Climbersbalm

2012-01-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, well yes it's a bit late but the weather has been shite, Christmas has been and gone and other than the wall I've climbed feck all.

Then today came, still, cold and sunny perfect conditions to get on the grit. But first I had to sort Big Franks Lock Up out, that's my council garage. What a load of crap has been chucked in there. Anyway after a trip to the tip and the scrap yard (got £8.64!) it was off t'Cliff.

Conditions were good, not excellent and the grippiest rock was in the shade where it was cold.

The usual warm ups were on Low Man. then some flailing led to more flailing on the traverse into Morrells wall, still I bumped into a few folk I know and had the crack. Then onto Wall of Horrors Traverse for more flailing.

The big reward however was the great sunset.

2011-11-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

Famous 45

I've just been looking back through my posts on this Blog, and my thoughts of this morning while out with Jessica the boulder hound have been confirmed, I did not put the Famous 45 video on.

Famous 45 is essentially a short dynamic problems in Guisecliff woods, a large are of woodland under the mighty Yorkshire crag of Guisecliff it's self. The routes on the main crag have a tendency to be dirty and not very welcoming, though there are a few classics such as Comet Wall.

However, the bouldering is in a different league with some great problems. Including one of the best 7a's in Nidderdale, A Little Sparkle - follow the link to see my ugly mug some years ago.

Anyway without further a do onto Famous 45,

Famous 45 6c+ ??

Guisecliff

One Dog, One Problem, One Hour

Neglect

2011-11-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

Ok I've been very guilty of neglecting this blog, I must make more effort.
Especially when I consider that I've been lucky enough to spend three weeks in Canada and the good old US of A.

Well I may well blog about those later. Since I've been back I have been out climbing and done one video and taken zero climbing photos. I made the video on an afternoons trip to the fabulous Earl Crag. Quite a few of my climbing pals are never keen to go to Earl, in fact they are quite disrespectful of the place. But let me assure you it's a great bouldering venue, bleak in winter cool in summer, but always tough on the skin. Go there and enjoy it but be prepared to get spanked - may be that's why they don't like it?

2011-03-21T13:58:00.000-07:00

Last week proved to be little more than a foggy damp pile of durge, until Friday when the weather picked up.

So I arranged to meet Sam from work and his pals at Swastika Stones on Ilkley Moor. Swastika offers some good mid grade climbing though the rock can be a little harsh in places. Topo

We did a few of the easier climbs, but they are quite stiff at the grades;

Sam on a 5+

View to Barden Fell

View to Ilkley

Sam on Walking the dog

The problem we spent most ime on was Swastika Eyes, a good dyno. Originally given 7b it was bit of an eliminate. Using the obvious left crimp on the line and going for the top gave Sam the glory. I was close, just to hungover - The Guinness and Whiskey had kicked in!

2011-03-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

NEWS Yorkshire Gritstone Bouldering Vol2 is out NEWS

Total Climbing's volume 2 is now in the shops, well nearly. You can pick a copy up at the Depot in Leeds. Other shops should get it next week. It's been a long wait but I think it's going to be awesome.

2011-03-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last week the Facewest lunchtime bouldering team made it up to the Mighty Bas West Chevin, an awesome bouldering venue that's a little spread out. The first session last week got most of the problems on the Raynman Area bloc done. This is a fantastic bloc with some excellent easy problems, check it out.

Near by is the highball Brownian Motion (font 7c+) and Particle Collision (font 7b), they don't get many repeats...

Down 'below' about 200m downhill are more problems including a new problem from Tom P, 'Fluid Dynamics'at around 8a.

On our second session we went for 'Eat the Light' & 'Avatar', both superb problems. Well in the 3/4 of an hour lunch break we get it was ambitious in poor conditions, but better than doing feck all.

Today Sam got a new video camera, a smart little Kodak ZX 10. Here is the video of me on Eat The Light, yes conditions were good.

West Chevin problems on YorkshireGrit

West Chevin Guide

West Chevin Map

2011-03-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

Spring is in the air, well as my Grandma used to say "I've heard geese fart before".
All week we've been tempted by blue skies and warmer weather and come the weekend what a disappointment.

Well the winter has been long and cold but I have been getting to Harrogate wall nearly every week. And not a bad wall it is either. It has been built very much as a commercial wall designed to provide the community with a climbing facility with something for every one. Where as some walls such as Leeds were built as a dedicated training facility for local climbers. I think this is an indication of how climbing as a sport/recreation is progressing.

Harrogate Climbing Centre
The Leeds Wall

Bouldering Walls

Harrogate isn't much of a bouldering wall, thought it does have some good problems set. The area of the wall dedicated to bouldering is just to small. However a trip to Leeds will take you to two dedicated bouldering walls both of which are excellent and compliment each other;
City Bloc
The Depot

City Bloc is the nearest to the city center and has a skate park adjacent where as The Depot is out in Pudsey and is in a former Tram shed.

Climbers Balm - Looking after your skin since 2006

2010-10-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

Been a bit shit updating the Blog!.. sorry.
Tonight I had half an hour to spare before the sun went down, so a brief trip to Whitehouses to catch up with Jon.

Been out a few time to Caley and Almscliff, mainly with Ian. The highlight was ticking New Jerusalem, though I used the short guys method which seams a lot easier than the cross through.

Still beavering away at the traverse into Morells wall at the cliff. Also I had a dream about Steve's wall, could that be a sign. It's one of those problems that looks quite easy, which generally means it will be nails.

Well I have quite a lot on my tick list at the moment, and a little ambitious, but a faint heart never ...

Anyway I've recorder a short video re the balm. It's a brief intro to the Balm.

A quick trip to Caley

2010-09-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday morning was 'welcome back to Rugby!'. Well my lad Max is in the under 12's at Wharfedale RUFC, a fine club with fine tradition. For me that means several months on the touchline scoffing bacon and egg butties with mugs of hot coffee. Oh if only Mountain Equipment would invent the Touchline Jacket.

But also Chris was up from Bristol to see Jon, so I was keen to catch up, after all it's been a couple of years since out last trip to Fontainebleau. Well I took off for Caley to meet them as soon as I could...

All the usual banter and some good bouldering followed, the highlight for me was doing Creme egg eliminate 1st time.
Here's an old photo of me doing the crux hand swap;

Then it was down to flail on the Horn Left hand, though Chris was rather impressed with the echo. Just stand about three feet away and try it.
Jon on his usual form did all three problems, bit of a show boater I say ;-)

No Skin!

2010-09-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

What a good week, though not actually achieved a right lot. On Monday I was the lone representative lunch time boulderer at the mighty Bas West Chevin. Actually doing laps on 'Eat the light'!!!, but we did get out another two lunchtimes.

Thursday evening we met up with Jon aka www.yorkshiregrit.com , at The Cliff. My latest project is the L-R traverse into Morells wall. Christ that pocket is hard to hold. But I will.

2010-09-03T14:42:00.001-07:00

Bonjour, well there's a clue to why it's all been a little quiet. Though I have been back for over a week now, yes a slack bastard.

I only had one days climbing but boy it was an excellent, this is one area that's little heard of just south of Angoulême in Charnte. The climbing here is pocket pulling and powerfull single pitch sport climbing on perfect French limestone.

Though I only had one day there I thought the grading was either full on sandbaging or pretty steady. We chose a sandbag for the 1st route. 5+ my arse, easy satrt then a limestone slab in the sun proved quite interesting, but we did it...

2010-07-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Found rather a good little video of Font on youtube, after all it's getting near the time to get psyched for Bouldering, especially those who have a font trip on the cards!

Oh Yeh

2010-07-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

Took this photo of two old timers a week or so ago. They'd just climbed Cubic corner at Brimham and were sat chewing the fat. Speaks for it's self really.

Rain, Rain...

2010-07-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Well today it did and tonight it was off to Ilkley Quarry.
Met up with Jamie the vegetarian Welsh sheep farmer, he's quite new to this climbing lark.
I led him up Napoleon, not done that route before and on a hot sunny evening polished quarried grit is bloody hard word. That said I think it was hard for the VS 4c grade!

Al turned up with his mat when I was on the Josephine ledg; "So we're not bouldering then".

Then it was Jamies lead, or as it turned out fiasco on a multi pitch grit severe. nuff said, but the post climbing beer ib Ilkley tasted good.

2010-07-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here's an old video, quite good. Oh it's me; )

A tricky low traverse avoiding the lagre break above.

Beyond the worls cup!

2010-07-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well with all the excitement of international football and the demise of the mighty England from the world cup I decided to go climbing amongst other things.

So it's been the usual lunchtime bouldering down at the mighty West Chevin, though recently we've been going to the lower level boulders.

Then there has been the usual flurry of sport climbing at Trollers Gill, need to get back there a get the horrible short intense 6c+ on the right side ticked.

Also there has been a bit of easy trad climbing at Brimmers.

Family wise probably the best thing last Month was a trip to Go Ape at Dalby forest.

Go Ape from Fran Holland on Vimeo.

Bit of a 'Random' week.

2010-06-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Bit of a random week, but done quite a lot and not, does that make any sense, no.

A few more lunchtime trips to West Chevin boulderers, it's becoming quite a habit.
Sam and I have been trying a low level traverse across the Raynman Area boulder. It pretty sequency and really nice climbing and should go at about Font 6b+, but I'm not the best at grading. Anyway constant climbing has made my fingers sore but the balm is helping them to rejuvenate.

Only got out one evening this week with Jamie and Jake, back up to Panorama. we were climbing some easy problems at the far Eastern end when we heard the farmer; "GET OUT, NO CLIMBING NO CLIMBING". So we left, but I'll have to go to chat to him some time re the new guide.

A few minutes later we were at the West end, where the land owner is a nice old chap that showed interest to the climbing on his land. So we got on Phoenix wall, it's nails, Andy Crome on Phoenix wall,
I had been trying it before Andy did it, but he got their first.

Saturday we went sailing on Grimwith resevoir, feck that was cold and wet. It was back to winter and were we glad of Hot Chocolate.

Sunday was a nice local walk and Sunday Up dale day at Middlesmooor, couple of photos below, none of climbing though.

Today I planned to go to Earl with Ben for cornwall, it pissed down!
Updale Day

A 'Power'week.

2010-05-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Had a week of highs and lows climbing this week.
At West Chevin the lunchtime bouldering has continued with Sam. The highlight was probably ticking Time, not that hard. more tricky in the warm conditions. Time
Also we did Unit of Power, bit of an eliminate but very good,Unit of Power.

An evening with Jon mid week led to the usual arse kicking from Slipstones, did the usual warm ups then Steptoe stopped me in my tracks.

Then Saturday was guide book writing duties for the new Yorkshire Gritstone guide, 5000 routes in two volumes. So Jamie, Jake and I went to Panorama Crag above pateley.
Routes we did, probably the most recent ascents for some years were;
Glasshouse Groove, Power Pull and a V diff Rib. Power Pull proved hard at HVS 5c with a grassy knoll at the top which was quite scary.

No photos this week but here's one from last week of a colleague at West Chevin that's pretty good;

2010-05-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Last week was quite a week, firstly lunchtimes were spent at West Chevin boulders trying, trying and trying again Eat The Light (Font 7a+), until on Friday I had one of those "I can't believe it" moments when I found my self latched to the top.

Friday after work we went for a butchers at Ross and Amanda's new problem at East Chevin, the good ones are quite high ball but look really good, but my lack of skin deterred me from the send.

So a weekend of R&R was called for, Saturday was spent at Saltburn-on-Sea. We got there to find the UK Surf Champs' were going on, oh dear the sea was as flat as a witches tit.

Plans for this week, if the weather holds is to get one of my nemesis problems 'Hanging Grove' at Earl Crag, superb but tough on the skin. Saturday to go to Panorama for guide writing duties and to get on Phoenix wall, though it truly is nails and probably beyond me.