A VERTICAL WORLD....: April 2011

Wednesday, 27 April 2011

Few more Pictures from Font

Greame on a Font 7a

Pete on a Font 7a

Jack on "prise en charge" Font 6b

Matt on "prise en charge" Font 6b

Me on "Vin Rouge" Font 7a

Me on "la Rhume folle" font 7a

Pete on "la bouiffe" font 7a

Me on "la Rhume folle" font 7a

The night stalker

Alisha playing on the slackline

Rob cleaning "La bouiffe" font 7a

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

After Everyone informing me on how good Font is for bouldering I decided to go check it out, As it was the majorty of the craggy island climbers would also be heading to font this gone weekend, I headed out with Matt and my Little one Alisha, we planned to meet up with Pete, graham and Rob, they had been there all week and managed to tick some steep routes including a Font 7c from Pete, After a long drive out including a 1 and half hour tour of Paris we eventually arrived in Font ( Never trust spongebob square pants on ya sat nav.) we met up with the other guys at Apremont Gorge. I was pretty keen to get on some rock, I tried a few 6a,s and they felt pretty easy, i then came across my first font top out.... flipping hell! I must of took an inch of skin off my stomach scraping my way over the top of the route. I then managed to do a classic 6b route called "Science Friction". opposite this was another problem that some guys were trying so I decided to give it a go, I managed to get to the top holds but slipped off on the mantle, I didn't give it another go has we needed to head to the campsite to get set up, later after looking at the guidebook I was a little pissed has the route was actually a 6c+ called "La Lune" which i reckon I could have got.
I spent the whole next day getting used to the top outs trying to tick as many 6a,s and 6b,s as I could hoping that Sunday Would allow me to get something a little harder done. Graham managed to get a font 7b Dyno done whilst Pete went around cruising up most of the font 7,a's
Sunday we headed to Franchard Isatis, this was really cool, I managed to get a few 6b's done before trying to work the 7a "Vin Rouge" After many attempts I was still unable to get it, Another craggy lad called Seb managed to get the route completed which was cool because we managed to piss the German lads off that were also working the route....
Monday morning we had a few hours before needing to head back to Calais for the train home, we headed to an area called Cuvier, I felt really good today, I warmed up on a few 6a's then managed to tick an un-named a 6c +, I then moved on round to try a font 7a called "La Rhume Folle" after working the route I was so flipping close to getting the tick, I was managing to get to the last hold but kept popping off, unfortunately i didn't have long has we needed to leave for the ferry.
This route did really upset me but it also gives me a reason to go back to font now...A great trip all in all with great climbing and great company.....

Below are a few shots from the weekend in Font....

Pete ticking a Font 7a

Alisha getting to grips with the sandstone

Seb ticking the classic 7b dyno... also ticked by graham.

Matt on one of is attempts on a 6a traverse

Graham on a font 7a+

Pete ticking another font 7a+

me latching the top holds on "Code secret" Font 6b

Graham on "guepe ride" font 7a+

Seb ticking "vin Rouge" Font 7a

working "vin Rouge" Font 7a

Alisha playing on slackline

The flying man

working "La Rume Folle" Font 7a

Pete ticking "La bouiffe" Font 7a

The joys of Font

so close to "La Rume Folle" Font 7a

Years of climbing takes its toll

Monday, 18 April 2011

Lliwedd and Tremadog

This weekend myself and Phil headed up to North Wales for a weekend full of trad climbing. The idea was to try and get up onto cloggy and get some of the E1’s and E2’s ticked off, weather not being to good and the rock being wet we soon had to change our plans. We decided to head into Lliwedd and do the big 12 pitch route called “Avalanche Redwall”. This is only graded at Severe but with the rock being wet and the whole face being covered in thick cloud it made it that little more interesting. All the climbing was pretty straight forward and very easy, we managed to scale the face in just over 4hrs from bottom to top. When walking from the summit the sun decided to come out and all the cloud cleared… typical, but still a really good route and a great adventure.

Driving on the M40

Phil and the Snowdon Valley with Lliwedd in the clouds to the left

Phil on pitch 1 of a wet "Avalanche Redwall"

God we are ugly... somewhere on the face of Lliwedd

Phil on Pitch 3

Phil on Pitch 7, probably the crux due to the water running down it.

Me on Pitch 8

On Sunday we decided to head to Tremadog in the sun to try and get something a little harder climbed,

it was also nice to visit the famous Eric’s café and speak to Eric himself.

We warmed up on a route called “Meshach” Graded at HVS 5a, I led pitch 1 then Phil lead the second pitch, this was a great route with some really nice climbing, the first pitch was pretty easy and the second pitch had a tricky crux section that was protected by a nice rusty peg.

We then moved on to climb a route called “Grim Wall Direct” graded at E1 5b, this was amazing, this time Phil lead the first 5b pitch which involved a crack line onto a blank corner, I then lead the second 5b pitch which involved a roof section then into a crack line leading to the top. .. This is defiantly a 3 star route with some amazing climbing involved.

After a bite to eat Phil wanted to try An E3 (Can’t remember the name), He was climbing really well up to a slanting diagonal ramp which with all the sun and recent ascents was pretty polished and slippery, he was a little shaken so decided to retreat to fight another day…

Overall another great weekend with some really nice climbing, I am off to Font next weekend to see what all the hype is about… then again I could just keep driving down to the Alps and climb some real mountains.

Phil seconding an unknown HVS

Phil seconding the first pitch of "Meshack" HVS 5a

Sunday, 10 April 2011

One to go back for

Although my love for climbing lies in the mountains and the big unknown I have recently been spending lots of time on the boulders at Portland, I'm off to Font at Easter so would like to be strong enough to at least get something from the trip. I made made my way to the cuttings again yesterday with the company of my Friends Sam and Harriet, I only met Harriet today but she is pretty cool. Sam was taking it easy today due to being beat up by is young daughter and a kettle. We done the usual warm ups on some easy V1-V2,s before heading to the Lip boulder, Harriet wanted to try "Cavity Search". a crazy double mono roof with a slap to nothing. I tried the start and managed to hold the two monos but cutting loose to move over the lip with 13 1/2 stone on my two middle fingers doesn't work, i could feel the tendons just about ready to snap as i pulled on through. I then decided to devote my time to ticking off the V2 "Petty Thief - Crouching start and the V4 " Split lip-crouching start that started from the Lip off the roof. both good problems and tough for me has I'm not to good with roofs.
we then moved on round to the bird shit boulders where Sam and Harriet and myself ticked off "Achilles Heel","The scene, revisited" and Hello Sailor.
After a spot of lunch we headed down to the GlitterGulch boulder to try "Neil Armstrong", A V6 with a hard mantle to top out, After about 50 goes each from me and Harriet I was still unable to get the route ticked, All i need to do is get the last hold for the top to stick and I should have the route done, I plan to go back as soon as I get time because I think at the start off the day when I'm not to tired i can get this route done.
Sam Showed us how to climb it, he had done it before but still a great displayed of climbing has he worked his way up the problem... He also maned to get Relativity ticked today after 8 months of trying the route. the route is only graded at V4 but after loosing a crucial hold has been known to be harder than Lightning strikes, the V7 that's next to it.... All in all another great day with great weather and great company.

Quote.......
Sam's words were: You have to climb the route twice to get the tick..... My words were: you try telling me that when I walk off the summit of the eiger after climbing its great North face...