Costa blanca 2016

Return to Costa Blanca November 2016-final trip of possibly my best year for outdoor climbing in terms of number of days out. We were fortunate to fit in 8 full days climbing into a weeks trip-good flight times helped. We tried to head to some different crags this time- with Sella and Marin being my two favourites. I haven't done multi-pitch for some years (Zepellin in El chorro was the last one which was an epic day out) so it was fun to do some fun classic multi-pitch at Marin. Although there's polish at Sella I still think its a great crag especially in the grades above 6b and my route of the trip would have to be Kashba 6c+ -a top50 route at Sella which was a fight right to the top. I also was pleased to onsite a route I had looked at maybe 10 years ago on my first outdoor trip-Aqui tampoco 6c. I remember thinking that the roof on this looked impossible-but id have to say there was a bit of a tougher section lower down before the roof.


Aqui tompoco 6c

Paul on the last moves of Pats, Marin

Paul on El dia de la bestia 7a

Paul on Technitos free, 6b+

Top of pitch 1 of Prats, Marin

 

New route 7a+, Sella



Kashba 6c+

Day 1: Castellets
Levilicas 4
Via Andrea 5+
The chimnet 5
Csomos 6a
Via Javi 6a

Day 2: Sella (Secot final)

La verguenza 4
Speedy gonzele 5+
Aqui tempoco 6c*
El pixonet 6b
New 6c-basically bear?

Day 3: Echo valley (El catsellet lower)
Arispilla 5+
El pas de la forela 6a
tarzan 7a+
Waka placa 7a
Soplamela 6b
Che pero com percocai 6a+
El minxto 6a
El paclero de maile 5+

Day 4: Marin
Sector classico
Prats 2 pitch- 4+, 3+
Placa girls 2 pitch 5, 5+
El veula de pnlelo 6b
El dia de la lbestia 7a
el reino del vacio 6c*
Paranoik 6a


Day 5: Olta
Xmas dreams 5+
Tpich me softly 5
Vamos 6a
Best of 95 5
Du Darfst 5
Turron 5
Das Bach de .. 5

Day 6: Sella
Senor neshbit rides again 5
El torronet 5+
Anglopitecthis Britaniensis 6a+
Kashba 6c+*
New route 7a+
Two nights of love 5+

Day 7: Marin
Adventuras en pandes 3+
Novatos can gato 5+
El meulo del murcaga+ extension 6c+*
El m,ono reconico 6c
Technitos free 6b+
Pibluce quete desmucas 6a+
El masanzo 6b

Day 8: Sella
Pequenecos III 5
Paquenecos 4
Con mallas y loco 3+
Via de indico 5+
A y parrazo 5
A diestroy sinesto 6a
Los efugio... 5

Cheddar Gorge

Its been maybe 7 years since we did a cold Junes day climbing in Cheddar gorge. We were pleasantly surprised to be climbing in the warm sun in October-although the masses we also out enjoying the gorge. As this was a bonus stop off on the way back from a weekend in Devon we wanted the easiest of approaches so started on horseshoe bend buttress and then moved over to Arch rock. Routes were fun, albeit very polished!

Dodging the seepage

Coll on Reunion at nightfall

Me on Oh pretty woman

At the top of Arch rock

Reunion at nightfall, 5

Three pounds per tonne, 4
Oh pretty woman!, 5+
Lapse in taste, 5+
Mr ripple, 6a
Big budget productions, 6a
Room with a view, 6a+
Lady cassidy, 6a+
Galenda Colada, 6c

Llanymynech

We last went to Llanymynech 3 years ago and found the harder routes pretty tough. Our mission for this visit was to focus on the red wall and work some routes. Paul worked crab stick and will be looking for the red point next visit.  I was very thankful for Paul pushing me to get on to Poison Ivy- which I am pretty chuffed with managing to onsite. This was a great day for doing harder routes and one of the better of our climbing days out in terms of grade for some time. As much as I enjoy days climbing at any grade it was a good reminder today of the thrill from pushing yourself mentally on challenging routes.


Me on the tricky start moves of crab stick, 6c

Paul leading crab stick at the crux

Me leading Lobster on the loose 7a,

Paul on lobster on the loose, 7a



Paul lowering off Lobster on the loose, 7a

Paul climbing the day of the trifidd, 6b-the line of poison ivy to the left

Warm up on Nomad wall
Dentine, 5c
Pull em out, 6a

Red wall
Lobster on the loose, 7a
I saw three ships, 6c+
Crab stick, 6c
Poison Ivy, 7a+ (one of the hardest onsites I've achieved in the UK)
The day of the triffids, 6b

Portland 2016

There was no way we were going to let the good weather pass us by this week and we ended up on a last minute trip down to Portland. It far exceeded expectations from previous visits-probably helped by a nice bed and cooked breakfasts versus sleeping in the back of a van! We were blessed with the weather and even on the really windy day we found sanctuary at the cuttings. This trip rather than push the grade I wanted to seek out some of the islands classic routes to enjoy such as the biggest arête on the island-pregnant pause. That said I did manage a nice 6c onsite that I couldn't resist at the cuttings.

 



Flexing the biceps on fall slab arete



Selfie from the top of fallen down arete

Warming up at the cuttings

Paul at the top of the wonderful crack climb, Consomme 6a+

Me leading up New saladin 6c, hardest onsite of the trip

Me leading up bag end 5+ a great little adventure climb especially in the wind

Paul on Monsoon malabar, 6a about to do the move of the climb

Me leading the climb of the trip-the exposed pregnant pause-6a+

Fantastic blue skies and wonderful west coast cliff backdrop

 

Day 1

Blacknor South area
unknown route to start
Fallen slab 3+
Fallen slab arête, 4?
La ...Casse, 6a+
Losing my sad tomato, 6b+
Six good biceps, 4
Day 2
The cuttings
Three fingers 6a
Opus, 4
Rusty the red kneck takes one for the team, 6a+
Consomme 6a+
New saladin 6c
Want out, 7b TR
Chips with everything, 4+
Well done Popper 5a
Day 5
Blacknor Central
When this hits the fan 6b+
Shit happens 6a
Bag end 5+
Monsoon Malabar 6a
Pregnant pause 6a+
Valerian 6a

The Gower August 2016

We'd seen articles about the development of sport climbing on the Gower over the past few years with a focus on crags like foxhole and shipwreck cove. It's taken about three years since saying we were going to actually biting the bullet and booking a weekend in hope for dry weather. We were blessed to have three days of dry weather and even a couple of days of summer sun. We managed to pack in four crags in three days. It was great to experience the different types of crags but it did take a few routes to get our heads and feet adjusted to the different rock conditions.

Day 1 we headed straight to watch house which was slabby but a good ease into the climbing.

Paul on rise and shine, 6a

 

Me on trad man, 6a

We had climbed all the routes that took our fancy so then headed round to foxhole. By this time we were tired but ended up on a 7a I thought was a 6b- but i was just happy to be off the slabs!!

Me on Mermalade, 7a

Paul on mermalade, 7a

Day 2 and for the main event- Rhosilli bay. The tide didn't seem to go out far enough to climb at mermaid wall so we started at castaway cove. Was bizarre climbing on dark rock as my head was telling me it was wet but it was dry- took some getting our heads around that. We ended up climbing on some great lines at this section. 

Paul on Dirty innuendo, 5b

Me on Cinders catch, 6a

Me on The clot thickens, 6a+

Big matt needed to keep feet and gear clean!

 

As the tide moved in we went over to black wall to finish on a couple of routes. The starts of these routes were awful to the point we think it may be the case that you clip stick the first bolt, pull up then start the routes. The black rock on here was solid and a shame they were over so quick.

Paul on the black wall

Day 3 we intended to go to Boscos den but ended up at golden wall after an epic approach down and along the cliffs edge. It was just a relief to find something to climb in the end. The rock was a little intimidating to start as it looked really wet and felt very exposed with the waves crushing down nearby. After the first route we settled in and really enjoyed the routes, although some had some wet in some holds.

Where's the crag?

Paul on Golden balls, 5c

Aur of glory, 5c

Paul on A Starke Reminder, 6a+

 

Me on A Starke reminder, 6a+ -felt more overhanging than it appears...

Me on the wonderful roof of The midas touch, 6c+

Final day selfie

Day 1

Watch house crag

Excavation, 4c

Tickety boo, 5c

Rise and shine, 5a

Sport wars, 6a

Tread gently, 6b+

trad man, 6a

 

Foxhole

Mermalade shoes, 7a

Unlikely alliance, 6b

 

Day 2

Rhosilli bay

Castaway cove

Grinders catch, 5c

Dirty innuendo, 5b

Dry blood beast, 6a

The clot thickens, 6a+

Cinders catch, 6a

Grazed and trusted, 6a+

Black wall

Thieving.. 5

Theiving parasites, 6a

 

Day 3

Golden Gulch

Golden balls, 5c

Golden hour, 5c

Aur of glory, 6a

A starke reminder, 6a+

The midas touch, 6c+

Main wall horsehoe quarry

Blessed with another 'free' dry Sunday we wanted to head back to horseshoe to get on the main wall with he main aim of trying some of the stared routes.
We warmed up on the left wall side progressing along the main wall. There were some great 6a and 6bs but the increase in grade felt hard beyond 6a+.  There were a couple of routes that felt really stiff-such as wall of Jericho (graded 6b, felt more like 6c).I attempted waves of mutilation (7a) and was pleased to clean it second go on top rope- a red point with fresh arms felt realistic.



Paul warming up on Sag Ponir, 5+

Me on Pale Rider, 6a



Me on Schools out, 6a+

Paul on Private prosecution, 6c (top50)

Sag Ponir  5+
Pale rider 6a
Schools out 6a+
Rotund Rooley 6b
Waves of mutilation 7a
Wall of Jericho 6b
Private persecution 6c

Back on it at Horshoe

 

Time to get back on to the blog after a crazy two year break of doing my masters, getting married and some other life changing stuff... I certainty didn't need a reminder of why I will always wear a helmet climbing or just sitting eating my lunch at the crag, but I got one anyway. Lowering off the first route of the day, Neanderthal -a 30m route on probably the worst section of the crag (chocolate Blancmange wall) a big boulder came loose hit my leg.



Neanderthal, 4 & 5 and a nasty boulder on the leg

That was our queue to move onto the better walls of the quarry so headed to the toilet and Androids area. It took a couple of climbs and a change of shoes to get our heads into the polished slippy rock. But there were some great all body working moves on the climbs. We dumped the guidebook and just chose climbs which looked fun. Although after getting the guidebook out at the end of the day we couldn't help but be a little disappointed to find some tricky climbs at lower grades than we predicted. No soft touches here.

The dark tower, 6b+

straight helmet for once

Paul on the directors cut, 6b

Paul on Passage of time, 6b

Neanderthal, 5
Latrine, 5
The Sewer 6a+
Passage of time 6b- second best route of the day
The dark tower, 6b+ -route of the day
The long walk, 6c
Bruce's bonus, 6b
The directors cut, 6b