[Pantontino]

Just in case anybody hadn't noticed the new Ground Up Gogarth North guide is in the shops and selling like hotcakes.

Here's a pic of me with a stack of the babies:



V12 are doing a free postage deal on mail orders made in December:

http://www.v12outdoor.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=75_76_128&products_id=2196&osCsid=c18e902d4ad76d083ee9da5d5e2d0a97

(and before anybody shouts 'spam' - I'm just off to make a donation to Bubba)

[slackline]

Was quite impressed to see that pile of guides when I walked in there on Sunday.

Congratulations on getting it done  had a flick through and it looks excellent, haven't been to Gogarth (yet), but will be buying one when I get my arse in gear and do get round to visiting.

[Bubba]

(and before anybody shouts 'spam' - I'm just off to make a donation to Bubba)

Thanyou muchly Si, I suspect you've just solved many an xmas present dilemma 

[Pantontino]

...haven't been to Gogarth (yet)...

Looks like there is some good weather middle of next week - I'd cancel whatever plans you had and go straight to Holyhead. I'm sure you've heard it all before, and I cannot stress enough how brilliant, mind blowing and truly life affirming Gogarth is, but you really need to get there as soon as is humanly possibly!

[dave]

great to see from the photo you've got jimmy hill to endorse this one.

[Pantontino]

He wasn't cheap, I can tell you!

[T_B]

Reminds me of a question my girlfriend asked me on Sunday when we happened to be in Wales and the weather looked sunny out on Anglesey... "So is there any bouldering at Gogarth" 

 

[Andy B]

There is bouldering on Holyhead Mountain.

[Johnny Brown]

Grizzly Adams does have a beard.

Back to the subject Si, which shops are these? Outside has just disappointed me.

[Fiend]

Nice stack sir!

(North Stack I presume )



P.S. will get one soon.

P.P.S. any news on the future of Gogarth South?

P.P.P.S. I'd say you've made plenty of interesting contributions to UKC that a donation wouldn't be requested in the same was as some scarcely-posting advertisers.

[Pantontino]

Back to the subject Si, which shops are these? Outside has just disappointed me.

Sorry, I slightly jumped the gun there. The Cordee bound stock left Llanberis on Tuesday morning, but there was some sort of hitch and I was informed by the carrier that they wouldn't get them until today. I would imagine there's a good chance they will be in places like Outside by the weekend. Cordee are pretty fast; last Friday V12 bought the last remaining dozen stock of the 1987 Andy Pollitt NW Limestone guide (as it provides definitive coverage of the newly opened Craig y Forwyn) and they had arrived in Llanberis by Saturday morning.

[Pantontino]

There is bouldering on Holyhead Mountain.

There is also quite a lot of new bouldering being developed along the north coast of Anglesey (and once my finger is better there'll be a lot more), not to mention the existing Fedw Fawr boulders. I've also just been told about a new area right by the A55.

It never ends.

[Pantontino]

P.P.S. any news on the future of Gogarth South?

We've already done a few chapters for the Gogarth South guide, but I've switched back to finishing the North Wales Slate guide (we are well on with this and will hopefully finish by Easter). We are also producing the A55 Crags guide - which will cover all the venues along the A55 corridor from Colwyn Bay to Penmaenmawr (Notice Board Crag, The Gallery, Penmaenbach Quarry, Castle Inn Quarry, Penmaen head, Craig y Forwyn, Llandulas Cave).

Gogarth South slots in after that - in an ideal world in time for the bird ban coming off, but perhaps in reality in the autumn.

[slackline]

...haven't been to Gogarth (yet)...

Looks like there is some good weather middle of next week - I'd cancel whatever plans you had and go straight to Holyhead. I'm sure you've heard it all before, and I cannot stress enough how brilliant, mind blowing and truly life affirming Gogarth is, but you really need to get there as soon as is humanly possibly!

If only my employers (and wife) were more sympathetic to my pass time!

When you say "life affirming" is that along the lines of "Thank fuck I'm still alive!!"?  Sounds good, have tentative plans to visit in the spring some time.

[grimer]

Brilliant, seen it and it looks fantastic. Well done to Simon, Al and everyone.

But about Gogarth South, given Si's track record - Northern Soul, North Wales Rock and Gogarth North - I'd be feeling worried if i was Gogarth South 

[Houdini]

[Meanwhile - back in the Climbing Cave - plans are afoot to buy every copy and take it out of circulation as quickly as it appeared]

*Fiendish laughter ripples through The Grange, The Elms and other middle class retreats near the Forest of Dean...*

[SA Chris]

great to see from the photo you've got jimmy hill to endorse this one.

I thought it was Richard Kiel, old bond villain



(sorry Simon).

[Pantontino]

Now that is one helluva chiselled face! 

When I first moved to Llanberis this girl used to shout to me down the High Street: "Hey, Simon chin fawr!"

It was worse for Katz - he had a gang of small admirers who used to chant "Barry Bush, Barry Bush" whenever they saw him walking by.

[T_B]

Just received the guidebook - looks fab 

Lots of split grades, especially on the Main Cliff.  Seems as though "Gogarth 6b" is now 6a/b. Kinda makes sense, though I don't know why Strike/Dinosaur/The Clown don't get the same split E grade treatment...

Eraserhead pitch one at 5c will take some scalps!  To begin with, there's f*ck all gear on that lower wall (which is always greasy), plus there's a reason why Positron skirts off into the Alien groove on its pitch 2 - going up those cracks is well pumpy. Hard E5 6a and harder than linking the first two pitches of Positron IMHO!

Photo topos are amazing.  Nice to finally understand how Flower of Evil differs from Wreath - the description was basically the same in the CC guide.

Love the photo of Big George on Roof Rack (pg 217) with Uncle Ross belaying (wearing his 'Purple Plunger').

Excellent work Pantontino!

[Pantontino]

Glad you liked it.

As for the split grades - there was actually a lot more split grades in the original scripts. Neil Foster (who helped to clarify some of the Main Cliff stuff) said he felt I should get rid of them all. Trouble is, in some cases I just couldn't get close to a consensus one way or the other.

It's funny you mention the Eraserhead thing - somebody else brought that up the other day. The one thing I would say here, and it does help to explain the wildly differing opinions I came across when canvassing for grade feedback - is that I think the condition of sea level routes in particularly can vary enormously. When those Main Cliff starting pitches are greasy (as they often are in the morning) they can feel like the living end.

Maybe, just maybe, you did Dinosaur when it was nice and dry and you'd had a good night sleep, and you did Eraserhead when it was damp, fourth day on, and after a skin full in the pub? Just a thought, that's all.

[T_B]

It's funny you mention the Eraserhead thing - somebody else brought that up the other day. The one thing I would say here, and it does help to explain the wildly differing opinions I came across when canvassing for grade feedback - is that I think the condition of sea level routes in particularly can vary enormously. When those Main Cliff starting pitches are greasy (as they often are in the morning) they can feel like the living end.

Maybe, just maybe, you did Dinosaur when it was nice and dry and you'd had a good night sleep, and you did Eraserhead when it was damp, fourth day on, and after a skin full in the pub? Just a thought, that's all.

  in general...

But... I've done Dinosaur three or four times (Eraserhead just the once). One time it was absolutely gopping. I still think it's much easier than the other E5s on that wall, as the crux is so short lived and you have a #3 cam above your head.

I stand by Eraserhead Pitch 1 being an utter sandbag at 5c - the hard bit is going direct where Positron drops around the arete, so that's going to be less conditions dependent as it's high up.

Anyway, small potatoes...

The main thing to factor in with the Main Cliff is that you're trad warm up is probably the traverse to the base of the routes, or at very best, an ascent of Strike or The Strand!

[cofe]

nice work simon and team. it's a very nice book.

[RichK]

 
ah no, so has Eraserhead gone down to E5 5c 6a or is it still E6 5c 6a?

......... god I'm excited. Roll on Xmas day.

[Drew]

  Glad to have been of service!

Rob tells me I've even got a credit. I'm assuming it's for that thread 

[Houdini]

"P.S. I don't want to cause problems between old school, and new skool writers"

Too late Drew.  Last time I was round Newton's gaff I caught him throwing darts doused in parrafin at your photo, muttering hideous oaths in forgotten languages...  You're dead meat, fella.