Neglect

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?

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!

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.

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

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

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

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 ;-)