Opportunities

It's been quite a weekend, conditions were perfect on friday to get on some wooded projects finished, this left me on a high, yet still the woods held some harder projects that continue to drive me crazy, the sandstone is absolutely belter, some of the best in the moors. 

Sunday saw a return to the coast. Yet again we were greeted by blue skies and a mass of sun kissed blocks, joined by locals Jason and Scott we got a good few cracking lines done, making it well over 100 problems with fine projects to go at, its going to be perfect place for the next meet.

A project no longer 'Dreamcatcher'

Steve on a good little arete

Brilliant from sit, 

Stunning coast, steeped in history

Sunrise on the Coast

In the quest to develop the coast. A massive surprise venue has come to light, This is due to a tip off by some locals, Three visits later and some serious scouting, It looks like the venue has five sectors, holding tonnes of blocks, a mass of varied sandstone, ready to be clambered over by willing coastal explorers. The venue has a good mix of problems at range of grades with harder projects. So even after sleeping there last weekend, I cannot wait to get back.

Sunrise over the blocks

James on the left finish 

Where do you start?

Got about 70 problems done in two days from 3 - 7a.

A perfect weekend watching the stars and the coastal lights twinkling in the distance

Pre-Order the Anston Stones Guide

It's time to get the Anston Stones guide to the printers, thought it would be a good idea to put a demo online and give anyone a chance to pre-order the guide. It will cost £8.50 including postage and consists of 48 pages of some of the best magnesium limestone the country has to offer.

Anston Stones Guide Demo

If you pay via the betaguides website you will be sent a PDF link to the demo only, Don't worry, we will send you a printed copy through the post as soon as the guide is back from the printers. the payment requires an address so the guide will be sent there.

Click here for link to pre-order the guide. Only 100 copies will be printed to begin with so grab one while you can. 

Impatient

Feeling run down, Some kind of man bug? should rest really? but getting impatient to get on projects, climbing on Saturday took on an outer-body experience, felt totally out of it! and to top it all the project I wanted had not dried, Still, developed some more blocks with James. Got home passed out.

Felt better tonight to work through the Anston proofs, one more full read through and it's going to print.

A classy groove in a woods Steve Phelps showed me, the twin arete to the right looks good, the right end of the block drops down, making the climbing 6 metres, spicing things up a bit for sure.

My down's better than your down

After bailing out from 'plan A' due to icy roads and some scary moments in the car, we decided to go to the coast. James was keen to get on his project arete, which looked brilliant. I've had a dabble, it's really involving climbing from start to finish. When we got there the view was incredible - It felt like one of those once in a lifetime sublime moments. So breath-taking that whether or not we got some climbing done it didn't really matter. But we were going to give it a good try. We all got some lines done. I found one line harder than expected - something to go back for?  I also made a new little red-breasted friend with a better down jacket than mine. The best thing of all though was that just on the verge of leaving, on the shout of "It's time to go" James said to Steve "I'll have to smash this project in now" and to my amazement he did, as I witnessed through the trees! Not bad going in these conditions.

Public footpath or a traverse?

The tops will brush off, honest!

 Two hours later..... success

 Steve climbing on a fine problem, on a block that he has developed

 I was right chuffed with this line, climbing the arete without the left wall or chock-stones

 The best down jacket ever, just look at that fluffy fill quality

James happy to get his arete in the alpine conditions

Pasty Power

Here are a few things I love about the Moors

1. Curry pasties from the garage at Middleton

2. Every venue has a very different feel to it - each one feels like you are in a different area

3. The landscape is stunning

4. A lot of projects to get my teeth into

5. So much to develop, my head's spinning

*** Curry Pasty, a must if in the area

Three months wait and this area was bone dry. Time to warm up and get on a project that's been on my mind since we cleaned it. Bashed a few short projects out on the little block and the slab, to warm up. Then got on with the arete - two hours later after working out the moves, fell off right at the top on the easy bit! Then the snow came bang on time and that was the end of that. Next time....

 Horrendous trip back..... nearly got stuck in the snow in a remote dale, with no houses! 

Setting off on the project. Moves that rely not only on strength but fine balance, you feel like you're falling off all the way up.

Getting worried. Will I make it over to the next valley? It took six attempts to get the Hill!

Could still be up there - frozen!

The Easterly Winds are the Key

It's so good to see lines that look incredible conquered. For me this was one of of those lines. A line that made me realise that the east coast boulders were worth developing, taking me on a journey of exploration along the coast, during which a few times I nearly never made it home (don't tell Lisa). Now four years later....

Mike had worked out the perfect conditions necessary to claim a line under a block that had for once fallen the right way, thus giving the hardest problem on the Moors coast to date: 'Before the Rain 8a+' Well done Mike.

Earlier Blogs

http://betaguides.blogspot.com/2011/02/living-dream.html

http://betaguides.blogspot.com/2011/06/east-coast-bouldering.html

http://betaguides.blogspot.com/2011/07/dip-in-north-sea.html

http://betaguides.blogspot.com/2011/07/before-rains-came-and-coastal-video.html

Before the Rain 8a+ 

An earlier Attempt

A day later, Mike made the most of the easterly winds.