Sunday, 29 December 2013

Masson attack

Warm-up
Masson style

Saturday saw another excellent attempt by Dean at Sick Boy, driving hard to the second to last clip. Not long and it will go all the way. This is a seriously hard route at M9 plus and a couple of shiny
stars.
John and myself had to be content with several runs up Warm up route, johns got the moves linked
for the bottom section, just needs to link them together to run the route clean.

I stayed off Sick Boy, need to get back into the none Xmas routine which kills drytooling. To much food and wine. Had a long session at Rope Race on Friday, did lots of reps down in the Drytooling room. 


Sunday, 27 October 2013

Castle Naze


Castle Naze

Great afternoon out with John B. First fine day of the week, so we hit the castle just after 2oclock. the weather was superb with dry rock all round.

We did three routes, two on double ropes to give john some twin experience.












Masson Lees


Masson Lees
Derbyshire


Great day out at Masson Lees today Sat 26th Oct 2013. Met up with Andy,Matt and Dean, weather bit on and off all day.

Video of the days antics



<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/77869699" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/77869699">Masson lees</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user8113150">Edward Dalton</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>



Andy Turner climbing Sub Rosa into Marginal Gains., 149 kb

The Main cave

Started on  Warm-up, M6  ,http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=67501 then headed over to Sick Boy M9, major hard route. Got to the third clip then baled.


Andy on sick boy, matt on warm up route


Andy starting up on the warm up route

DRY TOOLING CAVE 
 87The Warm-UpM6 *1288The Tenuous LinkM7 **889Sub RosaM10 *490Marginal GainsM11 ** 91Sick BoyM9 **592Heavens AboveM7+ *3


photo



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eCWzradpO6E



Saturday, 19 October 2013

The Log Shed


The road to pain


Ok, i haven't done a BLOG for a while. Things have moved on at quite a pace, had a superb summer with countless amounts of trad climbing with a real up surge in the Drytooling arena. Hodge got vandalised, me and Dean represented the Works at the BMC meet in Glossop around Sept time and all manner of other stuff. Oh yeh and the big jump forward is the creation of the Log Shed AKA climbing wall in the field.







Lots have been done and the wall is filled with a huge array of problems. 

We are currentley training for the Dry tooling comps in Kinlochleven on Nov1st till 3rd, all looking good


Friday, 23 August 2013

Its an official lead

Its official
John Beard Can Lead

 Today Big John put his stamp on Right Triple crack S 4a at Windgather rocks in Derbyshire, 20th August 2013. A magnificent lead without fault, finishing with excellent anchor placements, with the final cherry on the cake, bringing up his second and placing me in a secure spot anchored off at the top.


Topped out on Triple crack right

John previously lead left corner at Mod with good gear placements and positive footwork. All in all johns climbing is coming on leaps and bounds. Hes borrowed a 50m length of rope for the week to practice his rope work at home ready for a climbing trip in the lakes yet TBA. Multi pitch climb at around Mod/Diff, looking forward to it.



Sunday, 18 August 2013

Never never land


A day at the zoo
Ibex wall
Dinorwig quarry


A very wet day started off at the usual time of 06:00, headed out for Petes eats in Llanberis. Full English and coffee, then of to Never Never land in Llanberis quarry.

Rain and high winds hampered the day, diificult moving on the slate paths, especially when heading up onto the top to fix the ropes for the first route, exposed and windy. Throughout the day you would hear the odd clatter as a piece of slate came winging down somewhere from hell.



Slate Pizza

Your order has arrived sir.

This piece fell from the route i was climbing just missing Dean, cool calm nerve from Dean held the day on this one.


Dean getting the magic boots on in the hut, great little store room for the gear and a nice little retreat for a well earned brew

Never been to Ibex wall before so it was a new experience to dry tool on Welsh slate, some great routes here with amazing leaning walls, out to about 15 degrees.

We started on Monkey bar at M6+, pumppy little number.

The day was hard as it never stopped raining and the wind was strong. we had to climb in full water proof gear, leggings the lot. Made for a difficult day, not much movement in this type of kit.


Ibex Wall, monkey bar

This is the lean off, camera held straight towards the back wall. Pretty impressive and very sustained climbing.


Looking out of the hut


Someone else had taken advantage of the hut to.

Fantastic day out, as arnie said

(we will be back)






Friday, 9 August 2013

Anchor training

Windgathering rain and crags

Sunny rain clouds gathering, wind gathering over the crag. Yep we're gonna climb, maybe. First a bit of rope work. The rain was good as it gave us time to take on board the correct methods for anchors. John worked well to establish a good understanding of anchors and belaying including tying off a fallen climber, if required. Quick climb and then off to work.




Tuesday, 6 August 2013

Lead on

Lead on
Early, ish meet at Windgather rocks today with big John B. bit tired after the weekends climbing session on Stanage Causeway with #deand1987.

Johns on good form today with two excellent leads,The corner route Diff and The staircase @ mod 1*. Good little session on anchors at the top out on The Staircase, no issues here just more practice makes comfy climbing. Johns well on the way to making some memorable climbs, Wales here we come.


We then went on to Green Crack @ S 4a excellent second by John, little different style of climbing than the norm., easy chimney style section to a overhanging exit on good holds. 




PS BIG SOSS VID ON EDGE, DOOOH.


Finishing off with a second by John on North Buttress ArĂȘte HVD 4a, no issue. John is showing a natural passion for climbing now, the thrill and challenge are becoming embedded with a true enthusiasm to climb. 





Saturday, 3 August 2013

What's on the cards

Quark
Crew Pegs Diffs

Rolling over in bed, alarm clock shows 08:45, its gonna go. Its gone 08:50 ping ping like clock work, call to arms, or arms calling for climbing. Saturdays are bloody ace, should be called Climbdays. Ok enough of the wayward thinking, response time, the text message is baying for an answer. Cratcliffe is bouncing round my head, alongside Bamford edge, might as well think blackpool or lakes, to totally different areas. looking out of the window from the bed, pearing over Doogles shoulder, weather looks grim. Bamfords out due to the rain which is about to deluge the whole county. Text message goes again. were do you fancy, a long lull before answering. bet Dean thinks ive not heard the call, but iam pondering. Both our thoughts are simialar, back comes Bamford which i was just about to text, so ye goes back and all on plan.

Dean arrives and Doggles doing his usual iam a ball trick by bouncing round the house oblivious to anything in his path.

Bacon wraps, brown sauce, food of the gods, oh and followed by copious amounts of coffee. C U Later and we are off. Doogles going bonkers cos e thought he was stayin home, in the boot, lid down along with all the gear in the back seats, bit like a second family, the family of rucksacks. May be we will need to adopt them and give them both names.

Arrive at High Neb car park, get this one in for Dean, bloody people, the grass is saturated with them. cars everywhere, oh well down to the bottom of the lane by the cattle grid alls good.

First shows up, quark hvs 5b nice route, great warm up. Dean comes up on second, shoulder gives him a bit of jipp on the mantle at the bottom. Bit worried, not looking good as the helmet flys through the air and hits the crag full on. A good time to say nothing, back and up, along the traverse and hes up and out by the belay stance. not alot said, shoulders in pain mode. Dean goes down and i make up the gear, well go for a coffee then, eh. The days done, best rest the arm i say, dull silence. Dean goes off for a boulder and i look around at some possible routes. 

Deans back, lets head off down to Travesties and have a crack at Crew Pegs Diffs E3 6a. Sounds good.


Dean sends this without much of a problem, 6a moves well ard. Not a lot to say really, he cruises this route without much of a problem, couple of pops at the start, but hey its 6a. Massive well done. I try the same route, no biography here, couple of good tips from dean but its not happening, iam off more times than the weather. i am down on the ground, the days done on this one, its not going to happen. Deans pulled it out of the bag on this route, so lets move over onto No More Excuses, i have a real good feeling about this route, looks good feels good. Comes in at E4 6b, were only climbing the 6b side as we are top roping.


Here endough the lesson, famous quote by Sean Connery, quite apt. I get about half way up, nails of a route. Fingers look as if they have been on a cheese grating board. This is a superb route all the way to the bank, just need to get the moves locked in to complete it. get just below the bowling ball pocket as Dean calls it. Were both pretty pooped so we head down, this ones for another day, and it will go, we just need to suss the moves out. Looking forward to our return trip.

WOOP WOOP




Friday, 2 August 2013

Fate

It's Fate

Afternoon out on high Neb Stanage,hot, hot hot. Well up into the high 20s, what an amazing summer for trad. Started off on limbo S4a, then moved over onto Tango Crack Vdiff, John came up on second. Dean and jim were on Tango buttress Hs 5a next door.
Me and John did Tango Buttress while Dean and Jim went round to Fate and Youth to top rope Fate E2 5c.
 

John on second on Tango Buttress, brought him up to the belay stance then sent him on as a lead to belay me up and over the top from my belay stance. great little exercise for John to see the transfer at the belay stance. Moved on down to Fate were me Dean Jim and John worked the moves on Fate. Great exercise with some good foot work techniques.


A great afternoon out








Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Weather weather or not

Norway Dinorwig
with
Cheesey chips and coffee


Tweeting out to the Outside shop for rain status,logo

all looks good but maybe risky comes back the message. Heading out from Whaley Bridge (Home) at around 14:30, just finished on early shift. Deans keen for some slab work today, Shock Horror on Stanage, counts buttress.

Arriving at Hathersage and the heavens open with an un presidented deluge. 


Had to hide in the car for about 15 mins before we could get out due to the amount of rain falling, looks like the day is done, no climbing here today. Out the car and into the outside shop for a chin wagg and a new pair of Sportiva rock shoes for Dean.
Solution

I get a set of Rockcentrics for a mega knock down price of £30.

Rockcentric Sets

Cheesey chips and coffee then we are off, weathers picked up and alls looking good.

  

logo

 

The slabs must be that warm due to the hot weather that they have dried pretty instant. Top ropes up and we are off up the first route, Shock Horror Slab E2 6a 2*. Not a bloody chance comes to mind. This route is laughing at 6a, more like 6c, the start is nails. On that short note we moved on to Shirleys Shining Temple E5 6c equally as hard. Ok re think, down to Nightmare Slab E1 5b, great route with some tricky moves. The middle section is well worth a tick in the book and deserves a 2* at least. Moved across onto Daydreamer E2 6b, Dean made mince meat of this one as i made slush puppy straight after. Major rock over onto a tiny toe hold to a vertical stand using three razor sharp pebbles to push over on, then comes the hard part (laughing out loud) tiny slopers to push up on to a bold move to nice holds above, no probs for Dean and well climbed.

Dragged the rope over to Sleepwalker E2 6a, great swinging potential here. Short and sweet, N A F Chance. great looking route, love to see someone climb it, you would be on tender hooks watching.






!8:30 and we are getting a bit peckish, flameless cook set on the go with ham and cheese pasta, not forgetting the peppermint tea and honey to wash it down.


Doogle guarding tea in Counts Buttress cave

The fight resumed after T to conquer Sleepwalker


Sunday, 28 July 2013

Crow Button Tour

Llanberis Slate



Preparation prevents piss pour performance, two ten pound notes and no shops for change. 09:30 on a Saturday morning in Worktown car park (Padarn) Llanberis, oh well. Quick rummage in the rucksacks and out comes some change, four pound coins just enough to secure the days climbing.


Rucksacks ready and loaded with gallons of water as its already hotting up, or would that be just to reduce the first levels from Petes Eats megga salty sausage and bacon devoured 20 mins earlier.



Heading out of the car park towards Electric mountain then a left straight up the hill side that any sherpa would be proud to ascend, bloody hell its steep.


Sherpa track


Jim Bob on the bridge 

Nearing the next level after crossing the bridge we stop to check out the old climbers hut, one of the old cottages which climbers have re roofed, ish and made home. Dean takes Jim to have a look. Pulls the old battered door back, oh, sorry mate didnt no you were in there. A guy and his bird were rousting in there from the previous nights trek up. Friendly chat and the guy offering room in the inn and food if we wished plus room to stash our kit, really nice bloke, we passed on the offer as we were heading on up to Australia and Never Never Land. 


The old Quarry mans cottages on the first tier

Moving on up again onto the next tier, really hot suns beaming down. The weather is amazing up here.


Arriving at Australia Lower we check out the routes, is an absolute myriad of climbs. after about half an hour of wondering and pondering we settle on a nice route U.B.L F4 Vs 4b 14m, you can pop a bit of trad gear in this but we, i didn't bother. My lead, off and up, first time on slate. Felt really weird, not like the grit back home, each move had to be really positive. Great climbing and a superb route, Dean and Jim followed and Jim was buzzin. Did a couple more routes up the slab using different hold to make the route harder whilst the rope was still in the lower off rings at the top. Next route was, Sad mans whos saneVs 4c 15m great route with a tricky little move above the second bolt.

We top roped a route called Gadaffi Duck F6b **. Dean made mince meat of this one, really tricky start with a mantle on the left to a stand then off right up the corner. However i never got to see the corner as i saw more of the ground on this route as i succummed to the pull of gravity each time i went for the mantle.


Gaddafi Duck is right side of the overhanging tree on the left side of the picture, The over hanging block, roof start is the crux, well done to Dean on a great move especially after his fight with nature the week before on a dislocated shoulder with Suprise at Stanage.

Moving on and up another tier to Steps of Glory F5b * 15m, great route with some nice moves especially at the top, little crimps and ledges. 





Steps of Glory

Great area at the top with lots of superb routes, all in all a great day out and a classic finish at the Pen Y Gwrd Hotel for a pint.