Climbing My Brains Out

Not had much time to put stuff up on here in a while, life gets in the way sometimes, but when climbing is life and conditions are right, then it's time to get smashing some blocks in while you can.

weddings, births, winter and a delayed spring, the circle of life never ends. 

Luckily the cold harsh prolonged easterly winds have done wonders to the moorland rock and conditions are unbelievable, especially after months of damp. The wet spell has helped me knuckle down and get the bulk of the guide finished, Not long now.... a few more venues to sort and it will be full steam ahead with the Mag lime and a Leicestershire guides, but not without a remote mountain trip before it gets started. 

 The delights of the Blakey quarries, and yes Steve has jeans on, now that's progress

 Camp Hill Campusing

 We all love Scugdale, maybe too popular

 Quality Mag Lime 

The 'Model'

 The magic woods of Arnecliff have an 8a, enter if you dare

 Won the best bobble hat prize at Roseberry

 Oh no I have to put a grade to this, maybe I will wait till Dave does it?

 The Machine is back with us, now a married man, he now has a tracker fitted to his leg.

 Chimney perfection, Steve was stuck for six days, a good weight loss problem

 James loves lip traverses

The Thorgill circuit is excellent, now even I'm getting into lip traverses

 The late evening Rosedale climb off, Steve won this one 

 Not myself this day, a bit moody working it all out, cheered up later

 Ugg, Lip, Climb, Me

 A strange place with leaning trees

Mike got some of the best Elvis leg I have ever seen on this - no longer a project, right at the end on the easy bit, video to follow.

And Then It's Gone

A chance to go wandering in deep virgin snow is so appealing that the dangers of getting there are all forgotten, only anticipation of the chance to plough through the drifts, not knowing how deep, or if any rock will be dry when you eventually make it to the crag? probably not considering how deep it was!

Anyway the falling down snow holes and quarry diving were priceless, I laughed until it hurt, maybe the last of the snow this year? 

Cheers for sorting the parking out

The blocks are under there

A great problem hidden under an Oak tree - Guilty Pleasure 7b+

 Get lost it's my boulder

Franco would have scored a 10 but messed up the landing

Look into the Eyes

Things are getting quite serious at the moment, checking problems and re-checking, but it's well worth the effort, as grades can drive anyone into a straight jacket, bearing in mind all our shapes and sizes, strengths and weaknesses, so we are trying our best to get them right.

Two days on Ingleby for me was just what the doctor ordered after some christmas indulgence, ease in slowly to get rid of the love handles, getting some exercise on a long stretched out circuit of hillside and dense wooded blocks and at last got back on some dry sandstone.

Day two saw Mike give the Incline it's first 8a Circle My Demise, a bold adventure on the No Prisoners block, Involving some hard moves on sloping holds high up on the problem, some good spotting from Steve

The great grade debate - No way is that 6c+ - harsh words from the Simon Cowell of grades

Pete on a good crimpy line in the Mono Block

Circle My Demise 8a

With a Bang

What a way end a brilliant climbing/exploring/getting on stuff that was not dry at last! year.

This last trip was a flying visit to Scotland, The Coastal blocks near Aberdeen (Thanks to Mike's wiliness to Drive 18 hours there and back)

 It's a place of endless beauty and geology that will probably be still left totally unchartered even in ten of my lifetimes. What a resource if you are prepared to put the effort in.

We had a perfectly crazy day, beating the sun to rise then voluntarily getting stranded by the tide

As always I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Anyway, happy new year and a big thanks to all that I have climbed with, been inspired by or just plain out there doing it, without you all I would be lost. Cheers, I tip my bobble hat off to you.

Bagging an 8 on sunrise, not too shabby

What a block I'll be back for the arete on the right, Optimus Prime

Quickly moving on to 'Big Grey' block

Not another 8! must have ate too many sweets

Sublime golden arete glittering with mica in the sun

Also had a foam party

Skye wanted the tide to go out, Mike just carried on

Into the Darkness

A darkness has been rising on the Moors, weather systems that hold you back, frozen blocks waiting for the solstice, gaining more time every day to bathe longer in sunlight. 

Time to fight back and embrace the dark side, The thing is you need more than a trial of bread crumbs when you wander into the wooded canopy of Ingleby woods, like the Incline the blocks are spread out quite randomly, making the place hard to map, not the place for the roadside boulderer. 

But s*d it, I'm determined to map the woods, even if it gets done after the guide is finished, I'll put it up free on the web when it's done.

Quality rock hidden under the dense canopy

Sports Directs greatest athlete Steve Phelps on a classy arete

On the Fence

Things to finish off, yet still looking at stuff I've seen before, some out of reach, some maybe in the realms of delusion, some just plain slimy, but as always I am the ever optimist, putting stuff in the bank to go back to later, things just need to climbed, because it's there and the physical puzzle of the problem looks good, why care if anyone else is inspired, its just there 

Finally the Wainstones is sorted! quite a circuit up there, partly in condition as always, letting you  enjoy some problems even after the dumping of snow

Sunday for the first time walked up to Highcliffe, which was I think quite dry considering, some very slopey landings, with some fine high-ball problems/routes with no gear. Yes and some bouldering!? again in the category of are you inspired to clean, how often is it in condition? and the landings are terrible, still some lines will be ticking away in the back of my mind, maybe my best friend the spade will spend a week up there with me after the guide is finished and sort the landings out?

After this returned to the Earthworks ridge, a spread out mixed up set of edges, some blocks are green, others are finely blackened weathered sandstone, Plenty of problems for the roaming connoisseur, nothing fantasy league, but a good day out when in condition.

The left arete on the 'Do' boulder

Earthworks Slab, windy, cold and wet boggy ground (Check out the wet pant bottoms) The plan was to go to Roseberry but that would be Artic!

Snow Way

In the same boat as most climbers at the moment, trying to keep one step ahead of the H₂O falling; Good job we have plenty of stuff to check over. 

Fighting against a change in forecast, we managed to get on a surprisingly dry Smugglers' Terrace, this will be a good little Winter venue, the rock is so good. Got the shots I needed there and then managed a frustrating slab problem border-line ascent. Not my style at all - quite a wrestle. You could hear the angry shouting in Whitby! Then moved on to Stoupe Brow, which suffers this time of year from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) as it's in a bit of an amphitheater. I also really need a shot of someone on Requiem, what a line. If anyone has one please send it to me.

As we left, the clouds were brewing from the west and the frozen cliffs were too dangerous to risk a drop into Rocky Point; a mad cluster that is very risky, but I love those kind of venues, maybe because you feel like you've earned any ascent just by making it there?

So headed to Ingleby Incline with high hopes of exposed blocks in the sun; but down came the snow and put the dampers on that, so time for a wander on the longest stretch of rock in the moors.....

Biotic Crisis on Smugglers - 7a possibly after a 3 hour grade debate with Steve. Check out the public footpath arrow on the block to the right, or is it a font traverse?

Bed for the night Ingleby woods

Looking back at the incline - a place once called 'Siberia' by the workers up there

Incline Top was known locally as "Siberia" due to the exposed position on the moor top. Here workers pose for the camera. The gentleman top left is believed to be John Willy Featherstone who lived and worked at Incline Top and later Battersby Junction. The 1891 census records Joe Featherstone and John Collier living in houses at Incline Top - courtesy Alan Collier.

As it is today - Industrial Archaeology 

Two lovers hiding in Ingleby woods, well it is shooting season.