Drip, drip, drip.

Went to Warton with G-lah yesterday. It was pretty dry but there is a tree growing out of the break above the lip of Poison/E-fix and it was dripping on the lip holds. Also the slot at the start of E-fix was wet. And there were a few wet patches and streaks on the traverse into the start of E-fix. So actually it wasn't pretty dry it would seem. Anyway I tried Ebeneezer Goode and didn't do it. I know I can do this,but I'm just not. Yesterday it might have been because it was damp or because I was feeling a bit shit, or a combination of the two. But whatever, failure reigned once again. I did actually feel rubbish yesterday, my back felt sore, my skin was thin and rapidly became very painful and on the walk up the hill I felt tired and wanted to stop. Not a great sign. Oh well, next time (perhaps...)
Anyway G was looking pretty beasty on Poison, he's getting the moves like a good 'un now. I reckon the crush will occur in the near future. Especially given the shit conditions.
The we went to Trowbarrow where the shelter stone was also pretty dry whilst at the same time having some wet holds. I did nothing, G did much the same. Home time.

Peak performance

Since last posting I have been to Wet Pooh with G-lah and Pasty, which was nice. I've done a bit of crag based DIY, which appears to have been successful. And I've extended the board with a significant increase in the size of the 10 degree board, bonza.
Today I met Slopes and a motley assortment of reprobates at Cratcliffe. We had a pretty gentle day of Malt Loaf eating and shit talking interspersed with fits of climbing. I wasn't running high on SYKE for anything in particular, which made for a refreshing change. There was no sieging to be done today, a handful of attempts then move on (or more likely sit around for a bit). Anyway had a couple of goes at T-crack but didn't do the last move but walked on before getting heavily involved. Did a 7A traverse on the top of Cratcliffe. Did the right-hand roof problem in the cave at RHS, didn't do the left-hand line. Did Jerry's Arete. Then discussed the left-hand cave line with somebody and it became apparent that I was staying too far left. This rekindled a bit of curiousity so I trundled back up there and made a fresh attempt. I stuck to my "too far left" line and did it using a wild slap. A nice low key day, finished off with a lemonade in the pub - wild!

Highs and Lows

Well after the high of Monday day I then spent Monday night and Tuesday morning in the low grasp of puke and pooh. Oh joy.
The rest of Tuesday was spent feeling shaky and weak, and this morning I felt much the same. Fancying a bit of fresh air I thought of heading back to the Steeps to get some photos with a view to putting a topo together. But then G-lah had an unexpected afternoon of freedom so I offered to hold a rope for him while he cleaned up a project highball line in some esoteric quarry. The line is now clean and I think G will ice it quick sticks. A nice problem in the making.
Feel very weak and tired again now, is this what it's like to be old??

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today I turn 35, and yet I still feel like a child pretending to be an adult. And that's ace.

As a little birthday treat I had planned on meeting a friend at either the Plantation or the Cliff. However the early morning weather reports were not good. Snowing in Sheffield and gloomy mist doom in Leeds. So I decided to bin the trip and hang out at home, maybe making a start on phase 4 of the boards development. Not as exciting as getting out but hey-ho. But by 10 things were looking pretty good here so I ventured out to Mytholm Steeps just 5 minutes away to try work some previously mentioned projects. As I arrived things were looking good, it was cold and crisp, a good breeze was blowing on to the rock, I felt light and fresh (after not climbing yesterday despite having planned a session), the flask was full of fresh hot coffee and I had a stash of chocolate and malt loaf. Sometimes things just fall into place and you know it's going to be a good day.

I warmed up by cleaning off the upper section of the easiest of the project lines. The top is a slabby face with lots of vegetation above, it gets very green up there and is quite highball. So I went up on a rope with a yard brush, a scrubbing brush, a nail brush, a couple of toothbrushes and a healthy dose of chalk. Then I started working the start. The problem climbs up a forty-five degree-ish overhanging face to finish on the slab above. You do an easy big move from a jug to a very slopey shelf/rib. Then a hard match and traverse slightly left using cheeky footwork. Then the crux move a dyno up and leftwards to a good flake hold, it's a wild move and amazingly improbable. You end up with your left hand on the flake hold and the rest of your limbs flailing wildly. Get your feet back on, match hands then up with your left to the lip and finish rocking onto the slab for an easy topout. The climbing from the flake hold upwards is an existing 7A+ but the bottom is desperate.

Anyway long story, short story I managed to do it today, very unexpected and very very nice.

Titus Gaukroger - 8A+

A photo showing the line:


A photo showing the sloping shelf/rib:


There are still a couple of projects I'd like to do here, but they are very hard.

Wet Pooh

Went to West View (rhymes with wet pooh, the title, geddit? Funny huh?) last night with G-lah and The Man Of A Thousand Pastry Products. G-lah was complaining that everything wasn't reachy enough for him or some such nonsense, I stopped listening to be honest, but he seemed to be going pretty well. Pastry also seemed to be gunning for glory, maybe if he stops making the schoolboy error of a skin softening, muscle tiring pre climb swim he'll be tearing it up.

I, for the first time this year, felt like I could actually climb. I didn't feel light or strong or anything, but just like I could at some point in the future be lighter and stronger. I still feel like I will forever be completely inflexible though. Anyway, hopefully this trend can continue upwards to pinnacle at the start of April, coinciding nicely with the annual Fontstravaganza. So projects outside and trip forthcoming, time to get the bouldering burl. And then after Easter I can unleash it on the bolted lime to tidy up last years unfinished business.

I'm off to build a fingerboard, ciao.

Local projects for local people...

I was recently moaning to the Guru about the fact that to get stuck into a hard project I need to drive for an hour and there isn't anything near by. He nodded in his wise way and then suggested a venue that may yield fruits a little closer to home. I explained that I had visited said venue and felt it was not really worthy of further exploration. The conversation moved on to talk of chocolate and why my wife is trying to poison me with de-caf coffee, but the thought was in my head. Maybe I should revisit this place for one last search for esoteric gold?

A few days later I found myself with an empty lunch hour stretching before me so hopped in the van and headed out to quest. And lo the scales were removed from my eyes, what had previously seemed a damp and dirty venue was actually revealed to be...


Well still and damp and dirty venue if I'm being honest, but there was potential. A few more visits and the lines were slowly revealing themselves to me, and now I've climbed all the problems that I can climb relatively quickly I'm left with a handful of truly difficult problems to work and work and work. I doubt any of them will be below 8B, and I doubt I'll ever do any of them, but I can try. And it's close to home so I can try a lot. It reminds me of my time spent at Rivelin Quarries, and that is when things start to happen. When you get your focus on one or two problems that you can easily get to regularly. Exploit the good conditions when they happen and hope that you can become equal to the challenge. I feel inspired.

I've also been to South Lakes and Almscliff and done nothing, which puts a slight dampner on proceedings but hey-de-ho.