I was supposed to be going to London at the weekend to meet up with some uni mates but just couldn't face the extortionate travel on the rubbish train service into a polution hotspot for a weekend of good climbing weather miles from any good climbing. I can't quite pin down exactly why I wasn't keen to go.... It would have been really good to catch up with friends but hey-ho.
Anyway Saturday was glorious blue sky and Kirsty was all for going climbing, I was slightly less enthusiastic for two reasons:
1) It was hot and we'd invariably have picked a crag where the only thing I'd want to try would be some conditions dependent slopy skin-eating horror show.
2) I had plans to arrange a Sheffield trip for Sunday and didn't want no skin due to repeated failure on the aforementioned theoretical horror-show.
So we went for a walk and had chips and lemonade at a pub, I tell you this rock-and-roll lifestyle takes it out of you.
On Sunday we woke to overcast cool conditions. Things were looking good so we quickly loaded up the car (quickly being about an hour nowadays) and set off for Sheffield. As we got closer and closer to Hathersage the weather got worse and worse and I was starting to curse my forethought of the previous day. Arriving in Hathersage all was damp and wet but at least we could go to the wall, so not a complete washout. We went to a friends for lunch (bacon sandwich) and during consumption the weather did an abrupt about face and it was game on. Unfortunately we have a baby who needs daytime sleeps, and our friends have two babies who need daytime sleeps, and none of these daytime sleeps coincide, aaaarrggghhhh.
after some hasty delicate negotiations (anyone with kids will know the nature of these, if you don't have kids suffice it to say the the Cuban Missile Crisis negotiations are just a friendly chat down the boozer by comparison) we were out, yes! To Burbage North where we sweated at Remergance. I'd forgotten how badly it catches the sun, luckily there was a bit of a breeze so it wasn't too bad. Did all the standards which are really nice, still now after all these years of being climbed, just the epitome of classic problems on good solid grit. Then tried an eliminate on the arete problem which is basically right hand on the pinchy rib/arete left hand up to sloper and then right straight through to the top hold. Supposedly "at least 7b+" so I was quite pleasantly surprised when I did it in a few go's. It then git really hot and the wind dropped, i briefly tried Submergence and Blind Date but just couldn't battle against waning sking, strength and conditions. Back to the friends house for sausage casserole and then home happy, a nice weekend.
South Snowdonia Bouldering Videos
5 months ago
2 comments:
Have you decided which 8A you want to do in Font yet? I always find it helps to have a specific goal (mine are normally more short term mind).
That eliminate is never 7B+ by the way, me and lagers reckoned 7B was fair in poor conditions last year.
Your climbing/training seems marginally more committed/less haphazard than mine and I know exactly what you mean about child sleep negotiations!
Good bloggage. Good luck with the objective.
Cheers Jasper.
Have a shortlist but nothing concrete yet. I really want to do something that isn't traditionally my style. In the past I'd always go for a slab so I'm thinking something steep e.g. Fata Morgana/Beaux Quartiers/Toit De Greau etc.. Probably need to pick someones (Uncles?) mind...
Also being realistic I'm not going to be disappointed if I don't manage an 8A. I just want to move things forward from the 7A/B plateau that I've had in Font for the last x years..
Agree that eliminate is 7B tops, "at least 7B+" seems very generous. Although I am short blah blah blah :o)
My training/climbing may sound organised, but it really isn't! It's impossible to have an organised approach to anything with a 1 year old.
Cheers
Nik
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