[comPiler]

More summer bouldering in Scotland
18 August 2013, 4:21 pm

 Perhaps the worst time of the year to boulder in Scotland, July and August: midges still kicking about with the horseflies, the bracken at Jurassic height, the air humid and muggy, the rain biblical when it hits, impassable rivers in spate, the sun baking and lethargy-inducing. If you're not in the higher hills, it's a good time to head to the cooler coastal venues . . .

Read more »

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

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Beinn Enaiglair Bloc
20 August 2013, 8:17 am

  A man with a mission to climb the whole of the North West - Ian Taylor -  is also not afraid to carry a heavy mat 1 hour uphill for some highball aesthetics! Here is a video of him on a new and very scary-looking classic at the Beinn Enaiglair bloc:

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Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[Fiend]

Nicely described! Needs an E grade surely!

[Ian T]

Bolt it..

[Fiend]

LOL, dear god, don't joke about it.

[SA Chris]

That's an amazing lump of rock Ian, nice find.

[comPiler]

Dumby in September
6 September 2013, 8:39 am

Dumby in September, a photo by Stone Country Press on Flickr.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Recent bouldering videos Scotland
16 September 2013, 8:23 am

  Some recent videos to get psyched for the autumn season:

from dan mills on Vimeo.

from Collective Productions on Vimeo.

from dan mills on Vimeo.

from Fraser McIlwraith on Vimeo.

from Chris Houston on Vimeo.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[Jack.G]

From 24th May :
"A new guide for Torridon bouldering, from Richie Betts and Ian Taylor, should be with us soon, and Torridon has had a continuous gold rush of new lines, almost too many to mention."


Any news on when the new guide will be ready? Got a trip planned in the October Holidays, cant' wait!

[SA Chris]

drop either of them a message and ask? look up Ian Taylor or richieb

Torridon only has one worthwhile boulder anyway!

[sherlock]

Taylor is skiving in France just now but the new guide is very,very close.......... 

[Ian T]

We really, really hope to have it out sometime in October. If not October, then November. If not November, then December etc

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Thirlstane Bouldering
6 October 2013, 12:23 pm

  The Thirlstane is an oft-forgotten caved crag on the Solway coast. In dry conditions, and with the tide right, the steep cave walls dry out and provide some steep and technical bouldering, a favourite for locals. Here is Stewart Cable's selection of some of the problems . . .

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Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Bouldering Essentials review
14 October 2013, 5:56 pm

 I am glad every time I see a new independent publisher - Three Rock Books (AKA Dave Flanagan from Dublin) - as it's a tough, odourless, online world for those who still like the smell of freshly printed gloss paper. Especially publishers who design and produce such quality books on bouldering as this, bringing another life-giving breath of literature to the genre.

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Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Achray Blocs
27 October 2013, 3:07 pm

 

Managed a short session in between the rain storms and autumn winds at the sheltered Achray blocs, just by Loch Achray and featuring a lung-bursting walk-in of 20 seconds! It's a limited venue to say the least but the quality of the problems makes it an enjoyable quick fix for the time-compromised, and it's a fine spot amongst the autumn colours of the Trossachs.

A topo can be found here >>>



Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Torridon Bouldering Guide
6 November 2013, 11:47 am

  It's here! The best venue in Scotland  - a long-anticipated guide to the bouldering, from local gurus Ian Taylor and Richie Betts, who have both done a grand job of collating all the elegant problems so far etched out on the endless tiers of finely-grained red sandstone. From 'The Celtic Jumble' up the hill on the slopes towards Liathach, and south beyond to areas such as Seana Mheallan - all are given due attention. 92 pages of enough bouldering to drive you to tiers (!).

Available here through Stone Country for £9.99 plus some P&P.>>>



 

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

Dumby Litter Pick - this Saturday!
18 November 2013, 4:25 pm

Go cleaning and climbing ... just to let you know there will be a Dumby clean-up this Saturday 23rd November 10am to 2pm (at the latest) - plenty of bods will make light work round the boulders and environs.

Linda Adam from West Dunbartonshire Council has organised a skip and all the cleaning gear like last time, including gloves, sharp-boxes, bin bags and those grabby things, so you just need to come dressed for a cold dry day, by the looks of the forecast. TCA will be organising events round this, to be announced.The council will strim the area of vegetation so we can make a decent fist of clearing the whole area again.

Some anti-erosion work may be going on so bring a bucket and spade if you like. There's plenty of gravel on the beach to place around some muddy holes which are forming under popular take-off aprons.

And it looks like perfect bouldering weather, so bring your kit as well!

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

The Boulder - reviews and discount offer
14 December 2013, 5:29 pm

We're selling stock of The Boulder at £7.99 if you wish to pick up a copy for someone for Christmas. The book has enjoyed rave reviews from international climbers, we've a selection of the responses to the book below.



“Finding a climber who perceives bouldering as a moving meditation, or one who values form and style far beyond difficulty, is a daunting task . . . bouldering needs its own analytical literature. In this book, Francis Sanzaro takes a significant step in that direction.”

John Gill, Godfather of bouldering & author

“… today, you rarely see much literature and reflection coming out of anyone. That just changed. Francis Sanzaro stopped what he was doing and took the time to reflect on bouldering and what it means to him and why he does it. The result is his impressive new book ‘The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering’. In it, he presents some of the most thoughtful and interesting writing I’ve ever read about this sport. ‘The Boulder’ is a dynamic new addition to the body of climbing literature and philosophy.”

Andrew Bisharat, Editor, Rock & Ice Magazine

“The language we use to describe climbing is pretty rudimentary, relying on lots of waving of the arms. If climbing is to become a serious competitive sport – and it seems to be heading that way – then there will be major advances in this area . . . this book will confirm what we know already: that there is a lot more to bouldering than meets the eye.”

Dave Flanagan, author of ‘Bouldering Essentials: The Complete Guide to Bouldering’

“A brilliant book that everyone interested in moving over stone should read! At first it sounds like a difficult read, with concepts detached from actually "doing it," but Francis Sanzaro manages to describe complex ideas without ever losing touch to the challenge and joy of bouldering - highly recommended!”

Udo Neumann, author of ‘Performance Rock Climbing’

“’The Boulder’ explores the philosophy of bouldering, what it can mean for boulderers and how we can use this examination to improve both our bouldering and what we take from it. For many readers, discovering bouldering will no doubt have changed your life, but surely starting out in a new found activity isn’t the end of the story? There are many life changes to be found as you learn more and more about what bouldering is doing for you. I would expect most readers to be helped along this path.”

Dave MacLeod, author of ‘9 out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes’

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

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Dumby Bloc 300 out now
19 December 2013, 10:41 am



Dumbarton Rock, or Dumby as it is known to locals, is Scotland's prime urban bouldering venue. This is the first guide to document the complete bouldering at Dumby: the straight-ups, the traverses, the eliminates, the link-ups, the circuits and the test pieces, as well as the projects ... if you're visiting Dumby for the first time, or have become smitten with the place as a local venue, this is the guide for you!

Photo-topos, circuit maps, extended descriptions and historical notes provide the first complete tick-list for bouldering at Dumbarton - even getting to 100 complete problems will seem like an achievement, whilst ticking all 300 would be a world-class first. This notoriously fickle and difficult venue can safely be described as the spiritual home of Scottish bouldering.

We have stock available direct at £5.99 plus a little PandP from the bookshop page. Please note stock will be sent out up to Dec 23rd, thereafter only from January 6th, thanks.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

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Stone Country New Year 2014
12 January 2014, 9:46 am

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Welcome to 2014, Arran 3rd January[/td][/tr]

[/table] January 1st arrived with mild and stormy weather interspersed by long periods of continuing rain on saturated ground. After a grim December, optimism for the New Year is on hold in terms of the weather - an unsettled and wobbly jet-stream seems to have set in motion an endless stream of southwesterly water-baths.

On the 3rd January a perfect storm of sorts blew in, combining with spring tides to flood most of the Clyde basin. Exposed shoreline areas saw roads ripped apart and covered in marine debris, Ardrossan and Arran hit hard.

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Arran 3rd January storms[/td][/tr]

[/table]We were staying in Corrie in the sheltered north harbour 'Wee Zephyr' cottage (a rather ironic name), accompanied by an unconcerned otter fishing the harbour bay, but still found both north and south roads impassable for a while at Sannox and Maol Donn shores.

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]New Year companion[/td][/tr]

[/table]

Walks were the order of the day to shake off the alcoholic lethargy of New Year, up to the waterfalls at North Glen Sannox (golden eagle territory, the Hutton 'intrusion') and the iron age forts in North Sannox.

Hutton's intrusive proof of vulcanism

Higher ground remained wind-blown and swathed in impenetrable cloud, so we left this for longer summer days.

Pete and Sarah in sodden North Glen Sannox

I managed one sunny afternoon bouldering on Arran in between the fronts, at The Mushroom in Merkland Wood, part of the National Trust's grounds. The newly-cleaned rock of 2013 was remarkably dry for such a dousing, thought the slabby top-outs are still green, not surprisingly. It will take a concerted dry spell for the finishes to come into nick Still, it's a fine venue amongst the tall, swaying Scots Pines and to be noted are some hard project lines tucked in the left cave on the south face if it dries out enough to work.

Merkland Wood

Delayed ferries were the order of the week, Calmac diverting to Gourock to avoid the windswept Ardrossan, the Clansman boat was called in and many frustrated passengers, including Lord Jack McConnell of Glencorrodale, were getting red around the chops with Calmac's backlogs. The Arran Banner was incandescent with editorial rage, and rightly so, for island businesses taking the hit of an inadequately-appointed ferry fleet around the busiest time of year, though the Scottish weather is top trumps in this affair. To add insult to injury, Calmac delayed boarding on a sodden Saturday 4th to perform a fire-drill. Cue a rolling of eyes.

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Corrie end of 2013[/td][/tr]

[/table]



Source: Stone Country Blog & News

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January 6th-12th - a settling
12 January 2014, 10:05 am

...not Scotland, as was promised!

Towards the end of the week, the weather has settled a little and some clear skies and frosts set in. A massive coronal mass ejection (CME or solar storm) was predicted to hit the atmosphere on Thursday, but it was weaker than predicted and evening jaunts to the higher ground round Glasgow were fruitless. Iceland and Norway stole the show, seen live on Skygazing live on the BBC, or the 'lucky-bastards show' as it should be called. Hopefully an active sun will continue to have colourful hissy fits this winter...

The clearer skies finally combined with a weekend, so on Saturday 11th, with the east of the country draped with medallions on the forecast, Colin and myself headed to Glen Lednock. Treacherous black ice on the pass over to Comrie (with a buckled jeep in a ditch behind a scribble of swerve-lines on the road) led to a slow approach but we made it up to Invergeldie Farm and stomped the locked-gate approach to the dam for the first enjoyable bouldering session of the year.

The rock was still a little green and the top-outs coated in spindrift snow, but some stiff-fingered bouldering could still be enjoyed. A fine outlook and good venue, with Creag Iochdair on the east flank looking like it should really be developed more. Good to see another party arrive and brave the icy conditions - if the access to the dam car-parks were resurrected, this would be a popular venue, but an unenlightened and regressive landowning approach seems to be a thorn-in-the-side here. But Scottish law and access rights will prevail...

[tr][td][/td][/tr][tr][td]Glen Lednock bouldering[/td][/tr]

[/table]



Source: Stone Country Blog & News

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The Floating Boulder
20 January 2014, 5:26 pm



The Scottish winter is a long dreamtime. Especially in such wet, dark, dank weeks which visit us between old years and new. The Scottish climber probably spends more time dreaming about climbing than actually doing any. A lot of stones and boulders float round ambitious dreamscapes in drifting vistas of cool skies and sun-washed rock. The reality is just about waiting out the weather systems.

A Sunday visit to Dumbarton rock found it, not unsurprisingly, green, dripping. One problem was dry. High tides are floating the Sea Boulder again and it's time to take stock, or just bite the bullet and get down the training wall ...



Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[comPiler]

The Whangie
21 February 2014, 6:00 pm

A fine outlook is only spoiled by shattered rock but there is a little bouldering here if you work hard at thinking on movement rather than aesthetics. The curious camouflaged nature of the lichened basalt means climbing requires not only a patient approach but care with broken rock and an expectation that the rock may suddenly explode, so in many ways it suits bouldering more than trad, or, perish the thought, soloing. With bouldering you get to look at the view more often between attempts and the view, especially on a clear winter day, is by far the highlight. It is hard to bring the Whangie into the modern age of climbing...perhaps a deep freeze will bring out the dry toolers. Or perhaps we should have just brought a stove and sandwiches.

Source: Stone Country Blog & News

[Fiend]

Good place for indoor wall climbers to learn the intricacies of leading on real rock.

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Cairngorms & Strathnairn
7 March 2014, 3:12 pm



Before the milder weather arrived, we ran the Friday night bothy run from Glasgow to Newtonmore, then up early amongst the pines of the Sugarbowl into the Chalamain Gap and the Lairig Ghru. Lurcher's Crag provided an icy gully, sunny belays and views across to Braeriach's plateau S-carved with skiers. We meandered down snow-wisped slopes of Creag an Leth-choin, back to Aviemore for the night.



Strathnairn was next day's choice for some sunny bouldering, of course the Ruthven Boulder was the target after a visit to see the Farr boulder. A walker on his way up Stac Gorm called the uniquely rough gneiss 'Strathnairn granite' and noted to us that it necessitated wearing gloves if you were building a wall, as it tore the skin from your tips. We noted that too after an hour or so, as well as a general wilting of power on the butch bouldering on this unique stone.

Here's a short guide to the stone:

The Ruthven Boulder



Ambience:                           steroid bloc

Rock:                                      gneiss

Season:                                  year round

Gear:                                      mats, chalk, skin cream, true grit

Grades:                                  5 to 7c

GR:                                          NH 636277

Access

·          Come off the A9 at Daviot, 5 miles south of Inverness, west onto the B851 signed to Fort Augustus

·          Continue through Inverarnie (shop) and another 8km past Brin rock on the right to a right turn signed to Loch Ruthven RSPB

·          Another 2km to parking at Loch Ruthven

·          The boulder is obvious below Stac Gorm, south of the loch, a 5 minute walk uphill

Bloc Notes

‘Clach na Boineid’  in Gaelic, it translates as the ‘Bunnet Stane’, but to boulderers is commonly called the Ruthven Boulder. This is the Hulk of Scottish boulders, a steroid-pumped glacial erratic packed with bulging gneiss veins. The bouldering is amongst the best in Scotland, and the moves are delicate despite the powerful approach required. The problems are described anti-clockwise from the arête opposite the ‘Baby Bonnet’ boulder.

Top Problems (described anti-clockwise from back descent)

The Descent of Man                                 2

A layback gains the shelf and easier moves to the top.  Also the descent…

The Cheeky Girls                                         6a

The wall right of the descent. Gain slopers and travel right to rock left.

Austin Powers                                            4+

The excellent juggy groove a few metres right of the descent.

The Razor’s Edge                                       7a

SS jugs under arête to crimps, then sharp edges and crimp up and left to flake.

The Slippery Slope                                    6c

SS edges to lip sloper, twist up left to jug, then mantle right to high crack.

Sloping Off                                                   6c+

SS as for above, but from sloper go right to holds and finish right over bulge.

Q.E.D.                                                             7c

SS under roof and gain slopey lip, finishing right.

Barry Manilow                                             7a+

SS under the big nose and climb it direct via one jug under nose. Start on small incut hold under roof travel right to a good hold under the nose (but no jugs!), break left through the prominent slopey nose and beg your way up to a high quartz hold. A classic struggle.

Builder’s Butt                                               4+

Start on the jugs right of the nose and pull into the groove. SS 6a from left.

Ebony Face Beyond Communication 7c (8b sport)

SS Builder's Butt jug traverse along the front face to Big Lebowski around the corner to Rock n Roll.

Nefertiti                                                        6b

2 small edges middle of left wall to good hold, RH incut then a long Egyptian up and left to a good edge, up to a layaway.

Pinch Punch                                                 6c

SS small edge to shallow scoop, lunge for hold left, a RH pinch to a LH edge then up to layaway and trend left.

The Groove                                                 5+

Start on small holds at the bottom of the groove, some nice moves lead to beter holds all the way up the groove.

Outstanding                                                6a+

SS roof off wee stone through jugs to hidden quartz hold, lunge to high jugs.

The Dude                                                     7a  

SS as above but a long move out right leads to hard sequence into hanging mossy groove. Direct top is 7b.

The Big Lebowski                                      7a

SS left roof traverse right to end of slopey ledge then wall via sidepull and crimpy finish.

White Russian                                             7a+

SS direct up through sloping shelf via pinch above.

Shreddies                                                     6c

Stand start to undercut arête. Finish direct.

The Big Tease                                             6b

Stand start right of arête to quartz blobs up and right, finish direct.

Neil Armstrong                                           5

Start at a shallow horizontal crack and climb the wall on quartz holds.

Crystal Maze                                                6c

SS flat hold left to quartz jug, rock left.

Sylvester                                                      6a+

SS flat hold left to quartz jug, back right over lip to crack and slab.

Tweeky Pie                                                  6c

SS flat hold, cunning cross right to sloper and mantle lip to crack.

Rock ‘n Roll Baby                                        5

SS jugs under roofed arête right to crack and rock onto slab.

Cheese Grater                                            6b

SS jugs and climb right of the arête.

Lovely Jugs                                                  3

Line of jugs between Cheese Grater and the descent.

Bitch Slap                                                     6c

Baby Bonnet. SS on a small shelf on the front right. Follow the holds left along the fault to a jug, take a slappy sequence left to finish up the blunt arête.

Turn The Other Cheek                             6b+

Baby Bonnet. Starts the same as above to the good hold then head right to rounded holds, struggle onto the slab.

Warm-Up Traverse                                   6a

Baby Bonnet. On uphill wall of Baby Bonnet boulder. Start at L end on obvious dish. Traverse slopers rightwards to incuts around corner then mantle.

Test Tube                                                     6b

Embryo Stone. 100m uphill. SS on the downhill side of the boulder climb direct.

Brave New World                                      6a

Embryo Stone. 100m uphill.  SS downhill side of the boulder climb out leftwards.



Source: Stone Country Blog & News