Thursday, 26 August 2010
Spain
Since the last time I checked in we first went to bus les baronies and climbed around there after a morning taking a wonder around the local morning market, at baume Rousse I warmed up and then got the draws in a route I had seen last time I was down this way, the route Les Secrets de Regine 8a felt ok with a hard move at the start and finish went ok on the third point after falling from the top move on the second burn.
From hear after Steve sent his second ever 8a on his fourth point a sterling effort, we headed to St Leger where after a a few days of sweating and saying it far to hot so many times I lost count ( iv never sweated from inside my ear before) we have as I said come to spain.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Week one
Walking up the hill the next day in the full sun was quite fun but ok at a slow pace, climbing on the other hand although the best ever was quite hard work falling off a 7b+ something that's not happened for quite some time! I think the last few weeks plus the drive has taken a bit more out of me than I think.
Another day on followed by a rest day and it all starts to come together feeling like I can climb recover on good holds and get stuff done. Having been hear a week I think it's time to move on try out new crags and get projects done so heading west before turning south yet again !
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Week one
With a nice but quite long drive down thru France we arrived at Ceuse, with camp set and a few beers looking at the crag from the safety of the campsite we got t planning the climbing the following day.
Walking up the hill the next day in the full sun was quite fun but ok at a slow pace, climbing on the other hand although the best ever was quite hard work falling off a 7b+ something that's not happened for quite some time! I think the last few weeks plus the drive has taken a bit more out of me than I think.
Another day on followed by a rest day and it all starts to come together feeling like I can climb recover on good holds and get stuff done. Having been hear a week I think it's time to move on try out new crags and get projects done so heading west before turning south yet again !
Friday, 6 August 2010
The List
Pump up the beast, lulworth 8a
Windowchrome, Lulworth 8a+
Christine, long quarry point 8a
Cutlass, Berry head 8a+
Balance of Power, Portland 8a
San simeon, pembroke 8a
The Wizard, pembroke 8a
Jaws, pembroke 8a/7c+
heal hook look, north wales 8a
This is I think the list of 8a and above DWS's in the uk, up until recently having done a few of them I thought would it be possible to get them all done?
So the mission started but where to start, I'd done three of the ten one being a harder version of Adrenachrome also on the list, But a strong team and fair weather saw me headed to pembroke,a good as place to start as any!
So jaws it was to be then and it was in the best condition I'd ever seen it, I thought I'd chalk it up from a rope then have at. Two goes later standing on the top of the route thinking well there's four of the ten done I might just manage to do this challenge I set myself, so off to bed to mull over the day and hope for good weather and the wizard.
Well rain the next day put pay to the wizard so with a quick weather check Devon and Chistine was calling, so five hours later and a small sleep we went to long quarry point.
I'd tried the line before ground up so keeping with theme Bob and me took it in turns to have a play, a few splashdowns later I got to thinking that some chalk on the holds might help so down I went with brush and chalk to have a look! Well from a rope it made no sense as the roof is so 3D, so I slapped some chalk on things that might be holds and came back out to continue playing from the bottom up. So again with many splashdowns but making progress each time I finally made the crux slap followed but a flick to a jug and glory.