Not much of anything

I have had 4 trips out since by last post managing to tick pretty much nothing.
I have been making use of my new Scottish Sport Climbs guide (review to follow soon!), visiting Kirrie Hill and Robs Reed near Forfar. They are both old quarries composed of a mixture of sandstone and conglomerate.
I went to Robs Reed with Jamie Sparkes and Alex Toomey. I climbed a 6b+ called Welcome To The Big Pocket, which as the name suggests features a big pocket. The crux was by far the mantle into the pocket, which I took a number of goes to get. After this I climbed on my second attempt a 6c+ called Get Shorty! and onsighted a 7a+ called Short Haul. On the left end of the crag are some steep roofs which have some short hard routes in them. I tried one called Dead Pull (7b+) but I dogged it. It didn't feel too hard but thanks to the nature of conglomerate it would be very hard to onsight.
A couple of days later I went to Kirrie Hill with Joanna Lisowiec. I spent most of the day climbing easy things, managing no more than 6b+, however I did manage to climb a 7b on my third attempt when we moved to the other section. The 7b was called Slim Pickins and feature a bouldery start followed by some big moves between jugs in the middle and finished with a hard crimpy boulder problem with very bad sloping sandy footholds.

Slim Pickins

Into the crux

I have also managed 2 days out bouldering. I had an afternoon at Cambusbarron and a day at Back Bowden. At Cambusbarron I tried Monkey Spanking. This route takes the left side of the Spanking the Monkey arete and gets font 7b. I took about an hour to work out how to get off the ground as there are no footholds on the overhanging face. I eventually managed the first move before falling off again. Maybe I need more body tension or maybe there is some sort of trick that I missed. Ill hopefully go back and try it again when I'm a bit stronger.
I had a nice day at Back Bowden yesterday. I only managed to tick a 6a+ but I did try lots of others. I managed to get to the last hold on Little Pixxies (7a), but I didn't hold it. I also climbed Low an Hard (7b) from a sit, it was just in the wrong place. The route starts very low on an under cut with a powerful move to the lip of the roof. After trying the start a few times and failing to do it I attempted the problem from the second hold and managed it. Unfortunately I can't claim this. I also worked a problem called Four Mats Wall (7b+) but I couldn't quite managed to finish it off.
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Disinfect Hands After Use

Spank the Monkey

Yesterday I managed to tick a couple of boulder problems that had evaded me for a while. Not that long ago I mentioned in a blog post that I had had a look at a boulder problem at Cambusbarron called Spank the Monkey. It takes the left arete of a slabby boulder and gets font 7b in the lowland outcrops guide, although this is probably well over graded. The font 7a that it gets on UKC seems more on the mark. I managed to climb it after about an hour of working out where the foot holds were. I then managed to climb the right arete of the same slab. It gets font 4 but it didn't feel very much easier.

Spank the Monkey boulder

Later on I went to Wolfcrag and managed to do a dyno which I had never managed to latch before. It is called the Wolfie and get font 6b+.

Wolfcrag

Today Lizzie Jenkins, Tasmin Fletcher, Joanna Lisowiec and I went to Wolfcrag, above Bridge of Allan, in Stirlingshire for a spot of bouldering. There are routes here but the majority of the crag is bouldering so I only took a pad. I managed to work the low traverse of the main block (F7a). This gets a sport grade as it is quite long and not really a bouldery sort of climb. I also managed Experiments in Incest (font 6b) and Pod Central (font 5+). Lizzie, Tasmin and Joanna climbed things, although im not sure exactly what.
Whilst resting bettween attempts on the traverse I had a look at the rocks which make up the crag. The crag is a hard sandstone, which is very rough on the skin! There appeared to be some turbidites and pinching laminae, im not sure of the exact name. There were no signs of bioturbation, and I couldn't make out much layering. The grain size was also generally very small, except within the trubidites. This makes me think that it was of a deep sea origin, possibly a pro delta environment. Generally sediment laid down would be very fine grained muds, but occasionally a turbidity current would bring large grained material. The deep sea setting would mean that there is little chance of bioturbation.

Cambusbarron

The weather was so nice in Edinburgh today that it would be silly to climb indoors so Mark Olsthoorn, Lizzie Jenkins, Sarah Lund, James Lismore and I went to Cambusbarron, near Stirling. Sarah injured herself juggling last night so she just came to take pictures and just generally be outside.
I started on Gobi's Roof (E2 5c). One of my flat mates fell off it last year and since then ive wanted to try it, not to show off though ofcourse. The route climbs up a short corner then a hard pull round a small roof and then some easier climbing to the top. I hung around for a while at the roof but once I committed it wasn't too bad.

Myself on Gobis Roof (Photo: Sarah Lund)

Next I belayed James on The Doogie Brothers (E1 5b) which featured some hard jamming/lay backing. Once he worked out the moves it didn't seem to give him much trouble.

James on The Doogie Brothers (Photo: Sarah Lund)

I then decided to try and climb Chisel (E4 6a), which takes a finger crack to about half way where it runs out and crimps lead to the top. I tried the crack, then got stuck, hung around for a while, then down climbed. After a break I got back on and climbed the crack and did the move I couldn't before. Then I was on the good crimps until a tricky move at the top then the top out. I did the tricky move, I found it quite tricky. You have to go from two side pulls to another one above you head on some poor feet. I managed to place a good came in the crack which the side pull was in and move up abit further. After mantiling onto a large break I placed a cam at my feet and tried to work out the top couple of moves. I found some hold and move up. My feet were now above my final piece of gear. I saw a large hold on a rounded arete. It was good. "OK then I can just haul off this then flop over the top", where my thoughts. I would finally be able to celebrate my first E4 lead, and its onsight aswell. The hard climbing wall well over so this should be easy. I pulled on the hold but it came off in my hand and I was sent flying, along with rocks, down the crack. All my gear held, which was lucky as I thought the last cam was rubbish. Deflated I pulled back up the ropes and topped out. Just like on The Ivy League on sunday I'm glad I committed and took the fall, but I wish I had got this clean. Never mind, theres always next time.

High up on Chisel (Photo: Sarah Lund)

The crack on Chisel (Photo: Sarah Lund)

 Today Mark and Lizzie climbed Gobis Roof, Not Easy Contract (E1 5b) and Easy Contarct (HVS 5b). Mark led them all.

Mark on Not Easy Contract (Photo: Sarah Lund)

Mark on Gobis Roof (Photo: Sarah Lund)