Not much has happened in a while

I've spent pretty much the last 4 months just standing in the rain and looking at boulder problems - never bothering to put my shoes on but just working out sequences in my head and convincing myself that I am strong enough to do these moves.

Who knows maybe I will be soon, I've certainly spent enough time hanging from my god damn finger board - under the constant watch of my over active imagination, dreaming of latching the undercut on the G sit down project or some how mystically cruising along the prow of My Evil Twin.

One day eh?

Any way, was just looking through some old pics and thought I'd post some on here.

Fat man project @ Larbrax

Unamed 6b roof @ Sandyhills

Hardest slab project in Scotland?.... font 8a\8a+\8b....

Happy Days on Screel

Somewhere on the Fife Coast

Well its not D&G but I don't live there now so I'll just post anything. Went to Ravenscraig at the weekend but cant follow simple intructions so I ended up on a shingle beach with no rock in sight, walked further up the coast and found these two boulder


Climbed the two aretes as warmups at about V0 and then started work on the better looking lines, tried a dyno but got side tracked with another couple of lines so I never completed this. The first line is identical to Paul Savages classic The Bad Seed at the Thirlstane but on bigger holds and the second a two move wonder on a grossly blunt arete from sitting using two small finger holes pull on and then slap for the top where there is not a hold in sight.



The Addict V?

Back on Screel

Tried my old problem Happy Days again today font6a+ but it felt much harder than that after a lay off - got it third go but it was tough - man I'm weak!!!


Tried this project but its way too hard, was far too hard even when I was climbing well and my soft fingers just couldn't get to grips with the crimps today - one to work through out the winter.

Grade Obsessed!

The plan today was to have a go on my small trad project at Clifton or at least solo up some of it to see if there are any good gear placements (I'm thinking not) but some rain last night and the presence of a pretty big ugly bull in the field made me head for the Thirlstane clutching a list of problems that Tim Rankin gave me a while back.

Tim has climbed a number of new problems at the Thirlstane over the years but they have never been made public (at least I'd never heard of them). I was sceptical about what sort of problems would be left to do at the Thirlstane as Paul Savage seems to have taken all the good lines and created monsterously hard problems out of them but Tim has created some equally good problems and probably the hardest and most direct font 7a at the Thirlstane Grade Obsessed. This starts on a pretty good hold in the first break and then go's straight up to a poor slopey crimp and then a big move up to good holds in the 3rd break - I didn't manage this today but was getting very close.


Made a number of repeats of The Bad Seed font 6c today and its feeling much easier now, also made a few repeats of Jihad font 7a.


Not sure if I was climbing a new line between Insect Kin and Endrina today or if I was trying Endrina but its a good line through the roof on undercuts and body tension with a dyno to a good edge on the head wall, very technical with a bit of brute force thrown in, might also be about font 7a.


I'll add a list of all the problems Tim has climbed soon and I'll update my topo and get it on the Scottish Climbs Wiki when I have the time.

Clifton

Spent Sunday evening at Clifton, catching the sun until about 9:15pm. I worked on The Wall for about 30 minutes - thats not strictly true, I stood below The Wall for about 30 minutes thinking how the *&£% do you get on this! Looks a truly awesome problem and is about font7a+/7b I think.

I then started work on the complete version of Half Knife font 7b not the short version I climbed last year thinking I'd managed Half Knife, I am now only about 1 or 2 sessions away from completing this and my hardest repeat to date, its just a case of linking the start and having enough grunt left to finish it off on slopers. (pic below)



I then tried to get some pics of me on Zillion Dollar Sadist font 8b but there is absolutely nowhere on the traverse that I could pull on, this is desperate! Paul savage once mentioned to me that he had a harder project than ZDS at Clifton and I've looked for it on numerous occasions and on Sunday night I think I found it - a desperate roof on side-pulls to a crappy heuco and then a rounded headwall -- could this be font 8b+? I'll get pics next time I'm down.

Finishing up I found my next project, not sure whether it should be a boulder problem or a trad line, a fall from this slab would see you 40 foot down a very steep hill, climbing looks pretty sound at about font 6a (I think)(pic below - the small bush in the bottom left is actually the top of tree!)



Of to Greece for 2 weeks now but as soon as I'm back I'll be back at Clifton to get these

Apache @ Sandyhills

This is a small roof and arete that I climbed at Sandyhills, excellent climbing with a brilliant tough crux, its about font 6a+ - the project roof beside it is maybe font 6b+ and will fall soon.

What awaits you at Larbrax...

This is the second ascent of Waning Crescent V3 put up by John Watson moments before, Larbrax is just waiting for the rush. (pic taken by John Watson)

This is the awesome dyno project at Larbarx that I worked with John Watson just after Christmas, thought to be about font 7a and a crag classic. Just a one move wonder pulling onto the overhanging rock in a brutal crucifix position on nothing foot holds and and poor sidepull crimps, then just go for the poor slopey hold at the top, both myself and John were getting to touch the hold but just forgetting to hold it. (pic taken by John Watson)

COMING SOON!

Okay, thought I'd start this back up again as I've been spending a bit of time in D&G and I've completed a few projects and been working on some other established problems over christmas.

First up this weekend is a trip to Clifton to get some quality shots of me flailing about on Scotlands 1st and only unrepeated font 8b Zillion Dollar Sadist - heres hoping the weathers dry and I can some how find the strength to pull onto this after a 2 month lay off with a No. 5 pulley tear. Obviously I can't climb this hard, but I'm hoping some good pics of the problems with climbers on them might inspire more people to come and give them a go.

Also coming -

Pics of new problems in the font 6a - 7a range at Sandyhills, Screel and Port O'Warren.

A wild bouldering trip in the Galloway hills.

A top secret boulder the size of any of the Dumby boulders thats never been climbed on!

The DUNGEON!!!!!!