a bad days bouldering..

A bit of a bad day climbing wise today, but a good day in general! Went up the nearby hill at Parlick which was damn steep! after this lounging about in the sun I went to do some more at Craig y Longridge. It was a really really poor day of climbing performance on my part, i think it must just be the overhanging nature of the crag, but I got flash pumped pretty much immediately and and couldn't even climb the route I'd done in the went the previous day! On the plus side, I met some of the locals to the longridge climbing scene, watching a very splendid onsight of Tarot's Plane 6a by a very controlled man who was old enough to be my grandad. The other, younger climber sported a very professional home made bouldering mat; what a crazy lot! No further on Ascent of Man, I think I will have to retire this dream till I'm stronger, or at least have a bouldering mat that isn't made by someones mum under my feet! All in all an entertaining, if slightly layed back few days up north. However I am definately looking forward to getting back to Cardiff to firstly see the missus but also to indulge my new dive into hard sport climbing and also our forthcoming bolting project. woo! J

Bouldering up north

Well despite the horrible rain, I did manage to get an hour or so outside at the newly redeveloped Craig y Longrdige, woo! it was pretty darn wet but because of the overhanging nature of the crag it was still possible to climb when it is pissing it down all around it! pleased to say I must be getting at least a little less awful as managed to send 7a a V3 6a problem that I have been working on for quite a while! its says in the guide to do a tricky undercut, instead all I could manage was a stupid dyno to the top! but at least that went down, unfortunatley my super obssessed project of Ascent of Man still alludes me, its is supposedly a V3 and thus should be within my capacity to climb, but it seems so far impossible, and I have yet to start on the actual traverse! just trying to ascend Jacobs Ladder that is needed to get to the traverse seems really really diffcult. Additionally I have the problem of height, being 4 metres without a mat was pretty painful when I was lobbing off the top trying the reverse of the route. Right I think I will have to have a very conclusive look at it tommorow, there must be some hidden hold that will get me at least up to traverse, there must be!
J

Its wet again...

And so it is another rainy day in south England, blergh! No climbing for a while till it all dries. I have found out however, that upon my return home that my lickle brother has become ridiculously stacked and can beat me at pull ups and everything! ah! the only venue of relief I have left open is now to completely trounce him at climbing! Luckily I will be heading up to my dads tomorrow which is situated just two minutes away from Craig y Longridge ! This means there will be only one thing on my mind whilst im there, my two projects 7a (6a) and Ascent of Man (5c) which hopefully will go down! that is if this whether is better up north than down in the rainy south....

Taff's Well

And so from the awesomeness of the Gap to Taff's well the polluted traffic fumed crag of Cardiff. i have to say I am not so fussed on this venue of climbing, it appears very loose with objective dangers ready to crash on your head from 60m above, also the rock is very flowy with very few positive holds. The exception to this is at the extremities of the crag, where I have, due to lack of motor transport and thus relying on train, found myself working a few projects. Climbing with my old climbing partner Olly (for once!) we tried the excellent 6b No Bear, No Fear which we both dogged at the crux, not bad for first attempt. I then returned to my project which I believe is called Good Gear, Good Cheer a 6b, that I have tried 4 separate times now. I managed to finally get on this ascent! (about time!),  I went pretty strong through the first crux over the overhang with a high left foot and searching left hand and then proceeded to have a good rest on the ledge just above. Clipping the last bolt appears to be the crux and the place that I always dogged it on my previous attempts. It involves a very side pully left hand matched with a very high left foot and then a quick and desperate pulling through of the rope to clip! After that it is a question of layback on two side pulls to jugs, and relief at the top. I am very glad I finally got it! however compared to the routes in the Gap I would argue that the route may be harder than what it is labeled in the poorly described topo, I would argue that it deserves at least 6b+! To finish the day a meadering pace was set up D'ya Hear Ma Dear 6a+ which was a doodle though Olly still managed to dog it with the stupidest jump for a hold I have ever seen! Then it was just a a question of whether we could beat the rain before we got on the train! we did, but only just. Another awesome and fulfilling day out!

The Gap!

The club visited the best crag in all of South Wales on tuesday! Although I have been there nearly five times previously, this was the first time that I have actually tried the  all too famous sport section of the crag. What have I been missing out on! It is gorgeous! fingery and steep, of excellent quality throughout. The first route I tried was a nice 6a+ Kabuto Mushi which was steep, moving off small but positive crimps with some big moves in between, you really had to place those feet! After this there was a little bit of a dog fest, pumping out on the last move of Bluster (6a+) and pumping every move of Yikes (6b+) which was the only truly dire route to be found in the quarry. Then comes One Track Mind, (how very apt) on which I watched Mark make his very first 7a lead ascent, bloody good going! I tried this on top rope after jumping off Yikes and was very surprised to find that it was by no mean that bad at all, each move was hard but with positive holds all the way it was a question of pump, and of balls with big swings even on top rope if one was to fall. I got the onsight for it! and so now Im tempted, too very tempted to go back for my first 7a lead as well! after that, I had one failing go at the the disgustingly named Turd Strangler (6c+) Which I must say seem additionally very do-able, having worked out the first crux, (two simultaneous side pulls and some high feet)  it is only the second crux that eludes me. Also a mini whipper of the top ensured that the route remains very high on my 'your going down' list of climbs. In all an amazing amazing amazing evenings cragging leaving me with the very painful choice of trying the scary 7a or the technical 6c+ on lead next time. I think I may have to man up and go for the 7a....

Creation of this Blog!

So I have decided to start a blog and thus I suppose those minute few who will ever actually read this should know what I intend to write on it! I am an enthusiastic and totally obsessed student climber currently studying Journalism at Cardiff University. Climbing has become my life and soul for nearly two whole years now and it is for this reason that I have decided try and articulate what is so special about climbing that completely draws people in and never lets them out again. I also think that as a very active climber my actions in this obsession will provide more interest than the runnings of my everyday life which quickly become very uninteresting very very fast. I wish I had time to backlog all the fantastic things that I have seen in the two years running up to the creation of this blog, however I am not that dedicated! Below are a few pictures to liven up the page and I will also attempt to write about my two latest climbing outings this week!
Jamie.