Best of 2022

[remus]

For those of you keeping track you may have noticed it's not quite 2023 yet, but what better time to get those creative juices flowing and reminisce about the best bits of your year.

For those new to this, it's about picking out your highlights of the year. The usual categories are listed below but freestyling is very much encouraged. As the denizens of UKB grow from doe-eyed climbing obsessed youths in to the bourgeoisie middle classes with other non-climbing things in their lives I've taken the liberty of adding a new category.

Top three boulder problems, UK
Top three boulder problems, abroad
Top three trad routes/solos UK
Top three sport routes UK
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Top three new routes/problems put up
Top spankings
Top non-climbing

Past year inspiration:
Best of 2006
Best of 2007
Best of 2008
Best of 2009
Best of 2010
Best of 2011
Best of 2012
Best of 2013
Best of 2014
Best of 2015
Best of 2016
Best of 2017
Best of 2018
Best of 2019
Best of 2020
Best of 2021

To make your life a little easier you can copy and paste the template below to help with formatting.

[b]Top three boulder problems, UK[/b]

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[b]Top three trad routes/solos UK[/b]

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[b]Top three sport routes UK[/b]

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[b]Top three routes abroad (any genre)[/b]

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[b]Top three new routes/problems put up[/b]

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[b]Top spankings[/b]

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[b]Top non-climbing[/b]

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[scragrock]

Ok i will have a shot as this will be brief.

Top three boulder problems, UK
Strathnairn developments-
1. The G{as seen in the latest Vid i posted}
2. Missing Sid
3. Jeely Peice
Top three boulder problems, abroad
Don't go abroad anymore as i am poor.
Top three trad routes/solos UK
NA
Top three sport routes UK
NA
Top three routes abroad (any genre)
NA
Top three new routes/problems put up
Probably the same as Q1
Top spankings
Its ALL spankings
Top non-climbing
The Birth of my Daughter Milly{as in La Foret}.

 

[cheque]

Worth pointing out to anyone who hasn’t taken part before that every category is optional and you can just add your own.

 

[Wellsy]

Top three boulder problems (more experiences of climbing I guess); Beretta 7A+, Special Measures 6C(?), Blind Bat 7A+

I don't do owt with ropes, or climb abroad, because I'm poor as well

 

[Andy F]

Didn't do any new boulder problems this year.
Top 3 sport climbs: Call of Nature (8a, the Tor), Crusin' for a Brusin' (7b+, Yew Cougar), Celebration (7c, Two Tier).
Top 1 trad climb: Central Route, E1 5b, Wilton 1 (first trad this century )
Didn't climb abroad.

 

[Stabbsy]

Top three boulder problems, UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Brad's Block Traverse, Clifftop Boulders - worked all the moves out and then proceeded to drop what I thought would be the last droppable move 3 times. Proved myself wrong by dropping the next move next go. Following session I dropped it yet another move further on before success. Felt very bunchy at the end for the taller gent!
[*]Conie Lamprecht, Conies Dale - Must have been to Conies 6 or 7 times this year, mostly on my own midweek, working my way through pretty much all the ups and link-ups bar Beak Forest and Big Fat Conie. This one and Conie Ferrino were probably my favourites of the ones I'd not done before.
[*]No Bull, So Fierce, Coed Dinas Ddu - Getting something done on family holidays always feels like a result at the minute. This block seemed like a good option for finding stuff that would work with one pad and no spotters. Not a king line, but more about the day 2 hours out.
[/list]

Top three boulder/routes problems, abroad

Nope.

Top three trad routes/solos UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Great Buttress, Dovestone Tor - I've wanted to climb here for years and never got round to it. We ummed and ahhed about whether it was going to be too hot and then the forecast changed overnight and we nearly froze. First route of the day having hardly tied on all year meant it was way more memorable.
[*]Parasite & Pegasus Wall, Stanage - A few fillers in on a quick afternoon hit.
[/list]

Top three sport routes UK

Nope.

Top three new routes/problems put up

Nope.

Top spankings

[list type=decimal]
[*]Longridge - I used to spend a lot of time there, but hadn't been for about 5 or 6 years. Could still do all the individual sections of the traverse without thinking, but linking them together was a different story! Still had a great day though and reawakened my interest in the place - if only it wasn't so far away.
[/list]

 

[Duncan campbell]

Come on people!!! At least give us some more detail on your best things, even if you aren’t filling every catagory!!!

This thread is surely so much more than just a cold list, what makes it so good is the delve back into the memory box and sharing those lucky 1st go battles, those beautiful perfect redpoints, great days out at the crag, etc etc

Just as I write this, I see Stabbsy has filled his list out a bit more - nice one

 

[scragrock]

Come on people!!! At least give us some more detail on your best things, even if you aren’t filling every catagory!!!

This thread is surely so much more than just a cold list, what makes it so good is the delve back into the memory box and sharing those lucky 1st go battles, those beautiful perfect redpoints, great days out at the crag, etc etc

Just as I write this, I see Stabbsy has filled his list out a bit more - nice one

Apologies, i shall try harder ;D

 

[Wellsy]

Okay to explain my choices

Beretta; this was the first hard thing I did following my knee injury. It took several sessions and micro-beta changes etc, and was very rewarding in terms of feeling like I'd actually somewhat returned back to form. I also did it on a lovely sunny day, in some nice dappled shade, with my friends. Delightful.

Special Measures; turns out that JF had done this before me but I got the full "experience" on it; figuring out the move, trying different beta, finally doing the hard bottom part and then the long top slab which was very easy but felt rather spicy to me on the day! A great feeling, and on New Year's Day too

Blind Bat; This was more a feeling of progress, going from being miles away from the big dyno to doing it a second go in a session months later. Definitely felt like I had got much more powerful, encapsulated in a single moment.

Top three spankings; I never did Bumlog Millionaire after fluffing the top bit like a total cunt and then getting injured etc. One day. Bullworker crippled me for a few months. I had a bit of a nightmare on a 6A somewhere that just shut me down and I never managed to get done. Fucking grit.

 

[remus]

Beretta; this was the first hard thing I did following my knee injury. It took several sessions and micro-beta changes etc, and was very rewarding in terms of feeling like I'd actually somewhat returned back to form. I also did it on a lovely sunny day, in some nice dappled shade, with my friends. Delightful.

Beautiful, the quintessential eastern lime experience.

Fucking grit.

Ha, that's my relationship with grit in a nutshell :lol:

 

[remus]

Top three boulder problems, UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Quarantine, Anston - The hardest thing I bouldered this year so should probably go on the list, though realistically more for the fun sessions with Duboust. We started working on it at the same time, had ~5 sessions on it and then both did it in the same session. Very satisfying process, even if it did feel like I was going to come away with a finger injury after every session.
[*]Wonderwall, Crafnant - Rubbish forecast in Sheffield and no plans so I made a dash over to North Wales and was awarded with a lovely session in a stunning location with some psyched young lads (shout out to Xav and Owen). What an amazing problem too, like it's been teleported directly from a board to a scenic hillside.
[*]Left-Hand Man, Secret Garden - A rare moment where the gritstone gods decided not to smite me from the rock/fuck my skin. Fun problem too, loads of funky tech and a slightly awkward top.
[/list]

Top three boulder problems, abroad

Only managed a week in font this year in May (woe is me), but font is always pretty incredible.

[list type=decimal]
[*]Satan m'Habite (raccourci), Roche aux Oiseaux - mint prow, and a great day smashing round a new-to-me sector. Typical font is-this-fun while working it out, then a lot of satisfaction as the moves come together (word to Duma for the beta).
[*]Blue circuit, Bois Rond - flashed every problem before Duma unbelievably sandbagged me on the final problem :lol: In his words "Woah you've flashed every problem so far? Would be a shame to drop it here" shortly followed by me falling off.
[/list]

Top three trad routes/solos UK

A few evenings out soloing but pretty much a fallow year.

Top three sport routes UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Nemesis, Cheedale Cornice - Top quality grinding project experience. Spent the start of summer fishing around for something to get stuck in to and settled on this. Spent the first couple of sessions getting the top dialled in and made a bit of a beta breakthrough (the best kind, found a good kneebar rest!) which sowed the seed that it'd be a goer. Lots of fun sessions at the cornice later and I managed to get it wrapped up in an after work session with a good friend, and all in good time before I went away on a trip a couple of weeks later. Perfect.
[*]Lockless Monster, The Nook - A hugely rushed after work session so my partner could get on her proj. Got the draws in then managed to fight my way up it second go by the light of a phone torch propped up against a tree (which is about as useful as you imagine it to be).
[*]Fishing Without a License, Embankment - This had been one of those projects that's gone very slowly, largely due to extremely poor tactics. I'd tend to clean it, work out 90% of the moves then fall off it near the top before waiting 3 months to have another session. Rinse and repeat. It was nice to actually finish it off this year! It's actually got some really nice climbing on it too, a shame it doesn't get done much, but such is the nature of esoterica.
[/list]

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

[list type=decimal]
[*]Emovoros, HADA, Leonidio - Maybe the best 'in a day' experience I've ever had? The fatigue~beta curves lined up perfectly and I just about scraped up it. Thought I'd fucked it after the third RP attempt ended at the crux but my friend persuaded me to leave the draws in and go for a no expectations final burn. Felt completely gassed the whole way up and was literally falling in to the knee bars at the top of the route. Came down completely spent, with what felt like barely enough energy to get the draws out. Topped off by my friend having a very similar experience a few routes over. Bliss.
[*]Kopa Kabana, Elona, Leonidio - Had a lovely onsight go but missed important holds at the top. Still, it's so good it was a pleasure getting back on it again (which is a good job as I ended up trying the extension for a few sessions).
[*]Mare Nostrum, Penon de Ifach - 8 pitches of pristine climbing on Christmas day with my partner. Every pitch is 3 stars. Binned the first pitch (top tip: wait until it's not covered in grease and leave the bag on the ground) but felt slightly redeemed by onsighting the rest of it, including a good fight on the final top pitch.
[/list]

Top three DWS

Only really managed a week this year, but what a week. Spotted some good tides in Pembroke and took the van down so I could work remotely and climb in the evenings. The weather was out of this world, just completely perfect every day. For a week I woke up psyched out of my mind and went to bed salty and exhausted.

[list type=decimal]
[*]Excalibur, Skomar Arch - Managed to meet up with a friend I haven't seen in ages for an after work session, and for a brucey bonus he sprayed me down with all the beta. Didn't manage it that day but got it done the day after with only a couple of randoms at the crag. Nice bit of spice at the top!
[*]Jaws, Broadhaven - I was on a pretty tight schedule so decided to ab it first with the hope of getting it done in a session before working the next day and then driving home the afternoon afterwards. Got pretty close but ran out of gas at the end of the crux. I was pretty gutted as I thought that was the end of it, but I hatched a very optimistic plan to get up at 6am and have an early morning pre-work session. Got to the crag for 6.30am, route was in the bag by 7am and back at the van for 7.30am. https://www.instagram.com/p/ChJxDvujMBR/
[*]Found a lovely little spot in Costa Blanca (thanks for the beta UKB!) and squeezed in a few routes in late December. Bloody love squeaking a few more DWS in so late in the season.
[/list]

Top spankings

[list type=decimal]
[*]Trav proj at Moat Buttress (basically a short version of Against the Current) - Put quite a few sessions in to this and worked out some nice beta, only for some of the holds to fall off. Worked out some more beta but then it got hot and it was pretty much a write off for the rest of the summer. Definitely a spanking in terms of not getting close, but psyched for a rematch. Maybe that is more light flagellation than a full spanking?
[*]Moaty McMoatface - See above, but replace the part about holds falling off with the moves being super hard. Think I managed all but one of the moves in the end, but linking things together felt a way off. Maybe it'll come together at some point?
[*]The Sissy, Rubicon - Those little crimps just feel completely shit. Keen to keep bashing my head against it for a few more sessions next year in a masochistic sort of way.
[/list]

Top non-climbing

[list type=decimal]
[*]My partner was meant to go in for some fairly major surgery in late November but ended up testing positive for covid the day before. After some fairly tumultuous re-arranging of plans we've ended up with a really nice spell of time off which has been ace.
[*]Built and released a new app (with the help of lots of other people). Big project that's taken up most of my working time for the last year and it's been great/scary to see it go live https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mylatticetraining.app
[*]Don't feel like it's anything I can really claim, but it's been great working with a good bunch of people at Lattice.
[/list]

 

[andy moles]

What fun.

Top three boulder problems
My logbook shows I've only done 33 boulder problems this year, which must be the fewest for quite a while.
Super Hans 7B, Aberglaslyn - one of the best eliminates I've done (doesn't feel all that eliminate because the move departing the parent problem isn't much harder than staying on it) - lovely crisp December day with dappled sunlight on dead leaves, great holds, great moves, felt bouncy.
Gynacology 7A, Kingussie - a surprisingly cool line in the midst of an otherwise unpromising heathery hillside. Not necessarily better than some other problems I did, but I found it, which always makes the thing more memorable.
Scar Tissue 6C, Strathnairn - if the above is obscure and isolated, this one even more so. A tramp around in the woods revealed absolutely nothing worth climbing except this single quality line, which is probably too easy for the sort of person who might seek out esoteric boulder problems ever to bother with. But I had a nice time.

Top three trad routes/solos UK
The Ancient Mariners, E5, Pabbay - to be honest possibly all the best routes I did this year were on Pabbay or Mingulay, and I could have picked a few others in place of this one, but in the interest of variety...
Seven Days, E4, Neist - a brilliant flared fingers crack thing with some lovely face features.
Stone Bastion, E4, Shelterstone - less climbed than other routes on the main bastion, but the top two pitches are ace (we just climbed the lower pitches of the Needle to get there, which seems like the best way to do it for quality). A day on the Shelterstone is always a good day.

Top three sport routes UK
Fiendish Beandish 7a+, Conwy - it's not a pretty crag, but this climbs brilliantly
Eyeballs Out 7b+, The Camel - proper endurance beast by UK standards, not usually my forte so was pleased to do it quickly
Supermassive Black Hole 7a, Twll Mawr - I often don't love slate (pity when it's within walking distance of my house), but this was lots of fun.

Top three routes abroad (any genre)
Kundalini/Luna Nascente link-up, 6b, Val di Mello - it doesn't disappoint
Alpentraum, 7a, Teufelstalwand - excellent granite cracks and corners, luxuriously bolted (the hard-line traddists would weep)
Aggressionkontrolle, 7b+, Leonidio - can't really pick a single route from a month in somewhere like Leonidio, but I'll go for this one because it was my first ever flash at the grade. It's probably only 7b but satisfying nonetheless as I've rarely climbed so well on a first attempt.

Top three new routes/problems put up
Violvoic, E6/7, Neist - the next route climbs better, but it was cool to make a first ascent of a route that's fairly hard for me. Featuring weirdly rigged skyhook protection, what more could one want from a British trad experience?
Shimripl, E4, Neist - oddly this line was the last of eight new lines on this wall that I turned my attention to, but the climbing on it is maybe the best, following thin cracks. Just a bit short lived.
Hyper Opal Mantis, E2, Neist - a different part of Neist. Short and punchy but really good.

Top spankings
Tricky to pick only three in this category...
Lubyanka, E3, Diffwys Ddu/Cyrn Las - Wiggy, fiddly, bold, not great rock, every pitch optional, the epitome of everything I've come to dislike about a certain genre of so-called classic British trad. Bailed from the final pitch up an easier finish, having had enough.
The Pinch, 7A+, Sheep Pen - was already feeling like something of a nemesis, being a grade and style that on paper I would normally be able to do quite quickly - then I pinged off and missed the pad and landed hard on the only pointy bit of rock in the vicinity. Luckily it was my pelvic bone not my coccyx, but I was still very sore for a week.
Unclimbed - dragged partner to remote crag on a day that we could have been doing something good to have a go at this (admittedly beautiful) unclimbed line which looks not too bad - only succeeded in losing skin and getting totally shut down. Did climb a consolation new route next door but it wasn't very good.

Top non-climbing
I'm going to leave this one for now as all that reminiscing about climbing has taken it out of me...

 

[JamieG]

Top three boulder problems, UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Stateside (with chip) ~7b Wimberry Really pleased to do this. Wanted to get on it for ages. Gets a little scary at the top and I’d bailed out a couple times before committing because I was on my tod. Shame that more people don’t get to wimberry. It’s brilliant.
[*]The Reiver 7a Pots and pans. Put up by my brother and I worked it for ages with a duff sequence. Then finally discovered you could just go dynamically for the top with a cool but slightly scary slap. Something I’d thought of on my very first session but written off. Lovely flowing move.
[*]Goldrush 7a+ Pots and Pans. See below.
[/list]


Top three new routes/problems put up

Had a brilliant year for this after discovering that there were loads of good looking lines at pots and pans quarries in the chew valley. Being about 10mins from my house made it the main place my brother and I climbed this year. Lovely overlooked venue with great views. Still more to do.

[list type=decimal]
[*]Goldrush 7a+ - had great fun working this. Had to fight really hard to see it off. Tough first few moves and droppable top. Really chuffed with this one
[*]The Ouzel or the Egg 6c+. Despite being a link up it combines the best climbing on the ouzel block. Tricky sit start on the arête then some crimpy moves to finish on the afterbirth dyno
[*]Mrs monster 6a. Lovely technical arête climbing. Proper gritstone climbing.
[/list]

Top spankings

No three separate occasions but one day of repeated fails. Managed to arrange a long awaited day climbing in on the eastern edges in the peak with my brother and a friend. I had the day of work. The kids were with Nana. My wife was in London. Weather was perfect. Wanted to try the terrace. What could go wrong. After a little warm up decided to try fallen slab to properly get going. Got sucked in. Couldn’t work out first move. Spent too long on it. Sore skin and tired already. If you can’t do a 7a why not try a 7c. Tried a few moves but was flailing pretty badly. Went to burbage west to try the nose as a consolation prize. After sorting the beta for the crux, managed to get through it only to climb like a total tool and fall off pretty much the very last move. Took a proper scary ride backwards onto the not great landing. Some great spotting saved me. But still managed to whack my elbow. Too tired to get through bottom again. Tactics all wrong for the day. Was too excited to be out. Overegged the pudding. Went home happy but sad. But happy.

Top non-climbing

Got a new job to start in February. Excited to get going on it.

Watching my kids growing up is awesome.

 

[Hoseyb]

After the highs of 2021, this year has been a bit turd. What with a bust Achilles in February, and then trashing a pulley in October. However, looking in the corners of the year, there has still been some gold.
Top three social bouldering moments.

1) When Dr Fidler dragged a team of wads down to Porth Howel for me to act as hobbling tour guide.

2) Dragging Fiend down to flog the same spot, myself getting all competitive despite my temporary cripple status, and then Fiend psyched enough to make further visits without coercion.

3) Cwmystradlyn again with Dr Fidler, first time climbing proper after the Achilles debacle, blue skys,fa's for miles and BigG baiting.

3 Best comics

1) Book 2 Monstress
I'd been waiting ages, so made up with its visually sumptuous, kaiju like steampunk.

2) Papergirls.
A classic, but new to me this year, just grade a story telling, sort of Goonies meets back to the future, by way of Stranger things.

3) I hate fairy land.
Mother fluffing good!
When you get trapped in a saccharin fairytale for 20 years, all you need is a sharp axe, or maybe a hammer.

Top 3 Solo wellie wanders with a pole.

1) Moel ddu
Actually took pads but never climbed, so much vista, and always something more interesting. Until you summit. My First summit with pads I think.

2) Beyond Llugwy.
This was around the time Isle's of Wonder Sit was done. I was keen to check up on old projects and what people had been up to. No pads, but still gained a mini summit and saw lots of virgin rock.

3) The Lleyn, a beach
Fiend had tipped me off about a bouldering crack on a beach. This was my first foray solo, intending to boulder post injury, and was a beautiful crisp blue day. Lots of exploration trying to spot the thing, followed by a blissful hour taping up and tentatively flailing around. Perfect project as it was only just too hard for me. Unfortunately I strained a pulley shortly after, so one for next year.

 

[chrisbrooke]

Top three boulders:

Burbage South Trellis. Took a couple of sessions to figure out how to do the top move on my own. The sort of thing that would take about 10 mins at ground level but is a lot more thought provoking a couple of metres up with no spotter. Finally figured it out (and discovered the fall wasn’t tooooo bad) and did it next go. Then it started spitting and I was faced with the choice of shuffling along that awful ledge as it got wet, or down climbing the crack over to the left…. Which I spent 20 minutes doing …. Punter.

Gardoms China in Your Hands. Had a few sessions on this in the last couple of years. Requires balance, flexibility and more finger strength than I usually have. Was really delighted to climb it earlier in the year on a day where the crimps felt good and the moves flowed. I really really like the moves on this problem Came back more recently and did the direct, as my first 7C.

Rivelin Purple Haze. Had a few very frustrating sessions on this earlier in the year. The classic ‘can do all the moves but can’t do them all in one go’ nightmare. Finally did it first go in September, after a summer spent looking after the kids and hardly climbing or training at all. I’m sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere, but I’m not entirely sure what….

 

[Stu Littlefair]

This has been another frustrating year, with injuries, the summer heat and family drama meaning I got out much less than I wanted this year. Seems to be happening more and more as I get older… Still, it’s always pleasant to get to this thread and read back on what did happen.

Top three boulder problems, UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Pools of Baathesda, Griffs
First hard-ish boulder I’d done for a while after an elbow and finger injury and a lovely “heel toe above head” sequence.

[*]
Mutton Busting (original sequence), Griffs
Man, I was gutted when Griffs got banned this year, I was getting well into it. It was also really great to do this problem the original way, which came down to a lovely pogo move off a grim LH bird-beak crimp. Felt like real progress to be able to use this hold at last.

[*]
Nazgul’s traverse, Rhiw Goch

Mostly because I flashed it, and felt dead powerful doing so.
[/list]

Top three boulder problems, abroad

None, but I am going to Albarracin in the new year so at least there’ll be something for next year.

Top three sport routes UK

[list type=decimal]
[*]Premonition, Kilnsey

Straight through the big roof with an ace kneebar move to gain Mandela.
[/list]

That’s it, injuries and heat precluded anything else.

Top three routes abroad (any genre)

All part of a great trip to the FJ. My finger was too bad to try hard so got to try some easier classics.
[list type=decimal]

[*]Ringbandschöner

Softer than butter but so much fun. Swinging around on big pockets jn a roof feeling like a hero. What’s not to love?

[*]Reif fur die Insel, Kuloch

I’d been putting off this classic Kurt Albert 7a for three visits. 25m of climbing, some hard cruxes and only three bolts! In the end it was the perfect experience, feeling cruisy on the runouts.


[*]Komodowaran, Gotthardskirche

The hardest 7c I’ve ever done in my
life. Desperate crux on sloping undercuts to put in the kneebar get like a grit problem with no friction and in 30 degree heat. Flipping brill!
[/list]

Top spankings

[list type=decimal]
[*]Overshadow.

Just too weak, but I can do the crux, so it’s possible. A good aim for 2023

[*]30 is the new 40

I don’t find this hard, so why have I not done it yet? Maddening.

[*]Les Grand Doigts

Was too inflexible in the spring, am too crap now. Fucking grit.
[/list]

 

[SA Chris]

Gynacology 7A, Kingussie - a surprisingly cool line in the midst of an otherwise unpromising heathery hillside. Not necessarily better than some other problems I did, but I found it, which always makes the thing more memorable.

When did you do this? We were in Kingussie summer before last, and walked the path up and over the top of Creag Bheag, must have only missed it by meters. Be good to have an OS ref if you have one.

 

[kingholmesy]

Best DWS

1. Had a great day at Fisherman’s Ledge with two car loads of mates up from Cornwall for the day. Did a bunch of the classics including Freeborn Man (E4). The highlight was The Vanishing (E5/7a+) - battled through on my second attempt at the end of the day.

2. Also had a brilliant day with my friend mad Max the doctor pushing the limits between DWS and just plain soloing. The best of the day was Tropospheric Scatter (E4) at Guernard’s Head, although also wobbled up Silence of a Lamb next to it (soft E6). Even above a calm high tide I was very glad not to fall off. Finished the day with a headtorch solo of Astrall Stroll (E1).

Best trad

Polaris (E5) at Swanage was really good, mainly cos I’ve wanted to do it for ages, it’s top of my grade and I only just scraped through the crux on lead. Left my house in Cornwall at 6am and was home again for a beer by 9pm after 300 miles of driving, an 80 metre ab and 3 pitches of great climbing.

Best rematches

1. The Magic Wand (E5), Carn Gowla. On the first visit I really struggled trying to get a micro wire in the starting groove where there used to be a peg. Eventually sat to rest on a micro which popped out, snapped the one below it, decked it onto my arse and retreated to go to a friend’s party instead. Returned a week later and replaced the peg (removed again afterwards) and onsighted the rest of the route. This involved brilliant space walking along the lip of a huge sea cave on just about adequate gear with sustained but never desperate climbing. Well worth seeking out for those of you who are into sea cliff adventures.

2. Abbed into Deja Vu (E4) in Bosi Great Zawn in the summer but had to retreat due to birds nesting on the belay ledge. Came back later in the year and thought the top pitch was exquisite. Heart in mouth climbing up the slab above micro wires, followed by good gear and a fantastic romp to the top.

Best spanking

Savage God (E4), Blackchurch. Got to within about 10 metres of the second belay before realising it had a nesting chick on it. Down climbed the whole of the rest of the pitch stripping my gear as I went, then abbed off a peg and dubious nut. Not sure whether I’ll go back.

 

[remus]

Best DWS

1. Had a great day at Fisherman’s Ledge with two car loads of mates up from Cornwall for the day. Did a bunch of the classics including Freeborn Man (E4). The highlight was The Vanishing (E5/7a+) - battled through on my second attempt at the end of the day.

That sounds like a mint day out, particularly finishing up with The Vanishing. It just looks so unlikely when you're perched in the back of the cave staring out through the roof.

 

[kingholmesy]

That sounds like a mint day out, particularly finishing up with The Vanishing. It just looks so unlikely when you're perched in the back of the cave staring out through the roof.

Yeah it’s a proper voyage innit! Swim in, sketchy first move, a trip into the bowls of the earth, and then a crazy three dimensional sequence of climbing to emerge back into daylight. Faced one way bridging out on the first attempt and took the plunge, faced the other way second go and just made it.