
Cream E4 6a (headwall pitch only) - Tremadog
I had a weekend booked in North Wales and was very psyched in the run up. I turned up in Wales on the Friday, tied in, got climbing and suddenly this psyche evaporated. I was terrified and climbing very poorly. A low point was protecting 4b moves on an easy E1 by tying knots in the ab rope (before it was cool!)
My confidence was totally knocked but as we drove to Tremadog on the Sunday I realised it had been 7 years since I last visited the crag, and who knows when I’d be back - so I resolved to try Cream, which I’d always dreamt of climbing.
We approached via Grim Wall direct as it was my partners lead and he didn’t fancy the E3 opening pitch of Cream, then traversed into the Cream stance from the ledge.
I started climbing and somehow all the fear and indecision of my previous 2 days climbing was replaced by smooth, decisive movement and I found myself on the jugs at the top with hardly a bit of pump in my forearms - buzzing beyond belief at this point.
Unfortunately psyche is infectious and it encouraged my partner to ab down and try Neb Direct, the less said about that the better.
Darius E3 5c - High Tor
Pure class. Only had 50m ropes so had to belay on the ledge about 8m up, found the moves around the first roof a little pokey as the rock quality isn’t so good down there. But once through it, it was pure enjoyment, romping all the way to the top on some of the best rock around.
My friend had said it was the best trad limestone crag in the country (England, obviously Pembroke beats it) and I’m inclined to agree.
We finished up with some fish and chips in Matlock Bath, top day out.
Mark of the Beast 7c - Lulworth
An old pal was back in the UK for a bit and keen to try Adrenochrome, I’d always had MotB on my list. We had a few sessions down at Lulworth together over September.
On the second visit I fell off the penultimate move of Mark of the Beast and was too spent for another go - but the fire was lit and I was very motivated to get it done this year.
It was my mates go next, and while watching him edging closer to the top of Adrenochrome I had that sneaky thought that I’m sure we’ve all had occasionally, externally I was shouting “come on” and internally thinking “I hope you don’t do it, who will I come back with if you do?”.
Fortunately he fluffed it.
I figured out that I had one more shot this year at the start of October - so booked the day off work and drove down to Lulworth. I pinged off the top first go up, and then my friend did Adrenochrome first try of the day.
Shit, I had to do it now. I had some serious pre redpoint nerves but managed to calm myself down enough to do it next try.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuGvIZE7r5g
I think it’s the first time I’ve actually enjoyed deep water soloing in the moment, such a great feeling going for it at the top on dynamic moves while facing the plunge. Stair Hole is an amazing venue, I wish that more of the South Coast was like this.
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Amazing stuff, Connor.
it encouraged my partner to ab down and try Neb Direct, the less said about that the better.
Tell me this was Nichols.
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Amazing stuff, Connor.
it encouraged my partner to ab down and try Neb Direct, the less said about that the better.
Tell me this was Nichols.
Of course it was!
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Good work all! Lots of impressive stuff despite injury both physical and mental. Definitely inspiring to hear, particularly as I really tend to lean into the injuries and let them be an excuse rather than working around them. Post covid viral fatigue is a very good excuse for depression IMO!
Not much climbing this year for me, nothing on a rope or over water
Top any climbing
The Drifter Sit Start - 7A+ - Great one just to prove I could climb something hard for me again. Having previously done the stand, I started the year no where near good enough to repeat it, let alone try the sit. Some focused training over three months and the sit went in two sessions in April.
Volume in Font - I had a few targets for a font trip in August/September, but injury took the edge off the earlier strength gains so I binned them and just aimed to climb as much as possible at any grade. Did 80 problems, 2-6A either new to me or climbed over a decade ago and forgotten about. Most prolific trip and so much fun. I’ve been meaning to do a font trip with a volume focus for a while, so was great to finally do it.
Making the most of opportunities - I had a couple of Portland lamp sessions after working long shifts when daughter would be in bed before I got home anyway. Still climbing, not sacrificing family time, just putting in a bit of effort to just get it done. Weren’t the most successful trips for ticks, but just pulling moves on rock was the goal. Inspiration for doing that came from Dan’s Careless Talk podcast in March. Just made me realise what you can do with commitment. Obviously can overdo it and need to sleep etc but as a targeted tool every now and again it’s a good option to stay in touch with the rock.
Top spanking
Myself - Without access to a wall in those first few months the training was quite high intensity relative to my conditioning. I ended up giving myself Golfer’s Elbow, a new experience for me but I should have seen it coming. Luckily I managed The Drifter Sit, despite the injury, but it did signify the end of the hard training. Unfortunately I also let other good health habits slide alongside that, which isn’t great. I need to stop tying all my good nutrition and low booze etc simply to times when I can climb. I’ve always been quite cyclical in my motivation, mood etc and consistency has been quite elusive. But exhaustion post night shifts, injuries, illness will always happen and I need to stop those things always becoming a disproportionate set back. I don’t want to continuously find myself at the bottom of the mountain.
Avon gorge - In poor conditions but all the same! Shut down on problems I’d previously done, skin destroyed and felt like a total beginner trying to climb there in May. It’s obviously not world class, but would be nice to have a reasonable go at the local stuff when visiting the parents.
Top life
New baby! - Another reason to work on the consistency, I also want to be as present with my children as possible.
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Great years and great write ups! The forum doesn’t always have that much talk about what people are actually getting up to, so it’s wonderful to read about all the fantastic adventures and experiences people have been having.
It’s making me nostalgic, not least as there a fair few routes here I have my own good memories of.
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Good stuff: moving on rock with a smile on my face. I’ll climb any old rubbish and grab some pleasure from it.
Seeing my daughter get into climbing after a couple of kid’s parties as a youngster and long years of ‘that weird thing dad does’.
Getting back up to a (solitary) 7A+, stiffest grade in 20+ years, and enjoying the process of putting together the nuanced micro beta.
New venues on the Lancs moors and elsewhere.
No serious injuries and realising I can train up to the point where the arthritis kicks in and still get better.
Barely tied onto a rope this year and that’s ok, but I will get a bit of stamina to put together more than 6 moves in a row.
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My best year of climbing to date, mostly thanks to Hawkcliffe and focusing on developing!
Top 5 non FA's
1. Red Alfa, Windgate Nick
Despite being relatively unknown, this is amongst the best lines on grit (IMO) and can just about be protected with pads - although it's definitely stretching the definition of a highball! It's particularly scary because of how insecure the climbing is; feet can ping off at any moment sending you flying in any direction. On the day, I managed to link it twice out of four attempts on the rope, but I didn't seem to be getting any more consistent and was pretty sure i'd split a tip if I practiced once more. Since the weather looked terrible for the foreseeable, I decided to do it and had a magical experience. I often use distraction techniques like listening to music on my headphones for redpoints, but here I was fully present, experiencing it moment to moment. Great feeling pulling over the lip and Garry followed me up it shortly after.
2. Kenzoku, Lobwell
I remember looking at this when I did the neighbouring problem Source Of Secrets and thinking I'd never be able to climb it. There just aren't any holds! Well I did start trying it, and for the first few sessions it all felt quite unlikely, but I remained interested and eventually the bendy moves started to work. I'd say it's comfortably the best moves I've ever done on any climb and the whole process was a joy, having linear progression from one session to the next (I climbed it on my 8th session and only 2nd session trying from the start). Current projects are certainly not going this smoothly!
3. The Dawning, Hawkcliffe
My ignorance was a blessing in giving me the 'first ascent' experience on this existing route/highball. The crux move is high and felt very subtle and insecure at first, but unlike Red Alfa, this one became more consistent with practice and on the second session, I could do it every time. Unfortunately, my mate didn't turn up and I only had 3 pads, but was quite confident I could do it and went for it. I got to 'the move', high up, and hesitated. I didn't give it everything and came crashing down off the pads into the rocks! This happened twice more before I finally raged through the crux and got it done. Satisfying in a different way to Red Alfa! Of course, it turned out this had been climbed 25 years prior and given the lowly grade of E4... 7B / 7B+ highball or E6 6C at least.
4. Before The Rain, Cloughton Wyke
Whilst in the area, I checked out this crag without a guide just to see what was there. I came across Before The Rain fairly quickly as it's the most striking boulder there. Without any pads, chalk, or shoes I went full Charles Albert, held a few positions barefoot, and tried moving between the holds. Later that night I found out what it was. If I'd have known how hard it was beforehand I wouldn't have bothered even pulling on (bit far for a siege!) But I had pulled on and I knew I'd be able to do it, quickly. This confidence paid off. The problem must fit me perfectly as it only took 2 more visits to do it and the crux move for most people (move 2) felt pretty steady. Really enjoy this style of climbing - tensiony crimping but also powerful slapping. A sit start would go, but I'm fairly confident that wouldn't go down so quickly!
5. The Waiting Line, Caley
Unsurprisingly, another highball and another incredible line (a contender for best line at Caley?) This is the most sustained of the 3 highballs listed. All the moves feel around the same difficulty, which is quite rare for grit. It kickstarted my highballing journey and only ranks behind the others because it went down a bit too easily and I had Steve's beta vid to watch. Yes I could choose to not watch it, but that's like ignoring reachable bolts on trad. It's just not the same. Thanks 36C for throwing down a few more pads!
Runner up: Total Redemption, Bitholmes - great slapping on some poor slopers.
Top 5 FA's
1. The Miners' Strike, Hawkcliffe
A highball-ish 55-60 degree roof that was once invisible from just 20m away due to extremely dense rhododendron covering every part of it and huge blocks filling the space underneath it concealing the holds. After close inspection, I realised there were holds on the face and put in a few days quarrying, and more days crafting a landing, gardening and creating a reasonable path to it. There's currently 4 problems on it from 7A+ (I might have been a bit harsh there) to 7C+. The Miners' Strike does feel like a bit of a consolation as I've not yet done the direct finish, which will be the main line tackling the centre of the boulder. I just need a few dry days! All will be included in the next update to the Hawkcliffe guide with many more new problems.
2. Crisis, Hawkcliffe
Excellent board style moves with just enough tech on an obvious feature. There's so many ways of doing this now and all seem to be similar in difficulty. Amazingly, I walked past this one a few times before having the required vision. It just didn't look like it would go before it was clean!
3. Pipeline, Panorama Rocks
A good line and harder than it looks. Similar in style to A Hundred Bananas but about a grade harder for me. This is now ok to climb mid week if you get the landowners permission first by calling him. I may have to go back for the even better line on the front of the boulder! Follow the advice on UKC.
4. Triangulation, West Chevin
It's hard to believe this went unclimbed given how many strong people must have passed it walking to the Satellite boulder (big up 36C again for doing the initial cleaning job). Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for the faint of heart, the move to the lip has now been tamed with better beta, but there's still potential to land halfway down the hill! For the wads out there, I reckon there's potential for a very cool high 8 on the right hand side of this block.
5. Chevinteen Years Later, West Chevin
I went up with the intention of trying Harvest, but it makes no sense at all to me. There are jugs in reach, but eliminating them felt improbable. On the left hand side of the same block, I realised there was an unclimbed compression problem. It shares the same finish as Harvest (presumably), but is otherwise independent and feels like a pure line. You'll want a spotter as it sits on a bit of a platform.
Runner up: Africa Wall, Hawkcliffe - an easier one that keeps growing on me as a favourite. Technical vert / slightly overhanging block from an obvious starting jug with various possible sequences.
Top 3 spankings
1. Hawkcliffe highball/solo project
This one is my top choice as I've felt close to doing the move on a rope for a while but alas, I've not managed to latch it yet. Tempted to start trying over a stack of pads just in case...
2. Bladerunner roof project, Hawkcliffe
This will be my ultimate siege if I'm ever to do it. I'm not confident I ever will but I remain psyched! I haven't actually been on it that much since it's so often wet, but I do have a replica on the ceiling of my garage with a pulley setup for assistance...
3. MYXOMOP, Stoupe Brow
I've been on this twice now and it's nails! I think I need to get better on terrible smears. I'll need to get creative making a replica for this one.
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I'm really prone to slipping into just repeating (or trying to repeat ;D ) boulder problems I've done before and indulging in zany epic sieges on sport routes that are out of my league. This year wasn't really much of an exception to that pattern if I'm honest.
My unthinking, go-to, grit outing is to Apparent North to re-repeat Hampers Hang and Sloper Traverse. I've had a couple of lovely outings doing that this year too. But -wait for it- I've also recently gone on some adventurous quests to undiscovered territory (for me) of classic problems five minutes from the parking at Burbage! I really enjoyed doing Breakfast which I hadn't seen before this year. I've also got the bit between my teeth after having unsuccessful but encouraging goes on The Nose and Mermaid -also inexcusably new to me!
On magnesium limestone bouldering I've also resolved to now focus on trying stuff I haven't done before. All I've managed is the very pleasant not-proper-problem of The-Undercut into the last moves of ChuckleVision. I'm pleased with progress on Alpha though.
Best routes I got up were Harderobe at Moat WCJ, The Squealer at Lorry Park and Beelzebub at Cheedale Cornice. I was especially pleased with The Squealer because it had always been wet whenever I'd gone to Lorry Park before. The last bank holiday weekend before the builders shut Lorry Park, Nicolas really wanted to finish off Dark Matter. We had a Saturday afternoon and a Monday morning. I was delighted to find The Squealer dry but had an ineffectual hot and bothered flounder. Nicolas also struggled on his route. I had to be dragged back on the Monday as I thought a morning on an East-facing crag was deranged. Sure enough it was sunny and roasting when we got there. But then after we'd got the clips in each route, it became overcast and windy and we both sent our routes -hurrah!
It would be very misleading of me to not include a forlorn epic siege report as that is how I really spend my climbing days. I guess I'm keeping the dream alive of overlapping halves on Nemesis every year it's dry for 20years ;D . Hot flushes and Harderbridge are now also due to join the set of more-than-one-season engagements ;D
On the sanity maintenance front, I've mercifully had barely a waver in my mental health this year. Years ago I had a manic/psychotic episode. I was really concerned afterwards but so far I've been spared another (fingers crossed). It's just an anecdote, but for me at the time it did make it less scary knowing of other people who'd been through similar. Back then, I was told to fill in a WRAP https://www.wellnessrecoveryactionplan.com/ (https://www.wellnessrecoveryactionplan.com/). I do try to take heed of that WRAP. I guess that would be recommended to anyone it might help by their healthcare professionals. I don't want to interfere in anyone else's mental health care.
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Top three boulder problems, UK
High and Dry 7A+, Sprotborough. Had a couple of great sessions here working through the best stuff on offer. First time there was a solo session and took some good wingers from the top of this which got the heart rate up. I came back better prepared for round 2 (i.e. with a spotter and more than one pad) and got it done. Amazing rock quality, great height and as good a landing as you could hope for. Classic, underrated eastern lime.
Elysium 7B+, Smeaton Edge. More eastern lime highball action. First session with a mate went fairly well so decided to come back for a solo session. It was going ok but I was lacking a bit of commitment for the last move, where you’re getting a bit high. I rallied and decided to just give it a good lash. It so nearly worked, but I fired off with a bit of backwards momentum, landed (feet first, thankfully) on the edge of the pad and pogo-sticked backwards down the hill headfirst into a bramble bush. It could have been a lot worse: thankfully I got away with a few scratches. Sensing I might be a bit nervous about coming back for round 3 I decided to rest up and have one last go (after my heart rate had dropped and my hands were a bit steadier!) which thankfully went more smoothly.
Made in Sheffield 7B, Houndkirk. Had some great solo sessions on this during the cold snap at the start of December. Pretty satisfying methodically working through the beta until it came together.
Top three sport routes UK
I had some great weekends at Kilnsey with my partner this year. It was my first time getting involved there and it was such a good scene. I really got into the swing of going up there each weekend, seeing the same faces and falling off the same projects.
The Ashes 7c+, Kilnsey. That sequence coming out of the eyes is just to die for. Faffed around for a couple of sessions trying to clip the bolt off the boss before a friend pointed out that you can clip it after moving right, so I temporarily stopped being a wimp and got it done.
The Bulge 8a, Kilnsey. Got a great spraydown before going up the first time which definitely knocked a couple of sessions off. I really enjoyed the sequence coming out of the groove, lovely techy climbing, and then into that little half rest before the meat. I was pretty boxed so skipped the mid-crux clip, then, now being totally boxed, nearly binned the move to the chains. Glad I found enough energy to claw the rope into the belay as it would have been an absolute monster of a fall from there.
The Currant 8a+, Moat Buttress WCJ. Lime? ✔️Traversing? ✔️Arbitrary? ✔️ Had loads of early season sessions on this, including lots of early, pre-work sessions to try and get some decent conditions on it. Such a fun process working out a sequence (and then re-qorking it as holds broke off), and WCJ is magical in the early morning when it’s just you and the swans, with that little floaty mist on the river.
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Wings for Life 8a, Leonidio. Had a really fun trip out there in October with my partner Michelle and some Bristol pals (inc. Duma), and this route was the icing on the cake. I just love this style where you’re hanging around in knee bars, getting massively pumped and generally having a great fight. Ended up getting it done as my last proper route of the trip, and was able to bathe in that sweet glow of success all the way home.
Burning Fingers 8a, Calpe. Me and Michelle had a bit of an unexpected trip to Costa Blanca at the end of 2022/start of 2023. I’d been gearing up for a winter of bouldering so was completely unfit, so going out sport climbing was kind of nice in a way because there were no expectations. Michelle ended up with a project here so I was flitting around ticking off bits and pieces at the crag, usually in a session or two. To be honest none of the routes individually stand out that much, but it was so much fun supporting her through her proj and generally enjoying the mix of people we met at the crag.
Pope star 7c, Leonidio. I think I’m still pumped from this. Such good tufa questing, and a totally outrageous position from the moment you step off the ledge at the start. Had I been a bit fitter and/or a bit less shit at onsighting it would have been a good first go proposition, but as it was I had a lot of fun clawing my way up it second go.
Top three DWS
Adrenochrome 8a, Lulworth. One of my best ever climbing experiences. In my mind I’d put this route on a bit of a pedestal, so going ground up, slowly realising it was doable for me, and then gradually working my way higher and higher over a week or so was incredible. Pure, unadulterated DWS, straight to the vein.
A ~6b crack somewhere off a beach near Moraira on the Costa Blanca. Amazing adventure with Michelle on this one. It was getting towards the end of our Costa Blanca trip and I’d been scoping out some potential off some of the beaches. We ended up hiring a couple of SUPs for the day then went on a mission to see if we could find anything. It turned out to be a lot further than we thought to get to the cliff we’d scoped out, and as we rounded the headland the wind picked up a bit and visions of getting blown out to sea in a pair of swimming shorts reared large in my mind. Sticking close to the cliff line we quested on a little further until I found a line that didn't look too terrifying, and via some SUP acrobatics managed to hop on the line and get it done. In the end it was fairly straightforward climbing, but exploring that bit of the coast was mega. It’d be a great spot to explore a bit more thoroughly in October/November time when it’s a bit warmer and the sea is calmer.
Lulworth DWS work trip. Not a route as such, but after a mint week of DWS in Pembroke in 2022 I wanted to do something similar this year. A few people from work were also keen so we hired a little airbnb near Lulworth. For most of the other people on the trip they’d done very little DWS before, so getting to take everyone on a tour of all the classics was amazing. Watching your pals do Freeborn Man for the first time, as a route close to their OS limit, was wicked!
Top spankings
Subculture 8a, Kilnsey. Apparently this is one of the easier 8as at Kilnsey but it didn’t feel like it! The whole thing just feels hard, painful, and generally not that fun. Maybe I just need to try a bit harder? Or maybe just try some routes which are more fun.
Wedding planning, or lack there-of.
Top non-climbing
Mountain Heritage Trust and climbing-history.org (https://climbing-history.org/). I became a trustee on the board this year and it’s been great meeting everyone else there who’s similarly passionate about the history of climbing and mountaineering in the UK. Similarly, I’ve really enjoyed pootling away on ch, whether it’s building new features on the site or trawling through old mags for tid-bits. There’s something very satisfying about finding a grainy little pic of someone making an FA, or some anecdote about where a route got it’s name from (e.g. Hooligan at Raven Tor (https://climbing-history.org/climb/1621/hooligan))
Getting the van sorted. In reality it wasn’t actually much work as a friend did all the leg work for us (and did a mint job), but it’s been so good having a van again. It’s so good for weekends away and gives you so much flexibility. Maybe that’s just middle age speaking though.
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Best of 2023
BOULDER
100 Bananas 7B+ - Not so secret crag near Ilkley
This is a pretty special problem. It just climbs so well, Knacky, powerful, subtle, all that's great about grit. I was desperate to do it as I thought it would get banned but with the recent agreed access hopefully it can be enjoyed by all going forward.
Block Arete 7B - Ilkley
Under appreciated line right there in plain sight. The top might need a quick scrub but once clean this old classic is great. Felt impossible on first acquaintance but its all there, just need to trust those smears. Landing needs a few pads but its close to the car park.
Bad Moon Rising 7B - Thorn Crag
A near perfect boulder in the finest of settings. As the sun dipped towards the horizon over the Irish Sea at 'Golden Hour' I managed this in a few goes to cap a memorable day.
UK TRAD
Gigantic E8 - Wilton
THE hard Lancs route IMO. When I started climbing in the quarries in the early 90's this was so far away from what might be possible. I'd looked at this a few times but with no real conviction, in the end it just needed a proper concerted effort over 2 sessions. On the same day I held Lincoln's ropes on the possible FA of the direct finish - Phil Kelly got in touch with Adam and apparently Gaskin's claimed this and the other LGP of linking Chocolate Girl into Ginormous. Gigantic is around 7c+, Ginormous 8a/8a+ and the Chocolate Ginormous link about 8b or so? Gaskins could quite possibly have done them?
Elvis E5 - Langdale
I didn't do a great deal of trad on sighting this year as I was away travelling in Eastern Europe all summer with the missus. Made a quick head point of The Beatles next door which isn't a great route and then decided to have a crack at this. Glad I did as it put up just the right amount of resistance. Punchy, well protected although its hard won and on great features and rock. A mini classic.
Last Temptation E6 - Thorn Crag
Had wanted to do this for years, there's a great photo of Dave Pegg on the FA. I decided to have a flash go at this as opposed to an OS or ground up ascent. Mainly because I wanted to do it 1st try but didn't think i'd be able to OS the gear. So I watched Sutty and Tanya TR it and Sutty demonstrated the gear so I knew how it climbed and the gear to take. In the end it was quite eventful for a short route. I placed the 1st 2 wires then down climbed. Next go I committed and tried to place a tiny cam but fumbled it and it dropped out the crack but I caught it in the crook of my arm. Managed to grab it in my teeth and stuff it in better, now 2 cams were buried but the outer 2 were only just in contact with the rock. At this point I was starting to pump out and couldn't decide wether to clip and risk the piece failing or to retreat to the bomber wire below. Anyway Sutty shouted go for it Nez its only 1 move and you're in so I clipped the cam and made the moves pretty much redlining. Afterwards I felt I'd got away with one as there was only that half in cam between me and the ground as its such a short route - perfectly formed though.
UK SPORT
Conehead 8a+ - Malham Upper Tier
This is a marmite route I think. Some people rate it and others think it's gash. I think its great. Utterly perplexing on the first few goes but for me it was all about learning to use the barnacle cluster! It's sharp but I never once split on it although you can't have many goes at the crux you can work the rest of it fine. The successful RP was one of those perfect moments when it all comes together, good conditions, feeling strong, climb really well and efficiently and have absolutely nothing left in the tank. All shared with a great crew as it was quite popular this year.
Stolen 8b - Kilnsey
In contrast this left me feeling quite empty. It was my hardest of the year and I had earmarked it as my main goal for the year so why the lack of satisfaction? I think its because I was fed up with Cold Steal and on the successful go I climbed it really badly but somehow scratched up it.
Superblue 7b+ - Creag Nan Luch
This is a cracking little route set in the wild landscape of the far NW. I love that area and with convenient sport climbing I can get my fix on days off from Munro bagging with the missus.
ABROAD
Chasin The Trane 7c - Frankenjura
I love a bit of history with my routes and this one is quite historical. Impressive stuff by Bacher in '81. Snatched first red point on a quick stopover on the way to Croatia. Nails for 7c
Proba Baletu 7b - Zakopane, Poland
Spent a couple of weeks or so in Zakopane and caught up with a local friend I met on the Norwegian oil rigs. He was always keen for me to visit him and his home town and whilst the main event is obviously in the High Tatras there's also some good valley cragging. This was the route he most wanted me to try and to see if I could OS it...I did, just! As the name suggests (Ballet Class/Rehearsal) its very technical on perfect little pockets and with a tough crux right at the top.
Triglav - Slovenia
Trekked hut to hut for 4 days in the Julian Alps and included scrambling up Triglav. Its bloody busy but we were blessed with perfect weather and its an impressive peak. One of the highlights of a 10 week tour of Eastern Europe.
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Top 3 boulder problems Font:
Aparte, Apremont Sully - a surprising and enthralling find after a much needed skin-resting rainy morning and a surprise nausea bout that alleviated enough to work out this beautiful varied problem.
Les Certitudes, Rocher Aux Demoiselles - the first problem after the weather switched and cooled down and my skin recovered and I really started to getting to grips with Font climbing and my inspiration there. Bloody great.
La Dalle Au Triangle Rouge, Justice De Chambergeot - I had to do at least one gratton death problem, and it happened to be this one. Very satisfying.
Top 3 climbs UK:
Wet Market, Fachwen - One of two challenging UK boulder problems I did in the entire year. A great one to work as it's consistently hard but never desperate.
Puma, Wilton 1 - Done during the lone autumn week where I finally stopped fucking around with mattocks and brooms and started focusing on climbing again, before I sprained my toe and the weather gashed out. I'd built Puma up in my mind and then climbed it very well which was nice.
Popcorn, Lime Kiln Quarry - One of two challenging UK sport routes I did in the entire year. Actually a retro-flash / amnesia-point with the essential prior knowledge of "It's hard for the grade and there's some cruxes between the breaks". I'd had a decent afternoon sampling bolehillbilly's new wares at the crag, and set off with the only expectation of "have a good fight and take a decent fall", well only one of those came true. Again I think I climbed it well.
Top 3 6 9 spankings:
Continued relapse of chronic depression (seemingly quite on trend this year).
Several sporadic mental health breakdowns.
Remaining single (a state I take to like a cat to water) due to my own ineffectiveness.
Worst climbing year for 2 decades.
Almost no trad successes at all and didn't even place gear in Wales / Lakes
Comfort zone shrunk to the size of a gnat's scrotum
Swapping golfer's elbow for tennis elbow with strained gracillis, sprained toe, and crunchy shoulder as support acts
Consistently declining and weaker in every climbing and weights measure
Got too obssessed with Lancs cleaning, fatigued my shoulders, fucked the whole summer season.
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Top trips
– Easter in Font, nice to bump into several folk from yesteryear
– Ogawayama, primarily a pilgrimage to marvel at the ‘impossible slab’. Horrible conditions though.
Top boulders
Onde de Choc (7B), Apremont, – best problem I’ve done in the forest, and nice to get it second go. Old nemesis Carnage went first try this trip; hadn't tried Berezina before so pleased to scrabble up that one without too much an epic. In true Font style, the hardest of the bunch was Charcuterie (6C).
Top spankings
– Misread the topo for impossible slab in Ogawayama and somehow thought a V14 was a V2. Destroyed all skin sliding down it.
– Somewhat harrowing experience on an Ogawayama ‘highball V3’. The splitter crack at about 6m turned out to be an open seam followed by an endless egg topout covered in moss. Then a massive thunderstorm rolled in. Resorted to bridging into an adjacent tree, but it still felt like solid E5. Would have asked for a rescue had there been anyone around. Walked back to the lodge in torrential rain where the family were waiting; when my young son saw me he burst into tears.
– Stacked it from the top of Big Boss, missed the pad and landed on my arse. Pretty sore for a month after that!
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Subculture 8a, Kilnsey. Apparently this is one of the easier 8as at Kilnsey but it didn’t feel like it! The whole thing just feels hard, painful, and generally not that fun. Maybe I just need to try a bit harder? Or maybe just try some routes which are more fun.
Sack it off. I regret not knocking this down to 1 star in Northern Rock. It's objectively rubbish. The punchy start to the rest is good but then you've got this arbitrary traverse to a chain in the arse end of nowhere.
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Subculture 8a, Kilnsey. Apparently this is one of the easier 8as at Kilnsey but it didn’t feel like it! The whole thing just feels hard, painful, and generally not that fun. Maybe I just need to try a bit harder? Or maybe just try some routes which are more fun.
Sack it off. I regret not knocking this down to 1 star in Northern Rock. It's objectively rubbish. The punchy start to the rest is good but then you've got this arbitrary traverse to a chain in the arse end of nowhere.
Good knowledge, the thumb looks mint so that might be the target for next year.
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‘It’s obviously not world class, but would be nice to have a reasonable go at the local stuff when visiting the parents.
The arête is definitely world class, long live the gorge 👀
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Top three boulder probs, UK
Really struggling to remember doing anything not on the circuit.
Jonathan Livingstone Steel Fingers/ Chiddo Libido Crook Hill
Not been up here for 18 years, fun session, perfect conditions on a cold crisp day afternoon after a crap morning. Both felt about 7A. Nice name Si!
Top three boulder probs, abroad
First trip for quite a few years, first non-font bouldering trip. Great company, beautiful place.
Randy's Slab, Brione 7B
Really enjoyed this brilliant vertical arete, felt quite stiff but went down ok. Ego further boosted by partners' failing.
There is no spoon, Brione 7B
An hour previous, we had a fun twenty minute session in the morning sun, trying this cool frictionless scoop, before my partners gave up and moved on, while I moved into siege mode. Despite in theory 'suiting me', took more than I can recall giving suitable 7Bs in the past. Really took everything I had and more, fell off every single move repeatedly. The despair at sliding off the topout on the penultimate go was perhaps the year's most intense moment.
Black Mirror, Brione 6b+ / E4 6a
Another suitability match, great looking slab in a stunning location, just about highball at the crux then soloing. After some preliminaries stacked the mats and committed, very unexpectedly fell off, took the longest fall for years, thankfully didn't crook my back. Got back on and went fine. Watch the lichen!
Top three trad routes/soloes UK
Pretty sure I only did three proper trad routes this year.
Jabberwocky, E2, Cwm Silyn
Was not on my radar at all, suggested by partner. UKC showed no ascents since a huge rockfall in 2020. Took a gamble and had the best mountain day out of the year. Pitch 2 pretty full on and E3 6a in my book unless you can reach past the move - felt like a big devious E5 with slightly easier moves. Some great moments of silence on the belays with just the ravens cronking. Topped out to the ridge n'all, Eryri magic.
Quartz Icicle, E2, Gogarth
Proof that God is a route-setter, great situation, threatens to get hard but throws just enough positive crumbs your way, brilliant. Sunstroke on top belay (second route of day) so 'escaped' across Dream in a bit of a daze.
Top three sport routes UK
Don't recall clipping a bolt this year.
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Nope. Let's call Scotland abroad. Had an incredible week on Skye for Bonjoy's fiftieth, staying in the Coruisk hut. Really magical, highlights included kayaking out to meet Nige in a flat blue calm, loads of scrambling with Cofe, big team ascent of the Dubh ridge. The party had some grades in hand but it was not without interest. Hastily downclimbed the ab(!), then over Caisteal a' Garbh Choire and round to Gars Bheinn, 29 years since my last visit. Eagles and Divers aplenty. Good craic, good times, thanks Jon.
Top three new route/prob put up
Not that I recall.
Top Spankings
Brione. First bouldering trip for years, as much as I knew it would be more physical than I like I was still surprised by the physicality and my inability to cope. Banged my elbow last ditch training at the wall two days previous, got more and more painful over the week, ended up in hospital on my return. Basically stopped bouldering for six months.
THE. FUCKING. WEATHER.
I don't think it's just me, the last six months have been awful even by UK standards. Acquired a van, attempted to go on a family road trip through Wales. It rained, it blew, it was shit. Decided I prefer tents anyway. One goal this year was to get the boy into the mountains. Failed. Barely climbed, telescope mothballed, house is full of mould. Not done a winter route since 2018.
Other good stuff.
Mental health generally ok. Business etc buiser than I'd like. Had fun getting back into orienteering with the boy after a 35 year break. Ticked snowboarding my street off the bucket list. Fun day shooting rope access on the Dome. Lots of peering at magnified objects, mostly the very small (see above), through an enviable variety of scopes. Acquired a Kern DKM1 'mountaineer's' theodolite, restored it, surveyed a load of trigpoints and generated a huge spreadsheet of data giving me (the original intention) a great empirical appreciation of atmospheric refraction at the horizon, and therefore a better ability to weigh some of the more arcane arguments in archeoastronomy. BOOM.
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Subculture 8a, Kilnsey. Apparently this is one of the easier 8as at Kilnsey but it didn’t feel like it! The whole thing just feels hard, painful, and generally not that fun. Maybe I just need to try a bit harder? Or maybe just try some routes which are more fun.
Sack it off. I regret not knocking this down to 1 star in Northern Rock. It's objectively rubbish. The punchy start to the rest is good but then you've got this arbitrary traverse to a chain in the arse end of nowhere.
Agree this is rubbish really. It's all extremely spanny and I don't really like the slab culture traverse. Do complete control (softest 8a you'll ever do as a short person) and dead calm instead. The thumb is also ace, and you'll make very short work of that if you found the bulge OK.
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Subculture 8a, Kilnsey. Apparently this is one of the easier 8as at Kilnsey but it didn’t feel like it! The whole thing just feels hard, painful, and generally not that fun. Maybe I just need to try a bit harder? Or maybe just try some routes which are more fun.
Sack it off. I regret not knocking this down to 1 star in Northern Rock. It's objectively rubbish. The punchy start to the rest is good but then you've got this arbitrary traverse to a chain in the arse end of nowhere.
You can easily climb to the Myra Hindley belay which extends the climbing but no extra difficulty and a better finish.
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Top three sport routes
Not that I recall.
Just remembered, toproped Monopoly, think I flashed it. Good climbing.
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‘It’s obviously not world class, but would be nice to have a reasonable go at the local stuff when visiting the parents.
The arête is definitely world class, long live the gorge 👀
The arête in particular gave me a spanking despite previously having had the knack.
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So great to see everyone's achievements over the year - always a great motivator and I always find a few gems for the ticklist in this thread too.
Top 3 Boulder Problems
Brad's Wall, Stanton
Inspired to look at this again by the Wedge video of Jim climbing it. Gave a couple of really great days out on two of the only good days this winter. Morning swim in Barbrook Reservoir, big slice of cake in Calver and then sunny afternoons puzzling out the best way to shuffle around on the crimps. Magic.
Flint eatswood, The P
Notable for two reasons; it was the first day of the year when my finger felt like it could actually tolerate small holds, and I found a particularly pleasing sequence. Technically subtle, with a foot swap that made me think of Dawes' helicopter analogy and a great last move involving a jump from a thumb Gaston. Plus, soft.
Zarzamorza, Albarracin
Not for the problem itself, which is an overrated, over-polished boulder, but as a reminder to myself to know when to stop. This was almost the first boulder problem of 2023. Since Oct 2022 I'd been struggling with a very sore middle finger, limping along and trying to train. This was the problem when it became horribly apparent that I'd need to take rehab more seriously. Once back from Spain I didn't boulder again until June and I'm sure it would have been less bad if I'd just had the sense to not climb!
Top 2 Routes
Mike Tyson, Berdorf
After several months of picking up extremely small weights, I started to feel like mid-grade climbing was back on the cards and we had a short (see later) trip to The Frankenjura, via Berdorf. Would recommend Berdorf for a short stay; can be busy but has a Southern Sandstone on steroids vibe that I liked. Plus, you get to see the hilariously tiny "Tallest Waterfall in Luxembourg".
This was the pick of ticks from my two days there; a mad double dyno that I assumed was the crux, followed by the actual crux - which to my weakened body felt like a font 7b boulder problem. Given it's on a 7b+ it was probably about font 6a, but was a great sequence pulling through a roof on tiny crimps and big heels. Would have chosen the incredible 7c arete of Bobby Brown, but I couldn't do it!
Hard Torque, Lammergeier Buttress
One of the things I love most about climbing is that, if you can let go of your ego, you can have exactly the same amount of fun out of shape as you can when climbing well. This provided an absolute limit experience for me, slapping desperately off a tiny undercut when pumped out of my mind. I couldn't rest anywhere so blasted from the start without chalking and got to the top by the skin of my teeth. Fucking brilliant. Sadly, it was also the day I realised that I was going too fast with the finger rehab progress, which is why there are only two routes here...
Top Spankings
The Cod Finger
I mean, I know I've been injured a lot, but this year sucked. After stopping climbing in Jan, by mid-may I could still only pick up 10kg with my injured hand without pain. I think the slow progress was in part caused by climbing so much through pain, which created quite a strong mind-body connection. In April I had the weird experience of having a right-hand-only session at the wall, which made my left middle finger swollen the next day!
Thanks so much to James from the Whitehouse and Huffy who have slowly got me back together, and to Dave Mason who gave me something productive to do whilst injured. Feels like I'm heading in the right direction for 2024...
Summer Holidays
Like many others on here, 2024 was a tough year for various reasons. Our Berdorf/FJ trip was a particular low point. We just made it to the FJ in time to have dinner with Ru and family, before a phone call led to us turning around and driving straight home in order to put our cat down. She'd been with us over 16 years and we're the stereotypical pet-as-kid-replacement family, so it was a shit few weeks when we were expecting a good few weeks.
Bobby Brown, Berdorf
This is an amazing line that also climbs brilliantly. Like a bolted grit or Nesscliffe E7. Really cool and improbable starting sequence on pockets, with a technical and balancy arete section high up. Would be three stars anywhere and one to go back to, but I dropped it over and over, falling off every move you can conceivably fall off. Will stop off here on the drive to Germany next year, just for this.
Overall, there were some nice moments, and lots to look forward to in 2024. Bring it on!
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big team ascent of the Dubh ridge. The party had some grades in hand but it was not without interest. Hastily downclimbed the ab(!), then over Caisteal a' Garbh Choire and round to Gars Bheinn
I did this back in 2008 and loved it. Very memorable, especially since we started in completely the wrong place and were soloing around on hot greasy rock in walking boots trying to find the slabby bit.
There's a nice poem from an SMC guidebook:
Said Maylard to Solly, one day in Glen Brittle,
“All serious climbing, I vote, is a bore;
Just for once I Dubh Beag you’ll agree to do little,
And, as less we can’t do, let’s go straight to Dubh Mor.”
So now, when they seek but a day’s relaxation,
With no thought in the world but of viewing the views,
And regarding the mountains in mute adoration,
They call it not “climbing” but “doing the Dubhs.”
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Very much enjoyed reading all of these, keep them coming; hopefully you've gone a bit early here though Stu!
Like many others on here, 2024 was a tough year for various reasons.
Top 3 Boulder Problems
Renaissance, Baildon- A day out with Matt and Barney the labrador as a grim winter finally started to lift, so nobody cared that it was far too hot in the sun. I'd wanted to do this since seeing the videos making the rounds. It was as good as it looks and deserves sustained attention, the top move being particularly good if you're on the short side. Its also obviously not 7B+ as appears to have been widely accepted; nearer 7A+.
Fish Arete Sit, Wimberry On a previous visit to Wimberry, admittedly on a slightly warm day, I complained on here about how I couldn't do the 7A stand to this and how overrated it was. Despite getting up it later in the day, I stand by those criticisms. I had a play on the sit and rated it but couldn't do it in the warmth. However, a few weeks later I saw a forecast for 65% humidity, cold and dry, and shifted work around. One of those magical grit days where falling off feels impossible, I smashed around the crag in the dog in tow, despatching everything I put my pads under and gradually moving up the hill. After one go on the sit I knew I should do it and duly did after a brief rest, the lower part feeling easy but only just holding the top jug with a satisfying grunt. I've never done a sit start that so utterly transforms a problem from average to brilliant. The whole day was one of the best I've had on grit; flashing Stateside with the chip and then without the chip 2 goes later was especially satisfying, as was Winsome and Dark Matter. One of those days where the 10 years I've spent learning how to climb on grit was worth it and I just turned up, executed and claimed the prizes!
Spare Rib, Stanton Moor
Another one that falls under a great day. My partner and dog were in Derbyshire for a Christmas get together but I negotiated dropping them off and going climbing in the daytime in the mint cons before meeting them later. I met Duncan and Flo in the woods and did Science Friction and Eyes to the Skies before we went to try Spare Rib. I'd had a session before but never felt close and it had felt high. Having arrived and put the pads under it I went first and found myself on the top sidepulls before lashing to the top and holding it. More proof that gritstone is 90% about conditions. On the way out I stopped under Brads Rib which had previously felt 8B; after a comprehensive descrittling I whaled over the top which if anything was even better.
Top 3 Sport Routes
All UK as I haven't climbed abroad this year.
Man With A Gun & Bullet, Kilnsey
Having these together as somehow I ticked them in the same tie in! I just about made it to the MWAG belay second go of the day and felt knackered. However, I'd been working Bullet too and knew what to do so reasoned I might as well have a go. I got a fair bit back in the bridged rest but couldn't shake the dull pumped feeling from my arms. I climbed the crux pretty much perfectly and landed on the jugs with a bit of a shout. Normally the top section would be a formality but the pump returned with a vengeance and I took about 10 minutes to climb the last few draws, resorting to skipping the last as the energy drained and only just hitting the jug at the top. Even then I had to shake out for a while before clipping the belay. Mega.
Maglite, Malham
I put the extra bolt in this last year having reasoned that it would be good to be able to climb the upper bit of Magnetic Fields, which is about 7b/+ and really good, without the desperate Magnetic start. I spotted a line of weakness and after some fiddling about over a few sessions had a sequence which didn't feel too bad, although it was very technical. However adding in the Overnite start made a big difference and I fell off the linking section for probably 4 sessions, in admittedly very poor conditions most of the time. Finally the conditions started to turn and I got through the traverse with a huge effort and fortunately didn't fall off the upper section. Its only a linkup, and only one bolt of new climbing at that, but I was really pleased to have made a contribution to the country's best crag, even if it is only a very small one. God knows how hard it is; I initially thought it was 7c+, now I and others think its 8a+! I also think its quite good!
Last Days, Gordale
After the shit summer weather and 4 weddings in quick succession torpedoed my season this was a great late summer tick. Mike was on Last Days so joined him on that. Had a good working go as a warm up, did all the moves and remembered the Dogpoint section. Did not feel fit. Mike smoothly RPd it and I just about made it through the halfway crux on Dogpoint despite feeling tired. Shook out for an eternity before tackling the roof. An upside down biner on the long draw in the roof meant a lot more hanging around than was ideal, before I completely forgot my sequence to get to the mega jugs which meant I was absolutely terminally boxed by the time I attained the jugs. I shook out for ages, on terrain which you would find on a Lakes VS, but it became apparent this was as good as it was going to get. The top section is two fairly straightforward grooves that wouldn't be out of place on an E2 but I was absolutely haggard at this point and made a total meal of it. I nearly came off every single move and had to resort to a variety of totally improvised shakeouts as I remembered what to do. Finally I arrived at the top hold which had felt decent on the dogging go. Unfortunately it was unholdable in my fucked state and with disgust I realised that after fighting for 20 minutes on easy climbing I was going to drop it with my hand on the top of the crag. Resisting the inevitable I attempted to shakeout and magically my left hand dropped into a bomber fingerlock in the crack which made a shakeout plausible. I gibbered onto the water worn smooth rib at the top of the crag and fought to stay on as I put a draw in the belay and shook out again before committing to pulling up the rope and clipping it. As I lowered off I was drenched in sweat and totally bolloxed. I haven't been that tired on a route since attempting to climb in Rodellar. This is one of the best 7cs in Yorkshire; a worthy companion to New Dawn and Dominatrix in a 7c Triple Crown.
Top 3 Trad Routes
Slim pickings this year due to weather, dog responsibilities and general lack of effort perhaps. However some good evenings in the quarries which I really enjoyed.
Isle of White, Wilton 1
Really rated this, a worthy companion to White Slabs Bunt but a fair bit bolder. I definitely concentrated harder than usual but enjoyed it all the way and its always good to do that hero finishing section again.
Loopy, Wilton
With a friend visiting from Tasmania, who had done it first and taken the gear out, which I guess made mine a flash. I climbed the first bit fine and thought it was in, but got insanely pumped on the crimps on the slab and only just made it, latching the final crimp in front of my face just as I started to topple backwards. Great fight.
Nose Climb, Eastby
It was too hot to try Ill Gotten Gains properly so I spent the afternoon soloing around. This was probably the pick of the bunch; airy, great moves, varied and perfect rock. What a route.
Life
The big change was my partner and I getting a dog. After some extremely tiring initial weeks he settled in really well and now I can't imagine the house without him. He's sat next to me on the sofa as I type this! Despite being knackered all the time and some fairly big compromises having to be made with my climbing, having a dog has really enriched my life and I'm very glad we finally took the plunge.
The years PhD work has oscillated between steady and incredibly stressful but I'm still keeping on and am overall not totally hating it yet. It was a great experience visiting Delhi for archival work even if I did get the inevitable food poisoning.
Spankings
Unjustified
Really this is part of the wider weather spanking which everyone has been forced to endure. I would have done this in the spring and was probably one good conditions day away when it got ridiculously hot and I had to sack it off. The winds were never right after that and by the time they turned it was wet and never dried. Its a bastard to get in condition but I still don't think its that hard...hopefully next year will see me seal the deal.
The Bulge I really don't rate this route (sorry Remus!). I find the section out of the initial corner awkward, the 'rest' shit and the top section good but not not good enough to compensate for the averageness I've endured. I've had numerous sessions and never got close. I had a few more this year and still didn't. I feel like I'll have to tick it at some point as its a classic but I don't get the hype personally.
Attic Wall, My House
I noticed this was getting a bit damp in the spring and arranged for a roofer to have a look. He diagnosed that next doors chimney was in appalling order and needed repointing. He did the work and re ridged my roof while he was at it. Once he was done I scraped the entire wall and redecorated it. I thought I'd sorted it but as the winter has worsened the wall is getting damp again, in different places, staining my hard applied paintwork and possibly even worse than the first time round! No idea whats going on but will try again this year...
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The Bulge I really don't rate this route (sorry Remus!). I find the section out of the initial corner awkward, the 'rest' shit and the top section good but not not good enough to compensate for the averageness I've endured. I've had numerous sessions and never got close. I had a few more this year and still didn't. I feel like I'll have to tick it at some point as its a classic but I don't get the hype personally.
I'll take solace in burning you off ;D
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Great thread. Already psyched for 2024
Top three boulder problems, UK
-Roof of Baby Buddha, Got close to this about 4 years ago and did a pulley. I went back this spring for a look on a damp day and came away feeling despondent and worried I had lost all my previous boulder strength from a few years back. I returned on a whim this autumn and felt strong and with half an hour I had done it. It is a really great bloc.
-SubMoron-Shropshire Lass, and In His Head connections. Similarly, start of the year felt miles off repeating SubMoron, but this winter have felt a bit stronger and got out of the roof, and managed to hold it together for the longer link. Went back while the iron was hot and week after did the In His Head link. Nice to get s 8A's before Xmas.
-Spikeful. Always wanted to do stuff on these walls. Was on the comeback in the summer from a tweaky finger and had a beaut day over in the pass and went to Cwm Glas area. Tried this Ground Up to start with but was struggling to commit. Feels quite necky with no spotters as if you land badly you could fall off the next tier, and its quite tall. Dropped a rope down to find the holds, and then did it. Sharp holds but a cool little route.
Top four trad routes/solos UK
Didn't do much trad again this year (only 3 routes :wall: ) which I want to rectify in 2024 but did a few bits.
- Booby Prize. With more trad flow and some sport fitness would have fancied a flash burn on this but with neither and a virus I felt lucky to come away with anything. Top roped it day 1 and then next day felt perkier, so before we drove home led it placing the kit on lead.
- Colossus. A mate had always wanted to do this so went to do it with him. Was pretty wet and suprised it get as classic a status as it does. Quite adventurous for essentially a badly bolted dangerous sport route.
- Gates of Mordor. Was trying Top Loader and at end of day whipped round just because I've missed onsighting. Qute fun to try to race up this and remember what is fun about on sight climbing.
- We 'Ad a Look. Wanted to repeat Heel Hook Look DWS. Turns out we did this, but still really good.
Top three sport routes UK
- The Shining, Diamond. Tactical dog, then blew it first RP. Good rest then did it 2nd in the evening sunset glow. Perfect.
- Terrible Thing, Breakwater. Climbs really well.
- Arch Enemies. Classy route. Tried to do Sworn few weeks later and got super close but ripped a big flapper.
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Good to get back into swing of euro lime 8a scenes. Did 8 8's abroad I think
Top spankings/Thefts
Felt like I had a great year for actually climbing lots again but felt like recurring theme was nearly doing stuff but not quite getting over the line for one reason or another. Don't really see these as failures and super psyched for them all next year..
- Sworn Enemies
- The Medium, Nearly did in a session, top roped clean and then on lead fell with fingers tickling edge. Didn't get back.
-The Thumb, went for tactical dog and felt good on it, but decided to bin it at the lip 3 times. Next morning felt broken so bailed and didn't go back.
-Insomnia. Failed to do first move (Broken Dreams crux) . In frustration pulled on after this move and went for a link and did to the top, so should really do this next year.
- Bat route, failed to even go to Malham. Never helps . . .
- Dream Topping, Tried early season and was a bit wigged out to go full beans on lead. Lead it on pre placed kit in 3 sections. and top roped in 2, doable but its 8a and bit of a bastard if you go all ethical and have to strip kit after each failed attempt. (Ideally just do it first go, but that probably requires more time practising)
- Eye of the Tiger. Quick sesh between night shifts. Warm up top rope dog got m boxed, then only had time for one more go. Bottled it and went for top rope and did in one, should have done on the pre placed kit that was in.
- Trumpet Blowers. Shunt session. Really like it and want to get it done next year.
- Craic yr Maestri, same but it would take more time.
- Surreal Appeal and Painted Groove Direct. TR the latter, and came back to lead and it was wet. so TR SA instead but was super greasy so bottled the lead.
-Jeune Cassini link, only 1 session to reaqquaint but need to finish this in new year.
- Madness Reigns at Dyserth. Nails. 8a+ i reckon
- Badger Badger, keen to get this finsihed in early new year.
Top non-climbing
Life slowly getting easier with kids.
God job everyone, been some good readng. And happy NY 2024!
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Also forgot the top spanking on L'ami Caouette at Ceuse. Had a cool last minute trip to join some friends. Ceuse hasn't been on radar for years and was so cool to be back. Put all my pennies in for L'ami Caouette, and it basically felt to me V9 into a tricky/pumpy Fr7c+ with no rest. 8a+ all day for me. Only made it through the boulder prob on session 4 and then pumped out half way up the route. Fingers were feeling tweaky from the bloc, so bailed. Complete anti style so probably good for me to spend some time on it. Had a dog up a wet Souers Froides on last day which gets 8a+ and felt way easier and more my style . Should have gone on that from the start.
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L'Ami Caouette is 8a+ in my opinion. For my size fingers the start boulder is at least 7B (I don't have many 7B to compare with since I don't really boulder outdoors but at least as hard as some benchmarks I'd done around the same time). The rest after is good, but it is for sure 7c+ to the top after the boulder. I fell several times on the top bit, and I can usually keep it together well. Compared to other routes on Demi-Lune it is about as hard as Le poinçonneur des lilas and Femme Blanche.
To quote one of the more notorious downgraders in France:
A moins d'une méthode miracle au départ je suis plutôt d'accord avec le 8a plus, quelle daubante ensuite!
(Unless there's some miracle beta at the start, I tend to agree with the 8a plus, really pumpy afterwards!)
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Also, not sure whether it was sensible or not, but i wasn't using that rest to the right after the bloc.
Compared to some other 7B's i can think of it's harder! I wouldn't argue with 7B+/C for the bloc.
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Also, not sure whether it was sensible or not, but i wasn't using that rest to the right after the bloc.
Compared to some other 7B's i can think of it's harder! I wouldn't argue with 7B+/C for the bloc.
If the start boulder is 7B+ it would be a quite hard 8a+ in my opinon. It is possible. I did Ami a few years ago and the start was already very slippery, and Demi lune is getting polished to glass. Likewise I found the start of Femme Blanche/Noire/Chirurgien de Crépuscule much harder than ten years ago. The first time I did that start, I flashed it, 7 years later I had to project it, and a few years later I could not do it. I might just getting old though... But I've heard that even the start of Biographie is polished and much harder nowadays.
I very much doubt that taking the rest out right or not change the difficulty of L'ami. Maybe a quarter grade at most. For strong people it makes sense to just charge and get on with it, for fit people it makes sense to rest 🤷🏼♂️
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The Cod Finger
I mean, I know I've been injured a lot, but this year sucked. After stopping climbing in Jan, by mid-may I could still only pick up 10kg with my injured hand without pain. I think the slow progress was in part caused by climbing so much through pain, which created quite a strong mind-body connection. In April I had the weird experience of having a right-hand-only session at the wall, which made my left middle finger swollen the next day!
Best wishes for the continued rehab! That phenomenon of your finger swelling in response to the other hand being worked is fascinating. I wonder though whether it might be due to some sort of non-neural systemic inflammation rather than mind body connection.
I suppose what is needed is a parabiosis test https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabiosis. Does anyone know of conjoined twins who climb? If so, one twin could climb carrying their twin with an injured finger. Then see if that finger swells.
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Interesting. Could be.
I think you’ll struggle with the ethics approval for that experiment though!
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I did naff all climbing this year due to other commitments and then injury.
Top trad
Cycled into Beinn a' Bhùird midweek in May. Saw about 6 people all day, did the munros and soloed the Cumming-Crofton Route and Squareface. I underestimated the uphill on the way in, and went a bit too hard, resulting in horrible quad cramps when I ditched the bike and started running. It eased off with some persuasion.
(https://factortwo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PXL_20230607_154324103-scaled.jpg)
Had a lovely day at Weeping Walls on Aonach Dubh in the Spring. Soloed Weeping Wall Route and led Spider Right Hand, both great little adventures.
(https://factortwo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PXL_20230422_110750985-scaled.jpg)
Other
Walked the Tour des Ecrins in September over 8 days. It's a brilliant route, every valley has its own character. September was nice and quiet, although still quite hot most days. A few sections of the trail are in poor repair, and some of the schist scree slopes would be pretty dodgy in rain or snow. Doing it in 8 days meant stringing sections together (normally done over 11/12), which made for a couple of very long days. Highly recommend the route, it would be easy to just walk sections of it and catch a bus back. Will do a proper write up at some point.
(https://factortwo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PXL_20230904_171443245-scaled.jpg)
(https://factortwo.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/PXL_20230901_114110472-scaled.jpg)
I ran the Tarmachan Ridge on my birthday, which was a lovely morning with wind and mist and a hint of rain, which is my favourite kind of weather for running.
Life
Finally got some counselling with a decent therapist. It seems to have had a very good effect. I started the year unable to open emails with feedback from fairly inconsequential exercises I was doing for a course (even though I knew I was doing fine). I'm certainly not out of the woods with anxiety (see below), but overall I've been a lot happier and far less prone to confidence spirals.
I was invited to do the Alpine Club lecture in Edinburgh in December, which was a real honour. It seemed to be well received (although I've woken up in a cold sweat worried that I rambled, or was incoherent ... ) This was the one thing in the latter part of the year that caused me real anxiety, to the point that I was genuinely concerned I might just have a panic attack during it, but as soon as I started I was fine. I reminded myself of the number of times in teaching when I had a really naughty class and still managed to deliver a decent lesson. There are lots of things I would change in the talk, but maybe I'll get a chance to deliver it again somewhere. It might go out as an episode of Factor Two at some point.
Software Dev course. I really enjoyed this, and it got me past the hurdle of knowing what I needed to learn in the future. I've been able to build some interesting tools, including an App I've been working on to help my maths students.
Spankings
I never got my head together with climbing this year, and then took time out to try to heal up an injured shoulder. Even before that I was nervous on everything, and finding it hard to commit to moves above bolts. I'm not quite sure what was going on, but hopefully I'll put it right this year.
Went for a look at Dalriada in May. Was a long way off fit enough for it, and I was nervous even on toprope. Will revisit in 2024 hopefully!
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It was a great experience visiting Delhi for archival work even if I did get the inevitable food poisoning.
Were you investigating English language archives or have you developed some pukka South Asian language skills?
Delhi is such a great city though, even taking into account the food poisoning (the food is very often worth it).
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This is, as for many, my favorite thread on here. I always enjoy reading other peoples list but in the past I’ve made a start on my own but never completed or posted them – I end up feeling a little self conscious especially as a lot of the most memorable experiences do get tied to the harder climbs, either as these are a battle to get done or a time when you climb extra well…
A few years ago my son had a major mental health crisis (I’m happy to talk about this in person but I’ll not share details online as it’s his life/story and up to him to share if he wants or not). Needless to say caring and supporting him has and still is our top priority. 2022 was very much focused on supporting him and my wife. I still managed to climb a lot (of short sessions at local venues as long as I could combine with a dog walk) but climbing did feel a bit different. This past year has felt a lot more stable for us all, he still struggles with lots of things but is slowly moving in the right direction, obv with the ups and downs and slow progress associated with mental health. As someone who has never struggled with my own mental health even to the slightest degree it’s fair to say I have a new understanding for people who do. Big up to everyone on here who has been dealing with anxiety, depression or any health issue and if anyone wants to chat to me at the crag about stuff you’ll hopefully find someone who is nonjudgmental and understanding of the impact it might have on you and your and loved ones lives.
Top 3 f.a.s
Way fewer new boulders this year but the bolting spree of short, damp coastal limestone continued.
Preiddeu Annwn 7C, Fedw Fawr.
A cool little shallow water boulder spot that me and Pete developed during a few visits. This is a fun, relatively easy traverse into a roof/cave followed by a hard boulder sequence out of it. By far the hardest set of moves I’ve done on DWS partly as I am normally way to scared to try hard. As this was approx. 20cm above the water I felt safe. It’s a lovely spot down at Fedw and on a calm, warm summers day the water is actually very inviting.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwLsxK7NTPq/?hl=en
Cool Water 8b+, Fedw Fawr.
Bolted this the year before but got a bit stuck on the slightly easier variation (sharing the first 3 bolts) in deteriorating coastal conditions. This year I finished the easier one off, which was still fun but I also felt a bit of self imposed pressure to do – I’d been so poor with my tactics the year before (largely not my fault but simply a case of summer ending and it getting wet) that I was keen not to fuck up and turn it into an epic. This one didn’t have any previous expectations and is a set of really fun, bouldery moves through a roof and along a lip. Pete also had a bunch of projs at the same crag and it’s always fun hanging out and climbing with him. Luckily his life/work commitments means he fits with my life commitments and we are able to get short sessions here together.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cwx4UUJNiDl/?hl=en&img_index=1
At some point we are going to run out of stuff to do on this bit of coast (although not yet, still plenty of new lines and crags to go at)
Twi Wig 7C+/8A, Sutton Roof.
Ace little spot. Treebeard is superb and when I climbed that a few years back I spotted a potential line through the roof. Cleaned the top wall a bit and played on those moves and then failed to get back to it for a few years. Obv in my head one of the Yorkshire locals was going to get on it at any moment. Finaly went back with a rope again and kinda managed the top wall and aided/tensioned in to fondle the roof holds. A few weeks later and Sutty had offered to come spot and then Jordan asked to come along too. Me and Jordan played on the top on a rope and unlocked the sequence. Sutty and Nez then arrived to see how we were doing. I was pretty keen to give it a go but we only had 2 or 3 pads at the crag. Sutty and Nez were really happy to walk out with me to get all the pads we had stashed in vehicles. Pad arrange, tied down spotters, rope on me to stop a 20m bounce down to the stream… and then I had a great go where the climbing clicked really well and had zero commitment issues on the top wall – it’s not super high but the drop off down to the stream does play on your mind a bit.
Top 3 sport routes
I think the only sport routes I did were at Fedw and 1 day at Benllech.
Pool Party 8a & White Horse 8a+, Fedw Fawr.
Two new ones of Petes. Are they (or any down here) any good? Who knows. Me and Pete have had a great time developing this crag and I’ve enjoyed every route I’ve done. A bunch of interesting and hard moves. Nice spot by the sea.
Dharma E7 6c, Duke’s Quarry.
Pushing the definition of sport but all the gear except a couple of easy to place wires are pegs and it kinda climbs like a slightly bold grit sport route (again a slightly weird definition!). In the past I’ve been pretty good at getting stuff done, especially in the only slightly bold genre but I guess a year or two with my head being in a strange place meant I didn’t have quite my normal resilience. Although good cons for this wall it was greasy and humid, the crux section still felt hard and I had my 75 year old 8 stone mum belaying me. Could easily have just left it for another day but told myself to get on with it, nerves disappeared as soon as I was climbing and it felt easier/more flow than the top rope go.
Top 3 boulders
My Orange 7C+, Froggatt.
The ascent was actually pretty smooth but I felt this might have got away from me a bit. Had 1 go with Sam, Jase and Adam but literally had a flash go and had to leave. Sam then did it as had most of my other mates so I though logistics might stump me – on paper the boulder suits me perfectly so I was confident I could do it. Luckily managed to drop into other crews sessions so pads and spotters were never a problem (although a tree did fall on the climb between sessions which I had to chop down). The problem was I couldn’t do it. I resorted to abbing down the top to clean and fondle the holds when I got there early one time and that did the trick.
Victorian Overmantle 7C+, Stanage.
It’s shit but it’s ace. Crap line, horrible moves. Brilliant.
Hurricane 7C, Curbar.
It’s also a bit shit. Played on it a couple of times but never been super inspired and I find it hard. Went to Curbar to look at routes but it was way to windy so slunk into the boulders. Luckily there were pads here and I found a really satisfying static way to do it. I’m also 3 weeks into the apparently massively on trend Dave Mason coaching plan (and just like Dan T I have also run an equivalent of a Bob Graham round this year but only if you take all my runs distance and add them together) and I feel stronger than ever already. “Look at me, this was piss, I did it static, chalk and blow, font 9a here I come” etc
Top 3 trad headpoints of routes from the ‘80’s
Ha, don’t know if I placed a runner in an onsight situation this year (edit I did but on nothing particularly good or tricky)
Golden Boy E5, Stoney.
This wall looks a bit meh but it actually has some good climbing. Best of the bunch. Such a nice setting.
Plectrum Maxilla Direct E7, Rubicon.
Felt this was a bit of a mystery. Rumours of harder than Caviar, missing holds… sorted it out on a rope and was then thinking of going home. Luckily Stu and Jules came by and encouraged me and offered a belay and some punter called Will had some pads I could use. Grunted up the start to the new bolt which is an ace 7B/C highball, cruised to the top. Will then pissed it after me, although once he got to the trad gear bit he did slow down.
Apoplexy E7, Milstone.
Luckily I abbed this first as the bottom arete is bolder and harder than I remembered and I would have got scared on it now. The top is fun monkey on a stick/fridge hugging. About font 6C but feels fairly balls out.
Top days out
Far fewer days out with my mates than in the past. People get jobs, kids, life shit and it gets harder and harder to all meet up. Spent many days with Pete which were all fun, a few days with Caff, a few coffees with Ray.
Panorama & Ilkley with Jase. Great couple of problems this day and nice to get out with Jase – he is always keen to climb but often struggles to get the consistency. Good to make the effort to meet in Yorks rather than expecting him to drive here all the time.
Crook Hill & Burbage West with Adam. Two dif days but good to see Adam going reasonably well again. We had a day at Black Rocks earlier in the year and I think he had been struggling with his climbing a bit/injuries/motivation/being in the right headspace. 2 big notables (sorry Adam!) were him backing off soloing a VS at Black Rocks and failing to do the Storm at Stanage. I thought the day would never come for either of those (edit he might have done the Storm, but he def didn’t retro flash it). At Crook he was enjoying the climbing and place and after what could have been a slightly frustrating struggle on the 6C arete he pissed the harder wall. Obv at West he was still lapping Westside (and I repeated it for the first time in 25 years which added to the day for me – I put it down to the Mason plan). When his feet and mind work well he can still produce the magic.
Life shit.
Getting our son back into education after a 2 year hiatus. A mainstream setting was not going to work for him so we had to go through the whole EHCP/battle the local ed authority process but he is now in a really great specialist Autism school. He’s not managing full time yet but he enjoys it there and fingers crossed it carries on like that.
Dealing with the various shit the last 2 years has chucked at us and still managing to maintain a successful happy marriage etc with neither me or my wife having any huge emotional breakdowns. This is largely due to my wife being so amazing whilst I just get on with the day to day shit of (badly) looking after the house, dogs, food etc.
Not getting too pissed off with the dick head dogs. We used to have 3 of the them, we now have 4. Who would have thought 1 more would make such a difference. He is extra annoying though.
I won’t post on the aims thread as I have no real specifics but here’s some:
Sons health still top priority as is supporting my wife who takes the majority of the mental load associated with it all.
Try to follow coaching/training plan at least to some degree, especially the stretching, yoga and conditioning. I’m not really looking to climb much harder (sure we all want to) but to make my slightly ageing body feel more resilient and put me in a place to be able to continue climbing as long as possible. Would be amazing to get to a point where I don’t hate stretching.
Career/job??
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Top three boulders UK
Darkthrone – definitely number 1. I love everything about this – the style of climbing is me all over, the height gives just the right amount of spice, and I really enjoy being in the woods there. Cold yet bright and airy, cloud inversion just tickling the bottom of the woods where frost remained on everything throughout the whole day, and great supportive friends willing me up it with their encouragement.
T-bone Wilson – I’ve really enjouyed exploring the less mainstream crags in the last few years, and that’s where you’ll usually find Fiend, a day out with whom is always memorable. I thought this one climbed particularly well.
Black Rhino – I’ve been meaning to get up to Howshaw for years. Fabulous windy conditions on a June evening mission. This is a great problem. A gritstone prow for limestone climbers who like a walk.
Top three boulders Fontainebleau
Outil de Coupe, J.A. Martin – I was finding this tough going but eventually worked out a sequence and thought I’d take a good rest before having a go from the start. I took a walk through the woods to digest the brie and baguette that I’d smashed in, but before I knew it I was totally lost in the forest! It took me about half an hour to get back to Marie who was snoozing away on the pads, feeling full of panic as I really thought I was never going to return. I needed a second lunch to calm down enough to have a go at the problem, which fortunately I still had enough energy for.
Coup de Cymbale, J.A. Martin – opposite style to the above, and much more my kinda thing. Made more fun by an uncontrolled spill from the top before doing it!
Le Pilier de sa Dame – Boutte aux Dames – I really enjoyed this area and we had a bit old day at it before making the drive home. I could have chosen about half a dozen problems from here but this one was particularly nice. Ah Fontainebleau! I hadn’t been for seven years prior to this trip – so so good.
Top four trad routes UK
Now we’re talking.
Nosey Parker, Tintwhistle Knarr – Cheque had spent a week cleaning the crag, so we went to take advantage. This route is brilliant – genuinely as good as anything at Millstone but sledom done. Quality quarried cracks in the first half lead to a good rest which is juggy enough that you can psych yourself out for the top boulder problem which is punchy and athletic with perfect gear protecting a lash for the top of the crag.
Muscular Art, Sandray – This trip was the highlight of the year for me. A quieter version of Pabbay and Mingulay, albeit without an iconic 100m high showpiece cliff. Think 15-30m single pitches and a broader spread of grades. This one goes up a beautiful clean sheet of solid gneiss, good gear and sustained climbing but nothing desperate, but really for me it represents the remoteness, tranquility, and adventure of just being there with a dozen mates. Oh and the weather was perfect for the whole week, which probably helped.
Into thin air, Crafnant - "Well, do you want a chilled day, or something we're more likely to fail on but is potentially more rewarding?" Beholden to indecision, we flicked a coin. It landed tails, and so with ours between our legs, we set course for Crafnant. The sun shone brightly through the drive, right up until we arrived, replaced by rain. Despite being otherwise rational people, we walked up through the drizzle to take a look at the crag. It stopped raining for just long enough that neither of us dared to suggest bailing: group-think overcame us and Dan set off. The Astoroth groove pitch hasn't become any less off-balance or insecure in the last five years, and so with much effort I joined Dan at the stance. Fortunately, the starting crack was visibly wet. This meant i could take a cursory look then back-off with my pride intact. Which is precisely what I proceeded to do; except upon my return to the stance, Dan expressed a willingness - nay - enthusiasm to try to find a way through the wetness. Which is precisely what he proceeded to do. With good gear placed in the crack he fiddled and cajouled with all his will, finally placing the best rock 6 on the planet to protect the crux. He then fell, too pumped to continue. He may not have opened the door all the way, but it was definitely now ajar. I'm up next. Cold from the wind and damp from the intermittent spitting, and having warmed up only my legs on the groove below, a flash-pump go sees me part way through the crux but unable to think another move let alone pull one. Dan goes again, iterative progress. The gloom of an October evening encroaches. Such fools to arrive at the crag at 3pm in autumn! I set off, pessimistic. But knowing the sequence up to our high-point means I climb decisively: crimp, cross for the undercut, crimp the side pull and lash for the jug, clip the top wire from a toe hook on the arete. My confidence increases, hardening to a deep determination: a slap and cut-loose for an out reach pinch on the arete, heel by my left hand, stay right as you take the ripple with the left, then just within my peripheral vision there's a sloper around the arete! Arms tiring so no time to think just go. The exposure intensifies the experience as I smear on the very point of this massive blade of rock, and scream as I hit the, now damp, finishing jug. A quick ab takes me back to the stance, we're really against the clock now. Dan, cold again from the incessant inclement, departs on his final go, catching the pinch, moving around for the sloper, and finally, silhouetted against the grey sky, moves from poised, into pounce, as he grabs the good holds. It's been the best part of a decade since we climbed together, yet here we are. Me making Dan put in the hardest to reach gear, me working out a sequence, both falling and heckling and trying hard and encouraging. Nothing's really changed.
Crimson cruiser, Craig y Clipau – I don’t think I can describe our experience better than my partner that day, Ramon: “I like climbing with you Reeve: we turned up, we did the best route at the crag, and now we can fuck off”
Top three trad at Annot
Spitalgie – Like climbing on very solid swiss cheese. Steep, juggy, threads and cams in pockets, and heaps of exposure.
Hand training – a pure hands splitter hidden in a cave – really classy. Best bit was Marie doing it too, although it took her four goes as she kept on having to borrow extra cams from other climbers, then accidentally leaving them on the ground.
Fan de la Reine – now this is an offwidth! About 25m tall and intimidating as anything from below! It was a bit of a circus with every man and his dog on Le Voyage, which is on the opposite wall, which only made it more intimidating. However, I was there, this crack was there, and someone leant me an extra #5 cam, so ready or not, up I went. A baby Monster OW, and no less satisfying, especially as I had to leave a cam and make a 6m run-out sprint for the top. One of my favourite experiences of the year.
Top spankings
Aberration – I can’t help but compare myself with my previous form when it comes to sport climbing, and this was the year I was going to get back to climbing 8’s in quick form. Except, I didn’t. I’d been saving this route for a flash-go for years. Turns out that I can’t redpoint the sod. Two sessions in awful sweaty cons, one in what I thought was good conditions (but I think that was just relative, others at the crag were complaining about the humidity but at least it wasn’t high 20’s!), and a last-ditch go in mid-October in between hail storms. I fell off the last hard move – accidentally using the wrong foothold – on one occasion. Stupid route. Against my better judgement, I feel compelled to return.
Circular saw – this route has managed to make it into this part of the list two years on the trot now. Last year I said “Circular Saw (E2), Kinder. An E2 offwidth on the most pebbly Kinder grit. Like dipping your ankles and arms in acid then using a pummice stone. It’s only 5 metres high and I’ve still got the top 2 metres to figure out. One for next year!” Well I made it an extra 50cm this year I think. I need to grow bigger fists for this fight.
The Weather – along with everyone else.
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Just wanted to add a well done to everyone who's shared their real talk about their and their family's struggles. Great to hear of those who are making progress, and for those who don't feel like they're getting anywhere then best of luck - keep at it - without wishing to sound trite I'm sure you will.
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Great thread, it's inspiring and entertaining to read what others are up to/have got up to during the year.
Climbing
Font, January
Had my first visit to font in the new year, stopping in on the way home from an abortive alps ski trip. Weather was a bit damp but I climbed 2 days and did enough to get keen for more. The highlight was the first afternoon spent at a deserted 91.1 doing the orange circuit. I think I saw 3 people all afternoon. By myself with just a towel, shoes/chalk and 36 low-grade boulders.. how hard can font 4 be?
After a few hours of climbing the light was fading, I'd reached the 35th problem - a grooved slab leading to a tenuous friction move and committing slap for the top. High enough above a small boulder sticking up in the fall zone that you wouldn't want to blow it without pads. I went up and down, unwilling to commit to the tenuous smear and slap for an unknown finishing hold. It did feel that I could potentially spanner myself if I fluffed this font 2+ test-piece. I was on the edge of quitting, with thoughts creeping in of 'what if I break my ankle in the middle of the forest by myself in the dark', but it felt shameful to give up on #35 out of 36 problems. So I went up again and this time committed to the smear, released my right hand and slapped for the top. I promise this next bit actually happened: mid-move as I was slapping for the top I heard my inner voice declaring 'I am Adam Long!'. :lol: I don't know why! I've met Adam once briefly and have never seen him climb. I guess it's lore of the tecky slab-miester, him in strong is it. Whatever the reason thank-you ghostly spirit of Adam, I stuck the top. It was font 2+ and it had felt at my limit.
Problem 36 went without drama and I'd done it :) I wandered out of the forest buzzing from my first experience of a font circuit, and thinking the 'AD' felt justified.
Palm-print on problem 35, trying to dig a crimp into the slab.
(https://i.imgur.com/1jEu9sTl.png)
El Mancho VI 7, March
Winter conditions appeared fleetingly for a week in early March. On 2 days conditions were perfect, with deep rime coating an icy Clogwyn Du. 'Young charger' contacted me to ask if I was available to climb, I hadn't been out in the last two winters winters but I agreed. He's super keen and I know what it's like to be keen and without partners when Welsh mixed comes into condition. He'd never winter climbed in Wales so I suggested El Mancho, I think it's a brilliant winter route - one of Pantontino's finest couple of hours climbing without a pad.
It turned out that 2 days prior 'young charger' had nonchalantly run the Welsh 3000s in 9.5hrs in the snow, without properly knowing the best way and at times getting a little off-track. Despite this he was still fresher than me on the walk in. (He went on to do a double Welsh 3000's 'there and back' in under 24hrs in the summer).
I've climbed El Manco a couple of times before so I directed YC at the crux pitch. When I topped out he was still buzzing saying it was the best mixed route he's ever done. He is only in his mid-20s though :) On top we had the amazing alpine version of Wales you sometimes get in winter, with snowcapped peaks as far as we could see poking above a blanket of cloud hiding Bangor and the rest of the green world below.
I'd made a plan to sail with 3 friends from Conwy to Pabbay/Mingulay in June to go climbing. I bailed a couple of days prior to departure when my dad was taken into hospital. Friends reported it was a rough journey there and back with sea-sickness all-round. 4 people on the boat would have been a tight squeeze and based on previous ferry-to-Bilboa experience I definitely would have been puking. Sounded like not a lot of climbing got done due to limitations on where they could moor the boat with the winds as they were. With everyone ashore, no comms, and thinking they were alone on the island they said were bit concerned about the boat slipping its anchor in high winds (turned out they weren't alone as the bird counter was there). Despite the lack of climbing it sounded like they had a great all around adventure.
Pembroke, late August
This was the first climbing I felt like since my dad's funeral in July. Had three good days getting back into the swing of things doing classic low extremes that I'd not done before at Mother Carey's and Mowing Ward. Among others Deep Space, Heart of Darkness/New Morning, Seal Hunt, Strait Gate, Brazen Buttress and Sunsmoke were all good for the soul. But I woke up the morning after getting home with a torn knee meniscus and knee ligament/tendon strain which I hadn't felt myself doing at the time. I think I probably did it drop-kneeing through the bulge on Deep Space on the last day. Didn't realise how bad it was at first and tried to climb on it, which just made things worse. Only now tentatively getting back to being able to climb, following 4 months off and a lot of walking backwards uphill as rehab (thanks for the link to 'knees over toes guy').
Life
Felt like 4 life events happened in quick succession during an intense first half of 2023.
Bought a house and moved in the first week of January. This is my first house in the UK, having previously owned a small cheap place in Canmore in the early 2000's. It's likely my forever home, it's in a lovely location with a bit of land and a sunny aspect, surrounded by nature and with solitude but not far from civilisation for sociability as I feel like (grandstand view of cloggy from the front door if anyone wants a conditions update).Finding it was serendipity, I was told about it coming up for sale via a friend and I dealt direct with the seller without ever talking to an estate agent. Despite that the process was torturous at times and still took 4 months, with lots of solicitor ..'stuff'. Since moving I've been consumed at times getting things how I'd like them. First big project was getting a big solar system installed, which covers power usage for ~9 months of the year. Next year I'm going to investigate a micro-hydro scheme to cover winter usage. Lots of other projects have got done/are getting done. All worthwhile and satisfying, however I can see how this domesticity could, if I let it, divert enough energy that I wouldn't be fit for more than occasional puntaneering, I don't feel I'm ready for total punterdom yet.
Made redundant. Following a 3-month notice period I 'retired' in January, two weeks after completing on my new house. I'd decided last year that I was going to stop working in summer this year, as I'd reached a point where I was free of the need to continue working. Hadn't told my employer obvs. They must have clocked in me the absence of giving-a-shit, and so pre-empted my plans by paying me to go :). I'd spent 12 years with the company and in that time I'd grown my little part of the business from not existing to it being a successful little business. Most of the time it was good satisfying work with lots of autonomy and the right level of challenge and incentive. Things deteriorated in 2020 following a 3-way merger with two other large companies, which resulted in ridiculous amounts of 'big blob' idiocy and very little autonomy or incentives to strive except for self-preservation. Luckily I didn't need to stay or I could see it would have been stressful. But it was sobering to watch what was once a great place to work turn into a wasteland of people just going through the motions. I was glad to be out of the door in January and have never missed it, but it was still a big change and a bit earlier than I planned right when I had new-house stuff to cover. Since then I've been adapting to a new lifestyle without employment income to cover costs, with hopefully 30-40 good years still ahead of freedom and adventures. It's a work in progress and this year has been a good intro into how I can make it work.
Split up with partner early in the year. By mutual agreement that it wasn't right and was/is amicable, but it's sad when a relationship you'd once hoped would last, doesn't.
In June I lost my dad. He'd been in and out of hospital over the spring. He was a great guy - gentle, smart and well-liked by everyone in his community. We'd always had a good relationship but it can take someone dying to make you really appreciate how great you think they are. He saw me finally settled in my new place before he died and he was really stoked about this. I felt a lot of responsibility in tryin to arrange a funeral that I felt would honour him. A period afterwards was spent with being executor of the will and trying to make sure his partner was financially looked after, which at times was difficult.
Life changed a lot in a short time this year. At times it felt like I was a small boat in a rough sea, trying to plot a course and keep things steady in a storm. It took time to process and reflect on stuff. Mental/emotional energy was consumed by events and when I eventually felt like climbing in the second half of the year, injury stopped me. This has been my quietest year for climbing in the last 20 and the first in many that I haven't put up a new route or climbed abroad. I was out on the rope yesterday getting the bolts in a new route and I'm looking forward to 2024, and getting back to travel and climbing plans in between pottering around at my new place building timber garages and chicken coops.
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It was a great experience visiting Delhi for archival work even if I did get the inevitable food poisoning.
Were you investigating English language archives or have you developed some pukka South Asian language skills?
Delhi is such a great city though, even taking into account the food poisoning (the food is very often worth it).
Very much English sources. My Hindi is non existent which I felt bad about and some of the Indians I ran into clearly felt I'd made a shit effort!
I enjoyed Delhi, having never been to India before I was struck by the poverty and general chaos as I imagine many Westerners are. After a few weeks I had largely for the hang of it but it was a steep learning curve!!
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Top 3 UK
Impropa Opera SS - probably the most cumulative sessions I've spent on a boulder. Most people say if you can do the first move easily (which I can) and the stand easily (I was running laps of it) then it shouldn't be hard. Honestly I have no fallen on the final move of a boulder close to as many times as I did on this one. It really got into my head. Somehow snuck up on it after a break away from it and a few niggles meant I couldn't try other things I'd been working on. Not the most inspiring boulder, but one I'm proud of myself for sticking with it on.
Theia - amazing boulder, amazing setting, top quality rock. What's not to love?
Levi Roofs - loved the moves on this, but then again Ive always been a fan of limestone roofs. Struggled on it last year but was able to quickly execute this year which was a nice marker of progress.
Top 3 Font
Roc à Dos - it was wet the whole time we were in Font and some life shit hitting the fan meant we needed to leave early, but somehow 3 dry days in a row just before we needed to leave gave me a chance to try this bloc. Despite being very left hand crimpy (chronically bad left hand means left crimps aren't allowed normally) I was somehow able to get through the crux and not fuck up the end section. Brilliant moves on a striking bloc in a less busy area in Font.
Coup de Force - my first 7C in the forest and managed it 3rd try in 20+ degrees, as a climber who relies on confidence to do most blocs this was a massive boost for me mentally during a period that I was lacking confidence.
Djembé - just really enjoyed the way this one climbed, also went from being no where near to done in a matter of moments.
Top 3 spankings
Tourniquet - tried to take my time with this and not add too much pressure by having short sessions as I was living close by. But then all of a sudden I fell off the end in June and then pulled on lower and went to the top, after that the temps spiked and I never managed to get back in sub 20 degree temps before going to Font.
Mental health issues - don't fancy going into this on here (power to the others who have) but as per 21&22 this has been another turbulent year, to those on here who reached out through the year it's appreciated.
Losing my grandad - he passed a couple of weeks ago and it really rocked me in a way I hadn't really expected.
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Top Five Boulders in Colorado
Return of the Mossman V9 - The first boulder I've ever "projected". Dynamic, slippery gneiss perched on the hillside. five sessions total but opened my eyes to the possibilities of trying a boulder more than once
Dark Horse V10 - First of the grade and a corker of a boulder. Proud line on nice rock with crimps, toe hooks, heel hooks and tension. Great way to start my Alpine season
Slander V9 - Perhaps the best V9 in Colorado. Sat in an Alpine Meadow at 11,800ft. Perfect crimps up an overhanging groove to a heady top-out
King Critter V10 - Opposite of the two above, lowball and in a cave but great power boulder. Four nails moves that felt impossible at first. Very satisfying to piece together
Sage V8 - Perfect slopey granite, have wanted to do this one for a while
Top Three Boulders outside of Colorado
The Swan V7, Moe's Valley - Perfect movement on perfect holds. Just a joy to climb.
Mantra V8, Squamish - Again some of the best and most satisfying moves I've done all year
Water Paintings V7, Joe's Valley - Mega classic, glad to take this down. on an impromptu trip West
https://youtu.be/YPNN0BglzwQ
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Good reading this thread and seeing what people have been doing/enjoyed and battled with in the past 12 months. 2023 for me has been year 2 of the long covid recovery, it's still ongoing, into year 3 as of October, but finally feeling like the end is in sight. Getting back on the bike has really helped and now feeling like my general breathing pattern and control is back to normal. 18 months ago I was struggling to hold a decent conversation but some speech therapy exercises worked wonders and things have very gradually returned to normal since April/May. Fatigue levels and frequency have improved but still have random bad days and the slightest hint of a cold seems to floor me. However I've now had 8 weeks without a proper bad 'can't function' day and felt like I've been able to push myself more consistently physically, maybe that's the big corner turned. Reducing hours at work further has made a big difference.
Climbing wise it's been a funny year, I've definitely come to the end of the road in terms of living off pre covid reserves and harder bouldering feels a way off but I've managed to fill the gap with other back yard adventures.
Climbing wise it's mostly been business as usual doing new stuff locally so this list is obscure stuff unlikely to ever see more than a handful of ascents, mainly by people I know.
Natural grit
Bank Manager Left Hand 7A Hillcar Wood
Lovely moves into the original super top out on this Bonjoy rejuvenated buttress. There's not a huge amount of stuff at Hillcar but it's all top quality.
Harland Stars n' Bars 6C Harland Edge
Sustained traversing on crimps with tricky to see footholds tucked under a roof. I just love Harland, a trip up there never disappoints. This was one of the few decent days post October which might be why it makes the list.
Smells Like Mean Spirit 6A+ Shining Cliff
I spent the early part of the year rummaging around at Shining Cliff. This highball arete was the main objective, it was a good afternoon also involving tea and cake from some kind folk staying the hostel. E3/4 in old money.
Quarried Grit
Athletic Green 6C Black Rocks - High Peak Incline
The last of the three highballs on the buttress was easier than I anticipated. A shame these all need a pad stack to tame the slope, it's a really good set of problems.
Fools Gold 6A Chasecliffe
Great hidden highball in the outer reach of Chasecliffe, I think this took 3 visits over 21/2 years to sort out the landing and finally climb it properly without jibbing off right at the top, that doesn't include at least 1 aborted mission when I couldn't remember how find it. Full quality esoterica.
Scud U Like 6B+ Barreledge Quarry
Another worthwhile bit of groundwork. Named after Grimer's comment on p.468 of BMC Froggatt to Black Rocks.
Lime
Dunder Mifflin 7A Colehill Quarry
Decent limestone compression prow, 2 mins from home. Nearly didn't bother with this but turned out to be much better and way trickier than first appeared.
Belphegor 6A+ Demonsdale
Demonsdale is an obscure bit of limestone in the Amber Valley. There's not a lot there but it's a nice quiet outlook. I tried this a few years ago but backed off. This time I decided to abb down and clean it which was a good idea as I pulled off a fairly big hold. Soloing up to the damp ledges to get the rope fixed was quite exciting, not the best plan.
Inner Demons 6C Demonsdale
A roof line in the cave cutting across Bonjoys problem Bumcrack Pigeon. Similar fare involving toe hooks, knee bars, a 180 spin and some unusual flowstone
Trad
Old Guy New Tricks E4 5c Far Side
Nice quarried arete that climbs like natural grit. Solitary half height rock 2 is good placement but I'm not convinced the rock it's in would hold.
Make Do and Mend E5 6a Far Side
Same low rock 2, much harder, reachy moves up the scoop to the left.
Babycham E1 5b Eatswood
Helped clean up a few of the old trad routes here with Mark20 through Autumn and a few new ones were spotted. This one is a lovely bit of slab on a long neglected buttress that wouldnt be out of place at Froggatt. Originally traversed in due to dampness but added a direct start a couple of weeks later on a great afternoon out with the 'Off Piste Harlem Globetrotters' of Peak climbing.
Sport
This summer was all about revitalising Lime Kiln Quarry. Great effort by everyone involved, and some memorable bolt fund team scenes.
Pop Bottle 6c+
I first cleaned this over 20 years ago but it never got finished after the drill I was going to borrow moved to USA. Cool to finally sort it out, much harder than I remembered or am I just getting older?
Flight of the Phoenix 6c+
The crazy plan of jetwashing the soot and fire damaged rock off the whole buttress came together, a good team effort including UKB residents Neil F and Fatboy Slimfast. As well as cleaning up Amethyst Wall, one of the 'Shark's Big Five South Peak Masterpieces', it gave this great long pitch up the centre of the wall.
Paridae Parade 6c Jug Holes
Early season sport with Mark20. A good line through some very unlikely territory for the grade.
Non-local new problems
Shipwrecked 5 Hunstanton Old Beach
Random cycling trip and as a bonus found this beauty which is the hardest problem in the whole of Norfolk. It's also the only boulder in Norfolk. Quiet lowball! Scenes on the beach as holidaymakers looked on and scratched their heads in puzzlement.
Burnsallectomy 6C Air Scar Crag
Another early morning Burnsall excursion. I spotted this arete through binoculars from the cottage and chanced it was worth the walk up. I ended up doing a great easy circuit on some brilliantly rough grit.
Britannia Band 6C Britannia Bridge Boulder
One of those tiny blocks with lots of holds and variations where you go expecting very little but end up having an embarrassingly good time. Its in a cool location on the Menai Straight, ideal for a quick hit. Had a couple of enjoyable hours here late one evening working out all the options.
Other highlights
Wilton Fest was brilliant this year, decided to do some trad rather than bouldering. I took on Fiend's challenge and cleaned up Disappearing Aces E3 6a before breakfast, blagged a belay and led it after a couple of warm up routes. Under normal circumstances would probably have had a rest after the crux but pushed on because Fiend was shouting various positive vibes. Need to say thanks to all the random people I grabbed a belay from over the weekend.
Top 3 UKB partner/spotter ticks this year
Fiend Mild XS 5c no stars, dagger symbol
Always expect the unexpected.
Mark20 E7 (again)
Inspired exploring suggestions, adventures and football banter.
Neil F E4 6a 3 stars
Thanks for the Lime Kiln stuff. Obviously class is permanent.
Costa Blanca trip with family, some brilliant cycling, walking, via ferrata and a bit of climbing. Lockdown and illness had robbed us of 3 years of doing stuff like this so great to get away, get some sun and all feel reasonably well at the same time.
The best bit as every year has again been meeting friends, talking bollocks about climbing, cleaning up dirty climbs, resurrecting and re-equipping neglected climbs and very occasionally doing some climbing. Hopefully more of the same in 2024.
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Always love reading these threads, nice work everyone.
Top three boulder problems, UK:
Caseg Groove. Lovely laybacking to a wild throw between two big flatties. Quality rock in a tranquil setting.
Stallone Arete. Perfect slopers at just the right angle, only two moves but they're so brilliant.
Clear Spot. Some of the nicest slopers in North Wales, really chuffed to have got up it after spending ages finding the ideal sequence.
Honourable mentions to Severus Snape, Lizard King, Brad's Arete, Patch's Problem, Feral Streak.
Top three boulder problems, Fontainebleau:
Guerre et Paix. I remember looking at this and thinking "looks like a good 6B" before finding it in the guidebook! Promising flash attempt to the lip, spent a little while sussing the mantel and then boshed it out next go.
Le Bloc a Bertrand. Perhaps not objectively very good, but I had a great experience where I was about to walk away having punted the easy end bit. Thankfully, my friends coaxed me into one more go...
La Voie Michaud. Bearing the slippery scars of its success, this is pure class. Big slaps and decent holds.
Honourable mentions to La Balance and L'Aerodynamite even though I didn't manage either!
Top three boulder problems, Magic Wood:
Tropischer Sandsturm. A hidden prow over a rickety landing platform, this has some great moves and took a bit of working out.
Heb da Arsch. Great holds, athletic moves, high heels, and a slightly off balance pop for the lip! Wonderful.
Zilliman. A masterclass in working around physical ailments, the conventional right heel beta was off the cards as my calf was cramping up. I found a distant toe hook with the left, allowing me to slap up to a sloper in a perfect starfish pose. Probably wouldn't be on the list if I had just done it normally!
Top three longer-than-boulders:
Spittle n Spume. Had all the beta, but with a bit of a choppy sea the traverse section felt a bit heart in mouth. I also failed to remember/spot a useful crimp which made the last move slightly less secure than I wanted!
True Blue. Really quite easy, but some good shapes and lovely holds.
Loftgroover. Pretty exposed for a frightened and crippled boy, but good holds just where you want them.
Top spankings:
Quite a few this year really. The main one is the relentless injuries on my left hand, mostly A2 pulleys but also a shoulder impingement which was a tough couple of weeks. I think it's the result of overtraining, simply having too long board sessions and not stopping before the injury risk gets too high.
Second main fail was with my DWS headgame after a frightening incident in Pembroke. Since then I'd lost some confidence in my (admittedly not great anyway) swimming ability, and in my exiting-the-water judgement and ability. I may have been able to resolve that if I was uninjured on my Devon weekend but c'est la vie. I think I was too keen to be DWSing all the time and it sort of backfired, so I'll try and be more chill next year. I'm also going to try and swim some more in general.
All that said, I've generally managed to keep my head pretty screwed on even when I feel like things are going against me, so I'd like to thank my wonderful fiancée and the BDC for being a great support network.
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Superb. Like everyone else says, the best thread of the year. Flippin' heck, you guys are productive. Top work all round.
For me, 2023 was another year of settling further into my very specific niche of local boulder development. The hills and glens close to home keep throwing up new walls and boulders to clean and climb and I've found some really good stuff that I'm sure others would enjoy if they made the effort to try (and I made it easier for people to find stuff). An aim for 2024 is to put together a decent topo of the area.
Local stuff fits conveniently into the only times I'm able to get out: last-minute weather-window sessions squeezed between school drop off and pick up. Between the arrival of kids, Covid and previous partners being less active or harder to meet up with, I've become a bit of a hermit and very rarely climb with other people. For the most part I'm OK with that as I'm very happy in my own company, but it's something I'd like to work to change in 2024. Especially as I'm really starting to miss routes and I suspect the new local bouldering will start to dry up soon. The opening of The Ledge, the new wall in Inverness, has made me realise that there is a wee scene in the area, and I'd like to get a bit more involved in that.
Saying all that, I did manage a few brilliant things further afield this year.
Top 3 Boulder problems:
The Essence, 7B+, Torridon. A lifetime goal realised. Absolute king line in one of my favourite places in the world. This one was all the more special as I spotted Rich when he was working on it before his FA 13 years ago and helped carry pads and film when Murdoch made the 2nd ascent a few months later. I didn't even try it back then as it was so far above my pay grade, so coming full circle and being able to do it 13 years later felt great. Rich seemed dead chuffed for me after I told him I did it, which was lovely.
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AgFZlnhmwSBm9wt5vL9STtJSrUSV
TP&QC, 7A(+?) Reiff in the Woods. I'd wanted to do this for years as it's one of the original north west classics, from the first proper era of boulder development by Lawrence Hughes, Ian Taylor et al in the early 2000s. But it doesn't seem to get much attention these days and the start always seemed really hard and committing, moving between double heelhooks on teeny crimps in a roof with a big block almost underneath you in the fall zone. The day I did it Lawrence came out to spot me, and having the first ascentionist there obviously gave me a couple of extra kilos of pulling power on the crimps.
The Faith, 7A+, Ardmair. Objectively, this isn't an amazing problem, but it meant alot to me to finally do. I spent loads of sessions trying it a few years ago only to drop the easy finish and then give up on it after it started giving me elbow issues. A few years later (and maybe wiser and stronger) I managed to get it done.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0j9eJ1t5zn/?igsh=anpicDd2bjJ6em94
Top 3 Boulder problem FAs
Hypernature, 7Bish, Landmark Roof, Strathconon. The hardest straight-up line following a hanging ramp through the middle of a roof. Took a while to work out.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwQGplftHrN/?igsh=MnhyYTB4Nzc0ZTNo
Gauger's Groove, 7Bish, Scatwell Wave, Strathconon. A very cryptic problem up an obvious hanging groove. Slopers, undercuts and a blind foot swap.Very satisfying.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpScCaGjemF/?igsh=eGpqczlxa3VzcjM0
The Trap, 6C+ish, Càrn na Cloiche Mòire, Strathconon. A truly memorable day that brought together so much of what I love: a boulder I spotted on a run years ago squirrelled away in my memory, a long sweaty approach laden with pad and cleaning gear. The quiet and solitude of the hills. A quick clean on a rope and then a while to unlock the moves. Did it. Did it again for the camera. Did it again cos it was so fun. Then the long descent back to the car. It'll never be repeated, but that really doesn't matter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwsUB8ltPsv/?igsh=djRkcDRtbW5oZXI=
Top Trad Route
The File, Higgar Tor
A lowly VS, but back when I was climbing way more trad and onsighting E3s and occasional E4s I'm confident I would have fallen off this. Older, wiser and more proficient at jamming, I just about got up it unscathed. But only just.
Only trad FA
Afterdrop E3 5c (ish), Wee River Wall, Glenmarksie
While boulder hunting on home turf I noticed this neat wee wall and arete above the River Conon with a handy belay ledge just above the lapping water. It's a shame there's not anything else on the wall as it's a good little route.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsEdUYON9VN/?img_index=1
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I went to Font and it was ace
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F808HgaXcAAPihD?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F8fMHCfXcAAGO9j?format=jpg&name=medium)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F807Z3cXQAAUI4x?format=jpg&name=large)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F8fLIUSW4AAUc7f?format=jpg&name=large)
and these lads were fucking great
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GCtDnZKWMAAf1VC?format=jpg&name=large)
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Did some climbing....which was nice
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Superb. Like everyone else says, the best thread of the year. Flippin' heck, you guys are productive. Top work all round.
For me, 2023 was another year of settling further into my very specific niche of local boulder development. The hills and glens close to home keep throwing up new walls and boulders to clean and climb and I've found some really good stuff that I'm sure others would enjoy if they made the effort to try (and I made it easier for people to find stuff). An aim for 2024 is to put together a decent topo of the area.
Local stuff fits conveniently into the only times I'm able to get out: last-minute weather-window sessions squeezed between school drop off and pick up. Between the arrival of kids, Covid and previous partners being less active or harder to meet up with, I've become a bit of a hermit and very rarely climb with other people. For the most part I'm OK with that as I'm very happy in my own company, but it's something I'd like to work to change in 2024. Especially as I'm really starting to miss routes and I suspect the new local bouldering will start to dry up soon. The opening of The Ledge, the new wall in Inverness, has made me realise that there is a wee scene in the area, and I'd like to get a bit more involved in that.
Saying all that, I did manage a few brilliant things further afield this year.
Top 3 Boulder problems:
The Essence, 7B+, Torridon. A lifetime goal realised. Absolute king line in one of my favourite places in the world. This one was all the more special as I spotted Rich when he was working on it before his FA 13 years ago and helped carry pads and film when Murdoch made the 2nd ascent a few months later. I didn't even try it back then as it was so far above my pay grade, so coming full circle and being able to do it 13 years later felt great. Rich seemed dead chuffed for me after I told him I did it, which was lovely.
https://1drv.ms/v/s!AgFZlnhmwSBm9wt5vL9STtJSrUSV
TP&QC, 7A(+?) Reiff in the Woods. I'd wanted to do this for years as it's one of the original north west classics, from the first proper era of boulder development by Lawrence Hughes, Ian Taylor et al in the early 2000s. But it doesn't seem to get much attention these days and the start always seemed really hard and committing, moving between double heelhooks on teeny crimps in a roof with a big block almost underneath you in the fall zone. The day I did it Lawrence came out to spot me, and having the first ascentionist there obviously gave me a couple of extra kilos of pulling power on the crimps.
The Faith, 7A+, Ardmair. Objectively, this isn't an amazing problem, but it meant alot to me to finally do. I spent loads of sessions trying it a few years ago only to drop the easy finish and then give up on it after it started giving me elbow issues. A few years later (and maybe wiser and stronger) I managed to get it done.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0j9eJ1t5zn/?igsh=anpicDd2bjJ6em94
Top 3 Boulder problem FAs
Hypernature, 7Bish, Landmark Roof, Strathconon. The hardest straight-up line following a hanging ramp through the middle of a roof. Took a while to work out.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwQGplftHrN/?igsh=MnhyYTB4Nzc0ZTNo
Gauger's Groove, 7Bish, Scatwell Wave, Strathconon. A very cryptic problem up an obvious hanging groove. Slopers, undercuts and a blind foot swap.Very satisfying.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CpScCaGjemF/?igsh=eGpqczlxa3VzcjM0
The Trap, 6C+ish, Càrn na Cloiche Mòire, Strathconon. A truly memorable day that brought together so much of what I love: a boulder I spotted on a run years ago squirrelled away in my memory, a long sweaty approach laden with pad and cleaning gear. The quiet and solitude of the hills. A quick clean on a rope and then a while to unlock the moves. Did it. Did it again for the camera. Did it again cos it was so fun. Then the long descent back to the car. It'll never be repeated, but that really doesn't matter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwsUB8ltPsv/?igsh=djRkcDRtbW5oZXI=
Top Trad Route
The File, Higgar Tor
A lowly VS, but back when I was climbing way more trad and onsighting E3s and occasional E4s I'm confident I would have fallen off this. Older, wiser and more proficient at jamming, I just about got up it unscathed. But only just.
Only trad FA
Afterdrop E3 5c (ish), Wee River Wall, Glenmarksie
While boulder hunting on home turf I noticed this neat wee wall and arete above the River Conon with a handy belay ledge just above the lapping water. It's a shame there's not anything else on the wall as it's a good little route.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CsEdUYON9VN/?img_index=1
What a cracking year Gaz, great effort :clap2:
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A year of two halfs
2023 begun well. On the first of january 2023 I did
Al Andalus 8a, St Léger du Ventoux I have tried this route a few times over the years, in various shape, and always found it great and increadibly hard. My highpoint from a few years back was falling on the second to last move. Al Andalus shares it start, a rising traverse on bad slippery holds with Esméralda, which has to be one of the harder 7c France. A short respite leads to a pretty slappy sequence on good crimps to a big hole. This year I found to my great dissapointment that you can stuff your leg in this hole and get a no-hands rest before the final boulder. On previous visits I've just shaked out briefly here and tried the final boulder, which is very intense for us with sausage fingers as we have to avoid some of the obvious slots. Previously I was sure that the route was hard 8a+ for my morphology, but ---helas!--- with a no-hands before the final boulder, solid 8a is probably the correct grade. Fantastic climbing in a nice corner of the world still. Should be high on the list for every visitor in the winter. There are many other great routes on this sector, such as Moby Dick (7c), Arquée Pieds Tendre (7b+) and, maybe the second-best route in all of St Léger: La Porte des Champs-Élysées (7a+)
Sport-climbing continued in the spring with one of my worst spankings/failures/redpoint-hell ever. I continued to work the extension to Bad Attitude, 8b+, Supermajoc from last year. In autumn 2022 I could reliably do the first pitch (8a+) three of four times per session and got within four moves of doing the route (those four moves are unfortunately a condition-dependent 7a boulder on crimps that I could not reliably do even after resting on the bolt). I had dreams of being the first non-famous climber to do this route but that was not to be. My physical condition and the weather was never good enough. Despite that I kept dragging people, chiefly my better half, to the crag for no particular good reason.
In the spring we did also some really great multipitch routes:
Le Vent Souffle où il Veut, 7b/b+, Parois Rouge, Verdon
(The wind bloweth where it listeth, I guess?) I was happy that I onsighted all my pitches, and my bh with which I alternated lead only had one hang on second, but onsighted all her leads, including the well tricky pitch eight (7a/b). The first half is maybe not mind-blowing, but quite nice overall and would be a classic anywhere else then in the Verdon. The second half is very good on bullet rock. Absolutely well worth doing.
One of my goals for 2023 was to train to be in reasonable shape for a trip to Taghia. This I failed on pretty bad. My delusional attempts on Bad Attitude combined with the endurance training we tried to panically cram in while spending time driving back and forth to Barcelona searching for appartments while working full time turned out to be too much for my elbows - and they hurt pretty bad in the run up to our trip, during our trip and ... eh... a bit still....
That did not stop us from having a great time.
Les Rivieres poupres, 7b+, Gorges du Taghia (not in free!)
Almost as good as its reputation, so pretty mindblowing. This should be on the list for anyone who can reliably onsight a couple of vertical 7bs per day in somewhere like Siurana. We should probably have taken a rest-day before trying this, but whatever. Even with a few falls I had a great time. Some of the earlier pitches where a bit meh... but the climbing on the red pillar is really good! Train by getting milage on vertical rock, not by gettin elbow tendonpathy in the gym!
Baraka, 7b, Gorges du Taghia
(The benediction of the Lord) Both me and my bh found this superb. I found the 7b pitch nails, and the 6c slab nails and of utmost quality. I've seen comments from folk that says that only the first 6 pitches are worth doing, but for anyone who loves to move fast over rock in the mountains, the remaining 9 pitches are great fun. Doesn't need much of a rack, 3-4 friends and a few midsized wires. We were also pretty happy that we managed to keep the chamoniard couple below from catching up!
Second half of 2023: Move to Barcelona
After returning from Morroco all our energies went into moving to a new city and a new country for the nth time.We also both started new jobs two weeks after the moving truck drove down our stuff across the Pyrenees. Not much climbing happening, except a few visits to some climbing gyms.
I've been climbing mostly locally around Barcelona. Nothing much to write about in this distinguished forum. The best of the bunch as probably been
Sueños de piedra, 8a, Sant Llorenç del Munt
(Dreams of rock)The first half is almost completely manufactured. But what an artiste! The second half is pumpy on natural rock. The second half is almost impossible in warm, humid, conditions. That did not stop me wasting time trying of course. Thanks to out-of-control globabl warming it did not get cold enough to perform at Sant Llorenc until late october.l Fun fact: the guy who put up the completely natural route next to Sueños was less impressed and called his route Mierda de Sueños (Shitty dreams)
Between work, admin, building a home-wall, studying Spanish and finding my footing in a new country I have had some crazy one-day missions to Rodellar (2h40min one way) where I have failed to get up Botanics, 8b/+. My best attempts came in the dying light of the first day of the new year (aka yeasterday) where I managed to get through the last crux, pumped out of my mind, forgetting my sequences and promptly falling off jugs nine moves of "easy" climbing from the top. I guess that was my second spanking of the year, but I could pilot an ocean-going ship in the gap of difficulty between Botanics and Bad Attitude. Superb route though, and I think the rule is that if you are over 50 you are allowed to take 8b+ for it?
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Best of 2023 was doing Rasta in Font.
When I started climbing someone told me that if I ever did a 7A in font I could consider myself a decent boulderer. I didn't even dream of doing it on my first trip but when I did Rasta (amazing 3 star problem!) on a beautiful day it was a bit of a dream come through. Incredibly happy.
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Timing my hits for when my MS isn't too bad and the weather plays ball is never easy and sometimes I'm just content to haul pads and spot Mrs S. in nice surroundings but....
Hitting the good hold at the end of the hardest climbing on an obscure problem (Augean Blue Basalt anyone?) was one of my top ten moments of the past decade.A deserted beach, end of a 2 month trip last December/January to a Greek island.We never saw another soul bouldering.
Beautiful granite boulders in a stunning location, enough for several millennium worth of climbing and discovery.
A great trip driving to Prague to catch the World Cup then Innsbruck for the next round and fitting it around some good (but too warm days) on Czech and German sandstone with a healthy dose of Austrian granite.
Going back to CZ later this year, love that place!
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Timing my hits for when my MS isn't too bad
Have you tried HBOT treatment? No magic bullet, but many find it helps with symptom management.
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Echoing other's, I bloody love this thread and take so much inspiration from people being out there "having at it" at all levels, 4a to 9a.
Whether it's due to age, other experiences in life taking precedence, waning interest in climbing or some other distraction I'm not sure, but I had to look through my logbook to even remember what I did this year...
Top three boulder probs, UK
Another one rolls by, and another year with effectively no outdoor bouldering. I had a few sessions at Dumby, and I managed my two benchmark's - Slap Happy and Mestizo Sit Start, so that particular cliff edge had not yet been crossed.
Actually, I did Nemesis SS at Dumby - not very memorable, and took a good few goes more than it maybe should have. Classic Dumby angular weirdness at 6B.
Top three trad routes UK
I had high hopes for this year - having had a solid winter's base endurance training (the first year I've put a lot of effort into this) managing to shift my critical force up from 34 to 45% or something like that, then getting solid low-mid grade mileage in out in Slovenia in March, I got back to Scotland and jumped on an E4 I'd not previously done at Upper Cave - All Passion Spent, which went pretty well. I spotted the required deviation, climbed reasonably confidently, got to the pegs then kept trucking upwards.
A promising start for my 40th year.
Those high hopes were pinned on may Pabbay trip with the usual reprobates from Glasgow and elsewhere in Scotland. It started ominously with a scared and sloppy attempt at a damp E3 (The Craik), then getting utter owned trying to follow Si up The Raven, he somehow climbed it in almost piss wet conditions. A forecast the next day for rain meant we all got dug into the beers, then multiple bottles of whisky started doing the rounds...…
Anyway, back to the Top 3!! Otherwise this could get very rambling and loooong winded.
If we're going for top 3 experiences, I think it would have to be:
1. Endolphin Rush, E3, Pabbay. At the end of a hard week, where I'd had a few falls routes I'd hoped or expected to be more successful on, it was very, very nice to just chill and cruise up something utterly in the moment, with no stress.
Honorary mention for In Profundum Lacu which I followed Si up. With my headspace that week, leading might not have been a good experience, but with a rope above I kept the pump at bay, executed the moves well and could just focus on the purity of the movement. A reminder that I have the ability, I just need to tame the demons. (not something I've had much of an issue with wince I was a beginner...)
2. Shiboleth, E2, Bauchaille Etive Mor. Somehow this one had never quite aligned - most of my regular partners had done it years ago and in some ways I was maybe saving it for later years when E2 might be my limit... But this was the year! After a few weeks of drought in the west, my mate Sally said she'd be keen and we both had a midweek day off. Phenomonal climbing at the grade, and no pushover. Some bits really are getting quite ludicrously serious with the rotting of old pegs and nothing to replace them, but the holds keep coming. Shorts and tee shirts, only one other team in the area. Bliss.
3. The last one has to be Stone Bastion on the Shelterstone, It's in the guide as E4, but often considered E3. Not one of the super classics, but still - it's the shelterstone! We went very direct on one pitch, which we found out later is not considered to be the true line, but actually a pitch on The Needle Direct. (but in our version of the Garry Latter guide it clearly has a photo of Paul Thorburn on the "FA" of that pitch, saying it's on Stone Bastion...anyway, route trivia digression over... it was a bloody hard pitch, not very clean, my anti-style with thin feet and groovy tech. Very glad to get it clean as the gear wasn't the best - probably my "top onsight" effort of the year.
Top three sport routes UK
I had high hopes of completing my two projects, Endurance at Dumby and Railway Children at Tunnel Wall. Sadly they both remain projects. I only managed one session on Railway, and I was recovering from a knee tweak so a bit out of shape. Struggled with a section I used to cruise, but then found beteer beta at my highpoint. Only 3 sessions in, and quite spread. But annoying as I basically did the crux 2 sessions in, but came up short on the last move before jugs. (shouldn't really be a redpoint crux, but alas it was for me). Similar story for Endurance, except I'm now 10+ sessions in. Have made it through the crux and fallen higher where you're on Sufferance. Oh well - luckily I enjoy each session! Still...one aim for this year will be to find the killer instinct again!
Digressing again, so the top 2 in the UK:
Paralysis by Analysis at The Camel. A notoriously tricky to onsight 7a+ which I'd not been on before. Managed it with a little bit of margin, but not much. A good confirmation that working base endurance weekly through the winter is beneficial for me! Long, sustained, tricky to read (this pebble, that pebble, this pocket, that pocket?) - conglomerate stamina fest at it Scottish best.
Uncertain Emotions, 7b at Tunnel Wall. An afternoon session with my mate Es and his son turned out to be slightly too time constrained to bother butting the clips in Railway Children, so I put this one to bed. Depsite having done harder at the crag, and it being very good, I just hadn't ever got round to redpointing it, having fallen from the last hold on my 3rd go many moons ago. Nice to get this done - the top wall was still no pushover with minimal knowledge having not really been up there in years except for putting the clips in that day. Love tunnel wall - pretty much my perfect type of sport climbing - mildly overhanging, edgey, but not savagely crimpy, never too desperate (except for Axiom) and succumbs to a siege.
Most of the rest of my outdoor sport this year was overseas:
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Notable mention for a nice quick tick, good rock, good setting with Dai Animo at Chitta Dei Sassi in the dolomites during a week of via ferrata, 7b+ in the guide which went down fairly quickly - 2nd RP.
One of my best overseas sport experiences was actually a "DNF" in Tenerife, mainly down to feeling like my approach was spot-on during onsight, and I climbed about as well as I could imagine doing. Gofio Canario, which gets given 7b in then guide, but even about 1/3 on logs on 8a suggest an upgrade (which is notable, given 8a users' usual tendency to downgrade). Anyway, grades aside, the route gave sustained big moves, mainly to good holds, but blind, slappy and very powerful climbing, often with poor feet. I had no inhibitions, and hit all the big moves well, even doing some committing smears and tenuous presses (nemesis). I got to the main rest, but was too far gone and just couldn't recover - from there on it was a dog fest, but I doubt I'd ever have figured out the crux on an onsight go - either technical knee bar, rounded slapping, or a massive dyno - so I really wasn't bothered at all about not getting further. Next go was smooth, but I didn't have a good crux sequence. 3rd go I was powered out so that was that.
I'd almost forgotten about the very start of the year - a new year's trip to spain, and the best route just squeezed into the start of '23, and actually quite memorable, as I nearly "did a Caldwell" with a sharp Japanese pull saw 4 days before the trip. For the first half I had to take it easy and climbing with it well taped up, only using back 3. Towards the end of the trip I had Sally, our resident GP, take out the stitches and then I could use it a bit more. She and Kev wanted to try this cool looking 7b+ slightly overhanging crimp fest, Viaje a la locura, at Busot in Costa Blanca. Well, after putting the clips in on our first day at the crag, it had felt surprisingly ok so I gave it a redpoint go a couple of days later after a bolt-to-bolt and it went pretty well - surprised and chuffed after nearly losing a digit.
There's no doubt about the best one though!
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/tofana_di_rozes-2633/sognando_laurora-336412
Sognando L'Aurora, 7b+, 625m, Tofana De Rozes.
You know what...I'll save this for the Fairly Long, Moderately Hard thread....
Top Spankings / Fish that got away / Unfinished business.
As mentioned, my long term, local sort project, Endurance, at Dumby still eludes me. It's savagely technical and very core/body intensive. I'm 11 or 12 sessions in, redpointing from around session 2/3 as I actually got all the moves sorted fairly quickly. I've been through the crux once and fell on the sufferance upper crux after the junction. Very keen to put this one to bed in the spring and the new job situation should help.
Where Seagulls dare, E3 in Pabbay - probably still suffering a bit of self-inflicted whisky based sandbagging, but still - E3 in the Islands should be plain sailing for me, and what's more - it's a splitter crack! An abject lesson in how not to approach a trad route. Poor pacing, poor resting, just trying to rely on superior stamina and crack ability, forgetting I had NO crack stamina! Got pumped out of my tree and slipped out of jams, taking quite the ride! In fact, the whole Pabbay trip was basically a big spanking for me after having very high hopes.
Afrikana, f6b+, Lijak, Slovenia. 4 rests on the onsight. It was at this point I decided for the next couple of years, we (my partner and I), should just check the ego at the door in Slovenia, and work through each grade at each crag, starting from the bottom. Greta chance to get a load of mileage, have fun, keep more options for later and actually technically improve in the process.
Final mention for a great route at Pass of Ballater that I hoped to get back to in the autumn, but weather never played ball. Had a good few days there in the late summer while literally everywhere is was minging. Drambui (or Brambo direct) is a brilliant little E6 technical, bold face climb, with just enough gear. Andy was keen to do Drambo, so we threw a rope down and had a few goes. I was a bit dismayed to not only not flash the crux, but not even flash the starting boulder - took me around 3-4 goes! Anyway, after a few TR laps I had it pretty smooth, but I ended up with the perfect mix of it just getting a bit more humid, the wind dying a little, my tiredness and lack of killer instinct meant I decided not to have a lead go on the day and save it for another day. Quite glad I did, as I had to go back up on TR to re-dig and had a bit of a flail on it! Quality route though, and keen to go back.
Life stuff.
A year of significant change, and generally in the right direction with a few waves along the way. Having heard other's struggles with Long Covid, mental health, performance etc. I can't complain too much. My bouts of long covid seem to be shorter and less acute, especially after the first one in 2021 ( think?) where I had about 6-8 week of severe brain fog, low mood and concentration problems. Strangely, Ive always had energy for exercise which has been a total blessing! Anyway, other than the odd fortnight of unexplained low mood and slight lack of mental sharpness my health during my 40th birthday year has generally been ok. Decided in May, after one too many big nights around my birthday to stay off the sauce for a while. 1 month was the aim but it ended up being nearly 2 I think. It was good in some ways, and I was surprised how easy it was for me, but also found that it wasn't a magic bullet! (some of the old mental struggles remained). Good to know it's possible however!
The first quarter of the year was a bit quiet on the freelance front, meaning I was spending too much time looking for work and not enough being able to make the most of the free time, so I put the feelers out for some permanent jobs. Got a few offers, and then, with a great stroke of good timing a contract position came along that was highly flexible, 4 days a week and doing exactly what I was looking for - technical engineering role in wind life extension and reliability engineering. 6 months in and I'm still loving it, and I've just extended for 12 months so I think I'll take that as a major life goal tick!
We also got out and started on our doer-upper project in Slovenia, which is also exciting pretending to be on grand designs, despite the designs not being grand at all - mainly just picturing Kevin McLeod querying our self-project management, budget and timelines.
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Like others this is my favourite thread of the year, but I wasn't very psyched to contribute this year due to how unremittingly shite 2023 was. I initially wrote the below and then reread it and shelved it, but having now read some of the posts on here and seen others be so open about what they've struggled with, I feel a bit better about posting it. Fair warning though: it's long and whiny, so an obligatory skip for anyone not interested in self-indulgence, although on the plus side there's some Tor slating.
In July 2022 my partner started with medical issues that are nowhere near being resolved, and has gone from a generally active person who climbed multiple times a week and was one of my main trad partners, to struggling with mobility and pain to the extent that leaving the house and even getting out of bed isn't always possible. Together we've attended dozens of medical appointments, and there have been scans and operations and physios and mobility aids and bits of improvement, then complications and new issues and regression and her being stuck in bed again.
It feels a bit weird to talk about how my partner's medical issues affect me, in that it's obviously not my body and pain, but it has had a massive impact on my life in terms of changes to both long-term plans and day-to-day life, and at times I've essentially been a carer. It’s brutal watching someone that you love experience pain and lack of hope and inability to do the things that they enjoy, and hard to go off and do some of the things that they can’t do in order to meet your own needs. On that note, she’s also been superhumanly compassionate and understanding on days when she’s been bed-bound and I’ve come home from a day out climbing and complained to her about poor conditions or a split tip.
Because it's been so all-consuming I feel like I've bored a lot of friends droning on about medical appointments and conditions (when I've managed to see them, having cancelled on everything from days out to a week in Magic Wood due to fluctuating health), and at times have worried that I've not actually been a supportive friend to others or been psyched for them with their positive life developments (trips, kids, houses), given how far away these things feel for us. My focus on work and professional development has always been poor but this year was largely non-existent, and I've had little time or energy for the things I do outside of my personal climbing that bring me joy.
Unsurprisingly this has all massively impacted my climbing, and in a number of ways: the silver linings have been that I've focused more on training and bouldering and seen improvement there, and at times been so grateful to simply be out of the house that I've not put much pressure on myself and hence performed really well. In the late spring/early summer I had a good run of knocking off old projects and doing new things quickly, I suspect because of the combo of a good block of training in the winter and then losing weight in the spring due to stress, as well as because I had so much to do looking after my partner that I had quite a relaxed attitude when I was out, and didn’t actually care all that much about outcomes. However as the summer wore on and the improvements in my partner's health that we had been hoping for completely failed to materialise and then were eclipsed by new health issues, both ability and motivation nose-dived. I largely stuck with training and going out out of habit and in an effort to keep my mental health together through routine and familiarity, and between that and the horrendous weather/conditions we’ve had started getting quite frustrated; I wanted a small win in my climbing to make everything else feel a bit better. And of course that desire for success in climbing to make up for difficulty in other parts of life resulted in too much pressure, very little enjoyment, and few successes (and of course the successes I did manage gave me momentary boosts but nothing more). Where I've managed to get out climbing with other people I've been enormously grateful to have had their company and be able to talk about things and get away from it all (even if it's not seemed that way), and although many of my relationships have suffered through neglect, a few people have been hugely important in keeping me sane. I’m not bothering with a ‘Top Spankings’ section for obvious reasons, but do have a few things that are worth writing about for positive reasons:
Campusology, Kitty’s Crag
Really I should put The Ramp Up in here as a call-back to reading about it in last year’s thread, and because that’s the problem I went to the crag specifically to do. In many ways it deserves that as it’s an amazing problem, but I’m putting Campusology here in its place because of how unexpectedly joyous it was. I got on it early in the session to find that it suited me perfectly, with heel/toes and nice positive edges allowing me to lank my way out of the roof. I was able to get all the way out to a couple of lovely positive edges above the lip of the roof with my feet still at the back, just at the point at which maintaining tension was getting tricky, so ratted down on the edges and took a massive swinging cut with utmost confidence, whacked a heel on, and then wombled up some jugs to the top. Just lovely; I did it again a couple of minutes later as it was so good. The Ramp Up is clearly the better line and likely a superior problem, but I just didn’t have as much fun on it, so there we go.
It was also the first day of the one trip I and my partner went on that wasn’t either cancelled or very derailed by her health: we had a week in North Wales and stayed in a cottage, went to the beach a bunch, barbecued, I had a few bouldering sessions, and we generally did as much as we could within the limitations we had. We stopped at Kitty’s Crag on the way over to North Wales and it was such a good day that it set the tone for the rest of the trip; she made it up the pretty steep hill surprisingly easily and we had a nice time at the crag, but arguably the best bit for me was when a couple came over and asked her if she was on crutches because of a climbing accident. She said that no, she had a disability, and we both got to enjoy watching them go red and stutter and apologise as they backed away. She’s had a lot of that kind of on the surface harmless but actually really intrusive question over the past 18 months, I guess because people aren't used to seeing a young person with mobility aids and so are unable to mind their own business, and they were initially total day-ruiners for her, so it was ace to see her finally get her head around dealing with them in a positive, take-no-shit way.
Ben’s Original, The Tor
I was chatting with a friend recently about reflecting back on your year and coming up with these lists and we joked about the fact that the hardest thing you do is always going to make it on there, or at least the temptation will be there to put it on. That’s unfortunately the case here, and is compounded by the fact that it’s a technique-eliminate + alternative-finish version of a bum-scraping traverse that I’d done earlier in the year. Plus I absolutely despise some of the holds on this problem – I find it weirdly skin-intensive, and the left-hand crimpy undercut/sidepull that you use during the crux sequence tweaked a pulley and just generally needs to do one. What’s more, I just don’t really enjoy being at the Tor all that much in terms of the vibe. Worst of all, the day I did it I was supposed to be in Magic Wood but had had to cancel, and I distinctly remember thinking about that during the process of warming up and feeling a bit sorry for myself. So why include it?
I had what’s probably a pretty representative experience on Ben’s with knees: back in January I’d gone out to do something or other on grit and it was wet and I ended up at the Tor, where I found Ben’s vaguely climbable and between the drips started piecing together some of the moves, most of which felt absolutely nails. The holds all felt tweaky and uncomfortable and the positions quite weird, and I concluded that it didn’t suit at all and was shit and not something I wanted to put any time into. But then over the next couple of months that same ‘ending up at the Tor’ thing happened and the moves got a bit easier, and it seemed not totally tweaky and uncomfortable and weird and shit. And then in the early spring I basically had caregiver responsibilities and so the Tor, with its non-existent walk-in and reliable dryness, was enormously appealing, and all of a sudden I was heading there on perfectly nice days and falling off the last hard move of Too Hard…, then driving home planning my rematch while acutely aware of how painful my skin was and being a bit concerned about the soft tissues in my fingers. Eventually I got the knees + left finish done, tweaking a pulley in the process, and was happy because I’d had that experience of going from not being able to do individual moves to doing them, then refining them to the point where I could link them all together and just about scrape my way up the problem, largely through having learned how to rest on the knee. And I was good with never going back to the Tor.
And then the second half of this summer happened and it rained a bunch and I was back to short windows of time to climb, and ended up at the Tor with a mate who quite fancied getting the beta for Ben’s, and I figured it’d be interesting to see how the crux felt without knees and what the original finish was like… And suddenly I’m right back to tweaking beta to make up for the lack of the knee to rest on, and falling off the last move (this time of the right-hand finish) and driving home planning my rematch while acutely aware of how painful my skin was and being a bit concerned about the soft tissues in my fingers.
Ultimately the start-to-finish ride on Ben’s Original is the purest expression I’ve had so far of what I found really interesting about bouldering when I started getting into it: trying really hard individual moves and thinking ‘bloody hell, I’ll never do this move, let alone the problem’ and chipping away until they’re not all that hard, then linking them into other really hard individual moves, and slowly but surely making what once seemed impossible and the domain of good climbers, possible and the domain of shitters like you – eking out the subtleties and ratty heels until you bring something quite hard down to your level. If this year hadn’t been so shit I wouldn’t have been at the Tor, but it was and so that’s where I ended up, so in some ways Ben’s Original feels like a good one to include because it exemplifies the year I’ve had. But more than that it was just properly hard for me and required work and pain and continuously turning up, and realistically that’s a good part of what bouldering is about for me.
Colour of the Sky, Lound Hill
I’ve not felt very brave this year, so doing this at all felt like something of an achievement; doing it alone is something I’m quite proud of, even if it’s not really all that high or scary, and doing it on a pretty marginal, drizzly day, topping out five minutes before a day-ending deluge, was extremely satisfying. It also, in the week before Christmas, brought an end to my period of not having any success and generally lacking inspiration in my climbing, and was done on a day when the Peak and Yorkshire grit were rainy and unclimbable, which adds satisfaction for me in terms of feeling a bit smug. Plus I wrote this problem up as one of my top spankings last year, so doing it was always going to be rather special.
In spite of the fact that it’s in a grotty hole on the outskirts of Doncaster, climbing Colour of the Sky is one of the best climbing experiences I’ve had, I think because it’s the complete package. The first section has some lovely bouldery roof moves on crimps and heels, there’s tonnes of ways of getting through the crux, and that leads you to a nice rest on mega jugs while you decide whether to commit to the headwall, which consists of cranking on some small-ish crimps while on massive feet. You can drop off there without issue, but cracking on felt to me like trad headpoints used to feel: switching off the brain and letting the body do moves it knows how to do, then suddenly realising you’re through the hard bit and now need to keep it together for the last easy bit, way above your gear, with falling off feeling like it’s definitely not an option. All likely a bit melodramatic, but as someone whose moved away from adventurous trad and towards lowball roofs was particularly eased by the fact that I've always struggled with my headgame, it was good to challenge myself a little, put time into something that I found intimidating, and eventually do it.
It was also a lesson in just turning up: on the day I drove over there in the rain; got out of the car and figured I’d walk in in spite of the drizzle; got to the crag and figured I might as well refine my sequence on the bottom section; linked the bottom to the jug then dropped off, and figured I could finish off by refreshing the top section as the drizzle was only intermittent; realised it was brightening up so had some lunch, then figured I might as well have a go; did it; hid from a downpour under the roof; got bored and walked out getting completely drenched, and not caring a jot.
Honourable mentions:
Special K, Crafnant
Not for the problem (which I thought was a bit overhyped), but because it was the one trip I went on with mates this year, and because it was ace being a moron at the crag with them, then going to the pub for a burger and sleeping in a van in a layby, then waking up and doing it all again. I didn’t even manage to climb on the third day as on the second I managed to lose all common sense and try to break in new shoes at the crag and shear the skin off toes on both feet, but I didn’t care as I was out with mates and got to watch them try hard and succeed on things.
Roller Bowler Currant, Filthy Crag Q
One of the few days this autumn where I managed to luck my way into the middle of the Venn diagram of ‘not raining’, ‘being out with mates’, and ‘getting up something’. Even better because it was a marginal day and optimism had waned on the drive out and tanked on the walk-in, only for us to find lovely dry rock and a decent breeze; because we both did it, I think back to back, having taken a while to figure out our respective methods; because I’d been on it several years before, watched my mate piss it, and been a bit baffled; and because it’s such a good, under-rated problem.
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Timing my hits for when my MS isn't too bad
Have you tried HBOT treatment? No magic bullet, but many find it helps with symptom management.
I haven't tried that yet, need to talk with the consultant but it's been a year since my last appointment.
I had a pal who used it after an accident nearly crippled him and his response was excellent.
Thanks, I will chase it up.
Did you do th True Finish to Shibboleth?
It was 30+ years ago and still fresh in my mind...
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It feels a bit weird to talk about how my partner's medical issues affect me, in that it's obviously not my body and pain, but it has had a massive impact on my life in terms of changes to both long-term plans and day-to-day life, and at times I've essentially been a carer. It’s brutal watching someone that you love experience pain and lack of hope and inability to do the things that they enjoy, and hard to go off and do some of the things that they can’t do in order to meet your own needs. On that note, she’s also been superhumanly compassionate and understanding on days when she’s been bed-bound and I’ve come home from a day out climbing and complained to her about poor conditions or a split tip.
Coming at this from the other side, it’s absolutely okay and not weird to talk about the impact of your partner’s illness on your life. It’s a huge thing that turns your life upside down… they stuck the “in sickness and in health” bit in there for a reason, the temptation for many partners of sick people is to run away and you didn’t, that is awesome.
I’m very aware that my period of sickness has affected my partner in many ways, I don’t feel guilty about this but I do know it’s there and do everything I can to make space for her to express her feelings about the situation. I’m sure that your struggles will still be important to her even if they seem trivial in comparison; that’s what loving someone means.
Chronic illness is an absolute fucker and very good at wrecking friendships. It seems this is almost unavoidable and can be really upsetting. No answers from me on that one! I just guess some people get it and stick around, and some don’t, just when you need them. It’s brutal.
I’m obviously coming at things from the sick person’s point of view, but if ever that might be useful then just DM me on here.
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Not a great year but it came good in the end.
CLIMBING
Trad
Pruning The Tube, E2, Australia
Felt like a proper onsight (had done Looning before, but that's not exactly the hard bit), no chalk on the holds after a load of rain, and a healthy amount of moss at the top. All the traversing was fine, but couldn't work out where the line went at the top, ended up just blasting up what presumably was correct? Absolutely gripping up top, no idea if I was on route and the fall would be a sizeable one. Proper experience.
Giant's Cave Buttress, VS, Avon
Absolutely roasting day in August, taking out a friend who enjoys seconding trad, but rarely does it. Scramble up was very overgrown, adventurous considering the urban location. First pitch was alright, second was kinda shit, third was great, particularly the positions around the arete - unfortunately the viewing ledge was closed so no spectators to surprise. Not really sure why exactly this makes the top three, I think mainly just for the easy climbing in hot weather with a great, albeit novel, view? Whatever the reason, it's a fond memory.
Spartan Slab, VS, Beinn Trilleachan
First day of a trip to Glencoe. Started as it was drying from the rain, quickly got drier and cleaner after the first half a pitch. Crux was bizarre, surely not 4c, but ended up circumventing it across the slab to the right - almost certainly technically harder but more my cup of tea. On that note, baffling that this and GCB above get the same grade! Also first time climbing as a three and it not feeling really slow and inefficient, which made it actually fairly pleasant. This was the only route/boulder from the trip that made by Best of... lists, which is probably just a reflection of my head at the time rather than the actual climbing (see Bad Bits). I think we did a lot of good routes!
Solos/scrambles
Grooved Arete, HVD, Tryfan
Up in Eryri alone so planned to solo a few of the classic rock routes. Got to the base of the crag and found I had a message from someone asking to climb in the Pass that afternoon! So had to choose one route and head down, so went straight for this. Clag was in which meant it wasn't very exposed (probably best), but still a bit spooky on some of the polished sections. Overall great moves on the groove and slab pitches, linked by nice easier climbing, making it an excellent outing. Did the two Carreg Wastad CR routes in the afternoon too so productive day.
Aonach Eagach Traverse
Also part of the Scotland trip, but basically just a big walk - technically very straightforward. Memory is hazy tbh, but it's mainly on here because I wanted to do a big walk/scramble on this trip, and managed to get this done on a cloudy drizzly day. Felt very steady throughout, as expected, just tough on the knees on the long descent into Glencoe.
Morpheus, HVD, Avon
Before GCB (above), went and did this in the morning. Picked a load of blackberries at the base of the crag (great spot for any Bristol locals looking next year), then headed up. Pretty sweaty, a few tricky sections but nothing of note - hardest bit was off the floor? Was already happy enough with the day before finding out we were trad-ing, so that must mean something!
Boulders
Pebble wall, f6C+, Almscliff
Last climb of the year, after trying nearly two years before. Had to work it all out again, then finally sussed out a way to make the last move (I'm about 1cm off doing it the lanky way) and it was done! Perfect conditions, cold blue skies, great day.
La Marie Rose, f6A, Cuvier
A brief visit to Font in October while travelling down to Lyon, and it was surprisingly successful. Spend most of the time wandering around taking pictures of friends, getting used to a new lens, with the occasional climb if I was particularly psyched. This was the most notable ascent - immediately got higher than I had on a previous trip, and then within about half an hour was stood up top. Not sure why it clicked: I'm not objectively stronger, nor have I spent a tonne of time on rock this year, nor was it amazing conditions, but something has clearly improved.
This was maybe the best of all these ascents this year - clear progression, on a brilliant holiday, iconic boulder, didn't even feel that hard. Perfect.
As an aside, it's interesting people find this one so hard compared to other 6As in the forest. It seemed very fair to me, there are hundreds of other sandbagged 6s in Font, this felt just like them!
Sport
Can't really remember much about the routes, only did 3 or 4 days of sport this year and just bashed through a bunch of 6s. Maybe top days were
Dib Scar: beautiful setting, had the crag to ourselves on a hot day in June. Onsighted a bunch of routes on the south wall, got nicely pumped.
Rhossili Beach: not exactly perfectly timed with the tide, but still managed two routes before a dash across the incoming surf. The routes weren't even particularly good, but the day was generally lovely.
Spankings
Noonday Ridge, E1, Caley
Below is my UKC log:
Wtf is the top of this route! Start was tricky, fell once or twice. Moving round the arête was actually fine, with some locked in crimps (and well protected after having George send up the nuts I forgot oops). Got into the top groove, where all the holds ran out. Managed the foot step far out left (dirty) and then it all just ran out. Ended up grabbing heather, then grass, then moss, before it gave way. Managed to lie there motionless for about 5 seconds before giving in and taking the whip. Huge swing, but nice catch from George and all was good! Growing darkness probably didn't help, but i'm still a bit lost for what to do. I guess I'll work it out next time.
Says it all really. Guess I should have seen it coming, pulling on at dusk, and not checking if the top was at all clean. Will give it another go next year probably, having cleaned the top first!
Brimham:
September heatwave, 30+ degrees. Had arranged to meet a friend, and went anyway, but bailed after two routes on the Cubic block, far too warm. Nice ice cream though, and got his partner up an easy route which she actually enjoyed (apparently she last seconded him at Almscliff a few years ago and ended up in tears, so this was a very good result)
Giggleswick:
This time, June heatwave, another 30+ degrees. Did a few routes but really not psyched for more. Need to remember this in future - easy and non-grit only on these kind of days, can't get my head in gear to try when I'm overheating.
OTHER
Bad bits
Breakup
Got broken up with in early May, after 6/7 years together (almost all of my adult life). Ngl, it fucked me up. I'm not one for much emotion in general, but that was a rough period. I'm going to copy something below which I wrote in a thread to offer a UKBer some thoughts when they were in a similar situation:
I always understood toxic masculinity to be men actually bullying each other for crying and shit, but it was quite a moment when I realised it also can apply to the feeling of not wanting to talk about it, out of some sort of deep self defence mechanism. Like I knew consciously that nobody would laugh in my face for wanting to talk, but somehow I always convinced myself out of it for all sorts of nonsense reasons.
(It sucks that it took the breakup of a long relationship to have this realisation, and speaking to others, that seems a common theme. If only we (men, maybe just people generally) never backed ourselves into this self destructive corner in the first place!)
When I finally did start to speak to people, it changed everything. It's no miracle, but I certainly wouldn't be where I am today if it was just me in my own head.
While in Scotland, I was surrounded by friends, and yet managed to go a whole week without really talking about it at all. I can look back at that now and think I was being stupid, but I honestly felt unable to bring it up, and these are good, compassionate people. I'm very thankful I've made it through that and in a much better place now, but for anyone in a similar boat now, or find themselves there in future, please please find someone to talk to. I managed to force it by going home for a few days and saying to my parents "you have to ask me about it, because I'm worried I'll go these few days without saying anything", and then doing similar when messaging friends in advance of seeing them. Most people don't ask for fear of upsetting you, which is very understandable, but they will help if they know you need it.
Having reflected on my year to write the paragraphs above, I think I can see it reflected in my climbing. Scotland was literally days later, and it's a blurry memory of feeling shit and not much else - sure there are highlights, but there's a darkness hanging over all of them. Did the soloing in Wales later that month, and although I don't think I was massively reckless, I do think I was in a headspace where I felt more inclined to solo. Giggleswick was early June - given the forecast, I'd probably have turned it down generally, but just needed to be out the house while my ex was still moving out, so went anyway. Most notably, I just didn't climb that much this year compared to what I'd have expected, primarily because she was my main partner and so I no longer have that. Simply, it's just sad - I don't view it all as a bad thing, but there are certainly things that stand out as a shame that we've both lost something.
Fortunately, I've come a long way since May, so I am optimistic for the future generally, but it resonated with me a lot when I read people's posts about 2023 being a crap year for mental health reasons - my issues were far from the worst I'm sure, but it does really affect your view on the year, even if there's lots of good things at other times.
Injury
Last autumn I picked up a knee injury, and went to get it scanned. Just before Christmas, found out it was a bruise in my knee, which would take at least 5 months to heal, and in that time I couldn't impact it (running and falling while bouldering are included in this). This was completely out of the blue, just the night before I had been planning races on the expectation that the doctor would say "take a fortnight off and ease back into it", so it was not a great start to the year. Managed to work around it in a way, engaging a lot with my running club by organising a XC league race, starting taking pictures at races, but it basically wrote off the whole rest of the year as I had initially planned it. Got the all clear in April/May, but then got told to wait on running and do some physio. Finally made it back to running by the end of June, about 7 months after stopping initially, and since then have just been enjoying it as much as possible. See below for the good bits.
On reflection though... injury just sucks, doesn't it? I didn't really process it properly at the time, but I think I felt like I couldn't really move forward while unable to run or climb, which is clearly not a good mindset to have. Who knows what would have happened had I not been forced into taking that time off. At least it gave me renewed motivation for running, which I'm still using now!
Running
No running from before last Christmas until late June, but backed it up with a decent second half of the year
Ilkley Incline
First race in nearly a year, felt like a good way to return considering I did it the year before, and it was only uphill so no downhill to worry the knees! Surpassed all expectations by taking a full minute off my previous time, which was hard to believe given my previous prep was a load of hill training, compared to this year's injury and easy running.
Nearly 5km PB
Did a parkrun in September and was 2 second away from a PB, and it was only the second time I've gone sub-20 in any sort of event. This was absolutely mindblowing, considering I wouldn't have said I was training well or anything, just getting out 3 times a week, running up some hills, etc. Picked up a niggle not long after so never converted it to an actual PB in a race, but I'll be hoping to train for my other goals this year, and then pick a fast 5km result along the way. If this doesn't pan out, I know I'll be able to do some specific training for a few weeks and get it done then.
Fell relays
First time at the fell relay champs. Did leg 1 (4.6k/460m), and performed much better than anticipated given the quality of the field, and my less than ideal year. Absolutely emptied myself, raced really hard for the duration, and felt it with the thigh DOMs for a few days after, but was over the moon to manage to do as well as I did. It's in Yorkshire next year so I'l be aiming to do it again, improve on that placing, and enjoy it - it's a fab event.
I think my overall running in the last few months has taught me I've got a good head for racing, seem to be able to try a lot harder than I thought I could, and than I thought my body could manage. It has its downsides - feels like it does some damage sometimes, mind writing cheques my body can't cash, etc - but it certainly bodes well for future races/challenges, which will require a fair amount of mental strength.
Live music
Saw a fair amount of music this year, more than usual. Enjoyed almost all of it, but these were probably the best
Tapir!
Once supporting BCNR (never heard of Tapir! before this), then also Nottingham Dot to Dot, then also Live at Leeds. Brilliant every time, will try to go to their tour in the spring.
Catmilk
First act at Dot to Dot, and the best of the day.
Shame
Last act at Live at Leeds, exactly what was needed to round off the day. Great energy, crowd was loving it. Rarely for a day like that, I didn't even drink, and still loved it, so must have been good!
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Thanks everyone for the posts so far, great reading!
My year was defined by a great stint of grit early on, long trips to Ireland and Austria and two awesome shorter visits to North Wales, hence doing some from each country. Bit of a long one, sorry. Been a good year!
Top 5 England
Ben's Groove Sit || Caley - where to even start.... First and foremost, I can't think of a better problem anywhere. It's incredibly powerful, yet requires perfect technique and clean footwork, every move is brilliant with zero respite, meaning the overall sequence is both sustained and flowy. The rock is bullet hard grit, the line is obvious and striking, all the holds are nice and it's even pretty kind on the skin for grit (in 30 sessions I only ever drew blood when it got too dry and my joints cracked). I know it's close to a busy road but that was a big plus for me considering I spent so long on it, mostly on my own, and you're far enough away that it's not intrusive, plus it's a good view across Wharfedale to Almscliff. It's high, tall and imposing, yet the nature of the landing, slightly awkward as it is, means both that the stand start exists and the rest is very workable. I just love it. And I suppose you need to when you spend that long on something. 30 sessions in total spanning 7 years from doing the stand. I don't know for sure but I've done the stand something like 80 times now, yet it still never feels totally solid. I did it from 3 hand moves in something like a dozen times, but somehow those extra moves add so much on.
Real talk time; the vast majority of my sessions were in early 2021. At the time, having a local project made lots of sense as my wife was very ill with pregnancy sickness, and it was convenient to nip out, hammer myself trying it, and be back home quickly. In the depths of lockdown as well it was a lonely, miserable time, but continuing to get out was my salvation. I always enjoyed trying it and I genuinely felt like I could do it on any go, albeit I suspect the weight of otherwise being a carer for my wife didn't help at all. Inevitably, I ended up totally burnt out on bouldering and I didn't get my pads out at all from April until September.
Fast forward and in hindsight, without really knowing it I actually started preparing for it again in July 2022, having to level up my shoulder strength in order to do The Golden Shot, which I managed in October. This proved to be perfect preparation, and so my winter training block felt like a breeze. Sticking two fingers up to the "replicas are aid" community, I ended up with 4 different replicas of it, 2 easy ones on the Pudsey Depot 30 for running laps on, an orange in the main wall which I managed in about 20 mins the day after Boxing Day 2022, despite having not done a Depot orange for years, and a hard one on my home board. The plan had been to aim for a peak around the end of February, but I felt great early on in the year, the weather cleared up and I went for my first session on 18th Jan and had two of my best ever goes, both times my left foot inexplicably popping off on the first move of the stand, which I'd always found no trouble in isolation. Incredibly psyched, I planned to go back on 21st Jan. I had people lined up to come along and everything. Unfortunately a sickness bug hit me the night before and I spent the day in bed instead! Gutted. I rested up, and by 25th Jan I felt better so had a board session and finally did my hard replica for the first time ever, after about 6 months of trying it at least once a week.
The day after was forecast to be good conditions, with a strong wind. I dropped my daughter off at nursery, which is only a few minutes drive from Caley, however as I drove through Bramhope it chucked it down! Despairing, I took my dog for a walk around the Chevin. Miraculously it all seemed dry, as though the rain had completely avoided the crag. I dropped my dog off at home and headed up, finding the problem dry and with a perfect wind blowing. The air was still a little humid from the rain, great for me as my skin is quite dry and I'd suffered previously with glassy feeling holds in very dry Northerlies. Despite how many times I've done the stand, I wanted it to feel totally safe so I hauled up 3 more pads than I'd normally have had.
I set about working out how I could make the first move of the stand more secure, and thankfully found a way using an intermediate and sacking off a foothold, then inspired by a comment on UKC worked out a new way of doing the move into the crack in the stand, which made it feel more reliable. People always seem surprised when I say I changed my beta 30 sessions in, but I think you should always be looking for options.
My first and second goes were great, falling off transitioning into the stand. Given it's so powerful that could have been that, but I often found my later goes were best and, that day, I just kind of knew I was going to do it. Third time was the charm. Happily, I don't think I've ever felt so present on a successful attempt on anything. I was conscious of everything I did, really felt how hard I had to try and how I had to keep everything together. It was brilliant.
Very grateful to everyone who responded to my Instagram stories about trying it, it really helped especially in those dark months of early 2021. Dave Mason has been mentioned already on here but also very grateful to him for all the support. It's the hardest problem I've ever done (for me), and doing it post parenthood both fulfils a big personal goal and gives lots of confidence for the future.
https://vimeo.com/793349019
Domes Sit || Rowtor - one of those that I'd seen in a guide and thought I must go and try that, then years pass before you even go to the area. Finally made it to Rowtor for a maiden visit on a simply stunning winter's day, happily coinciding with my day off during the week, meeting a good friend there, with my daughter at nursery and wife at work. After several recent previous failures on all these fronts I was already winning. Luckily the problem suited me well and I did it quickly; all the more satisfying. It's a great sequence, on lovely rock, in my favourite part of the Peak.
Father I Compress || Wyming Brook - simply because it came together so unexpectedly. Moments of pure flow are fairly rare in bouldering I think that when they come along you have to highlight them. I did the first couple of moves, tried really hard and then woke up at the top! Especially satisfying as close compression is not my bag usually. Only wish I'd had a video going, but then I probably wouldn't have done it.
Diddy Kong || The Chevin - I had a great little run in February of sneaking in lots of quick sessions in the Chevin, feeling very fortunate to have it so close by. I suppose this is what Sheffielders feel like with the Eastern edges so accessible. I could have picked a few different things from this run, but it was especially good to get this one done, fortunate again in having a very generous friend who let me do the FA and in being able to add something so completely my style to my local area. I honestly thought it'd be really easy when I first saw it, but the sheer width and lack of footholds add up to a brutal bit of compression climbing, very reminiscent of its much bigger sister up North.
Synesthesia || Lound Hill - possibly mag lime's most fickle venue? A place where you need to take your chances when they arrive. I tried this when I did Colour of the Sky (Sept' '21) and couldn't do one of the moves in isolation, plus struggled on a couple of the others too meaning it all felt a long way off and quite a bit harder. I went back in July '22 and did the moves and linked the second half, and then endured the patient wait for good conditions there. I went back at least once finding it condensed. On the day it was cool, very low humidity and there was a strong breeze. I lugged 9 pads in by myself, worked it on a rope, then had a work call for 20 mins as a perfect little rest, then did it 1st go. Felt brilliant to just execute like that, and to find moves I struggled on previously so doable.
Top 5 Ireland
Bradders' Sit || Killarney National Park - a big part of the draw of visiting the Ring of Kerry was to do some exploring and, hopefully, find some FAs to do. However, a week or so in I realised I just wanted to do as much climbing as possible and with time pressure from work and family as well, the exploring went by the wayside. I was therefore pleased to find that this sitter to an existing problem hadn't been done and I managed it in a couple of sessions. It's a great bit of slappy, squeezy compression, on a great feature, much like a harder version of Diddy Kong so very much my style.
https://youtu.be/MrSzg_n01RQ?si=86Mf3qyfBd86Xb_7
Super T || The Stone Circle - I was very lucky to get in touch with two 'locals' (if living 2hrs drive away can be considered local!), who had apparently spent a lot of time in the hills around Kerry looking for bouldering venues. Even more luckily for me, they'd found this amazing venue hidden away in the wild Atlantic peninsulas, and having spent the prior 2 years developing it were now willing to share! This one proved to be a perfect trip mini-project, taking 4 sessions over a couple of weeks. It's sustained, powerful, technical and finishes up one of the most incredible highball 6B+s I've ever done, on amazing rock.
https://youtu.be/ESdtug8vnUY?si=wrQCpEhk5hzqL7gT
The Pit || The Gap of Dunloe - it's a bit squeezed in, but it's a banging line up a massive block, in a beautiful place. A pleasure to do on a gorgeous evening. Encapsulated my experience in Ireland very neatly too.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Csq0UG5Ncjs/?igsh=b3gzaTYzbm15NnFl
Nameless II || Killarney National Park - having been to this block and done Nameless Arête the previous year, but been absolutely destroyed by midges, I knew I wanted to return without the little biting bastards. This one is a perfect board style problem on great rock, lovely holds and quality moves, done on a beautiful evening with gentle sunshine filtering through the trees and not a midge to be found.
The Scoop || Killarney National Park - just a great problem on perfect sandstone.
Top 5 Austria
Black Beauty || Zemmschlucht - this was top of the list in Zillertal (excluding Sundance Sit which I decided was too high to be worth attempting on my own) and it was the second area I visited on arrival, however what no one tells you about the river boulders here is just how tricky accessing them can be. I don't know if the same applies elsewhere, I've not been to Brione yet for instance, but getting around here, especially on your own whilst bringing sufficient pads to make sure things feel safe, is a nightmare. On that initial visit I gazed longingly across the river, unable to commit to a jump across the, rather fast flowing, river. Combined with my fan breaking on day 2, struggling with the family / climbing balance and sky high expectations, it all put a massive downer on the first week which I didn't snap out of until a wonderful walk up in the mountains. Thankfully I went back to it later on, on the last good day of conditions. The moves took a while to come together but once they did the sequence seemed to work perfectly, and I managed it second redpoint. Felt redemptive as much as it was satisfying to climb that hard in a session, which I've not managed before.
Agent Orange || Zillergrund - super classic for a reason. Burly, powerful, board style. Quality rock, nice holds, in a lovely spot. Tweaked my knee on the heel hook in my 1st session, but luckily found a toe hook sequence, which I always much prefer.
Remixed || Zillergrund - another satisfying little trip proj, being in that perfect sweet spot of doable in 3 sessions. It's an eliminate link up but the rock is quality and the moves are brilliant, with a heartbreaker finish which I dropped twice in session 2, leaving me wondering if I'd be able to finish it off with the limited time left on the trip.
Cockpit || Zillergrund - the first harder thing I managed in Austria and an indication I was starting to move again after the drive. Brilliant, twisty sequence.
Jackson Drehhaggal || Magic Place - all I wanted to do at the start of my Austria trip was do a good steep problem next to a river. After roundly failing for the first couple attempts, it was a relief to find this fitting the bill perfectly. Magic indeed.
Top 5 Wales
Jerry's Roof || Cromlech - as a time poor Dad, I don't often get to do big days out. When the opportunities do arise, it's therefore especially good when they're also successful. In the morning I'd been for my second session on Leviathan, and despite trying hard I'd been disciplined enough to leave something in the tank. It'd rained in the pass earlier, but it was a glorious summer evening, cold for August, with a lovely breeze blowing. I'd tried Jerry's a few years ago but couldn't remember much of it, so had to work out all the moves again which took time, skin and energy. Luckily I met some friendly people there, one of whom managed it first and I was able to follow him up it straight after. It's a great bit of burly roof climbing I reckon. Topping out to a great sunset, with a bleeding finger and sore muscles will live long in the memory, topped off with an excellent burrito from the van in Llanberis.
Leviathan || Rhoscolyn - one of the UK's best features I think, great movement, mostly wonderful rock, super involved and burly yet very workable at a perfect height for bouldering, in a beautiful place which I mostly had all to myself. I would say it's lucky there's a version of it which is attainable for punters like me, but the original developers seemingly made their own luck in this case, if you know what I mean. Not that I'm complaining, but it did leave me with a bit of a sour taste that took much of the edge off the satisfaction of doing it. The full thing going from the proper sitter all the way to the high finish will still be one of the hardest problems in the UK when it eventually goes, not to mention one of the best. Ended up being a perfect objective for a week long trip in August, and I definitely did get lucky with the weather at least which was great throughout. This is exactly how I like my boulders anyway; squeezy, slappy and beta intensive.
Special K || Crafnant - a great marker of progress, having struggled to do the moves in a session in 2022. This time it went first go after a brief warm up. Felt like I'd properly levelled up my shoulder strength.
Paul O'Grady Sit || Afon Lloer - the day after Special K, second year in a row I've managed to get over to Wales for a weekend of utterly glorious conditions in late winter. This must be one of Wales' best lines, on perfect rock, in a stunning place. It should suit me on paper, but I found it really quite hard, only just fighting my way through the lower compression bit into the stand, after lots of earlier failed attempts.
Ultimate Warrior || Cwm Pennant - pretty much a perfect boulder problem, in a lovely place. Lucky to get to it on a very pleasantly cool Summer's day. Was almost a bit disappointed to do it quickly, but doing so meant a bonus rest day chilling in the sun watching the world champs (hooray for 4G in remote Welsh valleys), paddling in the stream and blackberry picking, so it wasn't a total loss.
Top Spankings
Grit proj - 15 sessions in over the last year and a bit I think, not including turning up and finding it wet a few times, mostly falling off at the same rough section and therefore seeing little in the way of progress. Simultaneously I've battled with my possessive and jealously protectionist thoughts over it, despite my really having no ownership of it beyond having spotted the potential and then miserably failed to do it for a full year! It was my sole focus in April but couldn't get it wrapped up before going away. Came back to it after lots of training through summer, having ticked all my other goals for the year only to sink another 9 or 10 sessions in. Tried to keep it quiet but couldn't resist telling a few people when asked what I'd been up to, meaning word seems to have gotten out and now I'm even more protective of it! All very stupid and I'd like to get it done now. Last session found some amazing new beta, only for the weather to crap out, so fingers crossed it clears up soon.
Transmutation || The Stone Circle - after doing Super T I'd hoped to get a little bonus ascent, and had a promising 'do all the moves 1st go' initial acquaintance. It didn't happen though in the 1st session, so I went back for round 2. It was 7pm by the time I got there, having done a day's work and then got my daughter to bed before going out. I'd never normally then drive 40 minutes to go climbing but when you're keen and time limited... The crux move uses a weird hold with a little double lip to it, and on my best go I got through the crux, moved feet over, set up for the next move and my foot popped. As I cut, I felt the extra lip basically skin my left ring finger. Worst flapper I've ever had! I mummified the finger and had one more go, dropping the crux and splitting my right index as well. Luckily then had 6 enforced rest days travelling to Austria so could have been worse! On the plus side, it's been the inspiration for one of the best problems I have on my board.
The Roof || The Gap of Dunloe - it's the classic of the Gap, and I was really keen to try the sit start too, but I just couldn't get it feeling safe even with 4 decent pads. The landing is hemmed in by blocks and I couldn't get the thought of hitting my head out of my mind. Cool to see that the sit has since been done by a local wad.
https://youtu.be/Rd96giufr8o?si=4WCZsBJpLv8uZ8Zd
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Not a lot to report.
2023 started with major mobility problems due to having no cartilage in my left hip.
I had a full hip replacement on January 25th.
High lights.
Being able to walk up Dodd fell by end of February.
Back on the board by May.
Doing 125 mile ride by the end of June
HebCelt in Stornoway in June. Niteworks, Peat and Diesel and Skerryvore lived to expectations.
Holiday in the Alps in September. First trip in many years.Seeing friends who live there and having friends who always put us up on previous trips coming and staying with us.
Daughter, son in law and grandson returning to the UK although they still miles away in Wiltshire.
Spankings.
Mother in law being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and dying in December. But we took her with us to Lakes in February where she got to see a life long friend for the first time in many years.
Wife employing someone to take over her job when she retires who turned out to be a Bunny boiler and worse she moved in to our village in a friends property.
Having to have Kitty the cat put down due to failing kidneys. Smartie the cat also appears to be on borrowed time.
Although hip is great, my arthritic wrists, fingers cause a fair bit of gip. Currently having shoulder rehab due an impingement as a result of over developed traps and upper pecs.
I hope to climb outside again in 2024 and see more live music and maybe take my grandson to see a live band.
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Great write up Bradders. The Irish stuff looks cool, I might be down that way in October for family related stuff, so in the event that any free time lines up with the weather I might give you a shout for some more deets.
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It feels a bit weird to talk about how my partner's medical issues affect me, in that it's obviously not my body and pain, but it has had a massive impact on my life in terms of changes to both long-term plans and day-to-day life, and at times I've essentially been a carer. It’s brutal watching someone that you love experience pain and lack of hope and inability to do the things that they enjoy, and hard to go off and do some of the things that they can’t do in order to meet your own needs. On that note, she’s also been superhumanly compassionate and understanding on days when she’s been bed-bound and I’ve come home from a day out climbing and complained to her about poor conditions or a split tip.
Coming at this from the other side, it’s absolutely okay and not weird to talk about the impact of your partner’s illness on your life. It’s a huge thing that turns your life upside down… they stuck the “in sickness and in health” bit in there for a reason, the temptation for many partners of sick people is to run away and you didn’t, that is awesome.
I’m very aware that my period of sickness has affected my partner in many ways, I don’t feel guilty about this but I do know it’s there and do everything I can to make space for her to express her feelings about the situation. I’m sure that your struggles will still be important to her even if they seem trivial in comparison; that’s what loving someone means.
Chronic illness is an absolute fucker and very good at wrecking friendships. It seems this is almost unavoidable and can be really upsetting. No answers from me on that one! I just guess some people get it and stick around, and some don’t, just when you need them. It’s brutal.
I’m obviously coming at things from the sick person’s point of view, but if ever that might be useful then just DM me on here.
Thanks Sean - your kindness in writing that means a lot to me (and, to echo everyone else, your stretching efforts and general sticking with it are hugely impressive).
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Droyd; you say that at times you’ve essentially been a carer. No qualification necessary. You have been and are a carer. I’ve been a carer twice in my life, for five years to my first wife and now for the last four to my current wife (though her condition - and thus my caring role- is easing). It is incredibly demanding. Physically it is often exhausting. Emotionally even more so, for lots of reasons: seeing a loved one suffer, worry and doubt about the future, mourning how things were meant to be, misplaced guilt of several kinds, e.g. why them, not me, or guilt about feeling sorry for yourself when it’s so much harder for your partner, or for still having your own needs and drives, or simply for enjoying something from time to time. There’s a tendency to feel the need to just put up and shut up and get on with it, not helped by a lot of people being really uncomfortable with even thinking about others’ long term illnesses (not saying this is your friends and family). There’s not much space for saying how tough it is. But it is tough and it’s good to acknowledge that.
So don’t be too hard on yourself. Take the breaks when you can. Lean on others when necessary. Be honest with others if you feel like it (I was probably really bad at this one). And as Sean said, you’re still there and still standing. You can be proud of that.
In the meantime, I really hope you get some clarity and answers soon and that she (and thus you) begins to experience some real improvement.
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Oh did these too-
https://youtu.be/Zca18zqPfsM?si=73rd2MRSmxUORo-m (https://youtu.be/Zca18zqPfsM?si=73rd2MRSmxUORo-m)
https://youtu.be/mUfLnZwh7YI?si=oyYA0lg9AI3aWzvp (https://youtu.be/mUfLnZwh7YI?si=oyYA0lg9AI3aWzvp)
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Umm, how did you forget those!
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Umm, how did you forget those!
I didnt really....just not sure folk are that interested in obscure lines in the arse end of Scagland :unsure:
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Great thread as always, particularly the real talk.
Not a big year in terms of quality or quantity. I pulled my hamstring in early July, so much so that it hurt to walk, let alone press through my toes whilst climbing. So I did very little for about 4 months and it's only the last few weeks were I feel like I can do a half decent heel hook without my leg feeling like it's going to explode. At least I was enjoying weighted pull ups at the time.
Top 3 UK
Son of Kong 7B, Harter Fell - Been frothing to go to Harter for years and it didn't disappoint. Great day out with a good team and it's always nice to commit to the unknown on a highish line.
Chasing Rainbows 7B(?), Round Crag - Slightly marred that it felt considerably easier than the given grade of 7C. But it was a glorious blue sky day exploring a new crag with good company (who brought bakery goods!). What more can you want. (Honourable mention for Fight or Flight 6B+, which was equally as good)
Vitruvian Man 7B+, Trowbarrow - Like I said, not a big year for quality ;)... tried it once in the past and thought the first move was too spanny but this year it felt easy. I've now done the crux 4 different ways sorting out the beets to Iron Man, just need to go back at some point for some red points.
Top 5 abroad
Fourmis Rouge 7C, Fontainebleau - Great experience figuring this out ground up and getting slightly higher each go, until I eventually dragged myself over the top. I usually dislike having to work out harder stuff ground up on trips, as I've been stung plenty of times by missing something crucial, but it does make success way more satisfying when it arrives and the celebratory patisseries always slap more because of it.
Right Hand of Darkness 8A, Magic Wood - Having watched plenty of videos of Daniel Woods climbing ridiculous looking horizontal roofs, including this one, in my early days of climbing, I was very excited to actually get to climb in the darkness cave, albeit at a much lower grade. I'm not even sure it's that good a problem, but checking out stuff you're seen for years is always a big fat tick regardless.
Minisex 7C, MW - It was great fun to unlock this one at the end of the day with the only beta being a vague memory of someone kicking the wall at some point. Running on fumes, my friend dragged himself up this and even built up the courage to eventually scramble up the easy finishing slab. However, upon watching back his shambolic footage we realised he maintained a continuous 4 second dab with his flagging foot at the start... thankfully he somehow dragged himself up it a second time.
Hohenrausch 7B+, MW - World class. If only I could climb stuff of this quality everyday.
Ninja Gaeshi 7A, Mitake - went to Japan for my honeymoon and had a spare day whilst in Tokyo so it felt rude not to catch the underground/train there. Was happy to get up the Picnic Sarcastic of Mitake, especially as I was wearing knackered, over sized, Red Chilli rentals.
Top 3 potential FA
Side Quest 7B+, secret location - I've now realised that this is literally one of two things that I got up this year which took more than one session. But that's not for lack of trying. Sweet knacky sequence with the low start still to do.
The 87 Bus to Casu 7A+, Wharncliffe - An obvious silly link up, but good enough for Ben Bransby to do and also good enough for Dave Parry to photograph and include in his brilliant weekly Pennine Lines email. (December 4th if anyone cares.)
The Press 7B+, Caley - Best of its style, name, and grade... (or maybe not). A mirrored version of its namesake at Rubicon. My right should hurt for 3 days afterwards. Not sure it's even worth a star (although it would get 2 using the Ruin Bank scale), so don't bother unless you happen to be there.
Top 4 wads spotted out and about
- Shawn Raboutou and Giuliano Cameroni
- Shawn and G Dogg were staying at the Magic Wood guest house at the same time we were, so we hung out with them a little. Shawn even gave me a Magnum ice cream once, so we're practically BFFs. However, the real highlight was pre-restday drinks in which my friend (who we shall call Bo) had a few too many and started fanboying Shawn considerably more than usual, asking for secret tips for getting stronger etc (apparently some of the Korean comp climbers have had surgery to stop their fingertips from sweating...). Anyway, eventually Shawn tried to sneak out for a cheeky doobie but without missing a beat Bo tailgated him right out the side entrance. I think it might have been a long while since Bo last smoked (assuming he has done) as apparently he vomited quite dramatically in the wee hours of the night... He sent his ghost downstairs to join us for late breakfast the following day ;D
- Kokoro Fujii
- Pulling up to Isatis car park I spotted some Japanese chaps walking off into the woods, 30 minutes later I arrived by Karma and watched one of them casually pop up Karma, seemingly on their first pull on of the day. Not one to forget a fringe, I quickly realised it was Kokoro Fujii, but nevertheless, he made it look so trivial that I thought I actually might have a chance of getting up it too. 3 hours, and many attempts, later it became very apparent that I did not. Sandbag me once, shame on you. Towards the end of the day, I had just accepted defeat on Rencard and was about to move on, until Fujii and co. joined in and he quickly does it using higher feet. Rejoice, a new non reachy sequence for me to try. I excitedly got my shoes back out of my bag, squeaked them nice and clean, pulled on and realised it took all my might just to hold his starting positive, let alone consider moving from it. Sandbag me twice, shame on me.
I've just remembered, there was also a pet goat on the loose at the crag that day. Every time I looked around, it would appear menacingly on top of a high boulder and was usually staring me down.
- Miho Nonaka
- Went to B-PUMP Ogikubo to sample some soft Japanese indoor climbing (they have a small perspex smoking box/room right beside the climbing area, so you could nip in mid session!). Travelling to the centre we actually joked about how cool it would be if someone like Miho was casually knocking about (I genuinely had no idea she even climbed at this particularly place) and lo and behold an hour into our session a bright red haired Miho arrives and starts warming up on everything I couldn't do.
Honourable mentions: got my Dave Graham threepeat and I think my 4th sighting of a wild Dave Birkett. Good times.
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Top 4 wads spotted out and about
- Shawn Raboutou and Giuliano Cameroni
- Shawn and G Dogg were staying at the Magic Wood guest house at the same time we were, so we hung out with them a little. Shawn even gave me a Magnum ice cream once, so we're practically BFFs. However, the real highlight was pre-restday drinks in which my friend (who we shall call Bo) had a few too many and started fanboying Shawn considerably more than usual, asking for secret tips for getting stronger etc (apparently some of the Korean comp climbers have had surgery to stop their fingertips from sweating...). Anyway, eventually Shawn tried to sneak out for a cheeky doobie but without missing a beat Bo tailgated him right out the side entrance. I think it might have been a long while since Bo last smoked (assuming he has done) as apparently he vomited quite dramatically in the wee hours of the night... He sent his ghost downstairs to join us for late breakfast the following day ;D
- Kokoro Fujii
- Pulling up to Isatis car park I spotted some Japanese chaps walking off into the woods, 30 minutes later I arrived by Karma and watched one of them casually pop up Karma, seemingly on their first pull on of the day. Not one to forget a fringe, I quickly realised it was Kokoro Fujii, but nevertheless, he made it look so trivial that I thought I actually might have a chance of getting up it too. 3 hours, and many attempts, later it became very apparent that I did not. Sandbag me once, shame on you. Towards the end of the day, I had just accepted defeat on Rencard and was about to move on, until Fujii and co. joined in and he quickly does it using higher feet. Rejoice, a new non reachy sequence for me to try. I excitedly got my shoes back out of my bag, squeaked them nice and clean, pulled on and realised it took all my might just to hold his starting positive, let alone consider moving from it. Sandbag me twice, shame on me.
I've just remembered, there was also a pet goat on the loose at the crag that day. Every time I looked around, it would appear menacingly on top of a high boulder and was usually staring me down.
- Miho Nonaka
- Went to B-PUMP Ogikubo to sample some soft Japanese indoor climbing (they have a small perspex smoking box/room right beside the climbing area, so you could nip in mid session!). Travelling to the centre we actually joked about how cool it would be if someone like Miho was casually knocking about (I genuinely had no idea she even climbed at this particularly place) and lo and behold an hour into our session a bright red haired Miho arrives and starts warming up on everything I couldn't do.
Honourable mentions: got my Dave Graham threepeat and I think my 4th sighting of a wild Dave Birkett. Good times.
Great wad stories 36C, especially the goat.
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Top sport UK
Stone of destiny 6c+ - Creag nan Clag
It's been years since I've climbed on conglomerate other than tufa climbing I think this might be my favorite type of rock to climb on, endless potatoes sticking out of the wall! The whole crag is great, not just this route.
True North 8c Kilnsey
Needs no introduction this one, probably the best 8c in the UK? Finally got round to trying it this year and it did not disappoint, my whole experience with this one was great, I just remember endless days of perfect conditions this spring, it felt like climbing in Spain where you don't even bother looking at the weather, you just assume its mid tens and low humidity!
Indian Summer 8b+ - Kilnsey
First route in the UK after bouldering non stop all winter, unsurprisingly it felt quite hard and pumpy! Its absolutely mind boggling to me that Steve onsighted this back in the day (I know its slightly harder now due to hold break, but the top boulder is still the same and its such a blatancy pop to the finishing slot!)
Freakshow 8b+/c - Kilnsey
Wow, I don't think I'll ever get enough of being up in this roof at Kilnsey. The route breaks down like so, 7a+ into 7C into a 8a route, all I had to do was get through the boulder and I knew I would 100% get to the chains, the problem was pressure was on as the following day the conditions were changing dramatically for the worse (little did I know this would be the last day of the year pretty much for good conditions and by this time in the year I was in full enduro mode and all boulder strength had left me. Some how I managed to power scream my way through the shoulder wrenching iron cross gaston move on the boulder and then a glorious romp up to the chains.
The Vanilla Path 8a+ - Kilnsey
I just had to mention this one, it has one of the craziest shoulder busting moves I've ever done on a route. North Buttress keeps on giving! The crux revolves around reaching up off a sidepull into a flat under cut way above your head, so far that you have to take it as a gaston, then some how walk your feet up the wall in this position! Nice one Ted for cleaning it up.
Top sport abroad
Jungle speed 8b+ - saint leger
Last day of the trip, 3rd day on and what a fight! probably the longest steepest route I've ever done, hard all the way to the top with a heart breaker finish which luckily I never dropped, not sure if I could have mentally got back on the route if i drooped the moves to the chain!
Coloscopie 8a (flash) - saint leger
After doing Jungle speed I decided one last route for the trip and picked this one, already knackered I some how screamed my way up this one. I was having to put the draws in myself and at one point I could see it was going to be to much energy to both equip and clip the bolt so skipped 2 draws in a row, would have been quite a spicy fall!
at the top of the route is a hole, 10 meters below the chains. I had to crawl in and just lay there, I can still remember how loud my heart was beating and how refreshing the cold rock on my boiling hot body was.
Black Weekend 8b - Buoux
Thought I had messed up my chance of doing this route after blowing the last move on the go before, this go up I could feel energy systems failing, I got to the pop move to the final resting jugs before the top, this time however there was no popping, I could feel my arms were too tired to control this movement, I was going to have to all out double hand dyno to the hold, both hands come off, I'm flying through the air, one hand hits, another hand hits, my body flies horizontal, my shoulders are screaming and I'm screaming! Somehow I'm still on! I try to gather my composure for the final 7A boulder, when I realise I've torn 2 of the biggest flappers I've ever seen in my life, there's blood profusely pouring everywhere, I have to pack chalk into them to stem the flow of blood but it barley helps, I was here 2 hours ago, no flappers and feeling way lest fatigued and still fell off, but its my final chance of the trip, time to unleash the fucking big guns, full crimp like a demon you bastard! I let out a Ondra inspired psyche up scream and set off, I'll never know how I managed to do it!
legitime demence 8a+ (flash) - Saint Leger
Great to flash an 8a+ at Leger, proper grades out there! Felt like I climbed it as if I was on redpoint, no hesitation. I would hit a hold and my feet would already be moving to the correct foot holds on auto pilot.
Top Boulders UK
Dead Barron roof 8A (HARD!) - Shipley Glen
Probably the hardest boulder I've done in quite awhile even though it only gets 8A, felt like 8A+ to me but maybe it just didn't suit me, either way its totally 3* and at the time I had a poorly right hand finger and this is pure Sloppers for the right hand.
Chiasmata 8A - Almscliff
I can remember watching this years ago on Life on Hold and thinking I'll never be good enough to climbing some thing like this, also cherry on top, I burnt Jack Palmieri off :tease:, probably the one and only time that will happen!
Like A Hurricane (top out) 8A - Chevin
The drop off finish is 3*, the top out version adds quality along and difficulty, Would recommend to anyone!
Top Boulders abroad
Sur-Prises 7C - Isatis
What an amazing pogo move, perfect movement, when you do it just right, it feels easy, so Font!
Metromotrice Assis 7C - Hautes-Plaines
Scarry! Such an ace line, will defiantly be back for the 8A to the left.
Unknown 7B+ - Albarracin below Mezquita
None of the locals knew the name of this boulder, but it is 4*, the locals took me down into the gorge below Mezquita, I think I particularly remember this one as it was the first high boulder I managed after hurting my ankle, I was so scared on the last move I let out a shrill scream slapping for the lip, much to the amusement of the locals.
Top FAs
Adventure Time 8c - Kilnsey
A variation on Epic Adventures, Epic has an 8a/+ intro to get to the roof, adventure time start up show time which I think is quite a tough 8b, then both have the same finish (around a 10 move 7B boulder with a clip in the middle of it)
Its worth mentioning there's an easier version, Sofite's adventure, which starts up True south and is around 7c+ to the roof boulder, and very perma dry, whilst most things were wet at Kilnsey this was still dry. around 8b/+ like this.
Sharper than Fiction 8b - Cornice
Gifted by Keith, this is genuinely 3 stars (for the UK), I had such a battle on this one having messed up my sequence at the start and getting really pumped, I should have just said take but I fought on and some how just about scrapped my way to the top.
Mescaline Power Trip 8b - Cornice
The true start to the route, not starting hanging on the first bolt! 3 move font 7C into a short PE 8a, with some tricky clips. could be 8b+ but its easier than other things like 42 and 32.
Mandela's Furious Fingers 8A+ - Kilnsey
I almost gave this 8A but really its actually quite hard, a long traverse (8a/+ish) into a 3 move 7B+. I was very pleased when Jack went to try it and found it really hard! keen to do it into the Edge problem next, the harder links into the 8B's will have to wait for an actual WAD as they will be the equivalent of 9b sport
Top spankings
Weather - Cuillin Ridge & The Pirate
I almost put the Pirate and the ridge as two separate points, but then realised that both were just getting my arse kick by the weather. another failed attempt at the Cuillin with my dad, this year fingers crossed. The Pirate I wasted at least 8 sessions going up there and trying it with seepage coming out of all the holds, hoping it would dry out but the weather just never got better for months, I could have spent my time trying so many other things, but I guess I wasn't to know the weather would be permanently bad.
Ankle
Totally spanner my ankle dropping off Ibbo's board, didn't even fall off just dangled and dropped, hit a ever so slight soft spot on the matts and went over on it, I suspect it will take a few more months before I can heel toe cam.
Rainshadow
3 sessions on this, absolutely shut down on the boulder, think I managed it in 4 parts, there's no way its only font 8A, IIRC Steve originally graded it 7C+ boulder!
Losing #1 on the 8a leader board
This last ones funny, I didn't even realise that UKC had leader boards on ticklists but it was pointed out to me and asked if I knew who was number one as it was "Hidden". It was me it turned out! :lol: so I mentioned it to Steve and we talked about who could actually be number one as obviously not everyone logs their climbs on UKC, anyway, the bastard logs all his climbs as he's curious and beats me by 1%!!!
Thanks everyone for posting all your yearly round ups, its great going through them all, the highs and the lows, I've definitely feel very lucky this year and feel the highs have vastly outweighed any lows.
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Fell relays
First time at the fell relay champs. Did leg 1 (4.6k/460m), and performed much better than anticipated given the quality of the field, and my less than ideal year. Absolutely emptied myself, raced really hard for the duration, and felt it with the thigh DOMs for a few days after, but was over the moon to manage to do as well as I did. It's in Yorkshire next year so I'l be aiming to do it again, improve on that placing, and enjoy it - it's a fab event.
Nice write up generally, lovely and honest and good to hear from fellow punters (offence not intended). Hope things pick up.
I just wanted to piggyback on the relays and add that to my list. I too have had a mixed year of running and definitely slowing down (sub-20 5k thoroughly out of reach). Call it post-covid, age, focusing on other stuff, plain lazyness, but I've come to realise I love a good race regardless of slim training. There's people to battle against at whatever point in the field and times don't matter too much offroad. I absolutely love the Relays (this was my prompt to finally join a club years ago, when they were local to me). I've managed to snag a place most years and very happy to do so again. I suspect because the pool of people willing to point a compass in the club is smaller still than those up for the race. We were pretty well matched pair and only 1 slightly duff line late on, that lots of others took. Hope to see you in Yorks next year!
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Crikey! Here we go best thread of the year - the longer and more indulgent the better in my mind!!
Love reading all the psyche - and it’s always nice to look back on the previous year.
So here we go…
Top 5 trad routes
Been a good year of nugget bothering for me… not one of massive quantity like when I was in my 20s but with a few E6s and a few E5s probably my best performances, though have fallen off on easier things more - go figure!
Moonwind Direct, E5 6b, Craig y Forwyn First hard route of the year and probably one of the hardest I did. It felt fairly comparable to the other E6s I’ve done (except BiA) Anyway had the full experience on this; got whigged out, pumped and fell probably on the crux, ripping a cam placed in a state of absolute panic. Flo convinced me to have another go, on which I got through the crux but the fiddly nature of the gear whigged me out again and I basically paniced myself off the move to the finishing jugs. Stripped it that day but went back and fired it off first go but still had to try hard.
Really great route - with some fairly tricky and pumpy climbing and quite a bit of fiddly gear. It’s not just smashing bomber wires in and cracking on!
Kicker Conspiracy, E5 6a, Scimitar Ridge
Just a great day out; chatting in the garden with some friends in the am, a leisurely lunch and more chatting under the crag to wait for the shade, after a warm up I “went for a look” and tiptoed my way through the bold start, the punchy top kept me on my toes until I had my hand on top of the thank god jug at the top of the route - mega!
Major Domo, E6 6b, NW Scotland
Been on the list for a while as a friend did it as an early E6 for her… was during the best bit of a mixed weather trip to Scotland.
I didn’t read the book properly and we got lost on the walk in, then as Flo was racking up to do the E1 as a warm-up another party arrived keen for MD after their own warm up. Worried about clashing plans we turned ours upside down and I was chuffed to luck my way through the crux and ride the flash pump to the top! Has claimed a few scalps of people slipping off the top of this if they get through the crux so chuffed with that one!
Big in America E6 6b, Pembroke
Gets E6 in the book but feels very reasonable for it, but it’s so bloody good it doesn’t matter what the grade is!
Classic stuff where I made the decision to go down despite the high winds and massive seas (tide was low fortunately) Flo got a bit gripped and then the extra wire I put in the belay ripped as she sat on it as I set off. All of a sudden it wasn’t so fun but I channelled that into climbing well, reasoning that the safest way to get us out was by climbing the route. The groove bit is brilliant with a very on-off move, nearly came acropper misreading the top but what a glory quest that bit is!
Suicide Blonde, E6 6b, Daddyhole
Been on my mind again for a little while but barely ever climb in Devon these days. Pembroke gopped out and it looked primo down in Torbay with the added bonus of seeing the parents.
Went down one afternoon, had a lovely swim and quick sunbathe then got on with it. This and Moonwind were my two biggest battles, with this one being a bit more physical. Pumped off by the top peg on my first go, lowered off for a rest and just about managed it next go, didn’t place any more gear until I slung the tree at the top… not too sure if there has been some rockfall at the top of this as it was a little loose and had quite a bit of soil on ledges… it also doesn’t resemble how it looks of the pic of Tom Newberry on it in the guide :-\
A bit escapeable to the arête (seems weird not to as it leads your to have your hands on the ledge but a great bit of climbing especially after you commit up the stripey wall.
Top 4 foreign routes
Had a long trip to Spain with Flo which was great though I certainly didn’t climb anywhere near my best due to skin issues, attitude/mh issues, and fitness issues. They kind of bled into each other at times but hey you live and learn.
El Bufa 7c+, chulilla
Wasn’t my most successful Spanish trip with skin issues, attitude issues and just not feeling that fit. Flo did this second go, whilst it took me 4 sessions! A lesson in preparing better as I just thought if I get stronger I’ll climb better. Still what a route, felt 8a compared to the other 8a I did on the trip and didn’t feel that much easier than the other 8a I got close to up in Siurana.
Whipping off the moves to the chains were a lot of fun, though the bottom of the route is a bit of a faff!
Solas y Solas, 7c, Siurana
FINALLY! Been thinking about trying to onsight 7c since my first big Spain trip where I got close but no cigar and have dallied every other trip with varying degrees of commitment. In fairness, no trip since the first has been particularly successful for one reason or another which won’t have helped! I tried quite a few on this trip and got close every time, but a miss is as good as a mile and I had to settle for 2nd go (or occasional failures).
This was one of the ones I really wanted to do and towards the end of the trip I went for it and fortunately climbed well, didn’t make any mistakes and made it to the anchor. It’s definitely a softy and could very likely be 7b+ but you gotta take them sometimes havent you? I didn’t take Los franceses in chulilla as it did feel too easy, but I tried to use it as a confidence booster.
I loved the runout/traddy nature of this one… made sure you kept on trucking and tried hard!
Taghia, 7b+, tres ponts
Proper onsight battle! The initial groove was hard all the way until I found myself at the top, suddenly I couldn’t quite figure out where to go and I was on a semi-rest… took me ages to figure out/commit to the sequence which set the tone as I was then quite tired for the rest and it felt very on/off at the top. With a bit of beta flo made it look way more cruisy (opposite experiences on instinct salvatge on a previous day)
As Ramsden said “proper corner tekkin”
Fleck, 7b, collegats
The last route of the trip and one that I had failed to redpoint a good few years earlier. Did it after a really good onsight go at the 7c to the right so my forearms were still cooking a bit and I just had a great time on it, with enough rests to keep it manageable but I was definitely starting to redline towards the end at times. Kind of feels like a big sea cliff E6.
Top UK sport
Ten Year Fog 7b+, pantymwyn
Did this after work with a mate- he went up put the clips in and gave me some knowledge. I had a dog and then somehow pulled it out the bag next go!! We did the RH finish which to be honest I very nearly fell off, but I can’t help but feel it’s a cop out. My excuse is I was following Jordi’s beta! He did it the go after me too which was mega!
Hamish Teddy’s Excellent Adventure, 7b+, Dunkeld
Mega! Stopped off here on our r way up north and back down south and really liked the place. Had a bit of a torrid time on ultima necat on the way up (after a very eventful ascent of Rat Race) on the way back down fired ultima off first go putting the clips in then went for a flash of Hamish, got through all the hard bits only to get the wrong bit of a hold and go wrong handed on the next sequence! Great route though so no trial to have to do it again. Another time where flo was on blinding form absolutely pissing both of these in a day.
Top 3 boulders
2023 was a year where I didn’t get all that close to my best in bouldering terms, despite actually ticking off some 7A+ over summer when I’d usually be fit and weak. The autumn/winter has either seen me busy or the weather not play ball.
Help the Young, 7A+, Stanage Plantation Had the week off work and on a beautiful day was heading out with my gf, she suggested we go out with some good friends which I was very keen for. Then they said they were going to try HTY. Having tried it yonks ago I remember it feeling desperate and having a skin tearing pebble on the edge you jump for so wasn’t keen (I also don’t really like the plantation), but the sociable nature of the day won out. We had a tough time of it in the fairly warm October sun, trying it bridging in to work the top. Flo managed it, Maddie had a power spot and found she could span the top but it was fairly limit and I really struggled with the last move.
I decided to get the first move sorted ready for a return, weirdly I found the move easy from the get go. Soon enough I’ve fallen off the top with it feeling tantalisingly close. The pads started to get moved and I consider just going with the group. But no “can I just have one quick go?” All of a sudden I’m looking at that move to the ledge and it looks closer than before, I get it with the tips of my fingers, bump and sketch my way through the top a happy happy man.
Totoro, 7A+, llanberis pass
Crazy that this has only just been climbed as it’s probably one of the best boulders in the pass, can be seen from the road and isn’t far from a path. The landing is a bit dodgy but it kind of adds to it as the top feels really quite spicy! Great afternoon out with a few friends. Hazel had done it before but was psyched to do the low extension and after I did the normal start I got the low extension sorted, but didn’t quite get it… very keen to go back as it’s really cool and the boulder is made of that great plexus buttress grippy rock. Yum yum.
The Minimum, 7A+, Llanberis Pass
Have tried this in the past and thought it was desperate. Don’t think it’s particularly amazing but felt good to do in the middle of summer as it’s something I’d be chuffed at doing in the winter. Again a lovely evening after work with Hazel and Angus, chatting, joking about and climbing on a beaut eve. S’what it’s all about innit?
Top spankings
The weather!! Half of the Scottish trip was very difficult as it would rain in the middle of the day. And both my sport projects (Powerplant and canyonlands) got wet. Lord was pretty consistently wet too.
At times my mental health hasn’t been great, but I do feel way more on it with seeing it and doing something about it sooner now, and have come to the realisation that this journey has no end. I have also had loads of times where I feel like I had my mental health in a good state, and really felt appreciative of that. So also some element of swings and roundabouts I guess?
As ever, a good year! Here’s to a dry, and mildly warm summer after a nice dry late winter ;D
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Fell relays
First time at the fell relay champs. Did leg 1 (4.6k/460m), and performed much better than anticipated given the quality of the field, and my less than ideal year. Absolutely emptied myself, raced really hard for the duration, and felt it with the thigh DOMs for a few days after, but was over the moon to manage to do as well as I did. It's in Yorkshire next year so I'l be aiming to do it again, improve on that placing, and enjoy it - it's a fab event.
Nice write up generally, lovely and honest and good to hear from fellow punters (offence not intended). Hope things pick up.
I just wanted to piggyback on the relays and add that to my list. I too have had a mixed year of running and definitely slowing down (sub-20 5k thoroughly out of reach). Call it post-covid, age, focusing on other stuff, plain lazyness, but I've come to realise I love a good race regardless of slim training. There's people to battle against at whatever point in the field and times don't matter too much offroad. I absolutely love the Relays (this was my prompt to finally join a club years ago, when they were local to me). I've managed to snag a place most years and very happy to do so again. I suspect because the pool of people willing to point a compass in the club is smaller still than those up for the race. We were pretty well matched pair and only 1 slightly duff line late on, that lots of others took. Hope to see you in Yorks next year!
No offence taken - I'd be deluded if I didn't notice the difference between my grades and most others in this thread! :lol: cheers
Spot on about the racing... no matter where in the field, you're surrounded by people trying hard, and it's a great feeling. I think I know what you mean about the bad line towards the end - my teammates were saying they did something similar to reach the last checkpoint, lots of bracken and heather I seem to recall? I clearly got away with it on my leg, no route choice required!
Yep looking forward to it, good luck :)
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Timing my hits for when my MS isn't too bad
Have you tried HBOT treatment? No magic bullet, but many find it helps with symptom management.
I haven't tried that yet, need to talk with the consultant but it's been a year since my last appointment.
I had a pal who used it after an accident nearly crippled him and his response was excellent.
Thanks, I will chase it up.
Some consultants rate it, some are less up to speed. All are run by charities, so there's no need to actually bother consulting. It's entirely harmless unless you have COPD which, clearly, you don't. I could put you in touch with someone I know in his mid 40s who almost entirely keeps the symptoms at bay with a session or two a week (he started early).
I think you're Inverness based?
This lot are up that way: https://theoxygenworks.com/ I wrote about using it when I fucked my PCL 14 years ago - I had a very quick and satisfactory recovery. http://pcl-rehab.blogspot.com/
Did you do the True Finish to Shibboleth?
It was 30+ years ago and still fresh in my mind...
Yes we did, and they're very much the icing on the cake - great pitches!
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It has been a slow year on the climbing front, other than a couple of trips to font, where I spent my time motoring round easy circiuts, outdoor stuff has been few and far between. I think this is down to a combination of niggling injuries, family health issues and realising that nowhere has bouldering as good as font (plus distracted by caving + fell rescue stuff.
Looking back I did actually have some good days out on rock:
Top 3 Routes
Chequers buttress – Froggat
An early season day out in February ticking classics I had never been on. I enjoyed this, nice moves, nice spot and good company. Felt like I stole this from winter A 15 star day.
Dewerstone
Climbing here with the friend of graviton fame, we did some of the steady multipitches which was super chilled, and whilst non of the climbing was world class, it was brilliant to see an old friend, and even better, get them out on rock in the sun.
Red Pencil direct / hell gill
After a quick hit down then up hell gill (worth a dip in the summer), me and will called in at Penyghent to get on red pencil direct. As we geared up, the storm clouds gathered. Climbing up the mountain-like grit, I lead upwards aware the darkness was coming. We topped out and fat rain started falling as we descended the grassy gully. This increased and increased until we were running down to Horton, both completely piss wrapped. A fun day out.
Top Boulder problems
Graviton – Sabots
My friend who no longer climbed flashed this more than a decade ago. I’d been meaning to get on it since then, and had an opportunity early doors. I turned up alone to see some friendly frenchies there, sliding off the top. On my first go I got the good hold, but slapped around hoping for better. Error! A second abortive go quickly went, before I grappled my way to the top. I then shuffled off for some “easy” circuit for the rest of the day. Boss.
Aprement yellows - font
I found myself with one day in font whilst in transit in the middle of summer. Staying in Barbizon I strolled in the village, picked up some pastries and continued walking on in to the woods sans pad, I cruised round the Aprement Bizons yellow circuit. Delightful. I stopped off at le cabin for le kit-kat et un coke, then went back for another yellow circuit at Butte aux Dames. After a week of primarily wearing wellies and boots, it felt like ballet in the woods.
The groove – Caley
Having fallen off this stonking problem for at least 1 session a while ago, I somehow managed to magic my way up this. Proper technique and gritstone magic required for me. A gem. Honourable mention to mr smooth sit. A nemesis from 10+ years ago, which I despatched this winter with no problems.
Top adventures
Canyoing in the Vercors
I’ve always meant to do it but never got round to it. I ended up on a caving trip down there with some people with canyoning know how too. I cannot express how fucking good this is. Started off in the “lower ecouge”. I vividly remember abseiling down the first 20 odd meter waterfall thinking “how did I get here”, “this is amazing” and “don’t let go of the rope” as I was pummelled with water. The canyon was like a playground, abs off the end of ropes into pools, jumps, swimming, scrambling. Incredible. Clearly hooked we did a few more trips, the highlight was a 2 person trip down the upper ecouge. This felt like a big boy canyon. Steep, inescapable and committing. At one point I went down first down a 20m + pitch into a churning pool, with second larger waterfall about 5 meters away. I couldn’t stop thinking about how wild this situation was. Anyway. If you get the chance, get to it!
Fuertaventura west coast
I am a beach break surfer. I love the sea, but generally make it up as I go along. I went on a surf course for a few days, and on one day we paddled out to a reef break (calleta inside). After a quick briefing “paddle there, don’t paddle there, ready to die!” three of us followed the instructor, paddling out like little ducklings to get out back. Obviously I stacked it on my first attempt, and for bonus points my board got ripped off me. I got it back within a minute or two, but it felt pretty spicey for a bit! Leash re-attached, I paddled back out a few more times, got washed plenty, and my arms got absolutely wasted. I never managed to get the bottom turn in and surf along the wave, but it felt ace to be out there in amongst it. Incredible experience and made me feel that maybe I could surf proper waves one day….
Caving
Had a great year of caving, mostly in the dales ticking of mega classic fun trips. I am now significantly less of a liability than I was, and generally more useful underground which is a nice feeling. One particular standout is the Gournier in the Vercors, which involved paddling a boat across an underground lake, walking through mind blowing cavernous chambers of flowstone for hours, and an underground canyoning like experience, involving swimming, jumping and climbing up waterfalls (in a wetsuit). Was pure type 1 fun (until a member of the team had an epic, but all survived). If you only ever do one cave, I'd make it this one!
Spankings
Alick – Trowbarrow
After not climbing routes for ages, never mind sport, I got absolutely boxed out of my tree on this and climbed like a right lemon. Failing on a 6b+, on top rope no less, made me realise how poor my endurance has become. To be honest the whole day was a shambles! Time to put some effort in!
Caving:
Langcliff pot in the dales. I didn’t achieve what I hoped which was to visit a rarely visited spot (past nemesis choke), because I couldn’t fit through a squeeze (the one out of Boireaus fall chamber), but I did feel completely wrecked afterwards. I love the feeling of being completely wasted, and getting out of the entrance crawls was joyous. The walk down in the evening sun made me psyched for living in Yorkshire. The problem is I have to go back and try again at some point, once my elbows have forgiven me...
Theres a longer write up of that trip for anyone interested:
https://whiterosepotholeclub.wordpress.com/2023/09/11/langcliffe-pot-oddmire-entrance-friday-8th-september-2023-by-huw-goodall/ (https://whiterosepotholeclub.wordpress.com/2023/09/11/langcliffe-pot-oddmire-entrance-friday-8th-september-2023-by-huw-goodall/)
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Time for my annual post :P
Guess it's been a big year for me, outrageous difference from 2019/2020 me. Nice. Body health and mindset are doing much better. Also just really enjoying climbing at the moment.
Top 3 FAs
Durin’s Bane
Filling in a hard gap at a well frequented (by beasts) crag, as well as dealing with injury from the climb, and life-stress, turned out to be a tricky thing for me. Moves are good, my friends have been trying it and like it. I had fun obsessing over it and playing on the moves lots. Also the first time I’ve said 8 anything for an FA. Love this one.
Sand County Almanac Isel/Eryr Gwernabwy
Two in one here as it was a weekend of fun and enablement by the same group of close friends from S. Wales. Sand County is a stunner line, and I didn’t realise I was even adding a low start until the day after. Powerful stuff on big holds, some tech, and some spice. Eryr is the most trad-boulder I’ve ever put up, and with mats it’s even dead safe. Ridiculous position and feature, 6A climbing, day-rescuer, and the weekend with mates that I needed.
Man O’ War
My birthday gift to myself. Helped with getting over post-PhD stress. A bit of a silly wet challenge at the time, amazing swims, and then it burned an 8B monster off in the same style as his recent crowning ascent. Also pretty good.
Top 3 Non-FAs
Blankety Blank/Firing Blanks
Did both of these the same session, after a few of not sticking the ledge earlier in the year. Last boulders of 2023, unexpected, and low-pressure.
Deep Low Boom Low/The Extension Will Eat Itself
First time doing two new to me 7C-or-harder boulders in a day which was a goal for a long time. Also great to see old uni mates.
Vault of Glass Sit
One of those where you think you’ve got no chance, then you think it’ll go super fast, then you bleed a lot, then you fail for a while more, and then you do it. Low pressure prevails. Great moves.
Life
Finished the PhD
Got a fun job in science
Moved in with the girlfriend which has been great
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Climbing
The best of 23 for me was to return to Font for the first time for about 7 years.
I took my youngest, Sam, for a long weekend to overlap with my partner taking her son (Finn) for a week with a larger group. The weather was awful and we barely got any climbing done but there were a couple of great moments…
Le Toit Au Gratons
A wet morning, a damp trudge into Cul de Chien, then waiting…. Toit De Cul De Chien was wet in the pockets so the team of keen youths tried this instead. There was Finn (15) and Dylan and Bryn Heason. They each had a couple of goes. Then Sam ambled over and asked if he could have a go. Sam is 11 and pretty small with it, Bryn and Dylan had never really met him before so they could easily have been a bit dismissive or amused by the idea, after all here’s a tiny skinny little kid wanting to climb with the big boys…
But not even in the slightest, all three were super encouraging, pointing out the holds, talking through a sequence, holding up a chalk bag for him, spotting. I didn’t try it, but still a climbing highlight of the trip. FWIW he had a decent go at it and got pretty much as far as the other three had, but the big deal was the amazing attitude of the other three. Then it rained…
Magic Bus
Lamp session, desperate hunting for dry rock. I’ve previously done this, but not in my current aged condition… was with Finn and Sam. Just there for an hour working out the moves/sequence. Was brilliant. We all had different sequences and throughout the session made different rates of progress, but ultimately we all got from the start to the last move, which we all dropped. Again everyone was just SYKED for us all to make progress, discussing the minutiae of sequences and suggesting tweaks. Climbing with kids is brilliant.
I’ve rekindled my joy of climbing. But being honest the best part of 23 was being around to see the development of the kids climbing.
Work
Still takes up too much of my life, I really need to try and change this through 24…
Life
Life remains complex and challenging. I live in the Peak and my kids live on the Isle of Man. But whilst it’s not perfect, we seem to have a setup that mostly works for the kids.
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Spartan Slab, VS, Beinn Trilleachan
First day of a trip to Glencoe. Started as it was drying from the rain, quickly got drier and cleaner after the first half a pitch. Crux was bizarre, surely not 4c, but ended up circumventing it across the slab to the right - almost certainly technically harder but more my cup of tea.
What are you calling the crux? The crux is surely getting out of the recess and onto the rib? 5a in most guides, but well protected.
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Top 3 Trad
A Midsummers Night’s Dream, Cloggy.
By far and away the best climbing day of the year. Total team effort. Crag bone dry. Tuffty led the first (very bold) pitch, I led pitches 2 and 3. No-one had done the 3rd pitch this year (the chalk ran out) and I very nearly backed off as I couldn’t work out what to do. I wasn’t completely happy with the gear either. In the end with the help of my toothbrush I managed to unlock the sequence and commit. The feeling of standing up on that top slab with the sweep of Great Wall below was fantastic and a bit surreal in equal measure. We then abbed down IF – Wow!
The Cruise, Gogarth Upper Tier
In a way a consolation prize as I wimped out of going down to the Main Cliff. I wasn’t ready to strap it onto Main Cliff E6. Pleased to fire this notorious pump-fest off with no dramas. Afterwards we top roped The Bells! which terrified us.
Nah’han, Gardoms.
Climbs like a Depot ‘purple’! A cold mid-October Sunday with 50% humidity. You don’t get many of them!
Top 2 Sport
Dharma, Duke’s Quarry
Seeing as BB called it a sport route and I didn’t do many proper sport routes…
I cleaned this in June ’21 and had been itching to get back ever since. It needs a very specific set of conditions (prolonged dry period (i.e. summer), low humidity and wind). It took two sessions (we needed a session to clean it and then for it to dry back enough). I loved everything about this route – the esoteric setting and impressive wall, the hard-won conditions and the safe but runout style.
Top Loader, Millstone.
Maybe even more of a sport route than Dharma. You place a couple of wires at the start and some cams off the big rest. It’s ‘clip and go’ on all the tricky bits. Brilliant climbing and hard F7c IMO. It was quite a cold April evening and after falling on my first attempt I had to dig deep to claw through the crux traverse.
Top bouldering
I mainly bouldered very locally – see below. Or tried stuff that I didn’t do, but am keen to try again (e.g. Blackfoot). Enjoyed a few evenings in September at Rubicon. It was as much about the place/time of year. I was pleased to repeat The Press and put a bit of time into the start of Plectrum MD.
Top running
I’ve struggled with running in 2023, mainly due to renewed trad psyche, partly because I lost a bit of interest and partly because I injured my bad ankle in June. I only did 3 races but managed 1500km for the year. My most enjoyable running was probably some of the longer interval sessions I did in preparation for a road 10k (5 x 1 mile, 3 x 2 miles). Or maybe a PB on the White Edge/Froggatt loop at the end of May in road shoes it was so dry.
Top spanking
Blind Ali’s Date, Remergence. I used this as a quick outside hit with no pressure or expectations. 10 sessions this year. Got my left hand on the lip once. On the 2nd session.
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Spartan Slab, VS, Beinn Trilleachan
First day of a trip to Glencoe. Started as it was drying from the rain, quickly got drier and cleaner after the first half a pitch. Crux was bizarre, surely not 4c, but ended up circumventing it across the slab to the right - almost certainly technically harder but more my cup of tea.
What are you calling the crux? The crux is surely getting out of the recess and onto the rib? 5a in most guides, but well protected.
That sounds like it? Pitch 3, climb up and left into a slightly awkward recess, then have to get a very high right foot/leg and rock onto a slab/slight corner, before up and then right into the long traverse to the next belay.
I've not checked my book*, just saw UKC said 4c while flicking through writing my post in here. Maybe 5a is fair and I was missing a trick, you're right it is well protected so not a major issue. I just know that I'm normally decent at those high feet kinda rockover moves and this felt absolutely desperate - and I do manage 5a normally!
As for my variation, instead of leaving the belay and going left to the recess, I went right to where the hanging slab can be accessed more easily and then did a few blank steps padding left to the position after the crux. This was not well protected, but like I said originally, I like that kind of thing, and had exhausted seemingly all possibilities on the proper way to go! :shrug:
* I have now checked, and Wired Scottish Rock Climbs says 5a
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My climbing year was slow to start, never really got going, and ended not with a bang but a whimper.
Best (only) routes - done during a week in the Blanca, after 2 years of only bouldering - so I had no stamina and stuck to easy wins and enjoying the warmth:
Lo's - Gandia - 7a- o/s - lovely tufa-draped cave climbing.
Última Albertència - Gandia - 6c+ - o/s - as above...
A la Babila - Gandia - 7a+ - o/s - and as above again!
El principi i el fi - Guadalest - 6a+ - o/s - I did this as a single pitch (20ish draws) and it was one of those warm-ups that can ruin a day! Very good; sustained crimping - stern but fair for 6a+ if you find the holds!
Bouldering - due to weather and lack of psyche, I never really got going with the local targets, and almost everything decent I did was during short holidays - so no properly working anything. No "big ticks", even by my paltry standards, but some nice days.
Northern Soul and Arse Soul - Llanberis Pass - I did better problems during this spell (e.g. King of the Drunks), but it's a nice memory because a pair of "yoofs" arrived when I was on the verge of leaving and their psyche was contagious and encouraged me to keep going. I went from being a bit pissy that my peace and crossword solving had been disturbed to properly bouncing off our efforts and doing a couple of extra problems.
Hades Lair, Lad Stones - nice positive and steep climbing. Mainly memorable for the contrast of topping it out and then getting a call from a solicitor, who reamed me, and then having to arrange,while still sat under the boulder, spending the next day of my holiday finger-tip searching through half a tonne (literally) of fire debris.
Emyr's Arete and Emyr's Arete Direct - a bit sharp but such good features with a great view.
Blood Moon - Cwm Glas Bach- crimpy traversing in a dank slot, on a sunny day - truly my safe space (after getting nowhere near The Hand Rails of Crib Goch).
A day at Dow - not really any great climbing - the main tick was The Gene, which wasn’t all that. But it was more about the day in its entirety - the satisfaction of the walk-in and the beautiful location - tarn below, crag above. I could have done with it being less hot mind you (and taking only 0.5Lof water was,in retrospect, a huge mistake - walking back was like "Ice Cold in Alex"!).
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Impressed you tried to get to the bottom of there.....Still probably the hardest trip in the Country.....
Caving:[/b]
Langcliff pot in the dales. I didn’t achieve what I hoped which was to visit a rarely visited spot (past nemesis choke), because I couldn’t fit through a squeeze (the one out of Boireaus fall chamber), but I did feel completely wrecked afterwards. I love the feeling of being completely wasted, and getting out of the entrance crawls was joyous. The walk down in the evening sun made me psyched for living in Yorkshire. The problem is I have to go back and try again at some point, once my elbows have forgiven me...
Theres a longer write up of that trip for anyone interested:
https://whiterosepotholeclub.wordpress.com/2023/09/11/langcliffe-pot-oddmire-entrance-friday-8th-september-2023-by-huw-goodall/ (https://whiterosepotholeclub.wordpress.com/2023/09/11/langcliffe-pot-oddmire-entrance-friday-8th-september-2023-by-huw-goodall/)
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As for my variation, instead of leaving the belay and going left to the recess, I went right to where the hanging slab can be accessed more easily and then did a few blank steps padding left to the position after the crux. This was not well protected, but like I said originally, I like that kind of thing, and had exhausted seemingly all possibilities on the proper way to go! :shrug:
Pretty sure I did the same. As for the crux, my gangly legs couldn't get onto the slab, so i kind of had to belly slither onto it. which was fine, except for large cam getting pulled across and hitting me in the nuts. Great route, love to do some of the harder stuff there.
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Similar to Moose, slow start, slow middle, glacial end (unless you count indoors). Most of the best stuff has been days out rather than specific routes/problems.
Routes :-
- Day at Bamford - Happy Wanderer, Neb Buttress Direct, Randy's Wall amongst others. I'd only been to Bamford in the winter since it became an Instagram venue, so I'd never seen the extent people go to for the 'gram. Routes highlight was Happy Wanderer, but the highlight of the day was being asked to move while belaying at the top of Randy's Wall as I was spoiling someone's photo. They didn't look impressed when I pointed out the ropes I was attached to.
- Mutiny Crack, Burbage North - one of those routes I'd never soloed as it looked intimidating, but would never bother tying on for (if I ever took a rope to Burbage North). Finally got round to doing it and it's f**king brilliant.
Bouldering :-
- Harland Edge - I'd been to the right end of Harland before and done a few problems, but got rained off. Made it further over this time and got a bit more done before getting rained off again. Highlight for me was The Merkin - not usually into bunchy sit starts at 6'3", but the moves on this were great.
- Carrhead Rocks - if this was anywhere other than 500m from Stanage, it might get a bit more traffic. Nice to get some new stuff done at a reasonable grade so close to home. Highlight was probably Afterbirth.
- Farley Woods - I've spent quite a bit of time in the Churnet, but never gone over the road. After failing on something in awful conditions, I decided to explore and had an hour at the Amazing Tree block before I had to head back. The following visit I went straight up to New Kingdom and then worked my way back stopping at a few other spots then finishing at Amazing Tree again. Brilliant day out and felt totally worked on the way home.
Running :-
- Hayfield May Queen - first race back after Covid at the start of the year. Felt pretty strong on the climb, but my descending was a bit tentative due to lack of races. Still had a decent finish in me and took back a few places on the road - 7th and 1st vet.
- Christmas Week - came down with post-viral symptoms in June and really struggled for 5 months. Running completely exhausted me and, particularly if I went out in the evening, I'd struggle to sleep and be exhausted for a few days after. A couple of false starts getting any sort of consistency going, but finally managed to get a sustained period of running together in October. By mid-December I was up to 75% of normal miles, albeit at a very ploddy pace and still struggling with elevated HR. Christmas week is the first time I've felt almost normal running and it feels great - had a couple of runs with some mates and another with my wife, didn't feel like I had to go out on my own to avoid slowing everyone down. Actually feel like I can go into 2024 with some positivity about what's coming.
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Impressed you tried to get to the bottom of there.....Still probably the hardest trip in the Country.....
I think I would have been in an absolute state if we'd made it to the end! I would have loved to get into the sacred way though. I understand why people want to cap that squeeze though. I felt a long way from home as I sat in it willing myself through. Have you been through the other side?
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For those of us that don’t know about caving but are utterly horrified by it, how tight is this squeeze and how long does it go on for?
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It doesn't go on for very long, but it takes a few hours to get there including a fair bit of crawling dragging a bag of rope behind you.
The squeeze is a tunnel down through boulders for 3m or so just off vertical, the tightest bit at the bottom, where you can fit your legs through, but they immediately hit a horizontal floor so have to bend them in front of you at 90 degrees ish. The space for your feet is foot size. You then shimmy forwards to get flat out and can then flat out crawl out for a bit, and eventually end at a pitch. Getting in is hard work. Getting out looks harder! I was getting wedged with my thigh pushing against one side and my arse against the other. I got a good bruise.
If you got stuck you would be waiting a while. Past the squeeze there is a pitch (abseil) and huge boulder choke which is on the unstable side. There aren't too many who have been to the other side, and a trip to the end of the cave beyond can be 10 hrs + round trip. People dived down here back on the day, which is an amazing effort, and there used to be the remains of a camp site down there.
There's still some exploring to be doing down there!
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It doesn't go on for very long, but it takes a few hours to get there including a fair bit of crawling dragging a bag of rope behind you.
The squeeze is a tunnel down through boulders for 3m or so just off vertical, the tightest bit at the bottom, where you can fit your legs through, but they immediately hit a horizontal floor so have to bend them in front of you at 90 degrees ish. The space for your feet is foot size. You then shimmy forwards to get flat out and can then flat out crawl out for a bit, and eventually end at a pitch. Getting in is hard work. Getting out looks harder! I was getting wedged with my thigh pushing against one side and my arse against the other. I got a good bruise.
May I be the first to say, "fuck that"?
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A little bit late to this, bit of a strange year for me, got some good climbing in but things seemed to keep getting in the way of any consistency.
Best UK sport
The Diamond, Rub-a-Dub-Dub 7a, It Came from Beaneath the Sea 7b
Definitely the best 2 routes I did in the UK this year but even more just an absolutely brilliant day out. First ever time at the Diamond on an afternoon low tide. The approach was exciting, included being passed by a fast moving Nick Bullock, and once down there the crag is spectacular but the environment surprisingly friendly. Got on Rub-a-Dub-Dub first, looked good but turned out to be better than that, excellent rock and great climbing probably one of the best of it's grade in the country. Next up was It Came from Beneath the Sea, partner did it first but didn't give me any beta (and is too short and too strong for it to be helpful anyway), started without too many expectations but managed to scrabble my way through the tough start and then started to climb better, milked the rests and made it too the top. Brilliant climb, totally my style and probably a bit soft but a great experience and pysched to get it os(ish). Ended the day climbing out in the rapidly approaching dusk and it was dark by the time we got to the car.
Right wall of the cave, Llandulus
Pearl Necklace 7a+(7b?), Pearls from the Shell 6c+, Searching 7a, El Tigre 7b
Spent some time here in May getting fit after COVID , it's not a big sector , none of the routes are super classics but the rock is really good , all the routes are worthwhile , conditions are dependable and it was just good to ticking routes and enjoying climbing.
Moat Buttress, Lady of the Lake 7b
Objectively not even that good a route by Moat standards but another really fun day. Met up with my daughter and one of her mates on a warm day and found Moat to be surprisingly quiet. Dogged up Lady of the Lake and found the crux really powerful and wasn't sure it was a goer, second time up found I could do an unlikely big throw/dyno to the jug above the bulge. Next go I went for it, got one hand on and brought the second over as both feet came off! Definitely not my normal style and the daughter even caught it on camera to prove that old men can jump. Everyone else had a good day as well and we finished with a pint in the sun by the river at the Anglers Rest.
Best Chulilla sport
Two trips, one early, one late.
Los Franceses 7c (7b+)
One of the main targets of an early visit to Chulilla. Onsight was never realistically going to happen and I messed up the initial slippery corner to remove any pressure. Second go climbed the stepped roofs badly but got to the rest and pushed on up the overhanging tufa wall, got to the penultimate bolt but no way I was clipping until the jug just above. Very pumped I commited fully and tickled the jug but couldn't hold it, went a long way and partner ended up past the first bolt which fortunately I had left unclipped! Returned the next day and it went more smoothly but still had to try hard (and had to get the jug before clipping). Classic big Chulilla route, lots say 7b+.which may well be right but no pushover for me.
Richer Line 7a
Just superb involving wall climbing with a big feel, mainly on corals so no real problems with polish but not particularly sharp either,
Long Dong John 6b+
Second visit to Chulilla, did this as first route. What an adventure, world class for the grade and must feel pretty epic if you don't have a good bit in hand.
El Chachalote 7b+
Was planning to stick to getting some mileage on this trip but Ant was insistent that this route would suit me perfectly and he was right. Lovely technical climbing with a steeper crux in the middle and and an exciting airy traverse to finish. Had a decent flash attempt and then got it second go, probably soft but my style and excellent conditions, well worth 3 stars for me.
Best spankings
Everything else! Covid, minor injuries, more major injuries (ruptured long head bicep tendon, which fortunately turned out to be lot less significant than you might expect), mum breaking her hip, shit immune system (post COVID?) and what felt lke a constant stream of colds and viral infections. And the weather of course! Though to be honest compared to plenty of other people none of it really stopped me for a long time so can count myself fairly lucky in the end (other than the weather which really was shit!)
Climbing wise on both Spanish trips against my better judgement I managed to get caught up with harder projects in the second half and managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in both cases. Particularly Cap I Cua, 7c in November when on the last day I fell at literally 39.5m of 40 eyeballing the belay.
Always enjoy reading this thread, here's to a good 2024 for everybody.
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I’m late posting this year! :chair:
I’ve really enjoyed reading this as ever. Always impressive what people have been up to! I particularly love that one of Haydn’s “spankings” was not having done quite as many 8s as Steve Mac. ::) Hold tight everyone who’s had mental/ physical/ family issues.
Last year I had all sorts of stories from the Wild West, this year, while I’ve had loads of fun climbing and improved massively I hardly left the Peak. My life’s had a feeling of limbo for more than five years with my accident and recovery, the pandemic, my other half’s accident and recovery and my parents both being at the end of their lives and theoretically about to check out any moment. This year, as I mentioned in the aims thread, that was kicked up a notch by twiddling our thumbs all year waiting for expensive legal house-move stuff to be resolved, not conducive to making exciting plans at all!
As ever I did go trad climbing loads though so hopefully there’s some entertainment value in here…
Top routes, Peak
Leaf Buttress, Laddow Rocks I love moorland crags and I love crags that were more popular in the past than they are now, so Laddow ticks both boxes. Part of my affection for these two crag types is down to my perverted attraction to routes that, while far from impossible, are a struggle way beyond their lowly grade and Laddow ticks that box too. On the face of it it’s a friendly crag but while almost everything there should be easy, loads of them are scary shit like this, the hardest route in the 1948 guide 8) , a tall VS with an odd off-balance corner to start followed by an exposed crux step off a ledge onto a hanging slab with no worthwhile gear nearby, barely any handholds and no indication that there’s any more gear coming up :???: .
In recent years I would have reversed off at this point (I know this for sure as it’s exactly what I did in 2021) but this time out of the blue the absurd instruction “Mike, if you can do this you will be a legend in you own mind” :lol: came clearly and unexpectedly into my head and I committed. What a daft business rock climbing is. My partner that day did not share my love of the crag and appears not to have been climbing since.
Scimitar, Tintwistle Knarr Quarry I clean some routes every year. Give something back, etc. but it’s usually stuff on the eastern edges that no one realised was overgrown. This year I decided to sort out the Knarr so I could persuade people to go and climb there with me. The Old Triangle was the route I wanted to do as it’s a Joe Brown route and pictured in On Peak Rock but I couldn’t clean it up in three separate visits so ended up doing other things like this which it turns out are much better.
Everything up there seems tough for the grade even when spotless and this felt more like E1 than that HVS the guides give it- what looks like traversing a hand crack is actually a wild teeter with your tips in a seam and a slap at the end. It was years since I’d yelled at a belayer in stress. :look:
Herford’s Route, The Pagoda, Kinder Scout Me and my road dog Gazzy B had been talking about how we’d barely climbed on any of the crags in the Jacob’s Ladder corner of Kinder so this June we went up there and did a route on each of them in a cool little tour. This banger is another one that was the hardest in the guide in the distant past and is also the highest climb in altitude terms in the Peak 8) 8) . It’s one of those grit routes where you progress up a series of rounded breaks via mantels and each time you get to the next one you find it’s far more flaring than you thought and takes the size of cam you’ve already run out of. Fuck knows what Herford was playing at when he did it with no gear whatsoever.
If you read the comments on UKC you’ll learn that there’s a flaring crack at the top that baffles lots of people who decide it’s not part of the route and just traverse off. What those cheats don’t realise is that the crux is after it. A passing walker was so impressed by our ascent that she scrambled up the back of the buttress to take our photo, much to her boyfriend’s bemusement.
Ashop Crack, Ashop Edge, Kinder Scout This side of Kinder is the biggest and arguably best day out in the Peak. Ashop Crack must be unique in that it’s had every grade from Severe to E2 in its history. The three current guides all give it a different grade! Basically it’s fairly easy climbing at the beginning, a little harder at the end but with a hanging #5-sized offwidth (knee jam/ hand-fist stacks sort of width) crux section inbetween. I was winched up this bit by Graeme “I don’t remember why I insisted that it wasn’t given more than HVS in the BMC book” Hammond in 2020 but had loads of confidence this time as I’ve far more wide crack experience, strength and range of motion now, plus you always have that “I’ll just push the big cam up above me” feeling with offwidths :yes: .
Upon throwing myself into it it became immediately clear that moving the big cam up with me was not going to happen and a good few minutes of grunting, cursing, dry-heaving and scrabbling for unseen foot ripples ensued with Reeve doing that thing where your belayer’s encouraging you but you can hear in their voice that they expect you to fall off any second :look: . Topped-out into the blinding sunshine and belayed in a very cheerful mood looking out across to Bleaklow.
Top routes, not Peak
Herford’s Crack, Clogwyn y Tarw, Ogwen Another Herford route, done a few weeks after the Kinder one by both him and me. It’s a splitter of the type you don’t find many of in Britain and gets HVS but that probably takes into account that Eryri-based climbers don’t have many pure cracks to practice on and hardly any Brits have more than one of any size of cam. Fuck knows what Herford was playing at when he did it with no gear whatsoever. I took tons ;D.
It’s really really good and not every climb has to be high in the grade. I did this with my other half belaying on an amazing day in June (in a wet year we had dry weather on both of our booked-long-in-advance weeks in the mountains!) before we scrambled up Tryfan.
Front Line, St. Govan’s Head, Pembroke Sea Cliffs just felt like a workplace to me after making The Seaside (I think you’re supposed to feel jealous when people post shots of lovely places on social media with the caption “today’s office” but that’s not the effect it has on me) and the thought of climbing somewhere like Pembroke filled me with terror after injury made me a timid and useless climber, so this was my first trip to the coast for climbing since 2015 and we headed to St. Govan’s as soon as we got down there.
Although I’m alright at it again now the Pembroke style is still a bit outside my comfort zone but this one (crawl onto a ledge, climb a corner crack, traverse into a longer corner crack then chimney out of the top) was within my “wheelhouse” and it was great, even though I puttered it up by climbing in a sweatshirt, getting really sweaty and taking ages repeatedly working out which wires would fit :slap: . After leading this and seconding a couple of harder routes I was pretty much done for the whole trip!
Top spankings
The Bulger, Roaches Lower Tier In 2022 I got my arse handed to me every time I climbed in Staffordshire and I ended my entry in this section of that thread with “2023 will be my year over there”. As it turned out I only climbed there a few times and did have success (Delstree would be in the Best Of bit if I had a story to tell about it) but I also failed on this for the second year running. Like a lot of the Lower Tier this is firmly in the category of lower grade sandbags that I just said that I enjoy and is a style I feel at home on usually but the Roaches Lower is just such a cruel mistress :spank: Back on for another “warm up” on it at some point this year no doubt though.
Hollow Earth, Trowbarrow Got PTSD from this whole wall because it has lots in common with the wall I had my accident on but particularly melted down on this one for some reason :'( .
The Whistler, Gowbarrow Stayed in the north east Lakes in September at a cottage with no Wi-Fi and very little phone signal which was great. I started climbing with my other half in the mountains this year which was also unexpectedly good but required seeking out single-pitch routes as she belays me but doesn’t second. Turns out quite a few of the crags in the region we were in fit this criteria which was ideal. This little crag has a high quality HS too that was fun even in the very humid conditions and a beautiful view of Ullswater from the top.
So far, so not-a-spanking. But wait! Where’s the upper tier with the three star E1? Seems the approach details in the book are out of date and a rockfall has destroyed the scramble approach meaning a non-Rache-friendly abseil in is the only option. This story would be way better if I’d have made her do it and second the pitch anyway but I’m not like that so instead I tried my hand at this dreadful route that neighbours the HS. Starts with an awkward, chossy unprotected roof above a big bramble pit :sick: . Did that, got some gear in ready for the moves up and out of the groove that guards the amble to the belay tree. Fuck me they’re hard. Also soily. If I weight the rope I’ll have to do the bottom again but it can’t be as hard as it looks. It is as hard as it looks. Lowered off ready to strip it but got that “I was pathetic, I just needed to try harder” feeling so did the horrible start again and committed FULLY to the move. Fell off. Fuck this. On abseil found that there’d been some sort sort of rockfall and while the move I couldn’t do (even off the ab rope) was indeed the last hard one, above was a groove of pure soil with pieces of unattached rock wedged in it. Not going back.
Birch Tree Wall Variant/ Lean Man’s Superdirect, Black Rocks I got what my possibly expired Covid tests told me wasn’t Covid but certainly felt like it in July and it took it right out of me right when I was climbing really well. I was keen to get back into it and did what I always chide others for doing- went climbing when I wasn’t really recovered. We ended up at Black Rocks for some reason, a crag where I’ve done literally everything that’s gentle loads of times so I attempted these
two and had an absolute ‘mare on both, terrified, out of breath, coughing fits mid-route etc. I am not a naturally confident climber and tend towards thinking I’m too rubbish to do the routes I want to do. This set my head back for long after my health had recovered.
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It’s one of those grit routes where you progress up a series of rounded breaks via mantels and each time you get to the next one you find it’s far more flaring than you thought and takes the size of cam you’ve already run out of. Fuck knows what Herford was playing at when he did it with no gear whatsoever.
:lol: Indeed. I seem to remember some very precarious bit at the top with some ledgy stuff to hit and thinking "Benchmark E0".
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Went to climb one of the Avens down there with Accy Nez about 92…went to the end and used the camp to try and sleep…Not sure i would have the mental capacity to go through that squeeze anymore as you are basically in the stream with moving boulders…
Good effort going in there…Biggest prize in the Dales under there….
It doesn't go on for very long, but it takes a few hours to get there including a fair bit of crawling dragging a bag of rope behind you.
The squeeze is a tunnel down through boulders for 3m or so just off vertical, the tightest bit at the bottom, where you can fit your legs through, but they immediately hit a horizontal floor so have to bend them in front of you at 90 degrees ish. The space for your feet is foot size. You then shimmy forwards to get flat out and can then flat out crawl out for a bit, and eventually end at a pitch. Getting in is hard work. Getting out looks harder! I was getting wedged with my thigh pushing against one side and my arse against the other. I got a good bruise.
May I be the first to say, "fuck that"?
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The Whistler, Gowbarrow
Made a mistake here. The Whistler is the good HS, Whistle Away is the shit HVS I got spanked by. It has a star on UKC!
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Herford’s Route, The Pagoda, Kinder Scout ... Fuck knows what Herford was playing at when he did it with no gear whatsoever.
1910, aged 19! Such an amazing route. Sadly killed in action in 1916.
I had a lot of affection for the moorland crags and so particularly enjoyed this post Cheque. One climbing regret is that I never made it to Laddow.
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1910, aged 19! Such an amazing route. Sadly killed in action in 1916.
I went down a bit of rabbit hole last night when I realised Herford's middle name was Wedgwood - wondering if he was in some way related to the great potter and entrepreneur Josiah Wedgwood, in whom I have a very strong interest. This is not implausible as Wedgwood had many descendants, quite a few of them very distinguished (Charles Darwin was Wedgwood's grandson). Anyway, X/Twitter provided a possible answer this morning: the Herford's, like Wedgwood, were prominent north-west Unitarians, so the middle name may have been some form of tribute. I also found that after Herford's early death friends commissioned a stained glass window of him climbing, originally located in Platt Chapel, Manchester, and subsequently Eskdale Outward Bound Centre. I wonder if this is the world's only stained glass window depicting climbing?
(https://velvethummingbee.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/siegriedherfordwindow.jpg)
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It doesn't go on for very long, but it takes a few hours to get there including a fair bit of crawling dragging a bag of rope behind you.
The squeeze is a tunnel down through boulders for 3m or so just off vertical, the tightest bit at the bottom, where you can fit your legs through, but they immediately hit a horizontal floor so have to bend them in front of you at 90 degrees ish. The space for your feet is foot size. You then shimmy forwards to get flat out and can then flat out crawl out for a bit, and eventually end at a pitch. Getting in is hard work. Getting out looks harder! I was getting wedged with my thigh pushing against one side and my arse against the other. I got a good bruise.
May I be the first to say, "fuck that"?
I did a quick Google and this post has a photo of the opening of the squeeze: https://northall.me.uk/posts/langcliffe-pot/
There's also this video, featuring someone having a tough time getting back through it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsKOY9_xqNc
As a card-carrying claustrophobe, it gives me the horrors just to watch. I respect all you cavers from a safe distance.
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I love reading all these write ups every year.
RE: Herford.
Mike your write up is great, and I still vividly remember that route from years ago having got the train up to Edale
Interesting stuff Andy. A few years ago I was involved, in a very minor way, in a film about the life of Siegfried Herford. A chap who's name I forget from the Lakes had filmed most of it with 'Herford' including the scary Central Buttress pitch with the rope around his waist etc. They were down at Castle Naze, Herford's stomping ground during his Manc Uni days (mech engineering I think), and we messed around on the scoop buttress in plimsoles, experimenting with socks over our big boots, and re-created one of the earliest recorded crag girdle traverses. Mountain Heritage trust provided all the gear of the era, and I still feel dreadful about spilling a bottle of red wine over a nice hessian rucksack. Then we went to Crich Railway Museum which just happened to have an Edwardian themed day, complete with protesting suffragists. It was an absolutely great day, and he must have got some good footage for his film but sadly it never got finished and hasn't seen the light of day
Stick that on my Best of 2016 list :off:
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Thanks Mark, it's a shame the film was never finished (and that somehow I also never went to Castle Naze). It sounds like a fun day. Yes, Herford did engineering at Manchester and then postgrad work in aeronautics, according to his Wikipedia, which also claims he was denied a commission because of his German background (his mother was German). I don't know if that is true but another interesting personal connection for as my paternal grandfather also had a German parent and served in the British army during WWI. Anyway, it seems likely the connection to the Wedgwoods was one of friendship, not family. Sorry, enough ...
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I think the photo of "the squeeze" is of the bit before the squeeze. You drop down in there and then drop down further. Mantling out after sitting in there for an hour was nails.
I imagine I'd have been as unhappy trying to get back through! There is a strong motivation though.
I'd like to point out that loads of caves are just big cool passages and you can avoid small passages and squeezes and still see some amazing things underground.
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You need this book Andy (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780948153525/Siegfried-Herford-Edwardian-Rock-Climber-0948153520/plp)
(http://This article) makes it sound like the film was finished. :-\
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It doesn't go on for very long, but it takes a few hours to get there including a fair bit of crawling dragging a bag of rope behind you.
The squeeze is a tunnel down through boulders for 3m or so just off vertical, the tightest bit at the bottom, where you can fit your legs through, but they immediately hit a horizontal floor so have to bend them in front of you at 90 degrees ish. The space for your feet is foot size. You then shimmy forwards to get flat out and can then flat out crawl out for a bit, and eventually end at a pitch. Getting in is hard work. Getting out looks harder! I was getting wedged with my thigh pushing against one side and my arse against the other. I got a good bruise.
If you got stuck you would be waiting a while. Past the squeeze there is a pitch (abseil) and huge boulder choke which is on the unstable side. There aren't too many who have been to the other side, and a trip to the end of the cave beyond can be 10 hrs + round trip. People dived down here back on the day, which is an amazing effort, and there used to be the remains of a camp site down there.
There's still some exploring to be doing down there!
Thanks! That was interesting but did make me feel physically sick.
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You need this book Andy (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780948153525/Siegfried-Herford-Edwardian-Rock-Climber-0948153520/plp)
(http://This article) makes it sound like the film was finished. :-\
Thanks Mike!
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May I be the first to say, "fuck that"?
I did a quick Google and this post has a photo of the opening of the squeeze: https://northall.me.uk/posts/langcliffe-pot/
As a card-carrying claustrophobe, it gives me the horrors just to watch. I respect all you cavers from a safe distance.
I had to stop watching that halfway through - was getting PTSD like symptoms just observing. FUCK THAT SHIT.
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Sorry, screwed up that last post. The book doesn’t mention the film as it was published 14 years before the film was made :chair: It’s a good book, detailed (gives his families roots and Methodist connection good coverage- I think the author is religious) but feels more succinct than the similar books about Menlove Edwards & Colin Kirkus and a world better than the disappointing “Memories of Dolphin” whose author did all the research but didn’t edit it or flesh it out into a readable biography. There’s a Puttrell book out there too but I’ve yet to find a copy at a reasonable price. There’s twice the demand for that one I guess as he was a caver too!
What I meant to put is this article (https://www.itv.com/news/border/update/2014-11-20/tribute-film-paid-to-ww1-cumbrian-climbers/) makes it sound like the film was finished. I’ve never seen it though.
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I think the photo of "the squeeze" is of the bit before the squeeze. You drop down in there and then drop down further. Mantling out after sitting in there for an hour was nails.
I imagine I'd have been as unhappy trying to get back through! There is a strong motivation though.
I'd like to point out that loads of caves are just big cool passages and you can avoid small passages and squeezes and still see some amazing things underground.
Personally, I've decided that Lockwood's Chimney (okay, and my compulsion to wedge myself in offwidths, and my failed attempt at Paping About Like A Man With No Arms at Stanage -- I stuck at the pelvis and had to retreat) is as far as I ever want to go in terms of being inside the rock. I need to be able to see daylight, at least!
I'm sure caving is wonderful and you do see amazing things; it's just something i will never be able to do or want to do. There are mental limits I want to push, and that's not one of them.
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This is giving me flashbacks to when I got stuck in Mr Chicken at Arapiles and had to be pulled out by my feet. I was keyed into a slot facing straight down. Horrific.
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There's a route called Patch's Shorts on Skomar Arch in Pembroke where you climb under the arch then navigate your way back to the top via an increasingly tight chimney. I literally had both hands on top of the crag but couldn't squeeze past those last crucial inches, so instead I had to down climb to the bottom of the slot and jump in to the sea.
I think the route gets it's name because the FA found themselves in a similar spot, but fortunately had some understanding friends to hoist them out, bar their shorts which didn't quite make it through.
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Great stained glass, Andy.
Dunny, I'm sure I've asked this before but I've forgotten, what's the ethics in caving with blasting a squeeze to make it wider? I know it happens to open up new systems where a gap is impassable. Is the rule that it has to be minimised (presumably logistics/expense also dictate this) and once something has been passed any blasting would be considered "chipping"?
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Caving is my nightmare activity. I absolutely hate anything squeezy. I'm long and bony - some part of me would be bound to get jammed. One of the most difficult and unpleasant things I've ever done was an off-width / squeeze chimney in Yosemite - I think it was a 5.6 i.e. around Hard Severe. I didn't really climb it - more writhed for around an hour until I got to the top - like a climbing experiment on the "Brazil nut effect" or a slightly biased random walk. Then my partner refused to second it...
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I need to get back on some proper offwidths... Not sure yosemite is top of the list though, everything about them screams struggle!
I'm not that up on the ethics to be honest. From my limited understanding, yes, the ethic is to minimise any impact (bolts/chipping/tat etc.). As well as logistical issues, i'd also be wary of smacking boulders in a boulder choke too hard! I've read arguments both ways about this particular squeeze on ukcaving, but nothing has been done to it recently, and people harder and more talented (and probably thinner) than me have been through this year. My current opinion is if someone can be bothered to drag the gear down to that squeeze and put the time in, then all power to them. I'm new to the underground stuff really though, and there are plenty of people with opinions.
It also all goes out of the window in a rescue and you see widening of many things so you can fit a stretcher through, and there examples like Swan Dike pot where tight "cruxes" were widened to get people out.
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Caving is my nightmare activity. I absolutely hate anything squeezy. I'm long and bony - some part of me would be bound to get jammed. One of the most difficult and unpleasant things I've ever done was an off-width / squeeze chimney in Yosemite - I think it was a 5.6 i.e. around Hard Severe. I didn't really climb it - more writhed for around an hour until I got to the top - like a climbing experiment on the "Brazil nut effect" or a slightly biased random walk. Then my partner refused to second it...
I too share your opinion. The worst parts of my 2012/13 trip were the unavoidable squeeze chimney pitches. I had to remove my helmet on one and lower the majority of the rack back to Nat before hauling it on the outside of the chimney.
I had to chuckle at a wake for a climber turned caver when the cavers present had recently been on a stag do to Wales and had decided that the planned MTBing was too dangerous so had gone caving instead! This also reminds me of a conversation with a base jumper in Riglos that came over to warn us that if we heard a loud noise later that day it would be him jumping. I looked at him like he was nuts and and he then told us we were crazy trusting "those thin ropes".
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Just to say how brilliant this thread is. Such a pleasure to read. Thanks for sharing folks, and whilst it’s difficult to hear of the challenges that life throws our way, it’s good to see some open hearted sharing and supportive responses.
I did go climbing this year. A day at Back Bowden with Gav and was pleased to find that some of the old shuffle magic is still there, even if the fingers and shoulders aren’t.
Other stuff:
Lots of swimming up at the Hampstead ponds. First time I’ve done a winter season and I’m loving it. It’s a bit like going for a bouldering session, albeit shorter but still out amongst the birds, trees and the water. Very nourishing. Been running quite a bit this year too and seem to have regained the base fitness I had for years.
Got my UKCP psychotherapy accreditation alongside a Distinction for my research MA, and am now back at the school I trained at as a facilitator and academic marker which is pretty cool, very interesting and fun too.
My “day-job” work has been good this year and W’s wine shop business is doing great. I’m really proud of her.
Made some new friends this year, which is fab and rare once we get into our fifties.
Read loads of great books, listened to good music, cooked nice food, had a fantastic holiday in Galicia with W in the Summer and immediately rebooked the air BnB to go back this August.
Wishing you all a healthy and fulfilling new year.
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Been enjoying reading this thread so did some writing too;
This was a big house cleaning year for me. I finally got off my arse post kids and did some more regular “training”. This was initially kickstarted with a 7 day forced fast over 2022 betwixtmas due to a bug. But I gradually got myself back on the rails good and proper throughout the year and added in some prehab exercises and some solid couch training. As a result I seem to have cleared up a lot of bugbears from 2018 onwards and its been great fun but I feel like was also just a bit too casual for some of them over those years.
Best new boulders UK:
AfroMan project Eskdale: I love Eskdale in winter and after reading Graham Suttons smoke across the fell this year it adds another depth to the area as much of the novel is set around the modernization of west lakes from farming to mining and smelting (amazingly its stayed that way since 1700). This was a locally famous proj and I had a few sunny sessions over there and got to drive the Calder Moor road quite a bit whilst it was “closed” due to Ice which added some fun to the drive whilst taking in some old fatboy slim tunes. The day I climbed the line it drizzled all the way there until I was almost at Eskdale, took a lot of faith in seabreeze effect to keep going. Its got some really odd face climbing and one of the best winter boulder positions in the lakes. Great fun and well worth putting the back out for years ago when I squatted the big block out of the way on the landing. Slight sequence adjustment on the day got the win. Sitter will be hard.
Ship Proj: This was great fun, really enjoyed doing it with the sequence I found, loved the feeling of getting the final pebble and whipping over to the top crimp, definitely the weirdest most hip position dependent climbing I’ve done. Majestic position again and snow capped hills always make things feel more special. Hoping to find some more hard slabs in 2024.
Christianbury: Lower Limbs and The Scoop. Almost did lower limbs the day Nicky C did bombadil but we all stopped to donate pads and spot the main event plus it was muggy and a bit midge so not super fun connies. I ended up doing it next session. I’ve been trying lower limbs and the scoop on and off for 4 years now and both felt fine this year in the end with a slight adjustments to foot or knee pressure points. Both are brilliant problems and that group of 4 problems in a 30ft square radius is IMO a long way above anywhere else in the country when you add quality + difficulty + independent problems together. A good personal goal achieved to get them all done, just need to clean the next lot up now, but might head elsewhere for a bit.
A sense of Porpoise Fairhead: The return of the Fallen boulder always amazes me due to the Fairhead boulder billiards landscape. Id have loved to have seen it before it fell down the hill, but will just have to make do with the stories from Rob and Ricky. Nowadays its well settled. In 2016 I walked round the front and saw the barrel and arête with some of the best rock there but no landing, I’ve built the landing up a lot over the years as did Rob and what’s cool is how the grass and brambles keep growing out over it so now much of it looks natural. The prow on this has bugged me since I figured out a sequence in 2021, this year I felt stronger and got super close my old way only to figure out a better sequence and do it fast, did nearly tear my gristly old hamstring off though. Top out was super commiting as the ledge ends and the brambles don’t look inviting. Topped out in the sun, sat for a minute and watched Shark wilting out the offwidth on a freezing looking Raglan Road with a frustrated cry drifting down in the wind (didn’t see you after this but enjoyed your UKC entry). All in all a lovely week dossing at Seans farm and seeing some great people. Gutted not to do a route this year though.
Sticking the toehook deadpoint to sloper move on Range Anxiety at Dove Glendhu was a sweet feeling and its defo one of the best on sandstone.
Did plenty else but those stand out.
Routes: only really did one proper trad route “Delayed Attack” on Binnian Shuas but had a great day out there with two some old grouches. enjoyed Chatting with Cubby about the old county days and watching the other two get flash pumped and pull holds off the Chosstress (wasnt impressed by the rock there by Scottish standards). Loved Eavesdropping in the CIC hut too and Cubbys impression of the stereotype clientele there.
Abroad: only went to font for the easter crush: Had a much better trip this year as my right arm was working again. Favourite evening was when I got to run around a bit on my own as it’s a rarity in font nowadays and the family was happy in the Gite. Managed to flash the real J’Osai Fine and Dans les bois eternals on the warm up. Finally did Kick Me up (longest font proj at 4 sessions over the years. Topped that out (maybe a first) went over to Ouest for the first time (wow) managed to flash Da capo with 1 pad and then did Ouest Coast just as darkness set in. Quality evening with blue skies and a light breeze and only one chap at west who was on the phone most of the time, started to feel a bit like the old me there.
Leaping Stone with a full team was great fun. Was nice to climb with Niky a bit and see his deserved honeypot effect as its not often someone drives 1600 miles to climb in the arse end of nowhere.
Had some good days out with Aidan spotting him on some inspiring hard stuff.
Nice to be heading into 2024 with an almost clean slate (two things got away) Want to try and explore the lakes more this year if I can find the psyche and also get back to my old hard problems again on the 55. I’m going to try and fight what I always do which is have a few sessions in the lakes at the start of the year and then sack it off and climb on sandstone. I got put off the lakes by the covid crowds but I do love all the different valleys in different seasons.
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Quality write up, sounds a satisfying year of getting back on form.
AfroMan project Eskdale: I love Eskdale in winter and after reading Graham Suttons smoke across the fell this year it adds another depth to the area as much of the novel is set around the modernization of west lakes from farming to mining and smelting (amazingly its stayed that way since 1700). This was a locally famous proj and I had a few sunny sessions over there and got to drive the Calder Moor road quite a bit whilst it was “closed” due to Ice which added some fun to the drive whilst taking in some old fatboy slim tunes. The day I climbed the line it drizzled all the way there until I was almost at Eskdale, took a lot of faith in seabreeze effect to keep going. Its got some really odd face climbing and one of the best winter boulder positions in the lakes. Great fun and well worth putting the back out for years ago when I squatted the big block out of the way on the landing. Slight sequence adjustment on the day got the win. Sitter will be hard.
I assume this is the big blank-looking gap that's down as a project on the Afro boulder in Greg's guide? Funny you mention about driving through the drizzle, I went for the first time this year and had a very similar experience, driving through the rain all the way there only to arrive to crisp blue skies. Bangin.
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Went to climb one of the Avens down there with Accy Nez about 92…went to the end and used the camp to try and sleep…Not sure i would have the mental capacity to go through that squeeze anymore as you are basically in the stream with moving boulders…
Good effort going in there…Biggest prize in the Dales under there….
It doesn't go on for very long, but it takes a few hours to get there including a fair bit of crawling dragging a bag of rope behind you.
The squeeze is a tunnel down through boulders for 3m or so just off vertical, the tightest bit at the bottom, where you can fit your legs through, but they immediately hit a horizontal floor so have to bend them in front of you at 90 degrees ish. The space for your feet is foot size. You then shimmy forwards to get flat out and can then flat out crawl out for a bit, and eventually end at a pitch. Getting in is hard work. Getting out looks harder! I was getting wedged with my thigh pushing against one side and my arse against the other. I got a good bruise.
May I be the first to say, "fuck that"?
Aye that was an interesting day out! A full day in fact as we were down there for 24 hours on that trip. We had a right struggle getting through the Nemisis boulder choke which had been a doddle the year before.
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Late entry following an off-grid spell over New Year...
Slightly curtailed climbing year for me. Went to Antarctica in October and have yet to do any climbing here. Still holding out hope of climbing something, maybe even something new, just because, but most of the rock is biscuits and opportunities are rare. Had a finger injury during the summer which restrained things a bit. Also didn't get away sport climbing and did so little sport (and none that I did do was very memorable) that I'm going to leave that out.
Top 3 boulders
Vapour Trail 6C, Torridon
The highlight of one of those golden winter days in Torridon. Not too hard but I've rarely climbed something this high so decisively, it felt good.
Pagan Uillean 7A+, Glen Nevis
Quick hit on a whim one day as I was passing Fort William, wonderful twisty slippery kneebar action.
Jerry's Roof 7C, Llanberis
Avoided for years because it's too roadside and too popular and the rock is ugly, but actually of a style that's right up my street and it is great, and the hardest thing I've bouldered for a while. Buzzing and surprised to top it out.
Top 3 new problems
The Fisherman and Me 7A, Ogwen
More than an hour uphill walk, guaranteeing that no one will ever do this, but I had a lovely time up there with the cwm (almost) to myself, on the best kind of North Wales rock.
Bad Bitches 7A, Llanberis
OK cheating, I didn't make the first ascent of this, but I found it and shared it and it's very pretty (and quite a lot less than an hour uphill)
Jerry's Roof Arete sit start proper 7A+/B, Llanberis
Sort of cheating again because I only added one move. This has only recently become possible due to erosion at the back of the roof, but the bum-on-ground sit makes it a much more complete problem. Underrated.
Top 5 routes
The Rising Son E8, Llanberis
Really peak experience, could hardly have designed a better challenge for my climbing tastes and skillset (including locating it ten minutes from my front door).
The Groove E4, Eigg
Not the best route in the world but memorable. On approach the entire miles-long face appears to be made of grooves. The approach pitch is about the sketchiest grass I've led. Everything booms. But the climbing is good, the island setting is lovely, there are eagles.
Kilt Rock traxion spree
Didn't do much challenging on-sight climbing this year. Sometimes top-roping is just more fun, especially somewhere like Kilt Rock, where all the lines are perfectly straight, right next to each other for minimal rope faff, long and sustained and brilliant, and of a style where you can just get stuck in and do some proper climbing with minimal pissing about.
Esprit de Clocher 6c+, Petit Clocher du Portalet
Absolutely brilliant thing, recently cleaned and with various fixed gear removed, up the front face of the Petit Clocher. Quality golden granite and sustained crack pitches, basically my fave.
Sale Athée 6c+, Aiguille du Moine
More of that kind of thing. Pitch six (I think) might be the best hand crack I've done in Europe.
Top 3 new routes
Bury the Bright Edge E6, Ogwen
A properly steep route up an overlooked little crag. Climbing in the top half is absolutely brilliant and go-ey, took a nice whipper on my first attempt. Almost certainly destined for dirt and obscurity, but who cares.
Les Mains Sales E5, Ogwen
All about the crux mantle - one of those things I haven't really done since I climbed on grit more often several years ago, where you put your foot by your ear, heave, get a tiny pebble and keep heaving.
Yacht Rock E2, Muck
A contender for the best route on an OK crag - actually it would be quite a good crag if it was a grit edge or something near a city, but when it's an hour walk from the harbour on a small island.
Enjoyed reading all the other contributions, have a good 2024 everyone!
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Throwback to page 3
The Essence, 7B+, Torridon. A lifetime goal realised. Absolute king line in one of my favourite places in the world.
-thanks for posting this GazM, looks sick! I hadn't heard about it. I can add it to my dream "one day I'll go and do Malcs Arete" trip.
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The Essence, 7B+, Torridon. A lifetime goal realised. Absolute king line in one of my favourite places in the world.
Also a personal highlight for me on this thread, didn't know you'd done The Essence Gaz. Brilliant. How many sessions?
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Throwback to page 3
The Essence, 7B+, Torridon. A lifetime goal realised. Absolute king line in one of my favourite places in the world.
-thanks for posting this GazM, looks sick! I hadn't heard about it. I can add it to my dream "one day I'll go and do Malcs Arete" trip.
Even if you don't do those two probs, there is a ton of fantastic bouldering on my favourite rock in the UK.
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Year of ups and downs....
Bouldering
Good
Bouldering on the granite boulders on the beautiful Magnetic Island near Townsville was definitely a highlight. Too hot to do anything hard, but a sublime location. Would love to explore more, there is just tons of rock.
Developing bouldering at Johnsheugh South.. I've climbed on the conditions proof Plan D crag for years, but never really looked at the wave cut platform below. So far it's yielded over half a dozen reasonably independent lines from about 5 to 6C? And some eliminates can push the grades up a bit. And for a tidal spot the conditions are surprisingly reliable.
Bad
Once again failed to do the problem i wanted to do at Johnsheugh North. North facing, tidal, and sheltered, I was there on my own and managed to get through the fingery crux direct start, but dropped off rather than facing the committing rockover onto a smear at the highball finish without pads or spotters, thinking I would be back soon to get it done, but the window never happened. This time next year Rodney.....
Climbing
Actually clipped some bolts this year too, and the weren't in UK. OK, it was a few easy routes at Sa Mola de Felanitx in Mallorca, but still good fun. Shame the mosquitos were relentless.
Had a couple of great fun DWS sessions at Murrayheugh last summer, it's a great venue for introducing people to it and there is a lot more fun stuff there than has been written up. And a great spot for cliff jumping too, some big jumps over very deep water.
After much hesitation, Kyle is now leading confidently indoors. Belaying your offspring is mega stressful. Cerys decided she wanted a piece of the action too, and has also given it a bash and done Ok, much dropping rope when clipping, even more stressful.
Even led some routes at the wall, forgotten it's actually good fun.
Other Stuff
Not surfed much this year, but the sessions I've had have been brilliant. I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm a slow, weak, unfit old man now, and will take the longboard out most of the time, and generally have a brilliant time on it, especially in Aberdeen's generally mushy waves.
Skiing. Last trip to Les Gets before my aunt and uncle sold their place. Great time, but hard to see it go after 20 years of the most amazing memories. Right for them to do at their age, just have to accept time moves on.
Life. Dealing with the death of a good mate, my brother and my dad in the same year has been a bit shitty, along with dealing with my own health issues. I've immersed myself in bouldering sessions a few times as an escape from it. Glad to have it in my life.
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The Essence, 7B+, Torridon. A lifetime goal realised. Absolute king line in one of my favourite places in the world.
Also a personal highlight for me on this thread, didn't know you'd done The Essence Gaz. Brilliant. How many sessions?
Thanks Andy and Sam. It is a belter.
It was 4 sessions in total, which was a very pleasant surprise. I'm used to far more protracted seiges!
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Late to the party w this:
Good year, fixed my shoulder in early May just in time for a trip to Fontainebleau then had a good run of form in Autumn.
Top days /climbs:
The Arete, Gillercombe: a lot had to align to finish this off and made climbing it especially rewarding.
Clash of the Titans, St Bees: this has thwarted me a couple of times so I was surprised to find myself on top of the boulder on a muggy, overcast June day...St Bees is a special place.
Circuiting at Sirvaag, Norway: weather aligned with location on a non-climbing trip. Only had a duvet in a bag for a pad and one pair of boots between us. Lovely rock and climbing in a great location. Really fun day.
Special mention: Le Chalis, Restant du long rocher. Climbed this just before dark with the forest alive with the sound of maybugs. Maybe my new favourite climb in Fontainebleau.
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Whooooaaaaaa. Bit late to the party on this, it's nearly February!
Still, I've enjoyed reading everyone else's so much that I feel like it's worth chipping in, just in case people get as much pleasure as I have from it all.
As per last year, climbing was on the back burner again, but even more so to make way for work and training specialist skills for work - mainly horse riding and swimming, amongst others. Happily i count myself very very lucky to enjoy my job and training for it as much as climbing. Which for those of you that know me is really saying something!!!!!
Anyway, awaaaaaaaaaay we gooooo!
Top 3 UK Trad
“Recurring Nightmare” E5 6b. Burbage South
What a weird little route! Its tiny really but the grip factor on it is something else, maybe to do with the scrittly insecure nature of the climbing combined with the sticking out shelf of rock at the bottom, and an awful final lurch that feels super committing. As ever as much about the day and the people there than the actual route. Awesome to catch up with and spend time with Dan Hoyle and Paul Smith who are amazing inspiring instructors, and especially ace to see Dan smash in “Nosferatu” like a rat up a drainpipe!!!
“Left Unconquerable” E1 5b, Stanage.
Again another fantastic day out, and this time getting paid for it!! A day of instructing a lovely bunch of keen and competent climbers from the University of East Anglia with Charlie Mackie and Dan Hoyle again.
We’d watched people succeed and fail on the Unconquerables all day, so it would have been rude not to get them done when the work ended. Followed by obligatory pint and ranting scenes afterwards. Doesn’t feel like work the days are like that!
“West Wing” E2 5c, Trewavas.
Cool little venue on the headland of the Lizard Peninsula. The crux of this route was the E1 5c groove that it starts up! Absolutely nails, especially in the heat with poor tiny gear and very insecure reachy climbing despite the E2 roof section being right up my street. Made especially memorable by seeing a huge dolphin or whale fully breach out to sea multiple times whilst belaying Vicks up!
Top 3 UK Boulders
“The Ultimate Gritstone Experience” 6c, Froggatt.
A Glaring omission from my grit CV!! Following the amazing Climbing Works party/ weekend sesh, and as standard, I was ill as sin! However by the weekend I’d just managed to recover enough for a walk to this, a smash up it, then a rapid retreat for a pint and a pie at the Grouse. Pukka recovery tekkers!
Stanage Plantation circuit with Si and Jackie Moore!
We were psyched to host these good friends when they came over for a seriously fun joint Birthday do for some very good old skool climbing friends, and luckily the weather played ball for a cracking scene taking them on a trip down memory lane around the plantation. It had been 15 years since they’d been on the grit!!! A couple of plays on Deliverance had me and Si tickling the top, but with no pressure we were able to contentedly walk away which felt quite zen!
“Cock o’ the Rock” 7c/7a? Stanage
Again, really only on here as it was the most memorable problem from a day out with friends doing old and new problems and just having a great scene! That sloper is a thing of Beauty!
Top 3 UK Sport
“Quatermass and the Pit” 7b+, Deep Rake
Costa Del Deep Rake!!! What a funny little venue, but when it’s not super busy, it’s really enjoyable! Found this quite tough as I was weighing in heavy and hadn’t been climbing. Managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat just before the end of the day. Good scenes!
“Mechanoids” 7a? Blacknor Far South.
I always like checking out a new venue, especially when they’re good and there’s loads to go at! I’d been trying to get here for a while but my guidebook's really old and there’s been a landslide, so struggled to know how to get to it. Luckily we got some local knowledge and had a great couple of days here despite the boiling sun! Was a bit shocked and stunned how tough this is! The crux is like a spicy gritstone sequence, except its on boiling hot limestone with only about 5 percent of the friction. Felt like a good worthy challenge!
“The Bad Seeds” 7b, Coastguard Cliffs
Keep Portland Weird! As the saying goes…
I flippin’ love Portland. Both as a place and as a climbing venue. It’s the gift that keeps on giving and the more time I spend there, the more I discover. There’s some great secret places and things to do on the Island!
This route’s an absolute corker, with a hard bouldery start, steady climbing and a fantastic technical crack for it’s crux that’s no pushover at the grade. Another perfect challenge for that particular day/ moment in time in terms of how much / how little you’ve been climbing. I really like it when that timing comes together as it often makes routes that might have been not memorable especially so!
Top 3 Foreign Sport
“Thetida” 7c, Kalymnos
A-N-other waddage Kalymnos 7c. Pretty pokey I thought and really good and airy with a tekkers thin finish that's very droppable. I’m still in love with Kalymnos, and a bit like Portland, even after all this time and loads of visits I always find something new about the local scene and people that’s properly magic!
“Pomponpidoux” 7b, Kalymnos
Sometimes you just want to have a fight with a route and see where your head's at. I’ve done this years ago when it was first put up when I was super fit, but this time was seriously unfit so just offered myself up for a battle and was basically redlining from the second bolt all the way to the chains, but somehow managed to fight on through. One of those experiences where you think you know what feeling pumped is like, but then it begins and you realise its a million times worse and harder to manage than you ever remembered! Really funny!
“Katergo” 7b, Kalymnos.
Memorable for seeing Vicks smash it with no fuss, in a bit of a return to climbing form after work and general life stuff meaning that she’d spent time away from it. All in all a mega trip with great friends!
Top 3 Jobs/ Work
Wild first person / POV action film.
Absolutely crackers, carnage packed production all filmed in first person perspective. Ended up doing all sorts on this, including fighting, high falls, getting shot a million times, having a gun fight on HMS Belfast and crashing a car. Probably the wildest day was getting kicked out of a moving van, then getting run over, then pulling the driver out of the car, punching him and throwing him on the floor, then stealing his car, then doing a 180 handbrake turn and following the van. All in one take! Stressful but amazing!
Live Stunt show and PR event in Leeds city centre.
Again another pretty wild one, this time to promote a video game company.
This involved two hours of amazing makeup to turn me into a very convincing zombie and taking a huge hit from an American football player over…. And over… and over… and over again. Was definitely “Walking it off the next day”
Also had the bonus tick of getting set on fire by a dragon. As you do….
Stunt Team training
I had the amazing opportunity to do a week of training with the stunt team on what is by far my favourite show on TV. It’s the most violent thing on TV (set in London.. hint hint..) so I’m hoping to get the call to work on it!
The training included everything from Kickboxing, Judo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Filipino Escrima, to military and firearms drills, all led by some of the most talented people around. I was in Heaven!!
Right then, that's yer lot folks!
Special big up to everyone who's posted about their challenges and low points. Very brave I think but also a reminder that life's tough sometimes and not just the highlights/ livin yer best life that people put on instagram/ social media or even this thread.
That said it's a good reminder to celebrate, share and enjoy the good bits! Life really is too short so might as well make the most of it!
If anyone's still lingering and hasn't posted, and is thinking of it... please do! There's no better thread on the internet I don't think for that warm fuzzy feeling and turbo psycyhe!
Peace out ministers!
Awooooogaaaaa!