...ROCK CLIMBING, SCRAMBLING, MOUNTAINEERING AND HILLWALKING IN NORTH WALES...GUIDING, COACHING AND INSTRUCTION
Climbing is what many describe as a broad church, with many subdivision and subcultures that make up the whole. Whilst many climbers will drift happily between the technicalities, strength and athleticism of bouldering, through the physical challenges of hard sport and into the mind games…
I am not talking about taking people precious climbing projects, i am referring to getting out despite a bad forecast and making the best of a bad bunch. The last couple of days has been just that, with some ducking and diving I have managed…
Spent a great day at Craig Dorys today where the Llyn effect was in full force, so under a sunny if somewhat breezy sky we abseiled into the Craterer Slab and climbed Pat Littlejohn route, Headwind. This route starts up Full Sail before heading out to the arete and climbing it in a rather spectacular if slightly looser position. Although generally the rock is not too bad for Dorys.
It was great to be back down here, although after a winter clipping bolts the climbign got real real, real quick. With runout easy slab climbing with janky gear and a few techie moves to get around the steeper sections whilst at the same time not pull the holds off.
It is the kind of climbing that strongly really makes me feel alive. Can’t wait to get back there!
So generally this easter weekend has been a total wash out. With little in the way of climbing to be had due to the damp rock. That said I did manage to squeeze in 5 routes on the Range on Sunday with a good friend…
The last couple of days saw me returning to the Hills of Snowdonia with a client who wanted to develop his Scrambling Skills. Which of course begs the question, how can you develop a scrambler? Whilst the answer to this question for me at least…
So over the last few weeks I have been busy working on a new slate guidebook for Rockfax after it appeared that groundup had decided not to reprint or re-work their previous guidebook. As such I have been combing my external harddrives for all the topos I took for the guidebook and working to get a document ready to push through the final furlong to bring to print for the summer.
Work is going well, in part due to the weather stopping me getting outside climbing. Hwever that weather is stopping me getting the new topos I need to finish the guide. As ever we are aiming to bring a visually stunning and highly accurate guidebook to one of the most amazing and unique climbing area in the UK, if not the world.
As you can see above work is well under way and I am really enjoying exploring what people have been up to since the last guidebook. I have also seen a good few ‘blank spaces’ on the topos so just need some time and some bolts!
I was really please to found out that a proposal I submitted to Climber Magazine was accepted and I am now the Coaching Columnist for the only UK based climbing magazine, Climber. You can get the magazine easiest by subscribing to it for just £24…
So the last week has seen me meet up with my regular climbing partner Si and a colleague of his Dan to head to Chulilla rock climbing. We have been planning this rock climbing holiday for a while and have had it earmarked for ‘big…
So having spent another month back in the UK trying to avoid getting washed away in the rain or buried in the occasional snow has meant that I have most been climbing indoors. Over that time I managed to do some pretty good route at the Beacon Climbing Centre, with routes up to 7b.
This week I headed back to the sunshine to work with a long-term client and friend Simon on a short climbing course in Costa Blanca. It was his first time in Spain, but I have already converted him to the ways of hot rock climbing over the winter. I am thinking of starting a cult of hot rock, to be honest.
We had a great day climbing at Toix on Sunday, then got a couple of routes done at Alcalali on Monday before the rain stopped play. We finish the three days off with a day at Guadalest, where Simon kindly offered me a catch on a couple of routes, so I nipped up a 7a and then a 7b. Although they were probably overgraded!!
It is great to be out here again and I really want to start planning for next years courses out here and across Spain. As I love it here. The question is how to go about making next year better than this year?
Check out The Hot Rock Holidays Page for what we are offering next year so far.
If you were lucky enough to catch ITV’s top 100 walks last night you will know that Snowdon narrowly missed out on being the number one walk in the UK. There is a full list on the OS website, or watch the 2.5 hour ITV…