A Busy 2014

So I have been sort of neglecting my blog recently but this has mostly been due to me being really busy!

Kandersteg

I have loads to tell you about, but I will be brief to avoid making it into too much of an essay.

Team GB in Romania

During January I competed in the Ice World Cup in Korea, Romania and Switzerland. Despite me never challenging the top climbers at all I have learnt loads, had so much fun and made loads of new friends.On my travels I have also been to some cool mixed climbing crags. We were shown a newly bolted crag in Romania and then went to Kandersteg whilst in Switzerland.

Saas Fee Structure

Saas Fee Qualifiers (Photo Credit: Matt Pritchard)

Romanian Qualifiers (Photo Credit: Anna Wells)

My best performance was in Korea where I just went out there and climbed as I didn't have a clue how I was going to do. Hopefully next year I will be selected for the team again and I can do a bit better!
After returning from Switzerland I went straight to the BMC international meet. This was a week were UK hosts, of which I was one, showed loads of foreign climbers around the winter scottish highlands. I didn't really get very much done as I missed the best days to go to university but I did manage to climb The Seam, Unicorn, a new route in the Cairngorms, DTS Spirit and Fast and Furious in my wellies (well I took a victory whipper from the final hold on this).

The Seam (Photo Credit: Piotr Sulowski)

Unicorn (Photo Credit: Piotr Sulowski)

Unicorn (Photo Credit: Piotr Sulowski)

F+F (Photo Credit: Piotr Sulowski)

Since the meet I have managed one day out on Ben Nevis where I climbed Route 1 with its Direct Winter start.

Route 1 Direct Start

In addition to my ice axe related adventures I came joint first, with a very strong boulderer, in the Edinburgh Universities bouldering competition last week held at the CSE climbing wall. I was quite surprised at this since I haven't rock climbed very much at all in the last month or so.

Competing at the CSE (Photo Credit: Steven Barnes)

Not so fast and not so furious

I went to Newtyle Quarry yesterday with Dom Scott, Andy Laing and Anne Peale. Its the first time I've been since my injury so I was interested to see how my elbow fared.

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

I started with a warm up on fast and furious (M10). I managed to remember all the moves but I climbed it in a very non-flowing manner. Despite this all the moves seemed pretty easy and well within me today. After a rest and watching Andy, Dom and Anne all have a go I got back on and, after climbing fast and furious, tried to do the link up into Too Fast Too Furious (M11+). Too fast is over twice the length of fast and furious and although the technical crux is probably over by the time you've done f+f you are very pumped.

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

I managed to climb TFTF to the end of the ramp and managed to latch the hook on the wall after this but I left my axe behind while swinging off and had to take on the rope to reach it. I forgot were the hooks were for this section, but now after looking though some old pictures of me trying it I remember again. I then climbed the next section to just below the last quick draw.  From here the territory is new to me and I took a while trying to look for hooks. Once finding them I climbed to the chains but in my attempt to clip I fell off, leaving on axe behind and knocking the other out of my teeth, which hurt a bit.
I was quite pleased with my attempt on TFTF today, despite not actually managing to clip the chains. I think now that I know the moves and abit of work on tooling fitness I should be able to get it.

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

After getting my axe back Anne and I went down to the Happy Hooker wall, to climb Happy Hooker (M7), leaving Andy and Dom to work F+F. Thanks to Ross Cowie for the rope, quickdraws and beta. I managed to climb it on my first attempt.

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

After this we returned to the tube. Anne and I both had another go on F+F. I managed to almost climb F+F again but my axe ripped from the last hold. You can actually clip the chains from this hold so can I just count that as a victory wipper?

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

Hopefully I will be able to tick TFTF soon, all be it after a bit of training. Im hurting a bit today. My elbow feels fine, although it was complaining a bit yesterday, but my teeth hurt from the fall off TFTF and I just ache in general all over.

Photo Credit: Dom Scott

STS round 3

This weekend saw the 3rd round of the STS. I was wanting to do better than round 2, were I came 5th. The competition was held at RGU in Aberdeen. Unfortunately thanks to the rather modest size of RGU there wasn't a final, so everything rested on qualifying.
I managed to get a clean round, getting 140/140 points. It was quite an easy competition as a few people did, including Scott Grosdanoff and Steve Johnstone, but it is still a good 20 points to add to my final series total. 
On Sunday I went to Newtyle Quarry with Andy Laing and Alejandro Garcia. My project for the day was Too Fast Too Furious (M11). I managed to link up to the chains on Torchlite on my first attempt but came off whilst trying to search for holds. I think if I had the hold beta I may have been able to flash it. I had another attempt later on but I was too tired to do very much.
Alejandro and Andy went into the tube for the first time and were working Fast and Furious.

Comp season begins

Friday saw the first round of the Alien Rock winter boulder series. I went along with a few members of the EUMC. This was my first, of many, competitions this season so I wasn't expecting anything particularly spectacular.
There were 30 problems in total, with 20 being in each category. I entered the male hard category so had to climb problems 11 to 30. I started well flashing everything until problem 16, which my foot slipped off just before the final hold. Problem 21, which was an odd sort of mantle/bridging route, proved quite difficult, although I got it in the end. I was especially pleased with my flash of problem 23, which I saw a lot of very strong climbers fall off. I finished with 230 points out of 300 which put me in 12th. With the number of strong climbers, and the fact that I don't really see myself as a boulderer, I am pleased with this result, although I do hope to improve.
On Saturday I headed to my usual weekend venue of Newtyle Quarry. I could probably have got some proper winter climbing in but I was psyched to get on DTS Spirit. DTS Spirit was put up my Jeff Mercier last year and was given the grade of M12, making it the hardest thing in the cave at the time. I wasn't too sure on the start so I started up Torchlite and made a big move to the first hook. All the moves on DTS are very large, there are 9 moves and 9 bolts. On my third attempt of the day I managed to link up to the 4th bolt then do all the moves up to the 7th bolt. To get to the 8th is a very big move, which I wasn't able to do. After talking to Greg Boswell this evening I now know where the route starts and where it joins Fast and Furious. I felt utterly shut down on this but I now have things to work on and something new to train for.
As one of my nomics currently has a broken handle I had to team my working nomic up with another axe. I started off by borrowing one of Scotts Grivel Force alloys. I used to really like these but today, compared to my nomic, they didn't feel that great. This is probably partly down to me being so used to my nomics, and that Scotts axes were a bit blunt. I then had a shot with Sandys old Fusion, they orange ones. These felt quite good really and the lower handle being set back so far made them very easy to swap hands on. Hopefully my nomics will be repaired soon.

Torch Lite

Today I returned to Newtyle quarry with Craig Holden. Craig has been meaning to go dry tooling for quite a while now and he is very strong so should be able to get quiet good once hes had a bit of practice.
I started by remembering the moves on Torch Lite (M11). I managed the route in 3 sections. Afterwards I belayed Craig on Fast and Furious before returning to try Torch Lite again.
My second attempt of the day went very well and before I knew it I was past my previous best of linking from the start, the 8th bolt, and I managed to push on and get to the good feet and hooks and take a sort of rest. I struggled a bit getting to the final clip as I missed the hold a few times but I managed to stop myself from falling. I finally managed to latch it, clipped the bolt, worked my feet up high into a position where I could push off and went for the last hold. From there I could swing my feet onto the hanging slab, which I almost missed, and reach over my head to clip the lower off.
I was completely boxed after doing this I could barely untie my knot.
I'm really pleased to get this climb, and reasonably quickly. I think that was my 7th attempt every. I had two back at the start of they year, one after linking FandF recently then two attempts on Saturday, then got it on my second attempt today. I think my next objective will be DTS Spirit as it is nice and short.
After climbing TL I went to try and demo some of the moves on FandF to Craig. I got to the 6th clip and then got the rope hooked around my axe which cause me to drop it. I then took and dropped my other axe. When I went  back to pick them up I found that the trigger had snapped off one of them, which I wasn't too pleased about.

(these pictures are from my last visit to Newtyle but I didn't get any today, and I thought I should probably put some in here)

I went back to Newtyle today with Andly Inglis, Helen Rennard and Neil Adams. I wanted to do Fast and Furious again and work Torchlite. I warmed up on Fast and Furious, which I managed to do on my first attempt, and then did it again for a bit of practice. Neil also managed to tick this off.
Neil and I then had a short break and went to see what Andy and Helen were doing on the Happy Hooker wall.
We returned to the Tube after this short break to try Torchlite. Neil and I watched Andy on it first who has managed to link up to the final move before falling off previously.
On my first attempt today I managed all the moves but it was horrifically dogged. On my second, and final, attempt I linked the first 8 bolts, just over half way, and got pumped. I was feeling quite tired earlier but I knew that after the 9th bolt the climbing go a bit easier and that I could fashion a sort of rest. I then dogged to the end.

Hopefully when fresh I will be able to get this. If I did it would be the hardest dry tooling route I have completed.

... and back again

Today I returned to Newtyle with Scott G. I managed to send Fast and Furious on my second attempt after watching some clever footwork from Scott which allowed me to have a good shake out. After this we attempted a route on the Happy Hooker wall which felt really hard. We think it was either M8 or M7. It felt much sketchier than Fast and Furious. After a few hours sieging  this we returned to the tube where I tried Torchlite, I only made it to the 8th clip with a lot of effort, and Scott tried Torchlite and Fast and Furious. I'm sure he'll get Fast and Furious soon as he was very close today.
Apologies for a lack of pictures but it was only us two there today.

Magical Mica

The weather wasn't looking to promising for Saturday so I wanted to go to Newtyle and kick off my tooling for the year. I managed to partner up with Scott G after asking for people to climb with on facebook, as apparently not many people like tooling. We met Neil Adams and Jim Higgins there and even Simon Yearsley turned up later on with his dog Bob.
It was raining a bit so we decided to climb in the tube all day and get strong on Fast and Furious. The tube, for anyone that doesn't know is a dirty big hole in the ground full of mud. The mud forms as minerals in the slate weather to form clays. I think micas are suseptible to this but without looking through my notes I can't say for sure. I also figure this has some sort of mica mineral in it as it has been metamorphosed. Id guess at Biotite but without actually properly looking at it under a microscope I can't say for sure.
I have blogged about Fast and Furious earlier in the year the first time I did it. It has been quite a while since then, and I managed to borrow Greg Boswells fruit boots for it so it made everything easier. This time I just had my normal winter boots and no-one to tell me where the hooks were or how to do the moves. I had 5 attempts at it in total, none of them clean, although I got to the top on everyone.
My first attempt was quite poor as I had to remember where all the hooks were and where my feet should go. On my second attempt I managed to get to the 6th clip, although we miss out the first 2, before I pulled out too far on my axe and the hook popped. On my subsequent 3 attempts I got to the 7th clip before I fell. It is this clip I find the hardest as I have to use a very specific foot sequence to clip off.
Hopefully when fresh, and now that I know the moves, it should go down.

Figfour

Tops off for power

Newtyle Quarry

Joanna and I met up with Greg Boswell, Adam Russell, and his brother Dougie and dog Holly, at Newtyle quarry today. Joanna led Bonzai and Grooviliscious (both M4) and I climbed Pullviliscious (M6). I had to work out a new sequence as alot of holds seemed to have disappeared since last time I tryed it and I pulled the top flakey hold off on my first attempt. This meant that I had to do a balancy move up using the arete and mantling onto my axe.
After this we went inside where we watched Adam climb Too Fast Too Furious (M11+), then Greg try his new project, which looks really hard. I seemed to get pumped whilst watching them, then loose the pump as they shook out.

Adam Too Fast Too Furious (photo credit: Joanna Lisowiec)

It was my turn next so I tied into the bottom of my new project, Torchlite (M11). The first section went quite well and I was soon onto new ground, I tried it once before but didn't get very far. I made it to the top on my first attempt, despite abit of huffing and puffing.

Myself cutting loose on Torchlite (photo credit: Joanna Lisowiec)

Adam was back on next and decided to try to extend DTS spirit (M12) to the chains on Too Fast Too Furious. Im not sure how seriously he was taking it to begin with, as he was already tired, but after crusing up DTS he went for it. A few minutes later he was at the top with the chains clipped and a new route in the bag. He has named it French Connection UK, in homage to the french guys that bolted DTS. He has proposed a grade of M12+, although he isn't too sure on the grade.

Adam looking happy lowering off after the first ascent of F.C.U.K. (photo credit: Joanna Lisowiec)

I had another go on Torchlite after that, and managed it with only 3 rests this time.
I have decided I quite like the unexpected falls you get drytooling. I took two from Torchlite and quite a few more from Pullviliscious whilst trying to work out what hooks I could use.

Newtyle mass sendage

It was back to Newtyle quarry today with Adam, Greg, James and Joanna. We got an early start so that we could have as long on our respective routes a possible. Adam was trying Torchlite, Greg his project and I was attempting Fast and Furious. James, who had managed to do Torchlite on his previous visit, was camera man.
To warm up me and Joanna went down to Doorjamb slab. I red pointed Roofiliscious, which Joanna seconded, and also onsighted Bonzai, D4.
Once we'd both done Bonzai Greg came down asking if he could have a belay as he was going to have a go on his project. He was going to need two ropes to reduce rope drag, as the route was so long and wandering. He gave it a good go and managed to clip all but the loweroff where he dropped his axe, ending his first redpoint attempt of the day.

Greg battling away

Joanna and I headed down to the Doorjamb slab for abit longer after this. On monday I didn't feel like I was using my feet atall well so I was trying to carefully place my feet on little features and keep my heels still. After belaying Joanna on Grooviliscious, D4, we headed back up the hill into the tube. When we got back we heard that Adam had managed to tick his project of Torchlite, D11.
I was next up to tie into the sharp end. I borrowed Greg axes today. They are Grivel Force Alloys and feel pretty amazing. Before starting I decided that I was going to be decisive with my movements and hit get the hooks first time. I started well and managed to remember the sequence well up until the 3rd clip where I lost my feet a little. I composed myself and managed to make it to the twin slots before having to take. This was by far my best link up of the route so far. I dogged up to the chains making sure I had the rest of the moves wired.

Greg on the top slab of TBBW

Greg was ready for a burn on his project next. He crusied through the lower sections, changed rope, and battled through the pump to reach his previous high point, despite cutting loose a couple of times. Greg reached the lip of the roof and, making sure that he didn't drop his axe again, mantled onto the final hanging slab. He managed to remain focussed an not celebrate too early and clipped the chain. Greg named the route "The Big Bad Wolf", after a song which he played when working the route, and graded it D12.
The pressure was now on me to get a day of mass sending in the tube by ticking Fast and Furious. I stood at the bottom waving Gregs axes around, as I was going to use them again, trying to get the sequence dialed in my head. After a quick cup of coffee and some food I was ready to go. I was feeling quite nervous but really psyched after seeing Greg on his route. I started badly messing my feet up but this must have got the mistakes out of the way as I remembered the sequence perfectly up to the slabby shelf. By this stage I was getting pretty pumped and had to swap bettween fig 4's and fig 9's to allow myself to recover. Once the lactic acid had drained out of my arms I pulled as hard as I could and managed to hit the next hold perfect first time and them up to the last hook. All I had left to do was clip the chain, easy right? Well actually no. I was so pumped that reaching behind my head to clip the lower off was proving hard. I hung around for a while, alternatively shaking out again, before pushing down as hard as I could on my front point and clipping the chain. I did a pull up on the final hold to make sure there was no doubt about my ascent and lowered to ground. This was my first D10 and I did it on my 5th attempt, so I'm pretty pleased really. Im not sure how much part my recent schmoolz training had on my ascent but they must have played a part.

Me just before the chain on F&F

Adam had a quick go on Too Fast Too Furious, the extension to Fast and Furious. A block had fallen out, which provided one of the crux hold, so he had to work a new sequence. Adam managed to reach the Torchlite loweroff, which is past the lost hold, so the route is still possible.

Adam on TFTF

I decided to have a quick go on Torchlite but I was abit too tired and it was quite hard so I didn't get too far.
All in all a pretty good day, and now I think I deserve a day off before heading back up north to make the most of the cold weather which is on its way.
Greg has a write up on his blog too.

Newtyle

Today I headed to Newtyle Quarry near Dunkeld with Adam Russel, Greg Boswell, James Dunn and Adams dog Holly. I had asked Adam if he wanted to go head to Coire an Lochain to make the most of the cold weather and climb the Auricle but he was heading down to Newtyle with Greg and James. I had never been to Newtyle before and I was looking forward to having a go at some of the super steep routes in the tube. The tube is a cave which burrows into the ground and has a rising floor meaning that no matter how far up a route you are you're still about the same distance off the ground.
Newtyle quarry is an old slate quarry. Slate is a type of metamorphic rock with a mudstone protolith. I would have liked to have shown some nice sedimentary features still present however there were too many scratches on the rocks to show the small ones, except small scale bedding. The rocks here have obviosuly been tilted quite alot in the past. Mudstone, like any sedimentary rock, is laid down in flat horizontal planes, called beds. These will be preserved to some extent during metamorphism. The beds here create the steep slabby walls around the tube, so indicating that there must have been some intense tilting of the beds during metamorphism. 
After giving Adam a belay on his project I tied in and with a pair of borrowed fruit boots, Thanks Greg, I set off up the fast and the furious. The moves all seemed really powerful and I didn't really trust my feet on anything so it wasn't long before I was off. The hooks were much better than I imagined they would be as almost everyone was a sinker. I managed to finish the route but it was far from clean. I must have been much stonger during the sts, or my footwork was that poor today, as I really struggled on it.
I sat around abit trying to recover and took this time to take some pictures, although most of them seemed to be blurred. James tryed his project of Torchlight, D11, and managed it on his second attempt of the day.
Later on I went out side to climb on the slab, which was a more achievable introduction to outdoor drytooling. I managed Groovilicious, D4, and fell off Roofilisious, D5, when something popped, although im not too sure exactly what. 

James clipping the chain on Torchlight

Next saw greg attempt his huge link up project which finished out of the tube. The line took in climbing from atleast 3 different route and an unclimbed finish. After working a few of the moves greg was ready for an attempt from the start. He did well and managed to achieve a new high point just before the lip of the cave before he had to take.

Greg on his project

Adams main project for the day was Torchlight, like James. He had a couple of good goes on it, getting pretty high each time, although he didn't manage to get it clean. I don't really have any photos of him on this but I do have one which I like of him on the fast and the furious which he did at the end in the dark. My camera flash didn't seem to want to work so the only light was from his head torch. 

Adam climbing in the dark on the fast and furious

Im really psyched to head back here again soon. I never thought I would be hoping that winter condition don't improve too much!