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February/March 2008

Since returning from Spain I’ve been working loads to get some money for our next trip so haven’t had much spare time.  I’ve found this has helped my focus though and I’ve actually done some training in the past few weeks.  The bouldering wall at Durham has been a big motivator this winter as the problems have been consistently well set requiring more than power and reach to succeed – thanks to Jason, Jamie and Ian for those.  The past few weeks started well with a win at the comp at Durham.  After cruising round the womens 25 problems, Steve and I went round the mens as well, getting 10 of those flashed before running out of steam.  It was an awesome six hours!  The next day I headed up to The Woods and got myself up Jocks SS (7a+), a good tick for me as I’ve never been happy on that last move.  The following Sunday we got a tour round a rather damp Brimham, no big ticks but several bloody tips.  The next three Sundays we were back up at The Woods with some success.  Firstly it was The Gauntlet Traverse 7a that was quickly dispatched then the following Sunday The Nadser 7b+ went down surprisingly easily, despite a fairly damp finish.  This was topped off a week later by Hitchhikers’s (a mere 7a+), but a problem that has always alluded me since first trying it in 2003.  This year though I shocked myself by climbing it quite comfortably.  I was quite made up really.  The new Northumberland Bouldering Guide has also just gone off to the printers so I now feel the time is right to get back on the routes.

Hitchhikers’s a mere 7a+!

Photo: Steve Crowe

 

January/February 2008

I enjoyed a good start to the year with a three week trip to Northern Spain in the van.  We had several venues in mind depending on the weather but decided to start off with a few days at Montgrony.  Pat Nolan joined us for our first week and I thoroughly enjoyed getting in plenty of mileage on-sighting routes up to F7b+.  It’s a fantastic area with just stacks of superb routes from long, technical walls to steep, short tufas.  We were enjoying it so much we decided to stay there for another week.  This went really well with four F7c’s flashed (Anant amb Croses, Angie, Beautiful Vision and Pornoerotic Sexual) and a good effort at trying to on-sight an F7c+.  Unfortunately sometimes there’s no way round a big move so after battling through plenty of steep moves I was off.  The rest of the route was excellent though.  Our last week was spent touring round a few crags before meeting up with Longy, Jason, Ian et al near Tarragona.  We took in Tres Ponts, Alos de Balaguer and Santa Linya.  The day at Alos went particularly well with a first red-point ascent of Mirall Trencat F8a.  With Longy we had a couple of days at an excellent crag near Tarragona.  I was very pleased to get a proper power endurance F8a 3rd red-point (I was so close on my first attempt but messed up my feet).  Power endurance routes are not really my style but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.  All in all a very enjoyable and successful trip.

Anant amb Croses 7c, Montgrony

Photo: Steve Crowe

 

December 2007

Quite a manic month cramming in loads of work, Christmas shopping, some climbing and planning my trips for 2008.  I have to be pretty organised on that front so I can get locums booked well in advance, something best not left till the last minute! With the way the Bank Holidays fell over Christmas it meant I was actually off this year so Steve and I decided to head to Spain at the last minute.  We enjoyed a few days at Siurana checking out some of the sectors that had been developed since we were last there in 1995.  I was thoroughly enjoying the crimpy walls and just on-sighting easier routes in the sun.  We then met up with Longy and Chegs, Jason and Daisy, Pat, Ian and Percy.  I had to fly home on the 31st as I was back to work on the 2nd January but Steve enjoyed a week around Montgrony with the squad and came home raving about it.  We’re back out in February so I think we’ll be starting there.

Karin climbing Crooked Mile E4 6a Lower Sharpnose, South West 

Photo: Steve Crowe

 

November 2007

Did a little bit of bouldering at the start of the month before heading out to Northern Spain for two weeks.  Spent the first week back at Montsant which was a bit of a shock to the system.  I had one more F7c to try which I got 1st red-point after blowing the powerful start, then I moved onto Monomania, a short, power endurance F7c+.  What a nightmare, a series of two-finger pockets with bad feet and very steep.  I was getting closer to it after 2 days but fortunately ran out of time whilst I still had some skin on the sides of my fingers.  We then moved north to Les Bruixes, Terradets.  Here I jumped back onto Golpe de Gas, the F8b I tried at the end of my trip last February.  After 4 days on the route, two of which were spent falling off at the last bolt (the crux at 33m!), I decided I wasn’t fit/strong enough and decided to bag it.  Instead I jumped onto the cruxy Flix Flax F8a/8a+ to it’s left. However, that left me with a ripped tip and I couldn’t hold the crux hold with tape on.  So not much to show for the two weeks but I still enjoyed it.  I love that part of Spain and the weather was more or less perfect with plenty of sunshine.

 

October 2007

Spent most of this month sweating it out in Kentucky at the Red River Gorge.  Record temperatures (90’s) and high humidity didn’t go well with the sandstone.  Plus the reality of the ‘enduro climbing on big holds’ was a bit of a shock.  When referring to the endurance routes my information source had missed out the power bit, and to be fair the holds were big, however, they certainly weren’t positive, with big sloping pockets and wide pinches being the nature of the game.  The climbing here certainly exposed my weaknesses but it was awesome none the less, and I was soon slapping and screaming my way up the routes like the locals.  The climbing pushed me to my limit, and although I didn’t come away with any big ticks, I tried harder than ever before.  Very keen to return (perhaps next November), when hopefully, the conditions will be more favourable and I’ll be more prepared.

Since we’ve been back I’ve enjoyed a couple of days out in The County, ticking the old classics and getting on a couple of ‘winter projects’.  I also had a great day at the new Durham Wall and enjoyed the fairly technical problems there. If you haven’t been yet, then check it out.

 

September 2007

The highlight this month was our week out on Lundy.  We were blessed with pretty good weather but also cursed by the ‘Lundy Lurgy’.  To be honest I got off quite lightly as I only got the nausea and general tiredness, without the full on works.  Got to climb on The Diamond this time around which I was both excited and nervous about, it is very slabby!  Although I really wanted to do Widespread Ocean of Fear (what a name), I decided to do one of the easier single pitch routes first.  Ace of Diamonds was the chosen one as it had very kindly been chalked up by one of our team (nice work Andy).  Trusting your feet is the key on this sort of angle and I certainly was more concerned with the footholds and staying in balance than searching for the next handholds.  All in all it was a good experience and I was still keen for Widespread, but a very hot day, followed by a wet day meant we ran out of time.  However, we’re already booked in for next September so it’s top of my list for then.  The route of the trip though was Wolfman Jack, what a fantastic climb on pristine granite. 

We finished off the trip down south with a couple of days at Lower Sharpnose.  I’d had one day here in the early 90’s when E1 was my top grade so I was keen to get back.  What an awesome place, just my type of climbing.  Started off with Pacemaker which must be one of the best E5’s in the country, before seconding up Faye in the rain.  The next day I rattled off 3 E4’s, all high quality, before the sea came back in.  Shame there wasn’t more of it.

Felt quite tired after 10 days of climbing so took the rest of the month off before our October trip to Red River Gorge, Kentucky.

 

August 2007

Bit of a mixed month with a bit of everything thrown in.  Malham got quite dry at the start of the month so I jumped on Zoolook.  It came together well and I thought I might get it done but then two weeks later it was wet again, so frustrating.  As I write this I believe it’s dry again but with several trips lined up I haven’t got the time (or energy) to get back on it, so it looks like I will have to leave it till the spring.  Mixed in with the days in Yorkshire we’ve enjoyed a few days at some of the quieter Northumberland crags.  Here I’ve been working one of the harder lines, leading some ‘easy’ cracks and cleaning off some new boulder problems, quite a contrast which has been great.  The month ended on a highlight though with a long weekend in Pembroke over the Bank Holiday.  It was a very social weekend but also got some great routes done, with John Wayne and Headhunter being the hardest, but also found a couple of gems out at Stackpole/Mowing Word – Vladimir goes to Havana and The Olive Branch both excellent E4’s and worth seeking out.  Off to Lundy for a week in September which I’m quite excited about, then Red River in the States at the end of the month so plenty to look forward to.

 

July 2007

Well the dry weather certainly didn’t arrive this month did it!  Still with a week off work we had to go somewhere so decided to check out The Burren in Western Ireland.  This venue had come highly recommended by Andy Long, which was cemented by a recent visit by Katherine Schirrmacher.  Immaculate limestone sea cliffs up to 40m high awaited us, offering well protected and super sustained trad climbing.  The majority of the routes follow thin crack lines so being a proficient jammer would help.  However, I have to admit to my shame that jamming is something I tend to avoid so I felt a bit unnerved on the first few routes.  Fortunately, my fitness was good so I was able to lace the cracks with gear which helped.  Unfortunately the seepage due to all the rain the previous week became worse due to a couple of wet days and a poor forecast lead to us setting off home four days early.  However, we enjoyed three good days on the crag with the highlights being my flash of the bold wall climb Ice Queen E5 6a and following Steve up the never-ending crack line of The Cutter E4 6a.  Returned home to a very wet England and with a lot of work lined up decided to have a couple of easy weeks.  Managed to get plenty of DIY jobs out of the way though which was good.  The weather has now picked up again and the limestone is drying so time to hit the crags again.

 

June 2007

Had a great start to my trad climbing season with a stunning week out on Mingulay and Pabbay.  Got a week of unbroken sunshine and record temperatures, in fact it was so hot we couldn’t climb till about 4ish but since it’s light till after 11pm that wasn’t so bad.  Got a few E5’s under my belt which was great.  Steve and I also added a new finish to an E6 we did a few years back.  After heading back to work for a few days we drove back up to the far far NW of Scotland for a few days at Sheigra.  We were lucky with the weather and enjoyed sunny, blustery conditions, ideal for seacliffs.  Rattled off a few more E5’s one of which I think was a new route.  Really psyched for some harder trad now but the weather has gone a bit rubbish really.  Even the limestone is seeping which is always bad news.  Fingers crossed for some drier, more settled weather.

 

May 2007

Another fairly quiet month.  Enjoyed a couple of days in Gordale reclimbing the Cave Routes (we tend to do them every year as they are fantastic) and a couple of very cold days at Kilnsey just getting in some mileage.  Had a great week in Northern Spain.  Visited Rodellar and was pleased to get Nanuk F7c first redpoint as couldn’t actually do the crux moves last year.  Then had a couple of days at POD’s crag at Camasara aka The Jungle, ticking some of the classics.  Was close to flashing Shere Khan F7c+/8a but in the end had to settle for first redpoint.

 

April 2007

A quiet month really.  Been working loads so haven’t had much spare time.  Had a few days out bouldering to some of the lesser known Northumberland venues, checking them over for the new bouldering guide.  These included a couple of days at Kyloe Out (grabbed a flash of a nasty V6 mantle), Callerhues (one day was baltic, the next boiling) and a very enjoyable day up at Dove Crag, Simonside.  Also very close to red-pointing a route at Malham, but need cool conditions so it’s on hold for now.

  

March 2007

Enjoyed a weeks trip out to the Costa Blanca.  Hadn’t been for 10 years so was keen to visit some different venues.  Climbed for the full 7 days and grabbed a few more F7c on-sights so a successful week. Came home and went out and bought a van!  We’ve been thinking about it for a while and decided to take the plunge.  Spent the rest of the month re-structuring the garage to fit the van in, then working on the van itself – insulating and fitting it out.  Looking forward to a few trips in it this summer.

 

February 2007

Great start to the month with a two week trip out to Northern Spain.  Although we had a few wet days the weather in the main was bright and sunny, just what we wanted.  We started off with five days climbing at Montsant (near Siurana) to get some fitness going.  What an awesome venue, stamina city, just pocket after pocket for 30m.  I was pleased to find my fitness wasn’t too bad and on-sighted up to F7c.  I’m hoping to get back in November to try some of the harder routes.  We then headed north to the awesome Les Bruixes, Terradets.  Last time I was there I had a shoulder injury and was struggling on F7c+, so I was curious to see if I faired any better.  In fact I did much better with one F8a+ dispatched first red-point and another 3rd red-point.  I then spent a couple of days on an F8b, which was going well, but ran out of time and energy – one to go back for.

 

January 2007

Had a great start to the new year when I managed to climb Cubby’s Lip Traverse at Kyloe –In (V9).  It’s been a goal for a while but was never strong enough until now.  Also enjoyed a day down at Brimham where I played on The Anchor LH (must get back), got Pair in a Cubicle (V6) second go, and had a good attempt on ’the hardest V6 in the world’ (now reckoned to be V7) at the end of the day (another one to go back for).  Off to Spain sports climbing next so will be interesting to see how my fitness is doing.

 

December 2006
At last some dry weather, so got some days in on the crags. Down at Brimham I climbed The Anchor V7, whilst up at Bowden some superb weather before Christmas saw me grab Transformer Direct, The Mantelshelf, Main Wall low level traverse and a flash of Dog Eat Dog (all V6). Although nowhere near cutting edge bouldering, these were all important to me personally. I’m certainly not a strong boulderer and tend to go out and potter about; consequently, I’ve only done a handful of V6/7 problems previously. I now have several goals and would love some settled weather (wouldn’t we all!) to try and get stuck in.

November 2006
A disappointing month weather wise, with quite a bit of rain. Still I decided I needed to start training properly, so started building it up slowly to try and prevent injury. By the end of the month was definitely feeling stronger and managed some problems on the board I’d never done before.

October 2006
Had a great fortnight’s climbing in Kalymnos, what a great climbing holiday venue. It offers climbing at every grade and angle, a lot of it within walking distance of the accommodation. An early start is recommended to grab some shade then when the sun comes round between 2-4pm you can head for the bar then the beach. Steve and I both managed to find some long, endurance routes so I was pleased to flash several F7c’s. I tried a couple of F7c+’s but stamina and lack of self-belief let me down,
definitely a goal for next year.

September 2006
Quite a frustrating month. Had plenty of time off work but hardly climbed due to shoulder injury. It was starting to improve by the end of the month so had a couple of trips down to Malham. Jumped on Zoolook and was pleased to discover could now do all the moves, so I’ve got a project for the spring.
 

August 2006

After working the Cold Steal extension during a very hot July my first cool day on the route saw a successful redpoint. What a difference conditions make, the start was far easier so was still quite fresh when I made it to the top of Cold Steal. There's a poor rest here before launching into a quite steep and sustained section which leads to the large break and a good shake. I was pretty pysched when I made it here and knew I was going to do it. Just those last couple of tricky moves past the last bolt then I was clipping into the chain. I was pretty chuffed I can tell you. Since it was Steve's project which he passed onto me the name Stolen seemed apt. As for the grade, well it's probably F8b given the length and amount of climbing, however it may just be hard F8a+. Hoping Arran Tonks will make a quick repeat and let me know!

Spent the next two weekends doing some bouldering and getting in some mileage on easier routes. Nice to take it easy after the intensity of having this project looming over you, and the weather was poor anyway (2 very wet weekends). August bank holiday saw us heading down to Pembroke for a week with a large squad from the north east. I was pretty pysched and had quite a long tick list. After a steady intoduction on the first day (isn't Suspense superb) we were warming up on Insignificance when I was hit by a block. In a way I was quite lucky as it hit my (fairly narrow) shoulder and not my head (I wasn't wearing a helmet). However, it put an end to my climbing plans for that week and even now (almost 3 weeks late) I'm still not climbing again. Still at least I'm still here - and I'll be wearing my helmet next time I'm down in Pembroke.

 

July 2006
Spent most of this month either at Kilnsey or Blue Scar. Working on an extension to the F8a route Cold Steal at Kilnsey which is progressing well. At Blue repeating a lot of the easier trad routes as hoping to try a few of the harder ones, perhaps next month?

June 2006
A good trad month which started with a trip out the Outer Hebridean Islands of Pabbay and Mingulay. Several days of amazing weather see a few E5 on-sights plus Steve and I grab a new route on Mingulay, an awesome new route, K&S Special 58m E6 6a on the Red Cliff, definitely the highlight of the trip. Return home psyched for some more trad climbing so have a couple of weekends in Gordale with plenty of mixed weather – very wet, very cold then too hot! Still, repeat many of the easier routes that I’ve done before just to get back my ‘Gordale adventure’ head, then get a flash on the bold ‘Burning Daylight’ E6 6a.

May 2006
Weather still good for bouldering and the Yorkshire limestone is wet so head out into Northumberland quite a bit. Shoulder much better now and strength is improving. Work my way through many of the classic problems at Hepburn, a venue I’d hardly climbed at before but actually very good. Finish the month off with a good trip to Rodellar, Spain. Comfortably on-sighting F7b+, but wet tufas combined with 30 degree temperatures discouraged me from trying anything harder.

April 2006
Started climbing a bit more frequently, mainly at the wall. Shoulder still sore at times but holding up okay so manage a few bouldering sessions outside. Really chuffed to get the fingery low level traverse of Hazelrigg Wall at Back Bowden (V7) done really quickly. Get the trad gear out and start on a VS but grab a couple of E3’s a few days later. You can’t bet the feeling a good trad route gives you.

March 2006
Spent most of the month not climbing but had another trip to Terradetes booked at the end of the month so again climbed every other day. Still on-sighting F7b+ and got a F7c and a F7c+ first red-point, but struggled to do some of the moves on the harder routes.
February 2006
Not a good month, unfortunately. Turned up at the Blackburn BBC, discovered several months of not bouldering had done nothing for my power, and then made the day worse by partially dislocating my shoulder and tearing the deltoid muscle. This injury was to see me hardly climb for the next 2 months.
However, I already had a trip planned to Terradetes, Spain at the end of the month so went anyway and climbed every other day. Although shoulder was very sore surprised myself by still being able to on-sight several F7b+’s.
January 2006
Had a great trip out to the Western Cape region of South Africa. Climbed around Cape Town on the steep sports routes as well as enjoying a superb day up on Table Mountain. Drove east to Oudtshoorn where I on-sighted the awesome 40m ‘Lost Safari’ 28/F7c, then moved back west and spent a few days at the sports climbing mecca of Montague. From here we drove north to the beautiful Cederberg Mountains for some mountain trad on superb sandstone. The highlights being ‘Oceans of Air’ 23 at Tafelberg and ‘Celestial Journey’ 22 at Wolfberg. Altogether a most enjoyable and successful trip.