Time for something new

So days are passing by and i feel stuck in a rut, i've heard plenty of people say "life's to short!"
What next i keep asking myself, I am enjoying work at the wall but the simple fact is i don't want to be here for the rest of my life! Looking at what other people have done since finishing university makes me think why aren't i off doing that? There is people in Canada, Fiji, Nepal... people have been working the UAE. And here is me still in Liverpool.
Before this gets on to a rant i'm going to stop myself and get to the point of the post.
The job i was hoping to apply for at Plas y Brenin came up on their vacancies the other day and i read through it and decided that i haven't got the relevant experience at this time, so i called up a few friends who are in similar positions but with a bit more experience and they suggested applying for the Nightwatch scheme at Glenmore Lodge, so i looked into this and it sounds perfect.
I mean being based in Scotland for a full year (a full winter) i got super psyched and downloaded the application form and started to fill it out, turns out when i think about it i've got quite a lot of climbing under my belt. Pretty varied as well from bouldering font 7b+ to leading winter grade V. One vital thing i think is missing from my CV is my D1 so i got on to sorting it all out.. more complex than i thought it would be have to apply for a provisional, and get a medical from the GP at £80!! Well i know it will be worth it when i get it as it is like another NGB award in itself.
I feel I am actually making a concious effort now to move on and get the experience i require, also my finger is feeling better so gently started to train on it again indoors over the past week and it feels good, now to get fit for Fontainbleau in November!!
Even feeling slightly down i realised it wasn't just me who was feeling like this after reading Owens blog (Raw Edge Days) i realised the psyche level in Liverpool is pretty low. Lets hope the weather picks up and people get more motivated!!

Mountain pleasure!

So still nursing that dodgy finger! What a pain, all training indoors has been put on hold just been keeping up with the running anf cycling to work (averaging 16mph over 8 miles, not bad ey?).

Well got a day off on Tuesday and so did Roger, so we planned to head over to Wales, to Ogwen to be precise!

Last time we planned to go out we ended up on Catell Helen and freezing then bailing early to the cafe for a coffee.

This time we were lucky with the weather, hoping to climb at Craig Yr Ysfa the sun was shining and the wind wasn't too strong, we went for it and go on with the 1.5hr walk in. Turns out that the walk in isn't too bad, mostly on the road, we reached the top of Ampitheatre Buttress just after midday and little to say i was very intimidated. But the routes looked brilliant, it suggests in the guide to abseil down so we did so instead of taking the loose gully of death!

As we reached the bottom of the climb my feelings turned from nervousness to pure focus on the route! The route in question was Mur y Niwl/ Pinnacle Wall, a route i have wanted to do for a long time now.

WOW was it worth the wait, the first four pitches were all amazing and so different in many ways, i managed to lead a 14m pitch with one piece of gear, which was a number 1 nut ;) . Roger got the second pitch but i have got to say each of them deserve 3 stars!!

Pinnacle wall had some bizzarre climbing and Kirkus deserve some man points for getting the first ascent as a solo!!!!!

What a beast! Time now to focus on the Cornish Granite next weekend!

All the Seven's!

Wow mega psyche at the moment!

Last week proved to be a great two days of sport climbing, although carrying a pulley injury!

So i headed to Kilnsey with Pete and Dave, keen to get on Nerve Ending the 7b but not expecting to see great results, turns out i managed all the moves and just powered out on the jugs at the top, haha. Who says fitness is over rated ;)

Second day on and a different venue, this time with Mike Psyche to Dinbren, i knew these routes suited my style and serious lack of fitness. I went with one goal in mind and that was to do the classic Technicolour Yawn 7a+ this would be my first of this grade.

So we warmed up and then i went and put the clips in and worked the moves, found the bottom section quite hard but then the middle section had an on/off barn door move. After carrying on to the top i decided to practice the move in the middle.

Happy i had done all the moves i came down and had a rest and belayed Mike on Diaperspace 7c. It looks like a brilliant route a hard bouldery start followed by some technical thin climbing. Goes without saying that he walked up it on his first redpoint of the day! I was mega psyched for him as this was his goal for the day.

After the rest i got back on Technicolour Yawn, i was going to top rope it to get the moves but just thought naa will go straight for the lead.... and i got it first red point!!

That being my first 7a+ i was suprised with how easy it felt.

We planned to get out and crush again today checked the forecast and it was on for a good day!

With plans to head back to Yorkshire, last minute change of plan and we were heading back to the Orme.

I had plans and goals last time we went i had a quick play on Julio Juvenito 7a got the moves but was just too tired to get it in one.

Warming up on Contusion 6c i felt good managing to retro flash it. So straight on to Julio, messing up my feet in the mid-section bulge i came off, sorted the move, came down and rested for a while. In the mean time Mike tried to onsight Mayfair 7a+ and just came unstuck near the top, getting it next go however. I jumped back on Julio and crushed it next go. Super pleased to get my first 7a on the Orme and only my second in the UK.

With the mood feeling good i thought i would give The Bloods 7a+ a go. This went pretty swiftly as well, had a top rope on it to get the moves, got it clean. Gets on it for the lead and came off because my feet popped! Argh..

Knowing i didn't have much energy left i knew i needed to get it next go, and i did!!

YES!! Mega psyche another 7a+ in a session.

Need to pull my finger out and get up a 7b ;)

Been to long

Shit! didn't realise how long it has been since i posted on here!

Anyways best get back on it but a quick update:

Swizzy was sick (3 x 7a's, 1 x 7a+, 2 x 7b)

Been tradding it up a fair bit and still really enjoying it

Psyched for sport again!!

Finger is injured again :(

Swizzy Video is coming along nicely

Peace x

Back in the Game!!

So the weekend was approaching and the weather was looking good. I was psyched for some North Wales trad action with Heather. With the clocks going forward and both of us partying on Saturday night i knew Sunday wasn't going to be a good day!

But it didn't turn out too badly, we headed up to Clogwyn Y Grochan and i had SS Special in mind anyways after loosing my psyche BIG time we ended up just puntering round up some easy classics that i had never done; Phantom Rib VS 4c and Nea VS 4b. Both of which were amazing climbing especially Phantom Rib. After realising that both of us were terrible at making descisions we finally decided to head to the slate for some more classics!

Not being super psyched to walk we just went to Bus Stop Quarry, and Heather did Gnat Attack E1 5b my head wasnt feeling up to leading it so i blew the flash and just top roped it, kind of wish i lead it now but ah well. After that i felt a bit more confident and decided to go for the lead on Solstice HVS 5a WOW what a class route, it just flowed really nicelt with gear exactly where you needed it.

So after a successful day of not falling off i felt i had some more confidence and would like to up it a bit more on the Monday. We decided we were going to go Tremadog and get some 'E' points.

I had a few routes in mind but didn't say anything to Heather as we get there she suggested Meshach HVS 5a which was one of the routes i wanted to do. This was good as she let me lead the 5a pitch, some technical climbing on smallish holds but good moves and the hard move is protected nicely by a peg. After topping out we chilled in the sunshine at the top for a while. Abseiled down and had some lunch, Heather then wanted to do Leg Slip which i also had eyed up in the guide that morning! So we got on that she wanted to lead the 5b pitch which i was fine with, but this meant i got an awkward corner/groove/tree 5a pitch, very wierd climbing!! But the second pitch was phenomenal, really wierd climbing well protected but felt exposed.

We had time for one last route and i had eyed up Grim Wall Direct when we abseiled down from Meshach so i got on it, didn't even think about falling, my head totally in the zone, and this was good because i cruised it! Felt really confident on it, steady, calm and composed all the way up it.

So this wrapped up a good two days climbing and i feel i have got alot more confidence now than when we went, psyched for a summer of trad and long routes, pushing the grade slightly to nail that E4!!!

On the way home we called into Plas-y-Brenin to see Katy, this was good because we got some well nice food and had some good banter with the guys there.

This in turn motivated me even more to go get more routes done and get my MIA training nailed!!!!

Falling! Falling! Falling!

So for years now i have always been afraid of falling, even indoors i found it hard to pluck up the courage and take a fall. I would always either grab the clip, grab a jug or down climb! I just couldn't get my head around falling off.

A couple of months ago having read Dave Macleods '9 out of 10 climbers make the same mistakes' i realised how much of a problem this was, but since reading the book i did very little route climbing as it was bouldering season.

So the issue of falling just fell to the back of my mind. Right up until a couple of weeks ago when i took my first trad fall! Started of having a good day down at Holyhead Mountain got my first trad route of the year boxed off managing Bruvers (HVS 5a) and an excellent route, moves round and i thought why not give the classic King Bee Crack a try, from the ground there only looked to be one tricky little section. So as i goes on with the lead i gets to about a meter above my gear when 'pop' my foot comes off and i was in space! My cam held and i was ok, Heather lowered me down i had a breather and got back on the route and finished it off.

As you can imagine i was gripped and boxed out of my mind at the top of the climb and just releaved to have finished it!

Next trip out climbing we headed up to Scotland for what would be my last winter routes of the year. Heading into Coire An T'Sneachda and my trad fall was not even on my mind i was psyched to be getting back out in and getting more winter stuff done!

Turns out that the fall a few weeks before wasn't going to be my last this year, as half way up my lead on Fluted Buttress Direct my axe popped and i was off again! This time falling onto a hex and having quite an awkward fall trashing both my shins and my left knee, although the cuts and bruises only superficial i think this fall shook me up more than the last as i landed hanging upside down!! George i think was just as shook up as me, luckily i managed to keep my axes and crampons away from my body so was ok to carry on with the route. Again getting back on and finishing it off!

The walk back down from the top was a fairly quiet one, i think mainly the two of us just reflecting on the fall. When down and in the cafe Kris said i looked 'wired' and Roger said im due for my pilots lisence soon! Ha.

That night checking the forecast things didn't look good for the Sunday and i was thinking i was going to finish this winter season on a fall! Start trad season on a fall finish winter on a fall!! Not good.

But luckily for me it wasn't and we managed to get back out and do Red Gully back in Coire An t'Sneachda and i got on a lead another pitch which put my mind at ease.

Looking back at the two falls i cant quite think how they have affected me. Hopefully as Rich said i will only improve as i should now not be afraid of falling and i think he is right because it has put my mind at ease that the two pieces of kit i trusted least have both just saved my life. Back out again this weekend over to Wales for two days with Heather so hopefully no more falling but plenty more crushing!

Winter Wonderland

So we headed upto Scotland for a week last week, the weather forecast wasn't great but i knew we would at least get something done.

On the way up we thought we would stop and get a nice walk in, the weather wasn't great but nevertheless it was a really good day out, good start to what would turn out to be a belter of a week.

As the week unfolded the avalanche forecast was getting worse with most Northern aspect slopes on a Cat 4 avalanche risk. Another couple of days walking, with a quick route in on the East Ridge of Beinn a'Chaorainn although its only a grade II we still roped up just for the practice.

Coiling the rope on the top of a perfect Meggy

Thursday came and the forecast was set out to be a stunner. So we thought we would make the most out of the day by heading upto Creag Meagaidh, wow what a trek in 2 hour walk in for one climb, thats a new record for me.

We checked out the guidebook the eveing before and all had a few routes in mind, but one we all fancied was The Pumpkin grade V, 4 but a **** so as far as classics go this was a good one!

Walking upto the base of the climb i had a few butterflies, got a slight bit of nerves just before.

But when i started climbing the butterlfies went and the climbing was definately the best i have ever experienced, it was amazing. The weather was perfect, at one point i was even belaying without gloves on!!!

First ever grade V and i can definately say i have caught the Scotland and winter bug now, so psyched to get on some more routes and head back up for another trip, already been planning for a weekend away soon.

Me on the second pitch of Pumpkin