Changes are afoot for me. I ship out to Leeds this week. Decided to drop this blog as I move on into the next chapter of my little existence. I fear I'll be too busy to idle time away on the internet anyway. If I have time, I might continue making videos though I'm keen to head towards a more quality over quantity policy in that regard. Not much footage has been left on the cutting room floor so far! I've enjoyed learning a bit with video though and I feel I've developed enough skill both filming in the field and editting with Sony Vegas to create something I'd be happy with if I put in some time and effort. Could do with a better camera and some good new music too but anyway...
In terms of climbing, I go to Leeds focussed on bouldering really. I'd hoped to complete my 'tempered triple 8' climbing challenge this year but my one day sport climbing at Kilnsey hurt my injured elbows and so more or less put paid to that particular numbers quest. Not to worry, the main thing is I'm still able to climb and enjoying it.
I want to improve and break new ground in bouldering before Christmas and I think I know how to achieve this. Stronger fingers, a lighter body and a focussed siege on something good should see me right. I could bore the world with a new blog chronicling this personal glory quest but I won't.
So that's it for now, Ram Man goes to ground. I've enjoyed this little blogging experiment and it seems to have come to a good natural end. Happy Climbing and until next time.
31/07/10 Visited Round Crag with Noaks, Oli and Miles. After a shower or two, really good conditions prevailed - overcast, cool and breezy. Warmed up a bit on the boulder then, after a quick top rope refamiliarisation and a few false starts on Pippi Longstocking, I got to the top. Great little solo. Though there's no gear (couldn't get anything reliably placed in the slot) I thought it was worth having a tied down belayer to stop you careering all the way down into the bottom of the dale in the event of a crash. The vid makes it all look fairly tame really but I found it quite exciting - messing up after you've got the slot would probably hurt a bit.
Next up, flashed Time Out (e3 6a) which I thought was a really good route. Quite hard too.
And so onto the steep arete line just to the right. I'd shunted it a bit but not fully managed the crux last visit. Found a better way to do said crux this time and 20 mins or so later, bagged it up on the lead. Used runners in Time out - seemed logical/sensible. Nice little slappy route. Was struggling to come up with a name so went with 'Fresh Arete' because of the nice conditions/weather and the moves are pretty fresh in the jive talking sense of the word. Definitely easier than Pippi, gone for E5 6b. Another good day all round really!
Familiar ground - Raven's Scar with Noaks this time. I tried a couple of things on a rope and found out a couple of things. The Arete is definitely in need of a direct solution. I found a feasible sequence climbing it on the steep left hand side. Couldn't manage the moves but certainly 'felt' them and I reckon it's more likely doable (for me anyway) than the arete direct on the right hand side. Really good cold conditions, good skin and Font8A (+?) boulder ability required.
Also checked the moves on an epic link-up route I thought might be worthwhile on this butress. As for ADKOB but go straight across horizontally right into stratagem from jug on arete to join it below its second peg. Clip that sucker then continue at the same level to reach collateral's holds/jugs above the roof and finish up that. Decent amount of new climbing! Perhaps a bit ridiculous but I think it's worthwhile anyway and would like to do it - maybe next year when I've hopefully regained some route fitness.
Finished the day bouldering at Wainstones, enjoying really nice cool conditions again. Showed Noaks the Prow which he got up in no time then I got shut down on Psycho Syndicate - don't get that thing, may have to top rope as jumping off onto the slope was hurting ankles! Checked out For Liechtenstein last thing to test Dave Warb's beta for the move using the broken foothold out right. Felt about the same trickiness to me either way but think I like the move more with my original method. Just pull on and swoop for the top - sometimes doesn't take much to get a decent and satisfying problem really does it? It seems I totally overgraded this too as it felt piss. Condtions? move memory? hold friction improved with use? Who knows but it felt no harder than font7A this time.
