Round Crag - Fingers, Shins and F.A.'s

Sunday began with a trip over the moor to meet Franco and Dave. The crag on the cards was Round Crag, one with a reputation for having hard, bold and often sandbagged routes. It was also pretty windy.....
Franco and Dave were psyched to get on their ground up project, dubbed 'the leaping cougar'.

They began attempting it ground up whilst I looked to see what fortunes were to be found on the lower boulder. Now dubbed 'The Chocolate Box'

'Can you do the Can Can' font 6a+ * climbs the overhanging right arete of the north side onto the slab. And 'The Candy Man Can' font 6b+ * climbs the overhang direct up the centre and onto the slab.

Good gear at half height.


After some more attempts on the unclimbed wall by Franco and Dave, Dave finally cracked it using a tiny broken gaston. Franco then also managed it and they graded 'Mane Vision' E5 6c,  keeping with the 'lion' theme of the butress.

Wicked Willy! / Psycho Sam!

Although E5 6c, is rather a long way out of my league, I though as I may as well have a go! especially as it is so well protected.

Hard rock-up for a two finger crimp.

The moves up from the break really are ace, but very thin and very hard! After a few attempts, I managed to get into the crimp, which was poor! A two finger crimp, which at first felt good, but as soon as you moved position, it was very hard to stay in. After trying to rock up, I fell off. Unfortunately, my poor judgement meant that my shin gave a legde below with a hollow 'whack'. I lowered and we saw white! thankfully it was only a fatty layer between the skin and the shin.

That was enough for me, although the moves are superb! and it makes quite a ground up project which is quite unique to the crag!

Overall, a pretty bon day!

Check out Dave Warburton's Vimeo to see the video of 'Mane Vision' E5 6c

Ravenswick with the moors crew!

It was a pretty wet day so a gathering of the 'moors crew' was in order at the 'every dry' ravenswick quarry.

We arrived to find the fine walls in a magnificently dry state. I didnt particularly do much but one problem. Although a new poblem was done, called 'Rum rum watch bum' by Franco and Dave.

The Moors Crew!

Park Nab

The day after I had arrived back from Jersey, I got a text from matt with a plan for an evening seshion at the wainstones/ravenscar. Feeling pretty good about my experiences in Jersey, I was pretty psyched to get on the classic 'Satchmo'.

After Picking up Rich, we headed to the wainstones, and passed Park Nab, It looked pretty good and I hadn't been before, so soon enough our plans were changed and we were approaching the on looking crag.....

We all lead and soloed various classics which were basked in the sun. I Soloed longbow and then soloed bow string a classic HVS 5b micro route.
After that I had a go on one of the clasics of the crag, Hari Kiri HVS 5a which definately one of the better routes on the moors at that grade.

After that it began to get dark and I thoguh I may as well have a go at pessimist E2 6a. It began well and I placed good gear in the letter box slot below the groove. It was by this time getting quite dark and I made the move off the small pocket onto an odd sloper. From this it was a large reach up and to a small hold. My foot slipped and I was off! I had another go, but by this time I was pretty pumped and it was not to be. Ah well, maybe next time!

Jersey!

Me and Jake were heading on a trip to jersey, hopefully to find fine granite sea cliffs! On the way, we stopped off at haytor to see what granite was really like. Not overly inpressed by the over polished haytor, we did one route each and then had a cream tea.

When we arrived on Jersey we picked up our guide book from 'Kevin' who seemed to think we had a car so I had to explain how we were only 15.....
Very Good guide by the way! - http://www.jerseyclimbs.com/

We decided to go to the 'Nethe', where Kevin and his friend were climbing. Our first ever sea cliff route ended up being a 65 metre three pitch multipitch which had some fantastic climbing and great positions!

Toping out the route.

The Nethe! one of the best crags on jersey?
A few days later, we went to La rouge nez, a fantastic single pitch sea cliff.
When we arrived though, the belay ledge appeared to be a bit damp.....

So we warmed up on the small pinnacle.



At last the tide went out so we went to the main crag, can get pretty scary belaying when the waves are crashing over your back!

Open heart surgery - HVS 5a/5b

After an ascent of the fantastic 'open heart surgery' I decided enough was enough and that I may as well try getting on something hard, so I tried 'Jersey Girl' E2 5c.

Jersey Girl (original finish) ascends the blank looking wall right of the main crack (chalk marks) and continues up to the red steak at three quarter height, and then step right into the crack to the top.

The tide had only just gone out and it was 20 odd degrees by now. I slipped off on the first few moves, but after a false start I climbed the route without a fall although it definately felt hard for me. Really pleased to get my first E2!

The next day, we headed to the south and found a cool costal bouldering venue at the west end of beauport. Managed a font 6a+ and a 6c but no pictures :P.

We also found another cool costal bouldering venue on the west coast north of Gorey on an odd conglomerate shale type rock, was pretty cool! though crimps to seem to fall off....

Pain!

Nice Prow.  Bum beans font 6a

Another loose prow 'Shale' font 5+
Later that day, we biked up to the north of the island. I didnt really feel to psyched for climbing but Jake lead a good slabby route, which took a bit of getting too!

All In all a really good trip! Climbed some superb routes and Got my first E2, love granite two! And sea cliffs! Ace :)
P.S. Thank you to Kevin and other Jersey climbers, for allowing us to venture onto there superb crags :).

Whitestone Cliff!

Went to whitestone cliff with Jake Hampshire. Probably one of the most impressive crags on the moors, the highest at around 30 metres and the loosest! (bar pickering woods) We started off leading gauche which is a good route.

Then, I led night watch which is one of the best routes ive done, definately one of the best chimney/cracks in the country.

Bomber Cam

Then Jake lead 'Frigg' which is also a good route. All in all a pretty good day, climbing on classic cheese on the best crag in the country :)

Oak crag, Mountain rescue and castleton rig quarry

Two days later, I went for an early seshion at ravenswick, jake puting up two problems. The, later that day, I ended up going back to oak crag, this time with matt. We soloed one or two routes including captain birdseye, the fantastic slab. Then, after various happenings, we had to call the mountain rescue and the R.A.F. sea king, thankfully it was a false alarm.

So after that, we went over to castleton rig, soloed a few things and managed to solo the face at english 6a which felt hard in wet conditions!

Attempting the face earlier this year.

Oak crag - a day soloing

Recently ive been quite psyced for soloing so oak crag was on the cards with joe paxton. After running down from blakey with my stuff, dropping it off at the crag and then running into farndale to meet joe, we spent the day soloing many of the routes at the crag, including captain birdseye, one of the best slabs on the moors.

In the end i was quite happy with my tally of routes having soloed quite a few hvs's some vs's and various others.

I also found a short steep pinnacle, now known as 'the old sheep butress', (due to the dead sheep found in a cave behind the pinnacle) found right of blakey butress, and put up a few routes on the front face, all around vs.

Quite psyced to get on the e2 there though!

Lakes Trip - Borrowdale - shepherds crag - Quayfoot Butress and Wodens face

After an offer of a lift to the lakes and back from Jakes dad, we arrived in borrowdale for our first time climbing in the lakes. First day we headed to shepherds crag to try some of the well known lines. We began climbing at around 9 am, first route, the uber classic, little chamonix which was probably the longest route either of us had done. The climbing is good and quite exposed in places, thankfully we started early and were the first ones on the route.

Jake leading pitch two.

Jake seconding the last pitch.

We also climbed several superb routes on brown slabs, one inparticular of which i though was better than 'little chamonix'. 'Brown slabs arete' climbs in the best position of the butress, with the least polished rock, the best climbing and the best position. Its certainly best climbed in one full pitch of around 40 odd metres.

Jake leading brown slabs arete.

At the top of brown slabs

Top of brown slabs

I then lead brown slabs face with a dirct finish, good but not as good as the arete.

jake seconding the direct finish.

We also decided, despite its ease, that we may aswell climb jackdoor ridge which we did and soloed the majority. still a good route but quite escapable.

After this i decided it was probably time to get on something harder so i tried an E1 to the left and failed rather misserably.

So then i went on to try 'Why not' which is the most appauling route i have ever tried and should never ever be climbed by anyone ever in the universe ever again.

Then jake had ago at 'Derision groove' but then got scared and so down climbed half the route.

Then I had a go and after much troubles in the hot weather with sweaty hands and the odd hold and loose spike breaking off, i dispatched the route!

Then, to finish off we climbed brown slabs (after evil top ropers had finished) which made a good end to our 12 hour epic of a climbing day!

Then we returned to the campsite for noodles.

DAY 2

We awoke to another sunny day despite the forcast and after looking at ther large crag above the campsite and desiding it was well scary, we walked to quayfoot butress and did a really good but easy multipitch, about 60 metres in length. When we decended we thought we had been climbing on the crag with only one other party but we arrived at the bottom to find multipull groups climbing with ropes crossing and a general mix of climbing hazardary.

So off we went to wodens face which was abit of a poor crag but finised off the trip quite well with some nice slab climbing.

Then, as jake seconded the final climb, he dropped the camera out of its case, we lost the battery and madaged to take an abstract photo.