Thank You

Well, it is with a certain amount of sadness that I have decided that I will no longer blog for Student Climbers. It seems that the demands of my new position as a contributor for climber.co.uk now takes up most of my time and I have felt at a loss to write anything original or funny for this site since I started the job. Perhaps it is only appropriate as I am no longer a student and therefore will not be able to write about the experiences of a student mountaineering club. 

I would love for the blog to continue in some form; perhaps an eager Cardiff Univeristy student would be willing to take up the challenge of writing about the club, and the sport, that I have been so involved in these past three years? 

I had a lot of fun writing this blog, even if it was frustrating at times when all I wanted to do was go to bed, but had to finish my report of the day's climbing! I want to give my thanks to those readers (yes I know a few of you read it!) who followed my constant ramblings and Jamie-isms, and also, to say thank you to the club that gave me the opportunities to have such crazy things to write about in the first place. 

The whole CUMC experience has been one of the most personal and best experiences of my life and I doubt I will ever forget it; I just hope that it will continue to provide future generation of bright-eyed students with the same of love of climbing that it instilled so deeply within me. 

Jamie 

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I still blog at: http://www.climber.co.uk/blogs/blogShow.asp?blog=133

and now also twitter: http://twitter.com/Bunchuk

Craig y Longridge

Craig y Longridge from Jamie Maddison on Vimeo.

Jamie's Vlog No.1 from Jamie Maddison on Vimeo.

More Pointless Filler...

Haresfield Beacon from Jamie Maddison on Vimeo.

Haresfield, Best Photos

Haresfield Beacon: a Child in a Sweet Store

And so, like an excitable child approaching a sweet store, I tore across the hillside, eager to get my long awaited go at the rock climbing on Haresfield Beacon. Chaperoned by an unimpressed brother and an amused girlfriend I had a fun filled hour sampling the many delicious problems the tiny Gloucestershire crag has to offer. Although small, the Beacon has a wealth of routes and problems to keep any climber occupied for several hours. My absolute favourite problem (so far) had to be a boulder out of a cave using a snug fitting fist jam for the left hand. I haven't completed it yet without the aid of the side walls for the feet; this will remain a nice Jamie problem for the future. 

I really just can't wait to go back! 

(The photography was shot by Josh and Emily and I'm amazed at how well some of the shots have turned out; I particularly like the initial photo below taken by Em!)

The Belayer

The Belayer from Jamie Maddison on Vimeo.

An experiment with long shot filming (no tripod unfortunately) as well as some art house-esk filler for my blogspot. The intent was to try and capture the sort of atmosphere and feeling of the belayer, an action that is largely ignored in climbing media despite its integral part of the climbing process.

However I am pretty sure this short isn't very successful; I even suspect it of being just plain boring! Serves me right for trying to be so arty. 

N.B. I am stuck at home without climbing and desperately trying to do pull ups on door frames and other such nonsense in an effort to keep my body in fit bouldering shape. Me thinks I have gone quite mad!