tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85115669860188498462024-02-21T04:39:51.644-08:00Jacob Climbs ThingsThe blog of Jacob Cook.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-56843864795422610792017-01-09T11:42:00.000-08:002017-01-09T11:44:05.655-08:002016 Highlights!2016 was a wild year. I managed to climb A LOT.<br />
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Other responsibilities were put on hold or just permanently abandoned and I continued embarking on as many adventures as I possibly could. My savings have been dwindling and it's definitely not a permanent way of life, but I know that if I was doing anything else I'd just be wishing I was doing this.<br />
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I've collected together some of my best photos and experiences from the past year, enjoy! <br />
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The year began in El Chorro, where Bron and I had volounteer jobs at the <a href="http://olivebranchelchorro.co.uk/" target="_blank">Olive Branch Guest House</a> for the second winter in a row. Climbing every day, eating and sleeping well and being in the happy, social environment of the Olive Branch I felt fitter than ever before.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTri_BPLohqq4UmBCtscKs3OnXx9gcsEr0BfNvvccgUwNLkEvWk0xPqe0c8vMcyOMUmfIpHs5ZLpp_gYT6ngV6UWS_WP1vj3Ax5ADFlPIs4t7Ev7FRqnJKZfrn3t07bTbTY5BuPXS5wfo/s1600/Chorro+-+Swimming+Through+A+Shark+Attack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTri_BPLohqq4UmBCtscKs3OnXx9gcsEr0BfNvvccgUwNLkEvWk0xPqe0c8vMcyOMUmfIpHs5ZLpp_gYT6ngV6UWS_WP1vj3Ax5ADFlPIs4t7Ev7FRqnJKZfrn3t07bTbTY5BuPXS5wfo/s640/Chorro+-+Swimming+Through+A+Shark+Attack.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming Through A Shark Attack Extension 8b</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidI14rcrFdvJTq-x7fv7s1HJf_MBuAtCRDTVNk9MdL_PItfLH4vPqSdqv4EP49CpHxOcktoX91nvgaVQODMiA8x070Y7RROcOqkjo4FlAxP65ALbxWKxe0n5sago5S-XDs5nXoe_auhc/s1600/El+Chorro+-+Cous+Cous.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidI14rcrFdvJTq-x7fv7s1HJf_MBuAtCRDTVNk9MdL_PItfLH4vPqSdqv4EP49CpHxOcktoX91nvgaVQODMiA8x070Y7RROcOqkjo4FlAxP65ALbxWKxe0n5sago5S-XDs5nXoe_auhc/s640/El+Chorro+-+Cous+Cous.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first crux on Cous Cous 8c, didn't quite manage this one</td></tr>
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I continued my aid-solo vision quest from <a href="http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.ca/2014/12/rope-solo-10.html">last year</a>. The local Spanish climbers decided I was completely insane and gave me the nickname "the Warrior". After one large upside down fall I teetered my way up the splitter crack/seam, leapfrogging my two beaks, excellent!<br />
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For some reason Bron and I decided to climb 7 full height routes on Frontales in a day, around 50 pitches and 1500m of climbing! This involved lots of simul-climbing, other <a href="https://rab.equipment/uk/basecamp/on-the-hill/10-tips-for-climbing-faster-on-long-routes-2">shenanigans</a> and some very sore toes. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big day!</td></tr>
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Since she is an untrustworthy Canadian, Bronwyn is only allowed 90 days in mainland Europe, and by the end of February she only had a couple of days left. We jumped on the ferry to Africa and headed down to explore the multi-pitch limestone in <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=8348" target="_blank">Akchour, Morocco.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABLMtBB51jj5x97Hk_4vZ4ZKAc5H4zpzlAh00sE8ucPwHxdKtUEMbBTcv3u4K_CCeYJfDVHaXv-PfySKalXyn31ue4Dccm0x2NgfQjWjF0HixfQWYBcrgcmxrXyu0ID7FdtTgyyfkarU/s1600/Akchour.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABLMtBB51jj5x97Hk_4vZ4ZKAc5H4zpzlAh00sE8ucPwHxdKtUEMbBTcv3u4K_CCeYJfDVHaXv-PfySKalXyn31ue4Dccm0x2NgfQjWjF0HixfQWYBcrgcmxrXyu0ID7FdtTgyyfkarU/s640/Akchour.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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"Taghazout" is an 11 pitch 8a, with some really wild overhanging tufas. I'm pretty sure we got the second ascent of this route so footholds kept crumbling under my feet as I stemmed up the side of a huge tufa on the crux pitch.<br />
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I managed to onsight the route by the skin of my teeth, here we are being goofballs on the summit.<br />
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In Todra Gorge we climbed some choss, met some great people and abseiled off a bush...<br />
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After a 4 days of chaotic bus journeys with chickens and a donkey ride, we made it to Taghia. Spectacular limestone big walls rose in every direction. Apparently the locals go to elaborate lengths to allow their goats to traverse these walls...<br />
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Here we are at the top of the classic 700m 7b (or 6b A0) "Barraka". <br />
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After two days of climbing under bluebird skies we found out why no-one goes to Taghia in March...<br />
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The next trip was a month in Yosemite with "Scottish Hardman" Robbie Phillips, our mission was the bold El Cap free route El Ni<span class="st">ño. After a <a href="http://www.rockandice.com/weekend-whipper-video/jacob-cook-rides-el-nino-5-13c-el-cap-yosemite">huge fall</a>, we both sketched our way up the first three hard pitches, some very thin slabs indeed! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Black Dyke pitch</td></tr>
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Our first attempt ended after two days. I was feeling pretty burnt out after over a year of continuous climbing. We left our water and portaledge stashed at our high point and returned to the Valley floor. Hopefully this taught me that I am not invincible and need to pace myself, although apparently I have learned the same lesson several times now...</div>
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The second attempt was more successful. There were multiple pitches that were right at my physical limit.
I kept almost giving up, only to "wonder-fluke" them at the last possible moment, that feeling is why I go climbing.<br />
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Despite some serious difficulties including dropping the tea bags on day 3, we pressed on and made it to the top, spending 6 days on the wall. Both Robbie and I freed every pitch. We also had a great time, thanks Robbie!<br />
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And now for something completely different...</div>
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Bron and I had talked for years about doing a combined canoeing and climbing expedition. The mission was to canoe the Little Nahanni and South Nahanni Rivers, which flow past the Cirque of the Unclimbables, where we hoped to do some climbing.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbSdG1QFaPIm-SHlUwOmYQ_cow8Eit2UhORUuPIanqDKN5hR7uF7L0uTb8uvEmM9_ujUnh4eRjH8Ah0FFDtHUSKhZI0MfdIVheccY-qd7DUYbCMevq1JFg-kCpCeR8mbgBd0PUR9MC1Y/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwbSdG1QFaPIm-SHlUwOmYQ_cow8Eit2UhORUuPIanqDKN5hR7uF7L0uTb8uvEmM9_ujUnh4eRjH8Ah0FFDtHUSKhZI0MfdIVheccY-qd7DUYbCMevq1JFg-kCpCeR8mbgBd0PUR9MC1Y/s640/3.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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There were 7 of us in total, including Bron's dad Geoff and brother Alex. It was the perfect trip: a great group of people in a beautiful remote area doing some outrageously fun stuff. </div>
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After a week of tumbling down class 3 and 4 rapids on the Little Nahanni, we left our boats by the river and hiked up into the Cirque with supplies for 10 days. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out at base camp</td></tr>
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The mission was to get Bron's dad to the top of the Lotus Flower Tower. This was to be his second multi-pitch ever! We had some bad weather over our two day climb, including one rainstorm
where we got out our tent fly at a hanging belay and all huddled under
it.</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZb0EERM534mJ_TeKdv8T-1d9DiId5KAyjdsIUy0R6T59zj5AiVeA-vWjjcxDwp8_q8ldKqRIgsV6djuEVTajPTpVWm7E3O58QTUj7hsZg0cwT5T1TabZ-j0Px7amZ4ARqXWOoJDSZWU/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKZb0EERM534mJ_TeKdv8T-1d9DiId5KAyjdsIUy0R6T59zj5AiVeA-vWjjcxDwp8_q8ldKqRIgsV6djuEVTajPTpVWm7E3O58QTUj7hsZg0cwT5T1TabZ-j0Px7amZ4ARqXWOoJDSZWU/s640/5.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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The upper headwall has some of the best moderate granite cracks anywhere, ever. So good!!!!!!!</div>
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From the top we could see for miles into the Ragged Range. This was at
8pm after a day of climbing, we then rapped the whole face, getting down
at 3am, oof!</div>
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After 30 days on the river and in the Cirque we paddled into
Blackstone Landing, making the whole trip entirely without air
transport. <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=8692" target="_blank">Here is an article I wrote for UKclimbing about the trip.</a></div>
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I trained through August and September, gradually upping the amount of exercise I was doing each day. The goal was to free climb El Cap in a day, via the route Freerider. Some days I'd do things like 3 hours boulder mileage, then 100 laps on the auto belay, then cycle home and go for a 10 mile run. Arriving in Yosemite I was feeling fighting fit and Bron and I warmed up by doing the "Rostroman" challenge, we climbed both Astroman and the Rostrum (classic Valley 5.11s) in about 12 hours. We found out later that Bron might be the second woman ever to free both routes in a day? Cool!</div>
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I also got to climb again with Alan Carne who is a legend and apparently my long lost twin? Here we are on Romulan Warbird.</div>
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My first attempt at Freerider in a day ended in failiure 6 pitches below the top. Here I am middway through the Enduro Corners utterly defeated. It was an interesting experience to reach that level of fatigue, in the end I got cramp in both arms just trying to unclip my daisy from the belay! We bailed through the night, rapping most of the Salathe with one 70m rope and got down early the next morning.</div>
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Luckily Pete Whittaker arrived to guide me up my second attempt. Here he is on the crux pitch 24, the viciously crimpy 13a Huber pitch.<br />
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And here I am working the pitch I failed at on my first attempt, apparently the "redpoint crux" of Freerider in a day: the 12b second enduro corner pitch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZUkTEcBuWNtPihKsyFnsPxhbXCUhLD2oMxr4qN950Wq0Oa392oGQBM8YdZD93N0iCPmkouJNKendvCfRhh_8wsTbxWvPvY7MKaWaj-jS32UxDIX8qpUMLp65L67vCcYeL6PeZJA5Sbs/s1600/14701284_563116803879037_6779640103330381824_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZUkTEcBuWNtPihKsyFnsPxhbXCUhLD2oMxr4qN950Wq0Oa392oGQBM8YdZD93N0iCPmkouJNKendvCfRhh_8wsTbxWvPvY7MKaWaj-jS32UxDIX8qpUMLp65L67vCcYeL6PeZJA5Sbs/s640/14701284_563116803879037_6779640103330381824_n.jpg" width="512" /> </a></div>
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After a few practice days, we went for it from the ground and both freed the route in 16h45m. It was a pleasure climbing with Pete, he was calm and good humored the whole way, even when I convinced him to stop at the world's most uncomfortable hanging belay in the middle of the night two pitches below the top...<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNs_a91-0XccyQJSCrBgatxztd-X2ax62BP68Qu5GAl0F7T0lYTs7ULmS8Jqphmu0l84ahQcsTTZXuqXQBuhapJJq6iUDcI0ZA_RdnqCkBlkK3UwmA-sE4er2p29ONezYp5i_rGkvBVdA/s640/PB040027.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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This was Pete's warm up for his <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=8934" target="_blank">rope-solo free ascent</a> of the route a week later, incredible! Apparently going with me as a partner only sped him up by 4 hours compared to self belaying, abseiling and then jugging every pitch, haha!</div>
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As a last route of the season Bron and I decided to climb the West Face of Clouds Rest. The route is called "My Favourite Things", isn't in any guidebooks and doesn't get done a lot but it's amazing and you should all go and climb it. It was really really beautiful at the top too!</div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmuIYF0ATZ5zBpia6atcEYdLASF56gd6Db7SQahB5QcvPTZ6jzFNxs4DeAb9_AIEGGGscfw9h4iAtyJAzt2ykYdED91eNlBDSE6Xvr6iASpq0AxjnpqjWNEBjvgODcwkhj4T2gRPCiEw/s640/DSC02677.JPG" width="640" /> </div>
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On our drive back to Bron's home in Ontario it would have been rude not to stop in Indian Creek and climb some finger cracks...</div>
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I ended the year with a cross country ski trip in Northern Ontario with Bron's family, and a new years eve bonfire!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-36971823206892246442016-01-21T08:32:00.000-08:002016-01-22T13:04:29.597-08:00Top 10 routes of 2015!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These are my top 10 routes from 2015, so many awesome adventures!<br />
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10. <b>ANCIENT ART</b> 5.11a, Fisher Towers, Utah. Is it sandstone, or is it mud? Is the whole route actually an April Fools joke? Definitely the craziest and most unlikely rock formation I've ever climbed on <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDi6kOAP7nDFqXbN_WZYhdQ3DjSjMFAESTQE4S96ztu7NzH4nA_TZCXW6xx6xe52rlHnmpS8hSGNy4E1sG4sJuX7V5AXvaR0q2jNufcH4wmZ5tdBAcN4689zM2uf9vKGJH8aDLo1dbdY/s1600/DSCN5459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDi6kOAP7nDFqXbN_WZYhdQ3DjSjMFAESTQE4S96ztu7NzH4nA_TZCXW6xx6xe52rlHnmpS8hSGNy4E1sG4sJuX7V5AXvaR0q2jNufcH4wmZ5tdBAcN4689zM2uf9vKGJH8aDLo1dbdY/s640/DSCN5459.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWsFZomGO1fIgwTtMAl3s7xVcUZlNLZA26Ogk62a6y17Gxrx9sjhIgLhjExI_vCNdvaSaPDueDZdVIDIATOqXMAhHThxTYWUczXHqvvM9L5LrR7TvwCE2U13W_Uw4585Rk-g3REYoNGM/s1600/DSCN5484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWsFZomGO1fIgwTtMAl3s7xVcUZlNLZA26Ogk62a6y17Gxrx9sjhIgLhjExI_vCNdvaSaPDueDZdVIDIATOqXMAhHThxTYWUczXHqvvM9L5LrR7TvwCE2U13W_Uw4585Rk-g3REYoNGM/s640/DSCN5484.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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9. <b>THE CASUAL ROUTE</b> 5.10b, The Diamond (<span class="_Xbe kno-fv">4,346m)</span>, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. "It turns out climbing 5.10 is really hard when it's covered in snow and you can't breathe..."<br />
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8. Bron's house in <b>Perth, Ontario to Yosemite, California</b>. 5 days of driving, this one was so good we did it four times!!! There and back twice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The glitz and glamour of life as a professional dirtbag. Making coffee in the Macdonalds carpark (free wifi) because you're too cheap to pay 1 dollar for a coffee inside...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Death Valley. Not a good day to stock up on reduced Easter eggs...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iowa has a lot going for it as a state...</td></tr>
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7.<b> PEACE</b> 5.13c, Tuolumne Meadows, California. I wore through a pair of shoes in 5 days on this route. Extreme knob-crimping at its finest...<br />
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6. <b>A PhD in Mathematics</b>. Approximate grade of 8c. Still can't believe I actually finished this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah right then, glad we got that cleared up.</td></tr>
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5. <b>SALATHE</b> in a day, El Capitan, Yosemite. SALADAY! Climbing the best cliff in the world in 17 hours of semi-rushing with mild to moderate fear, excellent.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qy6fpzd5PP4s8Osy_EI7Zzy8w0T_hyphenhyphennRMVBfNRjq1JxXKJ9FU1NYr_Nv_zUB65hN3dmSIEQW1pO_hSrnuiQCjpwcrhbANrUQr3Aw46vL4U66GICamHLfnk5Osn0PPbRgTu5I4vp9myE/s1600/86.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Qy6fpzd5PP4s8Osy_EI7Zzy8w0T_hyphenhyphennRMVBfNRjq1JxXKJ9FU1NYr_Nv_zUB65hN3dmSIEQW1pO_hSrnuiQCjpwcrhbANrUQr3Aw46vL4U66GICamHLfnk5Osn0PPbRgTu5I4vp9myE/s640/86.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shayna leading out onto the headwall at sunset.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by me in the exact same spot as the picture above.</td></tr>
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4. <b>MOUNT WATKINS SOUTH FACE</b> 5.13c, Yosemite. Great free climbing on a remote big wall. Would have been better if we hadn't got lost on top and had to phone Bron's mum and dad for directions...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topping out after midnight on Halloween, no need for costumes!</td></tr>
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3. <b>MOONLIGHT BUTTRESS</b> 5.12d, Zion, Utah. Mind-blowing to imagine Honnold soloing this. Prestashing the portaledge made for luxury big walling at its best!<br />
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2. <b>DISKO 2000</b> 8a+, Blåmman, Norway. This trip required a lot of faith in pre-placed beaks and a lot of faith that one day it might stop raining. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Base camp.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitch 2, 8a+ corner!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave showing off ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit, more rain, YESSSS!!!!</td></tr>
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1. <b>FREERIDER</b> 5.13a, El Capitan, Yosemite. Blood, sweat and sharks. 6 days on the wall, I never want to look at another Ramen Noodle.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron having a lovely time in the Monster offwidth. I did not have a lovely time.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEAiPEv6roko9v9T8YQBvggi4s3zRHrVltIdsVywV2e3gAa12DZSWNzw-rsCGB6Rp-LZb8hP83UlvmkfCJHhY5xESoc2JYTHK17G5i6d9VOHZij1nvqU3o4z3EIWYraJdrFXjrhcZtoo/s1600/Freerider+4.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEAiPEv6roko9v9T8YQBvggi4s3zRHrVltIdsVywV2e3gAa12DZSWNzw-rsCGB6Rp-LZb8hP83UlvmkfCJHhY5xESoc2JYTHK17G5i6d9VOHZij1nvqU3o4z3EIWYraJdrFXjrhcZtoo/s640/Freerider+4.JPG" width="480" /></a> </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron catching up on the gun show.</td></tr>
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BONUS, WORST CLIMB OF 2015!!!<br />
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...<br />
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Half Dome, <b>REGULAR NORTHWEST FACE</b>. First off we forgot a sleeping bag, then we got stuck behind some aid climbers, 19 hours of grimness ensued... Then the route fell down a month later!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VcyPC_Yt1NjgTCoIBcLVvjopOJvQnkD8Ng9oytgDzV5oi41RBO8UijN9h2bpMPtNu31NHeIz6vw7JshESasC3RMESYPA5GuOiOr9cnolk5qS1Gm6SDu9gfbBCLz5U6b5VZXpPCvFqZQ/s1600/DSCN5794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6VcyPC_Yt1NjgTCoIBcLVvjopOJvQnkD8Ng9oytgDzV5oi41RBO8UijN9h2bpMPtNu31NHeIz6vw7JshESasC3RMESYPA5GuOiOr9cnolk5qS1Gm6SDu9gfbBCLz5U6b5VZXpPCvFqZQ/s640/DSCN5794.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I guess it wasn't so bad really...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pure psyche on display after topping out at 11pm!</td></tr>
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If next year holds even half as many awesome adventures I'll be happy. Roll on 2016!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-86379760218325968602016-01-08T09:22:00.002-08:002016-01-08T09:26:11.121-08:00Yosemite 3I've realised that Yosemite is somewhere I intend on coming back to
again and again. I love it! The climbing is challenging and engaging in a
way that I haven't found anywhere else. To climb hard there it's not
enough just to be strong, skilled, bold or tough, you have to have a bit
of everything. Basically you have to be a <i>good</i> climber. I read
an interview with Tommy Caldwell where he said it took him 4 years just
to learn how to use his feet on El Cap granite, and this is what
ultimately made the difference between 5.13 and 5.14 for him. I find
this hugely inspiring and motivating, I've only had three trips, imagine
if I learned to use <i>my</i> feet properly! With this in mind my goals for my
third Yosemite trip were more about learning and improving than any one
specific objective. This felt very different to my first two trips, both
of which had been focused on the one goal of free climbing El Capitan via
Freerider. It was great to arrive back in the Valley with no
expectations, I felt relaxed and able to enjoy my favourite place in the
world!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYURJZPNpNFjRinNJh0IAw1qsJK0XSJlBsVjTouUQOG82fBm9B35XCioyWZ2s-JCibI8hwErsB3OwpJpRhNDUJ7dyJfYrnTkES-BFEpecl3pSgbCQSTurLdBB38RlCHw5JM_7chT4_Xao/s1600/bodkin-freerider-boulder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYURJZPNpNFjRinNJh0IAw1qsJK0XSJlBsVjTouUQOG82fBm9B35XCioyWZ2s-JCibI8hwErsB3OwpJpRhNDUJ7dyJfYrnTkES-BFEpecl3pSgbCQSTurLdBB38RlCHw5JM_7chT4_Xao/s400/bodkin-freerider-boulder.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crimping hard on Freerider last June.</td></tr>
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We spent the first 3 weeks in Tuolumne; the high country above Yosemite Valley. Peace is a famously thin 5.13+ (8a+/b) slab and wall climb on the beautiful golden West face of Medicott dome. I had seen this sweet poster of Ron Kauk making the first ascent when I was a kid.<br />
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Peace is an enormous 60 meter pitch climbing a black streak on a golden wall, it varies between 85 and 95 degrees; a testpiece of techy wall climbing. The wall is covered in Tuolumne's infamous granite chickenheads or "knobs", with virtually no distinguishing features at any point. The crux seemed to be just remembering which part of the route I was on! At any one time I could reach maybe 20 knobs and 19 of them were so bad I'd fall immediately. I loved the style of climbing, and it was especially fun since my friends Alan Carne and Brette Harrington were working on the Bachar Yerian a few meters to my left. We would have leisurely chats, suspended above the floor between attempts. I had quite a strange progression on the route, it took 3 sessions just to do all the moves in isolation, and I sent the route on my first proper redpoint, completely out of the blue, on my 5th day. Such a beautiful line!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first crux</td></tr>
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Peace goes into the sun just after midday, making the climb about 100 times harder. In the afternoons Bron and I were loving life, charging up granite dome after granite dome. We climbed the moderate routes, and practiced moving fast. We would take one short half rope and simul-climb large sections, often
putting a micro-traxion or a rope-man between us to protect the leader
if the second were to fall. Climbing this way is outrageously fun, it's difficult to describe the feeling apart from by saying it makes regular pitched climbing feel like a snails-crawl. One great day we managed to climb 3 routes on Fairview dome in an afternoon!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXR0i7eKlARwlpwCEPLlHo0W0aWoRATjyFPYwCGTem-Ncdsdid_4xY0FP8ZADS02-y2T7qEoYHjOSpVbGo3c2U029K18TQHz6MK4GqLPMr1lpiKfHiNRwbAioo-awXyKXo84K0yjCaRM/s1600/P9280188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXR0i7eKlARwlpwCEPLlHo0W0aWoRATjyFPYwCGTem-Ncdsdid_4xY0FP8ZADS02-y2T7qEoYHjOSpVbGo3c2U029K18TQHz6MK4GqLPMr1lpiKfHiNRwbAioo-awXyKXo84K0yjCaRM/s640/P9280188.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset after our 3rd route on Tuolumne's Fairview Dome!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As the weather got colder we moved down into the Valley proper and continued running up thousands and thousands of feet of granite.<br />
<br />
Highlights:<br />
<br />
Royal Arches North Dome. We climbed what is normally 24 pitches of climbing in 4 long "simul-blocks" reaching the summit of North Dome before midday!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTurydABQ7PAjb5fJU8H__9ZN5zSN1GS_9aJSGDY2gBQqAMOqxkINQ8tiAuvOosjTGtF_cHq-h8ADuC7eLpxFm9adbag4186ABLj32v8g9N9LVVCIK_ch1_iNBtKKxGi7Qsx8EZNxZoc/s1600/PA050319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUTurydABQ7PAjb5fJU8H__9ZN5zSN1GS_9aJSGDY2gBQqAMOqxkINQ8tiAuvOosjTGtF_cHq-h8ADuC7eLpxFm9adbag4186ABLj32v8g9N9LVVCIK_ch1_iNBtKKxGi7Qsx8EZNxZoc/s640/PA050319.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5000 feet of climbing and it's only midday!</td></tr>
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The Rostrum, I was delighted for both Bron and I to get the onsight of this iconic crack climbing testpiece.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8t3l8NAwJO6wMHkAXLd-5zlPSam9PvaP9vaxDplS-VDvwOggpNSOyZ_4EX2gjk-tDpRUfMO_RMHD4TGZd7bjuqNfCMi_pSfVVvAuNSllH-Yq4duSfhnz7r4LBqb0_8CBflwmtsufDgo/s1600/PA060340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm8t3l8NAwJO6wMHkAXLd-5zlPSam9PvaP9vaxDplS-VDvwOggpNSOyZ_4EX2gjk-tDpRUfMO_RMHD4TGZd7bjuqNfCMi_pSfVVvAuNSllH-Yq4duSfhnz7r4LBqb0_8CBflwmtsufDgo/s640/PA060340.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron cruising the Rostrum</td></tr>
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Astroman. It only took me three trips across the Atlantic and three separate attempts to finally send this climb. Specifically the Harding slot, a pitch that is supposedly 6c! I just needed Bron to get the top rope up there for me first! The next challenge is going to be doing the Rostrum AND Astroman in a day, my hands hurt just thinking about it!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HGcIyyh0-pHyxQ4dTMTiOAu9kGH0q7_2XaP3R9NxqnBZjen1Te49D2_T2s3y1JkKyJoQSypKVaJTM7pGNwLv62vjyTivzy7Wh-bnPBsp87-7eAoZDkzJhoIjjvUFUvz5sDvZIKmFpFk/s1600/DSCN7575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HGcIyyh0-pHyxQ4dTMTiOAu9kGH0q7_2XaP3R9NxqnBZjen1Te49D2_T2s3y1JkKyJoQSypKVaJTM7pGNwLv62vjyTivzy7Wh-bnPBsp87-7eAoZDkzJhoIjjvUFUvz5sDvZIKmFpFk/s640/DSCN7575.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron getting my top-rope up for me on the Harding slot.</td></tr>
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<b>Mount Watkins</b><br />
<br />
Much of the Valley was extremely crowded in October, I heard tales of 10 or more teams on the first half of Salathe/Freerider! I was keen for a Yosemite free climbing adventure that was a little bit more off the beaten track. The South face of Mount Watkins ticked these boxes and the crux was rumoured to be a 5.13c/8a+ dyno, I was sold! We packed for 4 days, one to hike in, two days climbing and a fourth to hike off the top. Getting to the base of the wall turned out to be quite a logistical challenge, we hiked for about 4 hours up the secluded Tenaya Canyon, taking us far from the tour buses and burger stands of the Valley proper. We filtered water from Tenaya Creek and began the epic task of getting our haulbag to the top of the "4th class" at the base of the wall. Some of the "4th class" turned out to involve soaking wet slabs up to 5.8!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqvC3tdiHzsNf4cCb0MK5APrBcdXT_bEfh0iSmLLWjolCGzxmAd3NZNvz0LDa1bxq_kTFgA3Edmpyhk5lKPWo-2VRReDs6f6WTPm2g7SvQ9LG17pc5fkI9_KJ-VT-J-_2hg2tQYgXVxg/s1600/PA290570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlqvC3tdiHzsNf4cCb0MK5APrBcdXT_bEfh0iSmLLWjolCGzxmAd3NZNvz0LDa1bxq_kTFgA3Edmpyhk5lKPWo-2VRReDs6f6WTPm2g7SvQ9LG17pc5fkI9_KJ-VT-J-_2hg2tQYgXVxg/s640/PA290570.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endless low angle slabs, the wall just kept getting further away!</td></tr>
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I had just enough light left on our first day to have one attempt at the first hard pitch, a
low angle blank looking 12a slab. A beautiful pitch that made all the slog of getting to the wall seem instantly worth it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdlZXeRu8i14NbJy74Mo-AIZs4uQkKG09mMGrVaUThit9mBfpb2F9TZqT9ZtXAH-0pYRCFz04D4JX2nJOw8hrycxsgmiwF15T9LCGhc6ZWO-kJfWBmEL64BwTNUGd7RR2B-Di1CfgUtg/s1600/PA300590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdlZXeRu8i14NbJy74Mo-AIZs4uQkKG09mMGrVaUThit9mBfpb2F9TZqT9ZtXAH-0pYRCFz04D4JX2nJOw8hrycxsgmiwF15T9LCGhc6ZWO-kJfWBmEL64BwTNUGd7RR2B-Di1CfgUtg/s640/PA300590.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">onsighting the first pitch, 12a slab!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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We woke before dawn and climbed all the next day, there was not another person in sight; we had the whole of Tenaya Canyon to ourselves! At dusk we reached to an amazing bivy ledge above pitch 11, and set up camp.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUFD7b-4lYpk-yaB1KsZ_PQ-4YfjQ7g5Jz942LUIt0ey-WAXC4Rrguoyq8SZ7toHHi-4sVhnzvRYSDL1rCPOM9o4PQAaWsZoPUI1Z1tvaZklEI-m79nUUAoGE5VYjVxL1l9TLMPd0fHg/s1600/PA300593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQUFD7b-4lYpk-yaB1KsZ_PQ-4YfjQ7g5Jz942LUIt0ey-WAXC4Rrguoyq8SZ7toHHi-4sVhnzvRYSDL1rCPOM9o4PQAaWsZoPUI1Z1tvaZklEI-m79nUUAoGE5VYjVxL1l9TLMPd0fHg/s640/PA300593.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron jugging our fixed line at dawn.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeweKwoCjPASppbfrOameXLmbc2XNTpcC43x2tSPUA_aLmifYr4ZBLKrjJM_Ak4Fs25rnhN2qgK3FbMaGN52ePelZ_6OIFugrVbQTCaeUC_UJARLNaY9Wh0q5V1zF9ZVuNZVnEWrBVimk/s1600/PA310662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeweKwoCjPASppbfrOameXLmbc2XNTpcC43x2tSPUA_aLmifYr4ZBLKrjJM_Ak4Fs25rnhN2qgK3FbMaGN52ePelZ_6OIFugrVbQTCaeUC_UJARLNaY9Wh0q5V1zF9ZVuNZVnEWrBVimk/s640/PA310662.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful view of Half Dome.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpz1G3GwHKNqjVitZWhhImj-LPnoFELdiizih15Bxm6sl8Uok1hUwLYildC1PjRKQ-PcTpIZCqDlxqZcjAFZym9188vxo2_XeWhrfvAmv-IOt_beXLIR5x4UwEK6c6qlW51M34PfULLw/s1600/PA310643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpz1G3GwHKNqjVitZWhhImj-LPnoFELdiizih15Bxm6sl8Uok1hUwLYildC1PjRKQ-PcTpIZCqDlxqZcjAFZym9188vxo2_XeWhrfvAmv-IOt_beXLIR5x4UwEK6c6qlW51M34PfULLw/s640/PA310643.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron leading the outrageously exposed pitch 10, possibly the best pitch of 5.3 in the world!</td></tr>
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Our alarm went off at 5am the next morning, I knew that all the hardest climbing still lay above me. I felt excited to try my hardest and give it my absolute best shot!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV510mlV4hkal02U7qQVmcN-b0F4RkJ4cpZiAZf9XvXdVn4yvNauicKRgWH9Zod7A9xUIB8tTk_oEMcjMCllByJ6xmOv96nHarnpBJ-SJ3KyZAg-9uu_EZYmrjBTlfv25y-F1OmMTUlsw/s1600/PA310654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV510mlV4hkal02U7qQVmcN-b0F4RkJ4cpZiAZf9XvXdVn4yvNauicKRgWH9Zod7A9xUIB8tTk_oEMcjMCllByJ6xmOv96nHarnpBJ-SJ3KyZAg-9uu_EZYmrjBTlfv25y-F1OmMTUlsw/s640/PA310654.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise of day 2 on the wall.</td></tr>
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The first crux was the "pendulum bypass pitch", a very thin 12d/7c layback with small gear, finishing with a few long slaps between crimps on the face. I was surprised and delighted to onsight it, it felt pretty touch and go on some of the sketchy, smeary footholds! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr-g_nmaYCbQd7POXzDKmNHsyl48qN1Ioid-uLaNZvMtcPCgczK90w3a9ThTGWihs971TK04zshEcTI0FOn6y77BPTaJy3be8xPz5SYcZYPSVrvKHx9zsBeB4qshyphenhyphenfqfvp4AsYuROu_k/s1600/DSCN7449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtr-g_nmaYCbQd7POXzDKmNHsyl48qN1Ioid-uLaNZvMtcPCgczK90w3a9ThTGWihs971TK04zshEcTI0FOn6y77BPTaJy3be8xPz5SYcZYPSVrvKHx9zsBeB4qshyphenhyphenfqfvp4AsYuROu_k/s640/DSCN7449.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaking out and eyeballing the crux of the "Pendulum Bypass pitch".</td></tr>
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The next obstacle came immediately afterwards in the form of the 13c "dyno pitch", I was looking forward to trying this one! I went up and fell many times trying the dyno, before eventually figuring out a way of doing it static! I quickly realised I wasn't going to stand a chance until it came into the shade. We waited on the ledge, huddling in the shade cast by our haulbag as the sun moved across the sky. At last light I fought my way upwards, clawing my way past the boulder crux before almost losing it on the thin slab above. I arrived at the anchors as the sun set, exhausted and shaking, in semi-disbelief that I'd actually pulled it off.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQ27h0c3da3GGa9HM6yrGd11WfqvyA2RvQOYbF7pU9wKVZxZxfVg8iBsoDzzNKeOi3ZZmT4vP_t3qqrqli8OAkIYGHlwAdSeDFB55ZrCm76fthgAztPdpbeVyJtlaRbNg4XfcybgN5Fg/s1600/DSCN7466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQ27h0c3da3GGa9HM6yrGd11WfqvyA2RvQOYbF7pU9wKVZxZxfVg8iBsoDzzNKeOi3ZZmT4vP_t3qqrqli8OAkIYGHlwAdSeDFB55ZrCm76fthgAztPdpbeVyJtlaRbNg4XfcybgN5Fg/s640/DSCN7466.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "dyno pitch"!</td></tr>
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The downside to waiting all day to get the pitch in the shade was that we now had to climb to the top in the dark! Bron took the lead and took us up some gnarly 10d flare pitches by headtorch. It felt spooky climbing in a little ball of light, but knowing there was 2000 feet of empty space beneath my feet that I couldn't see. It was all I could do to second the pitches clean in my exhausted state.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3PcwcB_ccBB57oYc62_Rs0XvBl2IdqIWcVwO9R8z0wDtVfccWiksn1pPnq0kmEHYe2rsnI2_RXllQar9sCpK2AFVtboYdaKnICXYXN95GMzPvZpwRtBnC-Mof7tyiGyppSgVZPaudyA/s1600/PB010688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3PcwcB_ccBB57oYc62_Rs0XvBl2IdqIWcVwO9R8z0wDtVfccWiksn1pPnq0kmEHYe2rsnI2_RXllQar9sCpK2AFVtboYdaKnICXYXN95GMzPvZpwRtBnC-Mof7tyiGyppSgVZPaudyA/s640/PB010688.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron leading off into the night.</td></tr>
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We reached the top of the wall at 1:30am, I was really pleased to have free climbed the whole route, but more importantly to have had an epic adventure with my girlfriend on a sweet big wall! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEh0zZ4C_AUJZSMOEMp0owQJJnBoc8wvweu0ReNPpeXUR1HB3PZM-qQtjf20VTnzYXtEF2AJEHaC7uHkICW_G0buu9fQSwQ5HrFrVFFnasphNWJDRAtZWUs2VrbcB8nGuIYGpvagAoR48/s1600/PB010712.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEh0zZ4C_AUJZSMOEMp0owQJJnBoc8wvweu0ReNPpeXUR1HB3PZM-qQtjf20VTnzYXtEF2AJEHaC7uHkICW_G0buu9fQSwQ5HrFrVFFnasphNWJDRAtZWUs2VrbcB8nGuIYGpvagAoR48/s640/PB010712.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the summit, exhausted but happy.</td></tr>
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<b>Saladay</b><br />
<br />
On one of our last days in the Valley I got the chance to climb with Shayna Brown, a Valley local who's been climbing a bunch of big walls at blazing speeds. It was a great opportunity to practice and learn more about speed climbing techniques. We decided to climb the Salathe wall on El Capitan in a day (Saladay!), which is slightly harder than the Nose-in-a-day due to being a bit longer and having a lot more mandatory wide crack climbing.<br />
<br />
It was another outrageously fun day, we "short-fixed" the entire wall using a "Pakistani Death Loop". The second would jumar at running pace with music blaring from the mini-speaker clipped to their harness. Speed climbing big walls is completely different to free climbing them, I enjoyed the different mindset where anything goes as long as you keep moving upwards and bolts become jugs. I can't wait to do more of this type of thing in the future! We climbed the wall in a little over 17 hours, it got dark just as we got onto the infamous headwall. Swinging about up there in the dark was atmospheric for sure. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNVrQONqaemPuXIZHCZVmfzQBBO5GWfLLd4a-rUa73OSiCsnaaRehovCiNNiIJvJSsg9NMitV7Y2Ubs2-CxsqLrLLprMANmsPtTjEgdNh66d0tUJku3UlqVlrC-tOhF2CSU4W3UV3Ek0/s1600/86.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTNVrQONqaemPuXIZHCZVmfzQBBO5GWfLLd4a-rUa73OSiCsnaaRehovCiNNiIJvJSsg9NMitV7Y2Ubs2-CxsqLrLLprMANmsPtTjEgdNh66d0tUJku3UlqVlrC-tOhF2CSU4W3UV3Ek0/s640/86.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down the "enduro corner", good exposure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PCeDb4nUU2Il1Q1yw3dXYZ65QBMgYfBLE84j4YE3IGTu22BGR9gBp_zBTGRCGJjI1h4FvV8eIUGM90O-gPUn9FPUqLm0rs_Vj8F-8zHMaE7PNuYXVZFfI9x5BtLpuby1QBkYIszc7OI/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3PCeDb4nUU2Il1Q1yw3dXYZ65QBMgYfBLE84j4YE3IGTu22BGR9gBp_zBTGRCGJjI1h4FvV8eIUGM90O-gPUn9FPUqLm0rs_Vj8F-8zHMaE7PNuYXVZFfI9x5BtLpuby1QBkYIszc7OI/s640/3.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shayna's feet getting onto the headwall.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Bron and our friend Tito met us on top with a stove, sitting at the top of El Cap at midnight after climbing the whole of the Salathe and being made hot chocolate was one of the more special moments of my climbing life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-41305500011085372822015-08-19T11:59:00.000-07:002015-09-18T14:25:42.397-07:00Norwegian big walling<style>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I just got back from 3 weeks in Arctic Norway climbing on the 400m
North face of Blamann with Dave Macleod and later Calum Muskett.
The aim was to have a go at free climbing one of the aid routes up the central
steepest part of the face. Disko 2000 takes a direct line through a series of huge roofs. I saw the trip as an amazing opportunity to learn
some new things from a pair of very experienced climbers, I left with no
expectations.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWf028Ci96CfidMbKOHlefLUV339sVQ1vpJkCJI47SfgcxNEqq1O2HZ_krGNbKEcJKusLxG7BWWJUFy_wiNkiUahrWvW7oKHczTR7cHZ657GvtuBHDtS2RJluwh3_9gnOy9MOE-_nCL8/s1600/0-the+wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWf028Ci96CfidMbKOHlefLUV339sVQ1vpJkCJI47SfgcxNEqq1O2HZ_krGNbKEcJKusLxG7BWWJUFy_wiNkiUahrWvW7oKHczTR7cHZ657GvtuBHDtS2RJluwh3_9gnOy9MOE-_nCL8/s400/0-the+wall.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wall, from base camp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">Arriving into Tromso airport to midnight sun and meeting Dave was an odd
experience. I felt somewhat self conscious setting off on a big climbing trip
with someone whose climbing had inspired me for many years, but who I'd never
actually met in person. Luckily I was able to prove useful straight away, by
hiking huge loads of ropes and gear up to the base of the wall. Dave was
recovering from ankle surgery so had to take it easy with the carrying. I felt
relieved that even if I wasn't going to be able to climb anything, I'd already
done something towards making the trip a success! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnydvjt0co1tju9C5zlYddPkS8de8w-pv0XW8APLqqF8QxdVkM65x4wJaSUDBXIZhdeutYz36mP-YkmJBR-d9O_f7WHUl2fBqBIrYHwWOrp2nd8y0YxYifc98OWfhm3ZigtwXKtThu-c/s1600/P8040607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnydvjt0co1tju9C5zlYddPkS8de8w-pv0XW8APLqqF8QxdVkM65x4wJaSUDBXIZhdeutYz36mP-YkmJBR-d9O_f7WHUl2fBqBIrYHwWOrp2nd8y0YxYifc98OWfhm3ZigtwXKtThu-c/s400/P8040607.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave kicking steps to the base of the wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">It looked as though the wildly overhanging first half (roughly 200m) would
be the crux for free climbing, after this the face slabbed out a bit. Our plan
was to aid the steep part and get fixed ropes in place which would allow us to
work the pitches. The aid turned out to be pretty scary! A particularly bad
moment was when Dave was aiding his way up an expanding flake 5m directly above
me. Each peg he hammered in the flake detached further from the wall. I could
hear it creaking. I cowered behind a small roof, trying to get as much of my
body out of the firing line as possible in case Dave, the flake or both were to
detach from the wall. That day we climbed until 6am, the north facing aspect
meaning we were climbing in the sun in the middle of the night. Around midnight
there was this spectacular, seemingly never-ending sunrise/sunset.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJu7u55fjNEEZ9iaSHc8bhRV9x22FPUuy9fiEwJhHmdu-fFDKa8YmhpPUGGSAaFF8KiipTfbElhQ3UARKdgnEZ5WlVqCtN_y4lFOP7AVwre0xtrsgrF6tluJWfuvWwscaihaWILzP4hs/s1600/P7310102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJu7u55fjNEEZ9iaSHc8bhRV9x22FPUuy9fiEwJhHmdu-fFDKa8YmhpPUGGSAaFF8KiipTfbElhQ3UARKdgnEZ5WlVqCtN_y4lFOP7AVwre0xtrsgrF6tluJWfuvWwscaihaWILzP4hs/s320/P7310102.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Once we had the first four pitches fixed, Dave decided to spend a day
working some moves on the lower pitches whilst I offered to go aid soloing
above to get our fixed ropes higher. I've always been fascinated with the idea
of rope soloing. The whole face was enveloped in cloud that day, it felt wild
to be up high on the wall, in my own little bubble of visibility inside the
swirling clouds. Aiding pitch 7 I was required to do a pendulum 4m to my right
to switch crack systems. I puzzled about how we would free climb this part. I
spotted a jug miles out to my right, "I wonder if it would be possible to
just <i>jump</i> to that?" I thought... </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb_O94b6f3kcl8XUcOU3F9KBFmPaWb1jwuQ59s8eGh8FdbJtvyxLOh0d2vSMg9xbJutQ7MFRtvP_WZVz6ggkbDdBJB-AzZaPW2nkrBxgT7r2hRLOOE1PxUem1bjkhYH6N2vMnsQFp-DY/s1600/P8060628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfb_O94b6f3kcl8XUcOU3F9KBFmPaWb1jwuQ59s8eGh8FdbJtvyxLOh0d2vSMg9xbJutQ7MFRtvP_WZVz6ggkbDdBJB-AzZaPW2nkrBxgT7r2hRLOOE1PxUem1bjkhYH6N2vMnsQFp-DY/s400/P8060628.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rope solo fun-times</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">Disko 2000 shares the first two pitches with an existing free route called
Arctandria. Pitch two gets 8a+, the crux of Arctandria. 40m of perfect clean
corner with a thin crack in the back. The crack is so thin in sections that it
has to be aid climbed using very thin beaks. We left a few of these in as
protection when free climbing, I didn't like the idea of testing them. My first
work session on this pitch was dispiriting. There was body-length of climbing
that I just couldn't figure out. It seemed to either require crimping on
impossibly small edges or standing on impossibly blank smears. I went down to
camp disheartened. It then rained for four days straight, sat in the tent for
hours upon hours I did not rate my chances of climbing that corner!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">When the rain finally stopped I went back up for another play. I found a way
of doing the move, which involved a crazy "crucifix" style palm out
behind me, followed by a desperate "windmill" move to snatch a
fingerlock. It was on. The next day we waited anxiously for conditions, heading
up to climb late in the evening. It felt dreamlike as I climbed smoothly up to
the precarious rest stood on a sloping shelf below the crux. I expected to
fall. I felt my left hand opening on the crimp in the crack. I thought I was
off right up until the moment I found myself holding the fingerlock at the end
of the crux. For sure one of my best climbing performances to date. Brilliant.
Dave climbed the pitch in the Polar twilight shortly after me. We were getting
it done!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEqIu-GBtAgncPNMWheSTEgSa8sqMOGpqKJLmu-SYKoh-BzYpQU6U-3Vr8wN-0Ci3pFU0Fkb0OmQiiu-IFPGL05dSj16esKNgXx3WSz7T8rmfbQ6kUjH1QG600YOtUdqNsAWDOslTBpQ/s1600/1-pitch2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHEqIu-GBtAgncPNMWheSTEgSa8sqMOGpqKJLmu-SYKoh-BzYpQU6U-3Vr8wN-0Ci3pFU0Fkb0OmQiiu-IFPGL05dSj16esKNgXx3WSz7T8rmfbQ6kUjH1QG600YOtUdqNsAWDOslTBpQ/s400/1-pitch2.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crux of pitch 2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrfNmfhf_EsgwXd_V8Qd6FYsDvtoaePGcT5taXZMGdGOJEDkHbqFXXrBPwcoOxBwHaxspcl7ttk9XICxIuno6EniE-ZMHsBk3lRGBD5zaxq0l1GeBpbMMZ0VVCt8luWfGt8ihrUzBGsI/s1600/2-pitch2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSrfNmfhf_EsgwXd_V8Qd6FYsDvtoaePGcT5taXZMGdGOJEDkHbqFXXrBPwcoOxBwHaxspcl7ttk9XICxIuno6EniE-ZMHsBk3lRGBD5zaxq0l1GeBpbMMZ0VVCt8luWfGt8ihrUzBGsI/s400/2-pitch2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">The next day we tried the other 4 of the first 5 pitches. Dave pulled
out a smooth send of pitch 4, another amazing 8a+ pitch. This one climbing in
and around multiple roofs on crimps. It was particularly impressive since it
happened to be pouring with rain at the time. I was getting soaked at the
belay, but the pitch was staying dry! I wasn't able to do one of the moves on
this pitch. I would have loved to be able to climb it, in fact, it may have
inspired me to do some fingerboarding!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oG-N9nuWaPn0NCM0JWzqYbj-PFf_1AbeQ6oQHnlzA3DNrZzu9-nQajw_rKT3FkjJgcSd5vDbCFh2dIow2FxQH4Vcd6Ow4PJ4X47hQmzgrlb_ooek07uGhbBI9J1oWbb8l6jJoqmlW3U/s1600/3-pitch4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oG-N9nuWaPn0NCM0JWzqYbj-PFf_1AbeQ6oQHnlzA3DNrZzu9-nQajw_rKT3FkjJgcSd5vDbCFh2dIow2FxQH4Vcd6Ow4PJ4X47hQmzgrlb_ooek07uGhbBI9J1oWbb8l6jJoqmlW3U/s400/3-pitch4.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave on pitch 4</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvGSbrHYjvtoXbhZNK2vy_4OZbIlqdJu19GLlP7hyrZ65qmwEf0fO2tu_kEPgLVNXwqNoYwYbGPF8m2k6S6uHoPYdCEzaY5Lw5lSrlfO-urY-3BTDRF_zjVM2-ygO0eIwOq81rJUat20/s1600/4-pitch4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFvGSbrHYjvtoXbhZNK2vy_4OZbIlqdJu19GLlP7hyrZ65qmwEf0fO2tu_kEPgLVNXwqNoYwYbGPF8m2k6S6uHoPYdCEzaY5Lw5lSrlfO-urY-3BTDRF_zjVM2-ygO0eIwOq81rJUat20/s400/4-pitch4.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;">The other highlight of the day was pitch 5, the "Kalk & Gummi"
roof as it was dubbed by the first aid ascentionists. It's for sure one of the
most eye-catching pitches on the route. A 45 degree overhanging finger crack,
with some wild crux moves to catch a jug on the lip. The problem was that the
crack seemed to be permanently soaked in a thick black slime. Amazingly it
became apparent that the finger-locks were so bomber you could use them even in
the wet. We took it in turns having goes at leading the pitch, making a paste
of chalk and slime, which turned out to be slightly more
sticky that just slime! Water was running down my arms as I pulled between
locks. Catching the jug on the lip and cutting loose has to be one of the most
heroic positions I've ever found myself in! If I was to design a free climb I
couldn't ask for a more perfectly positioned hold.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow1jH9m4-mbQRnmxe4sQCsRY0NwaWwwADQ6E92S3_I03NRBKlYrX3ntdGaCSN9QPh2nUsR2R01-MsT9fjxXigs3vcSl3SfFFxXNxfVKKk0Xf6A9HU3-qBfmqmvOyqndWQjZzXhAkitlY/s1600/5-kalkgummi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjow1jH9m4-mbQRnmxe4sQCsRY0NwaWwwADQ6E92S3_I03NRBKlYrX3ntdGaCSN9QPh2nUsR2R01-MsT9fjxXigs3vcSl3SfFFxXNxfVKKk0Xf6A9HU3-qBfmqmvOyqndWQjZzXhAkitlY/s400/5-kalkgummi.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave on the lip of the Kalk & Gummi roof</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">The next day we jugged up to the top of the Kalk & Gummi roof with the
aim of free climbing to the top from there. We soon found ourselves underneath pitch 7, the dyno pitch<i>. </i>Dave went up on
our fixed rope and much to my disappointment, found a way of free climbing
around the dyno move, going right a few meters higher. It looked desperate. He
offered to lead the pitch his way, but I had a nagging feeling that I'd regret
it if I didn't at least have a go at the dyno. I asked if it would be ok for me
to have a bash first. Both feet pasted on smears and eyeing up the jug way off
to my right, it suddenly looked a lot further away and less jug-like. Detaching
brain, I flung myself sideways across the void, touched the hold and skittered
off downwards to meet Dave at the belay 8m below. I think both Calum and Dave
thought I was completely mad when I mentioned I was going to have another go.
The second failed attempt left me with blood pouring out of my right hand and
visibly shaking from adrenalin. I was getting closer! Dave suggested moving in
more of an arc motion rather than a straight line. I thought of what Johnny
Dawes might say, "you've got to find the fast currents". I visualised my path through the air like
one of those Donnie Darko movement trains. Actually maybe I didn’t do any
of these things, anyway, I stuck it! Just. Feet pedaling wildly I stood up on
the shelf I'd jumped to. I had to stand there for about ten minutes to stop
shaking enough to lead the rest of the pitch. </span><br />
<br />
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/136796442" width="700" height="394" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/136796442">Disco 2000, 8a+ Blåmman</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user799476">Dave MacLeod</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMA6WMMKgQz9yL1ARZA2-syTQraJ0O2JA04J7Kh6MkKLiXfpY0WuS6DwnmQsvbV-LsmIb-iXKzdUSL1il4cFfRpkoQ5Jm8X2CX86guxm51nQUaMaGkssUblYeZV4TJKwTiVa4NIUJ1iQ/s1600/7-dynopitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMA6WMMKgQz9yL1ARZA2-syTQraJ0O2JA04J7Kh6MkKLiXfpY0WuS6DwnmQsvbV-LsmIb-iXKzdUSL1il4cFfRpkoQ5Jm8X2CX86guxm51nQUaMaGkssUblYeZV4TJKwTiVa4NIUJ1iQ/s400/7-dynopitch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dyno!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8TEzhEZTB-_ewn-x1wTYUoaoZU-8BRKo0kvUCdeKYXCvoSK6-Aluv-FAjUngtqQomhtaW63QD8Clxc3hyphenhyphencyQxfW4Yn8owOigBDTE78fmPxJp-OnjtQDq8AEQxbz7L9kobUVjqv6rOBs/s1600/8-dynopitch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje8TEzhEZTB-_ewn-x1wTYUoaoZU-8BRKo0kvUCdeKYXCvoSK6-Aluv-FAjUngtqQomhtaW63QD8Clxc3hyphenhyphencyQxfW4Yn8owOigBDTE78fmPxJp-OnjtQDq8AEQxbz7L9kobUVjqv6rOBs/s400/8-dynopitch.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incredible climbing after the dyno on pitch 7</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">This pitch was the end of our fixed ropes. We were just over half way up the
wall. The weather was starting to look pretty terrible. It seemed to be raining
on both sides of us. Calum decided to head down, leaving me and Dave to press
on towards the top. Both of us fully expecting to bail when it started raining
in ten minutes time. But it didn't. Somehow the storm was holding off. The
route now followed a large corner system which turned out to be pretty wet,
Dave pulled out an amazing lead of a pitch that would be solid E5 if it were
dry. There followed a somewhat gruesome squeeze
chimney that turned out to be my lead. As we climbed higher the weather looked
worse and worse. I started to get pretty scared at the prospect of navigating
our way back down the wall in the storm should we have to bail. I was seconding
the last pitch to the top of the wall as the heavens opened and we were both
soaked to the skin. Amazing timing!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfuYDH4z7VsPngYLYvuoYUdtKOUNGUR0WVgLFAPWbvjQOcQL4krrWXPNvsCe70bcnJ23kR85AJ29_-E9SLl7cpGOY6NspJFFuUKkwDnLY7QpveG3ZMUho7uhNykmNCG1LBs3OZni1wlo/s1600/9-summit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfuYDH4z7VsPngYLYvuoYUdtKOUNGUR0WVgLFAPWbvjQOcQL4krrWXPNvsCe70bcnJ23kR85AJ29_-E9SLl7cpGOY6NspJFFuUKkwDnLY7QpveG3ZMUho7uhNykmNCG1LBs3OZni1wlo/s400/9-summit.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit! In the pouring rain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;">I was disappointing not to be able to redpoint pitch 4, but happy with how I climbed on the rest of the route. We did it in the best style we could, given some atrocious weather; redpointing
the first 5 pitches over two days (I managed 4 of these), then climbing the rest of the route to the
top on day 3. The one day free ascent is still there for the taking and would
be a very good effort indeed!</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiM98GFh5RKAzHQlCDN2NF_TRFeUWmbxIJ68-3R3dMDbYa2T_6BrLmDg5zOdpLIgD1B7Vg_VNAwRi3i1NvVqlpBAPD6t95BoUqvaAxmuXAMO6srVQnoewZE8XCaVOMO49m2a2v3ZPmWBk/s1600/10-topo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiM98GFh5RKAzHQlCDN2NF_TRFeUWmbxIJ68-3R3dMDbYa2T_6BrLmDg5zOdpLIgD1B7Vg_VNAwRi3i1NvVqlpBAPD6t95BoUqvaAxmuXAMO6srVQnoewZE8XCaVOMO49m2a2v3ZPmWBk/s640/10-topo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topo of Disko 2000 free route </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-69125966942529968252015-07-10T04:48:00.000-07:002015-07-10T04:48:38.482-07:00The Nose-in-a-Day with Danger Darren<div class="MsoNormal">
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--></style><span lang="EN-US"><i>I wrote this after climbing the Nose on El Cap twice in a week in spring 2014. Enjoy!</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’m lying on the grass in the Californian
sun; even with my eyes closed I can feel the expanse of El Capitan towering
above me. I got down from the Nose with Bron, my girlfriend late last night. We
climbed the most famous big wall route in the world over 4 days, sleeping on
the few conveniently spaced ledges on the way. Now it’s time for victory
photographs and relaxing in the sun…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I slowly open my eyes and look up to see
the manically grinning face of my friend Danger Darren from Tasmania. He
seems to be saying something, he wants to climb the Nose with me, but I just got down from the Nose… What’s going on?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZCWICLF_XTe721XAXaoXcDUuSn3ovTIIKHoVQ4KzA3VSMcfhhiHjR1h4JSDcGqttDnL86akt5yUfkHYs5Y-Pc2QtbXsRkKaf4EjogvZ-X4ulIHc3rAlv9_F76RJTs_0DqXDIBEymMWY/s1600/DSCN2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZCWICLF_XTe721XAXaoXcDUuSn3ovTIIKHoVQ4KzA3VSMcfhhiHjR1h4JSDcGqttDnL86akt5yUfkHYs5Y-Pc2QtbXsRkKaf4EjogvZ-X4ulIHc3rAlv9_F76RJTs_0DqXDIBEymMWY/s320/DSCN2579.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My alarm goes off at 3am the next morning,
I stumble out of the tent, my pockets stuffed full of disgusting energy gels and Clif bars. In order for
Darren and I to climb all 31 pitches of the Nose in a day, we will be block
leading in a “French-free” style, short-fixing with a "Pakistani death-loop" and simul-climbing where
possible. All highly un-recommended ways of climbing
faster in exchange for some of the safety of regular pitched climbing</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Leading the first pitch before dawn I’m
rushing. Both feet pop and I’m off, somehow by reflex I catch my fall in a one-arm
lock off on a cam. </span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Take
it easy, you’re not Hans Florine.” </span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After the first pitch things begin to feel
easier, the sun is coming up and I start to enjoy myself. I find my bivi bag
that I dropped from high on the route 3 days earlier. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">It fell 22 pitches to land back on the Nose!</i> The day is off to a
good start.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US"> </span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Next we get overtaken by Hans Florine himself, the
king of the Nose speed record! Climbing the route for his 97<sup>th</sup>
time, just as a quick hit before heading to a party in San Francisco, as you
do.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9r1OJTYK_lE2LLwDIbTlNSv1FNMKaQG1sq9CkBs4rC0yxY7YkXlgF8PHqb9VxgvQ6do0MChqiEV-0XYr1z3Mt1s-7B_f1dC38gOFmCjNhyphenhyphen8i6Wq1_hCNwwWlDajCvNn5IEZVnABQJh8/s1600/DSCN2581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9r1OJTYK_lE2LLwDIbTlNSv1FNMKaQG1sq9CkBs4rC0yxY7YkXlgF8PHqb9VxgvQ6do0MChqiEV-0XYr1z3Mt1s-7B_f1dC38gOFmCjNhyphenhyphen8i6Wq1_hCNwwWlDajCvNn5IEZVnABQJh8/s320/DSCN2581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Climbing quickly and efficiently over the endless
golden granite in the sun feels over-the-top euphoric. About halfway now.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICsfl32DFHezkCgCjJzgerphjiQZXm9XOWDhQ_f0Q8hQIjmZThwPgnK3pruSfrJDPXtaGSkT3VWbILoPOKrjjQw2bjE1DsQYqmUyG9v3LHFcA4Oj9hRcNKKHRB_LyV1ZsZBY57yu1GZk/s1600/DSCN2595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICsfl32DFHezkCgCjJzgerphjiQZXm9XOWDhQ_f0Q8hQIjmZThwPgnK3pruSfrJDPXtaGSkT3VWbILoPOKrjjQw2bjE1DsQYqmUyG9v3LHFcA4Oj9hRcNKKHRB_LyV1ZsZBY57yu1GZk/s320/DSCN2595.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US"> </span>
</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My block takes us to the Great Roof, which
I swing across making good use of the plentiful “fixed mank”, but clipping no
runners. This way Darren can second the pitch quickly whilst I’m self-belaying
up the Pancake Flake. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Hey
Darren… this is fun!” </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I casually stand up in a wire and PING…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Crunch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I stand up on the ledge and spit. Blood. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Where
am I bleeding from?”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Darren,
where am I bleeding from?!”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“err…
dunno mate turn around… Nah, looks like you’re good”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“My
foot hurts. MY FOOT HURTS! I think I’m ok apart from my foot… but I think my
heel is broken.”</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A quick “up or down?” discussion leads to
the full realisation that we are 22 pitches up a 31 pitch route with only one
60m rope; the idea of retreat is not a pleasant one. I think I can probably
still jumar and Darren says he can take us to the top. At this point it would
be easy to be feeling pretty sorry for myself, but to my surprise I find I am
actually enjoying the experience. The situation is a bad one, but not life
threatening, and getting off the route is going to be a real adventure.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A few pitches higher I’m lying on the ledge
below the infamous Changing Corners pitch, Darren seems to be grinding to a
halt. I’m there for 2 hours, my foot throbbing, my body aches now the adrenalin
is cooling off. Two falls, but he finally makes it to the belay. I pinch some ibuprofen
off some Swiss climbers who arrive to spend the night on the ledge, unclip,
swing, and begin ascending the free-hanging rope. The 800m of exposure below my
feet feels wild.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Darren tells me his arms are toast and
there’s no way he can lead the final four pitches. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Are
we having an epic?”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">“Dunno,
I hope not!”</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With one approach shoe and one rock shoe I
set off, trudging upwards, terrified of falling and jarring my foot again. I’m
not really thinking any more, not scared or excited, just mechanically going
through the motions necessary to get us off the route.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I stagger over the top just as the sun sets
completely, almost exactly sixteen hours after starting climbing. I flick on my
head-torch and sit down. My mind is alive with excitement and emotion again.
Despite my injured foot, I’m aware right now that this is why I go climbing, for
this kind of intense experience that’s impossible to find in regular mundane
existence. Darren whoops as he tops out.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-13564119960745258102015-06-30T08:19:00.000-07:002015-09-18T14:36:29.743-07:00Freerider<style>
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/139021619" width="700" height="394" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="https://vimeo.com/139021619">Freerider</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>
My ankle skidded down the coarse granite inside the crack, I
could feel chunks of skin being sheared off like in a cheese-grater. All the
muscles in my body were going into melt-down, I was exerting
near-maximum effort just to stay in the same place. I gave one final huge push to
go upwards and made a kind of pathetic power-whimper. It was hopeless, I
slumped onto the rope. Looking down I could see my girlfriend Bron stood on the
ground ten feet below me, this was my second try at Generator crack.<br />
<br /></div>
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Generator crack in Yosemite is graded 5.10c (or 6a+),
it's about 40 feet high and an offwidth. It took me 2 sessions to successfully
tredpoint… Yes, that’s like redpoint only on a top rope. I would flail and
scream for ten minutes before slumping onto the rope in exhaustion and despair.
Bron wasn’t helping by repeatedly slithering up the thing like it was a tourist
trail. Climbing with flawless technique, she would wedge her left foot deep inside
the crack then shuffle upwards an inch at a time by heel-toeing her outside
foot and making a motion “like pumping up an air bed” she said. I decided it was because
I was too tall, next it was because I had weak ankles, skinny thighs, big feet…
the excuses were plentiful. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzCQS_ymz3tfWTIkvvDSNQn7a7tLn4JzuX_tURCn7NhXmTeHEXHSSa031JeJCfbKd3V9ZNlG-isPv7v5ucDSnc4ond-VIWHFLZxwXEmdaSBA7Pn-M28Vl8dWYNkMMdBBFuse89slzvpw/s1600/generator+chicken.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzCQS_ymz3tfWTIkvvDSNQn7a7tLn4JzuX_tURCn7NhXmTeHEXHSSa031JeJCfbKd3V9ZNlG-isPv7v5ucDSnc4ond-VIWHFLZxwXEmdaSBA7Pn-M28Vl8dWYNkMMdBBFuse89slzvpw/s400/generator+chicken.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone that isn't me on Generator Crack,<br />
giving a perfect demonstration of a "chickenwing"...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When the successful tredpoint finally came I hadn’t done
anything different except trying REALLY HARD, so hard in fact, that I
discovered a new kind of power scream, which Bron kindly named my “dying hyena
noise”.</div>
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It’s a popular climb and whilst I was working it there would
regularly be a crowd at the base. People would look at me like I was mad when,
after watching my atrocious performance, I would tell them I was hoping to try
Freerider on El Capitan. </div>
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Freerider had been an obsession of mine for two years; it
was the main goal for my three month USA trip. It’s the easiest of the free
routes on El Cap, but with 5.13a (7c+) crimping and a lot of burly wide crack
climbing, it’s no pushover. The names of the pitches had permeated my dreams: “the Huber pitch”, “the Enduro Corners”, “The Hollow Flake”. It
was slipping away. The reason; pitch 19 “The Monster”. </div>
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“It’s an extremely intimidating pitch” </div>
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<br /></div>
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was my friend Dan Mcmanus’s helpful comment to me before I
left. It really is! Almost 60m of continuous offwidth crack,
with not a face hold or crimp in sight. It was inconceivable given my abysmal performance
on Generator crack, a supposedly easy offwidth, that I would stand a chance on
the Monster.</div>
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Climbing is what motivates my life, I generally consider
myself a good climber and when I perform well I feel happy. For this reason I often
end up equating my self-worth with my current performance. It’s a difficult trap to avoid.
After repeatedly (and publicly) failing at Generator crack, I was extremely
unhappy. I decided to give up on Freerider, why should I try something that I
stood no chance of doing. I’d try another big wall free climb with less
offwidths.</div>
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A few days of grumpiness later I had a realisation.
Surely the main attraction with trying hard routes in the first place is
because they are hard! If I failed on Freerider then so be it, I could always
try again. I also realised that success wasn’t the point, regardless of whether
I freed the whole thing I was virtually guaranteed to have a wild, memorable
experience trying.</div>
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A month later I stood racking up at the bottom of El Cap
with Bron and my friend Chris Bevins. I had no idea if I was
good enough to climb the route, but that wasn’t important, I was excited to
give it a go and especially excited to be trying it with two good friends. More
importantly, Chris had offered to lead the Monster! For Chris, this was unfinished business
after he’d free climbed all but about 100 feet two years before. Bron
decided she’d have the most fun if she free climbed as much of the route as she could, but didn’t get
too hung up about the whole thing. Our haulbags - packed for up to
seven days on the wall, including two portalegdes and an inflatable shark –
were already stashed ten pitches up at Heart Ledges. </div>
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We climbed smoothly up the first 14 pitches. That night I slept soundly apart
from fears that a resident mouse on our ledge would run across my face in the
night. They live inside the cracks and somehow make their way to all the
popular bivy ledges!<br />
<br /></div>
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I woke up the next morning with butterflies, this was it, the
day of the Monster. My body ached, I allowed some doubts to form in my mind, I
felt like I needed a rest day already and all the crux pitches were still above
us.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_bUW_HHOm68yziYcbBFDcRHN8nHywLdr6ABePvkpoXSLDXV5a2SobA20TwStqm517fgq3zeFMy83FmLv5h1ZL1bZIRCPWab6tKBqf2gE3GKrM7HSHkQoiPO1uK7p1MhMZhePa-1NmY0/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji_bUW_HHOm68yziYcbBFDcRHN8nHywLdr6ABePvkpoXSLDXV5a2SobA20TwStqm517fgq3zeFMy83FmLv5h1ZL1bZIRCPWab6tKBqf2gE3GKrM7HSHkQoiPO1uK7p1MhMZhePa-1NmY0/s640/2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris leading the monster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Chris cruised the Monster, chatting casually to us as he
shuffled the number 6 cam, one of three pieces of gear on the entire pitch. Bron
absolutely hiked it too, they both made the “foot pump” technique look
effortless. I felt frustration growing inside me, “how can it be so easy for these
guys!?”. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8ELuh5375dcVhgKWB3MaZOeQN3xxUBpRI4L_qkGzRlVpzoJV-s2OYOPrWCXKumHPdmfRSs5GWfjJWvuZy7AEQMht9hjl6TnNQUaTaV-ED_jVh6Aiaye74VbmZxjJv_pOorqFJVk3lRc/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8ELuh5375dcVhgKWB3MaZOeQN3xxUBpRI4L_qkGzRlVpzoJV-s2OYOPrWCXKumHPdmfRSs5GWfjJWvuZy7AEQMht9hjl6TnNQUaTaV-ED_jVh6Aiaye74VbmZxjJv_pOorqFJVk3lRc/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron in the Monster - "It's easy, just go like this..."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Something I’ve practiced over the years is shutting off any
internal dialogue and just climbing. This is what I knew I had to do now. It
wasn’t pretty. I started off finding the going hard and it got harder and
harder. Multiple times both of my feet cut and my legs dangled, my body held in
place by a measly chicken-wing. By the top I was a complete state, bellowing “dying
hyena noises” across the valley and on the verge of tears from exhaustion.
Chris was alternating between encouraging me and laughing
hysterically at my efforts. I reached the belay, too exhausted to be happy, but
that didn’t matter, I’d done it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA_SbpQIKAH2y2NxBs6n29-Za017VY9uAdu_VvUdUjOmLx8e1_lDqm469hhLMpVKKxpVh5JVMNQZysBY1-Yxi7Etyj8YXhRYbD0PCn7e4PdAXuc6ALSzml7Z-FlG8WtayZGOwwZg9pV8/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA_SbpQIKAH2y2NxBs6n29-Za017VY9uAdu_VvUdUjOmLx8e1_lDqm469hhLMpVKKxpVh5JVMNQZysBY1-Yxi7Etyj8YXhRYbD0PCn7e4PdAXuc6ALSzml7Z-FlG8WtayZGOwwZg9pV8/s640/3.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Monster, before the savage burn kicked in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night we watched the sunset from our bivy in the Alcove. 20 pitches up El Capitan with two great friends and everything still to
play for for the free ascent; I felt comfortable in the knowledge that I
wouldn’t rather be anywhere else in the world. We brought the Hitch-Hikers
Guide to the Galaxy and took turns reading a chapter aloud. I enjoyed doing the
voice of Marvin, the depressed robot. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKwFi7aIpduCRFM97isSm7F1g9pnXDfgI-M8jtyEc9yQvA5b65gjLi_caPI_9nwVuCuMUPRXwpahzNSmC_VT8zuLXBvBtyaI5NQVz87fvVCZ-cpya8lVZSo39Be4uBS0vwcFjBKKjHKU/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidKwFi7aIpduCRFM97isSm7F1g9pnXDfgI-M8jtyEc9yQvA5b65gjLi_caPI_9nwVuCuMUPRXwpahzNSmC_VT8zuLXBvBtyaI5NQVz87fvVCZ-cpya8lVZSo39Be4uBS0vwcFjBKKjHKU/s640/5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_ilBHs-zrg_tRxpmWuF-lLS4vRN6yoqJL5FCKRN2wwkEspCfeizrfem65LWGmS064z8EantOcYvVBTS0AnxFRJuMUDvkzjIVP4zv7IT32bydLgDJM3bujqFS_bQ2wcXoFLCOUSaORgA/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_ilBHs-zrg_tRxpmWuF-lLS4vRN6yoqJL5FCKRN2wwkEspCfeizrfem65LWGmS064z8EantOcYvVBTS0AnxFRJuMUDvkzjIVP4zv7IT32bydLgDJM3bujqFS_bQ2wcXoFLCOUSaORgA/s640/7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The next day we opted to tactically rest in the shade of the
Alcove for most of the day and go up and try the “Huber pitch” in the evening.
Inspired by our friend Oli’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T_x6NXQyFA" target="_blank">video</a> we screamed “THE GREEEEEN DRAGON” at the
tourist buses in the valley half a mile below. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxCQF4ZSGOvD5Mia5RYHytJ0KjsO37MoD3BxdC09Dzw7zReno4sX6uvpTUdes77gQSkjocbhLvxp47Bp_L6yDN0exdzk5Kfw0vDbvggWmmUkO_m5UFBxVLS4ax7Sy5ZhqemUKAXPB3jw/s1600/6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxCQF4ZSGOvD5Mia5RYHytJ0KjsO37MoD3BxdC09Dzw7zReno4sX6uvpTUdes77gQSkjocbhLvxp47Bp_L6yDN0exdzk5Kfw0vDbvggWmmUkO_m5UFBxVLS4ax7Sy5ZhqemUKAXPB3jw/s640/6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAiyOapH-A3qXKg_tMUcF0PDGqRitF4j_JikM_TylyGOUP-nQGPWD4YylcxGdGAC558V4qJ8nwDbLee4lcHRwafPk9ksAG2JIgc8DzduCY8vzT64ybr3SZrxFuUeaLSuuu3BxJnfG_0E/s1600/DSCN6305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAiyOapH-A3qXKg_tMUcF0PDGqRitF4j_JikM_TylyGOUP-nQGPWD4YylcxGdGAC558V4qJ8nwDbLee4lcHRwafPk9ksAG2JIgc8DzduCY8vzT64ybr3SZrxFuUeaLSuuu3BxJnfG_0E/s640/DSCN6305.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Huber pitch is graded 5.13a or 7c+, a crazy dynamic
boulder sequence, smack in the center of the 1000m face, amazing! A
tiny, razor crimp and a rockover on a smear allow you to reach “the
sugar-loaf”, a kind of scrittly sloper-sidepull. The problem is there aren’t
any footholds in the right place to be comfortable on it. From here you have to
make the “ninja-kick” move to a smear on the opposite wall of a dihedral. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rfZ4YxX31tqTCjtWR42chxhIQ9gLbSbNN9rjjkyISZ8Ehzb_OEo2NB9yE6iXXYfpXDG7U-YqeorHBPUn7DzbQ77HCHKcGvahTUSIFf9kcNZjyx5kiJUiUS6IMHsAGNykCRgmH6DX_yc/s1600/JRB-150510-JB1_5456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6rfZ4YxX31tqTCjtWR42chxhIQ9gLbSbNN9rjjkyISZ8Ehzb_OEo2NB9yE6iXXYfpXDG7U-YqeorHBPUn7DzbQ77HCHKcGvahTUSIFf9kcNZjyx5kiJUiUS6IMHsAGNykCRgmH6DX_yc/s640/JRB-150510-JB1_5456.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://www.jacobbodkin.com/discovering-freerider/" target="_blank">Jacob Bodkin</a></td></tr>
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Sometimes on climbs that are right at my limit, I get this
feeling that I’m watching myself climb from outside my body. What I love about
big wall free-climbing is how good it is at inducing this state of focus. In
the cool evening air my fingertips bit into the crimp, I could hear my
fingernails scrape against the wall behind. The empty air beneath my feet faded
into the background, I focused on my breathing and let my body climb, it knew
how to do this. I came to from the trance to the sound of Bron and Chris
whooping from the belay below me, I’d done it! Chris put in a sterling
performance getting the pitch third go, his third ever 7c+, incredible.</div>
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We were well into the swing of things now, our team a
well-oiled big wall machine. Over the next two days we forged on towards the
top, tricky pitches like “The Sewer” and “The Enduro Corners” falling by the
wayside. Since Chris lead the Monster it was nice to pull my weight with the
leading on some of the harder pitches up high. Chris was getting tired though. On
the evening of day four he had three unsuccessful goes at seconding pitch 27, a
tricky 5.12b tips layback. The next morning I could tell he was nervous, his
free ascent hung in the balance. I think it’s awesome watching someone try
their absolute hardest on a climb, whether it’s a 6a or a 9a. Chris clearly
gave it everything and when he got the pitch on his third try of the
morning team psyche was at an all time high. For some reason there’s a
tradition to make monkey noises whilst climbing El Cap, we beat our chests and
howled gorilla noises from the hanging belay.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC2yxxl8eKykiqVrzKleHKImL6SyvA25tTC18eXwI2AoW2fqiv0h4nIwKKwhLnmLb3uvt8h3nmpnbuYEsRWHoivBz-_sPmB5zg50p6Me-MHH4Kt4iAHhqHdTWVr6BM1Qp10RxPeMC8Uc/s1600/9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC2yxxl8eKykiqVrzKleHKImL6SyvA25tTC18eXwI2AoW2fqiv0h4nIwKKwhLnmLb3uvt8h3nmpnbuYEsRWHoivBz-_sPmB5zg50p6Me-MHH4Kt4iAHhqHdTWVr6BM1Qp10RxPeMC8Uc/s640/9.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Our fifth night on the wall was spent at the Round Table. Both
portaledges hanging out above the void, it was a spectacular bivy! We’d come
around the corner now and could see the whole west side of El Cap. The more I
look at the cliff the more intricate features appear, the colours on the wall
to our left as the sun was setting were mesmerising. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnKDuQhpOAdW6kPmlT03xOkPuG4F7Z_gwReaDWeFtxr5byZ1OP5FgEmdvku6VPoV3xfarUlOZlATihNpDyrTqhW6-H4q5sxZSrqyOLCxUbBh0xposmLMgBy__MxWX37NWY0rNCqvEscE/s1600/10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnKDuQhpOAdW6kPmlT03xOkPuG4F7Z_gwReaDWeFtxr5byZ1OP5FgEmdvku6VPoV3xfarUlOZlATihNpDyrTqhW6-H4q5sxZSrqyOLCxUbBh0xposmLMgBy__MxWX37NWY0rNCqvEscE/s640/10.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xIwREaUEPqI5u6SKyKAUEaADFMIIXHeJzD67eTMs4R9ye57i-LgdI3WE7q4TES1m2P8BRjkJvu9bm86MUdUHPadP7VLefGmxuajykHuTn4CxYjrb_7bqEH1KdOfXFUobfMoKkJeg5w4/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xIwREaUEPqI5u6SKyKAUEaADFMIIXHeJzD67eTMs4R9ye57i-LgdI3WE7q4TES1m2P8BRjkJvu9bm86MUdUHPadP7VLefGmxuajykHuTn4CxYjrb_7bqEH1KdOfXFUobfMoKkJeg5w4/s640/11.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The final sting in the tail came the following morning in the form of
the Scotty-Burke offwidth. It’s a flared offwidth in a corner with a kind of
awkward bulge you have to get around. Chris, our designated offwidth ropegun,
was having problems. He fell four times at the bulge, exhausted from 6 days on
the wall and a lot of goes on some pitches below us. He slumped onto the
rope after the fourth attempt looking utterly defeated. I couldn’t quite believe
that our all-free ascent would fall at the final hurdle. I offered to have a go
at leading it. I was able to layback around the section that Chris was having
difficulty with. It felt totally wild to be laybacking the sloping side of the
offwidth, my feet smeared on the glassy wall opposite, miles above my last
runner and right at the top of El Cap. My arms were getting extremely
tired though; this technique clearly wasn’t going to work for the whole pitch. I threw
my left leg inside and turned my body into the crack. I was close to panicking
as I fumbled to get the camalot 5 off my harness, preparing myself for the
sickening feeling of sliding out. I slammed the cam deep into the
back of the crack and tried to relax, this proved difficult. Somehow I fought
my way to the top of the offwidth. Something clicked and I realised that the
trick for me with offwidths is to just relax everything, apparently I don’t
slide out. </div>
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We topped out at sunset on our sixth day, Chris and I having freed the whole thing. Less than a month
before I had completely given up on my chances of climbing Freerider this trip.
It reminded me that so much of success is down to mental attitude, I’m so happy
I was able to turn mine around!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTshD1fLFBQfIu03fKHc3zxb2ULSVxh9j9Mm0Tub8yxxFmyTxZHkL766-2j3UlEal9XBaTD1-XfSmC3oSoRP4qttN8VZvQix24w00Rwdidi6-Vzp1BgpLvzRFC8yQWXDduKuHp-ulwpo/s1600/DSC04352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTshD1fLFBQfIu03fKHc3zxb2ULSVxh9j9Mm0Tub8yxxFmyTxZHkL766-2j3UlEal9XBaTD1-XfSmC3oSoRP4qttN8VZvQix24w00Rwdidi6-Vzp1BgpLvzRFC8yQWXDduKuHp-ulwpo/s640/DSC04352.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Video still - It looks like I was pretty happy when we topped out!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1hQz6dfyLZ28_C5npYqhE2MuvIVg7Btzige2IkNrl-IzwlDAnZYiZFV53ZWsEotkeig4ddkNLVmO0IjbS2Pey7_oCb7s8fqzSvcqY2PvIt7OFWxfitH6o-fhgGVZItCzD2VGe61DeYQ/s1600/DSCN6290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk1hQz6dfyLZ28_C5npYqhE2MuvIVg7Btzige2IkNrl-IzwlDAnZYiZFV53ZWsEotkeig4ddkNLVmO0IjbS2Pey7_oCb7s8fqzSvcqY2PvIt7OFWxfitH6o-fhgGVZItCzD2VGe61DeYQ/s640/DSCN6290.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron in the Monster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ws_-wT0TIG0-T1jiJMzG1kNNTLYhUT8hJ4uY85GMOw4CWS42gjN50W7YDAZoCwmaW_9Z72V6hFcOmPuB6JdmNX4PtzwhYQPnZh9nBNtiVAVvtcWRsNi1q_-Dk11VHdvRkuwtwJh8z-0/s1600/DSCN6309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ws_-wT0TIG0-T1jiJMzG1kNNTLYhUT8hJ4uY85GMOw4CWS42gjN50W7YDAZoCwmaW_9Z72V6hFcOmPuB6JdmNX4PtzwhYQPnZh9nBNtiVAVvtcWRsNi1q_-Dk11VHdvRkuwtwJh8z-0/s640/DSCN6309.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Alcove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVPWVhGYaHkO7AhQjfZ9tqXkm9Q2JkEbVTt2JXCdZHLDlYg0xXtwsGeIS6Sl5fui5F4TEdncIJ0gdpgurRQqzbm07nR07dIu-XStZxqxcKLZpySN2ZO9zQyZoAKOmTArYxl2p2HsaC9E/s1600/DSCN6320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVPWVhGYaHkO7AhQjfZ9tqXkm9Q2JkEbVTt2JXCdZHLDlYg0xXtwsGeIS6Sl5fui5F4TEdncIJ0gdpgurRQqzbm07nR07dIu-XStZxqxcKLZpySN2ZO9zQyZoAKOmTArYxl2p2HsaC9E/s640/DSCN6320.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris jugging our fixed lines to the Huber Pitch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6QdUVIo3y9anLILQzta3tc53-oHJOhnnbIfVAisZB-czjgMrEc_xjIGa8dv1R-NWAf5eYbqqFl-cUk-V8BKYozBW0ucnI2IrmHClJauGqG5I6AlzvYdQHDUw6YrI7BPY_8Nio4gywbg/s1600/8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6QdUVIo3y9anLILQzta3tc53-oHJOhnnbIfVAisZB-czjgMrEc_xjIGa8dv1R-NWAf5eYbqqFl-cUk-V8BKYozBW0ucnI2IrmHClJauGqG5I6AlzvYdQHDUw6YrI7BPY_8Nio4gywbg/s640/8.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bivy at the Block</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE0tL94NXNSt0nutcy6JVbd7Z2minIKSnUxwXMUMOjDiXay5nDgggzoShosByheTA_RuellG0TX7T6ZGc4a-EnZaMyt9kwkRvFA77KQ-hJp8J39p_B_qS9u-UAEhnAlf9BpOJvuG8lzk/s1600/DSCN6375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhE0tL94NXNSt0nutcy6JVbd7Z2minIKSnUxwXMUMOjDiXay5nDgggzoShosByheTA_RuellG0TX7T6ZGc4a-EnZaMyt9kwkRvFA77KQ-hJp8J39p_B_qS9u-UAEhnAlf9BpOJvuG8lzk/s640/DSCN6375.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 12a/b traverse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5qJosvNoSHPsqJUmVaSMSWJ23o3HO6SdYz59FKXgj4yRss7MpPLQGnJsMe2_SFF3_AVaBZld99pNbXl_QH1HxYSRTuuEtlKxaHMYv5mmAfyizAQV7vDva2FRalJJC-PLrQbP7eu9NBc/s1600/IMG_5172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5qJosvNoSHPsqJUmVaSMSWJ23o3HO6SdYz59FKXgj4yRss7MpPLQGnJsMe2_SFF3_AVaBZld99pNbXl_QH1HxYSRTuuEtlKxaHMYv5mmAfyizAQV7vDva2FRalJJC-PLrQbP7eu9NBc/s640/IMG_5172.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron and the bags in the spotlight. Photo: Tom Evans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSd1dr-ZQg-Lv0PZNBvNfIACbwjCUrNR5HOoou7nB3xiIIhUunc6s6fmUaMbRl2oayUcx2bbBvsjHaIaT2YBalt3x9Sfc07dR5izq-38I4Ox5Om5SrsxioHGV0P0jAtjfz56HcQWNvYVg/s1600/DSCN6426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSd1dr-ZQg-Lv0PZNBvNfIACbwjCUrNR5HOoou7nB3xiIIhUunc6s6fmUaMbRl2oayUcx2bbBvsjHaIaT2YBalt3x9Sfc07dR5izq-38I4Ox5Om5SrsxioHGV0P0jAtjfz56HcQWNvYVg/s640/DSCN6426.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gq9V0WswRJ6Vm-S7iiuly6qwRitICF0jhmmOtPP3OJsHWson2RO2ZBqDXNwSmtY_WbMzy2DZQW-Df4PCRxskFxY5rkcgf60wgSQQMEB380InSijfxQoEpB1U7EYzveGl_hmbP9y14ow/s1600/DSCN6431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2gq9V0WswRJ6Vm-S7iiuly6qwRitICF0jhmmOtPP3OJsHWson2RO2ZBqDXNwSmtY_WbMzy2DZQW-Df4PCRxskFxY5rkcgf60wgSQQMEB380InSijfxQoEpB1U7EYzveGl_hmbP9y14ow/s640/DSCN6431.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freight</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-79zafSMRuoo7GM4TFncNEma2sPwh2PVYiwOGDHfpM5CKawf1Th1Tpp4R6cCUbH2xJhgFapz1FirDp8WbkYYs4U4GeTZ3xsBELHPJFEC-hwgfvYKBQBjHx7dAPWgmJOD5vMJjSfN_lUM/s1600/IMG_4859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="403" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-79zafSMRuoo7GM4TFncNEma2sPwh2PVYiwOGDHfpM5CKawf1Th1Tpp4R6cCUbH2xJhgFapz1FirDp8WbkYYs4U4GeTZ3xsBELHPJFEC-hwgfvYKBQBjHx7dAPWgmJOD5vMJjSfN_lUM/s640/IMG_4859.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'm pretty sure it goes that way..." photo: Tom Evans</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Fl0Je9gKnAKU38wzLpulKadkvZRSoLVWKqwPBXSnEqMSb3bMLB72vKu-OC72sLAqXRo2rVRtPKDRRqrYkLmSAvVuK5COFtTgZWsrtiQY-tCpIHilJYuHNn8FIxmIBrlcQ66MOPyF5LY/s1600/IMG_4815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Fl0Je9gKnAKU38wzLpulKadkvZRSoLVWKqwPBXSnEqMSb3bMLB72vKu-OC72sLAqXRo2rVRtPKDRRqrYkLmSAvVuK5COFtTgZWsrtiQY-tCpIHilJYuHNn8FIxmIBrlcQ66MOPyF5LY/s640/IMG_4815.JPG" width="419" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron following a "5.7" chimney. Photo: Tom Evans</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BiajTCvcEPv8GFRZ-cI3IGBqUgroc8tfxguwD09nlRytXrZJfHgJ96jlpYtj1t_8Zl6T-F9PDcocqfyPUyADmFaHGLL8SMHvfoqJmucb5Sh3_57l7Nw3PZnUrCmqApbsof1zJcgm28A/s1600/DSCN5842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4BiajTCvcEPv8GFRZ-cI3IGBqUgroc8tfxguwD09nlRytXrZJfHgJ96jlpYtj1t_8Zl6T-F9PDcocqfyPUyADmFaHGLL8SMHvfoqJmucb5Sh3_57l7Nw3PZnUrCmqApbsof1zJcgm28A/s640/DSCN5842.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVpWBchmW3YJPt8dHPpxe2XEpomtU0tiIq1VE7QHSRwV5Waoy6KsrTjLJsip3jIOACxVG0L3M5mqDKqd2cU-KnbJiMNsp_fmjUEHqr7kwHr5vFBM4bTTAtVxNoRQt6V7EH9OxHQeGQEo/s1600/DSCN6446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVpWBchmW3YJPt8dHPpxe2XEpomtU0tiIq1VE7QHSRwV5Waoy6KsrTjLJsip3jIOACxVG0L3M5mqDKqd2cU-KnbJiMNsp_fmjUEHqr7kwHr5vFBM4bTTAtVxNoRQt6V7EH9OxHQeGQEo/s640/DSCN6446.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glory!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-40502980507290607652015-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:002015-05-19T16:12:52.484-07:00Moonlight ButtressWe began our 3 month road trip through the states in Indian Creek, Utah. <br />
<br />
Crack climbing is unlike other climbing. A sport redpoint done correctly is flowing and effortless, the main thing I learned from a month in Indian Creek is that even when you use correct technique, crack climbing feels intense, insecure and painful. When I'm sport climbing nowadays I find it hard to climb without expectations and an agenda, if I fail to onsight a certain grade I feel disappointed, I arrive at crags with specific routes to try and preconceived ideas of how I will perform on them. Climbing on Indian Creek desert splitters was blissfully free of these expectations, depending on crack size 5.10 could feel impossible and 5.12 straightforward. I was just heading out every day excited to climb on the cliffs and with curiosity about how the day would turn out. It was great to be camping with two Creek veterans Chris Bevins and Oli Lyon who taught us some of their hard earned skills.<br />
<br />
By the time we relocated to Zion the learning curve was beginning to level out and I was keen to test myself on some longer routes. Moonlight Buttress is THE testpiece finger crack of the USA. 11 pitches, of which 6 are 5.12 finger cracks, the rack consists almost entirely of finger size grey and purple Camalots. We went up the first day intrigued to see how we would fare. The first tricky pitch has the hardest grade on the route, a 5.12d pumpy layback. I was pleasantly surprised to send the pitch with one fall. My sport climbing background meant the pumpy laybacking felt much more secure than straight in cracks, I was confident I could red-pint the pitch next try. Bron apparently doesn't get pumped and flashed the pitch on second. The next pitch get's 5.12a or 7a+ if you'd rather pay in euros, but it was a whole 'nother story! A back and foot chimney that slowly opened out to a corner with a baggy finger size crack in the back. My first go up, the pitch felt verging on impossible. I felt so insecure in the flare, I was ready to slip out at any second and several times I was proved right. After much whinging I figured out the correct way to climb the offending 15m of flare, with my right foot in the crack and my outside left knee desperately scumming to keep me in there.<br />
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Psyched for the challenge of freeing the whole route we realised it was a great opportunity to try out our recently acquired second-hand portaledge. Rather than miserably hauling the whole thing we decided to abseil in and stash the ledge and some food at the routes only spacious ledge, above pitch 7. This meant we could climb the route over two days with a luxurious bivy and only have to haul 4 pitches. The only down-side was the miserable hike to the top of the route with all the bivy gear, past all the tourists on the popular Angels Landing trail. I think they thought we were going on the most inefficient camping trip in history, I told them our haul bag was "full of marsh-mallows". <br />
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The route went smoothly and we freed the whole thing over two days! I actually didn't fall at all and Bron only slipped off a couple of times, going back to red-point each pitch. An amazing achievement for her after only two and a half years of climbing! She also lead two of the six 5.12 pitches.<br />
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Check out the video of our ascent!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/128292589" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="https://vimeo.com/128292589">Moonlight Buttress</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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On to the next adventure!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-19051618858047007222015-02-03T12:01:00.001-08:002015-02-03T14:25:49.233-08:00El ChorroBack in October I had the clever idea that in order to finish off my PhD thesis I should go and live in El Chorro... Needless to say I still haven't finished my thesis!<br />
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Bron and I arranged a kind of job at the <a href="http://olivebranchelchorro.co.uk/index.php/en/" target="_blank">Olive Branch</a> guesthouse, which involved 2-3 hours work a day, mostly washing up/making beds, in return for room and board. The place is amazing, such a friendly atmosphere and full of perma-psyched climbers, I'll be going back for the season next year for sure.<br />
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Going out with a finger injury I didn't have any specific goals or routes in mind, I just wanted to get comfortable on the rocks again and have some fun. El Chorro is an amazing place and so much more than a sunny single pitch sport destination. Over my two and a half months I did single pitch sport, multi-pitch sport, adventurous trad, aid climbing and even some <a href="http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.com.es/2014/12/rope-solo-10.html" target="_blank">solo aid climbing</a>!<br />
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Towards the end I started feeling quite fit and managed to onsight three 8a's (Antidoto, Pepe El Boludo and XXL). Unfortunately, despite being great personal achievements for me, these probably aren't so interesting to read about. Roughly the story goes:<br />
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"I got really pumped, I thought I was going to fall off, then I didn't!"<br />
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Of potentially more interest is some of the multi-pitching and more adventurous stuff on offer. I was particularily psyched to climb all the multi-pitch routes in and around the Poema De Roca cave area. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much fun to be had!</td></tr>
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Poema de Roca itself (number 14) had long been a dream of mine and didn't disappoint. In a feat of extreme foresight and wisdom I decided to set off on the route at 4pm, about two and half hours before sunset. I linked the first 3 pitches together into one mega-pitch of about 60m! At dusk I managed to claw my way up pitch 4 on my second try and decided that having done all but the two "easy" pitches, it would be a bit of crime to ab off. Bron followed in the dark to join me at the fourth belay, seemingly unconcerned that she has a maniac for a boyfriend. Climbing the remaining two run-out pitches in one, by the light of a dieing headtorch was the highlight of the route for me. Since we only had one 80m rope we couldn't descend down the nice vertical line of abseil stations on the right. Instead we had to back-aid down the way we came up, in the dark... all very exciting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas night climbing...</td></tr>
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Looking up at Frontales (the main cliff in El Chorro) I noticed some ABSOLUTELY SPLITTER cracks, up an otherwise completely blank wall, high in the center of the cliff. The guidebook confirmed they were all existing aid routes, "that looks about E5, I 'll go trad climb it" I thought...<br />
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It's safe to say I got my ass well and truly kicked. What looked like a splitter crack turned into more of a seam and my only runners were rusty pegs which I could bend with my fingers. About two thirds of the way up I had resorted to full on aid climbing to finally reach the sanctuary of an old bolt belay. No longer facing a ground-fall I was able to press on with more confidence, until a boulder problem stopped me dead in my tracks. After several sizable falls I had to admit defeat. I think ultimately it will make an amazing E7/8ish trad route, which would be a 3 star classic were it in the UK. It's still there for the taking, get to it!<br />
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Other highlights were this day tradventuring on a big cliff with Jimmy "fingers" Marjot.<br />
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More trad cracks on "Cerro Christo".<br />
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Climbing on Makinodromo, the tuffa-drenched super crag!<br />
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Taking our non-climbing "boss" Gary, the owner of the Olive Branch multi-pitching.<br />
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Climbing all 5 routes on the "Amptrax wall" in a marathon El Cap-sized day.<br />
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Sprinting for the speed record on Amptrax (line 1 above). Our best time, simul-climing the whole thing, was 32 minutes and 36 seconds. It's definitely not crazy fast and it's a fun challenge if anyone wants a crack at our record!? I also free soloed the route which felt like unfinished business after backing off from past halfway in 2011. This time it felt calm, steady and under control. <br />
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My first time bolting a sport route, creating what is sure to be a future classic: "Leg vs Crowbar" f4+!<br />
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And finally this:<br />
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Let's just say this was the wettest non-approach to a crag I've ever experienced...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-68390545718509022482015-01-03T11:14:00.001-08:002015-01-03T11:52:51.943-08:002014 In Pictures2014 was an amazing year for me, I've had the opportunity to go on some incredible trips around the world and it's cemented in my mind that I want to base my life around climbing and the adventures that come with it. Below are 12 of my favorite photos from the past year roughly in the order that they happened:<br />
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1. <a href="http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.com.es/2014/01/and-now-for-something-completely.html" target="_blank">Cross country skiing</a> on the frozen lake Temagami, Ontario, Canada. We skied for two days and slept in a snow cave called a quincy, by far the coldest temperatures I've ever experienced. It was great to do something completely different and learn some new skills to use in the outdoors.<br />
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2. A pleasant evening solo in Meteora, Greece. Climbing on the conglomerate towers was adventurous with an average of about two bolts per pitch. We saw one other party of climbers during our entire <a href="http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.com.es/2014/02/meteora.html" target="_blank">ten day trip</a>.<br />
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3. <a href="https://vimeo.com/91808015" target="_blank">The first ascent</a> of <i>The Lizard King</i> E9 7a at Ilkley. Photo courtesy of Mike Hutton: http://www.mikehuttonphotography.com/.<br />
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4. Climbing the Yosemite classic <i>Astroman</i> with a crazy French-Canadian named Alex. Here he is seconding high on the route.<br />
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5. Climbing <i>The Nose</i> on El Capitan, the most famous big wall route in the world. The route was so good that when I got down after 4 days on the wall, I had one rest day and climbed the whole thing again in 16 hours with none other than Danger Darren from Tasmania...<br />
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6. The Staffordshire Nose challenge, climbing all 31 Brown and Whillans routes in Staffordshire in a day. <i>Crack of Gloom</i> and <i>Masochism</i> stand out as highlights of the day that everybody should go and climb... This is <i>The Sloth</i> HVS, the last route of the day.<br />
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7. Attempting pitch 13 of <a href="https://vimeo.com/102285154" target="_blank"><i>El Topo</i></a> in the Verdon Gorge, a knacky f8a slab in just about the most heroic position I've ever climbed in. We definitely felt like we had unfinished business with this route when we were heading home...<br />
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8. Leading <i>Eurothing</i> E8 6c in Stennis Ford, Pembroke. I had several sessions on <i>Muy Caliente, </i>another route on this wall but never quite got the correct combination of courage, conditions and fitness to go for the lead, another time maybe...<br />
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9. Back in the Verdon for round two... A Hawaiian portaledge party on our <a href="http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.com.es/2014/09/el-topo.html" target="_blank">successful continuous free ascent</a> of El Topo!<br />
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10. <a href="https://vimeo.com/110033677" target="_blank">Deep water soloing</a> in Mallorca, here's Bron on Calamares 6c at Cova Del Diablo. I love climbing *and* jumping off cliffs so deep water soloing is basically the perfect sport for me!<br />
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11. <a href="https://vimeo.com/115444882" target="_blank">Aid-soloing</a> <i>Los Tres Techos</i> A1 300m in El Chorro, Spain. Spending two days by myself in quite a wild situation was a great challenge, El Cap here I come.<br />
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12. <i>Connection Lourdes</i> 8a+ at Makinodromo, El Chorro. I've spent the last few months of 2014 living in El Chorro doing some work for the <a href="http://www.olivebranchelchorro.co.uk/index.php/en/" target="_blank">Olive Branch</a> guesthouse in return for room and board. Climbing every day on the Spanish Limestone is like a dream come true.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-78178717367578776702014-12-27T05:57:00.001-08:002014-12-27T05:57:03.365-08:00Rope Solo 1.0<style>
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<span lang="EN-US">When I climbed Zeppelin in El Chorro gorge
4 years ago my eyes were drawn to a series of enormous roofs to my right. Los
Tres Techos (The Three Roofs) is a 300m aid route which blasts straight out of
these tackling the final dizzying roof head on. This year I decided to attempt it as my first rope-solo. I was nervous but excited for an adventure. The thought
of spending two days up there completely alone was something I found quite hard
to imagine. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One of the things I love about climbing is
how multifaceted the sport is, I’m constantly finding new ways to enjoy myself
on the rocks.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I mostly used a method of rope soloing called the
<a href="http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/rope_soloing_101_part_4" target="_blank">continuous loop method</a>, with my <a href="http://www.edelweissropes.co.uk/products/ropes/curve-98mm/" target="_blank">80m Edelweiss Curve 9.8</a>.
I had a gri-gri, backed up by a clove-hitch with a big loop of slack between. Before setting off I
spent a couple of days going up single pitch sport routes by myself. I
practiced paying out enough rope on my gri-gri to free climb to the next bolt,
where I would clip in again and pay out more rope. I practiced taking
progressively bigger and bigger falls to convince myself that the system worked.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I spent Friday night between 9pm and midnight fixing the first pitch. It was spooky hanging by myself in a near horizontal roof that
late at night in the gorge, especially when trains would roll past directly
underneath me every hour or so. Most of the pitch was a bolt ladder with bolts of
varying quality, although there was a short section in the middle with some
uninspiring rusty pegs. The next morning Bron came to see me off and took a
photo as I jugged up my fixed line from the night before:</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Rope-soloing is <i>slow</i>, mostly due to the fact you have to ascend each pitch twice, once on lead and then again to clean the gear. I
aimed to bivy on a ledge above the second roof and complete the climb over two
days.</span> Instead of hauling I opted to
clean each pitch with a backpack containing my sleeping bag, food and water. I coiled my rope into an ikea bag so it
would feed out nicely with no-one at the belay.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I got to the bivvy spot and had enough time to fix three pitches up the wall above before dark.
Actually the process of climbing alone was a lot less nerve-racking than I
expected, absorbed by the moment I didn’t have much time to get scared or over-think things. That night I listened to my ipod and stayed up late reading Lynn Hill's book <i>Climbing Free, </i>I tried to keep my mind from worrying too much about sheathing my rope over a sharp edge or dropping something crucial. The next day I woke early and continued upwards, every now and then I would stop and look around me, just empty air and vultures below my feet. It was extremely windy for the last two pitches, any strand of rope I dropped would blow out almost horizontally to my side. The final roof was wild!</span></div>
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<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/115444882" width="700" height="394" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/115444882">Rope Solo 1.0</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-88340956625655496472014-09-02T07:12:00.001-07:002014-09-02T08:09:43.098-07:00El Topo"Eeet iz errrr... how you say?... F*cked."<br />
<br />
Said the French mechanic. We stood looking forlornly at the broken Landrover. We'd made it about 700km down France to just North of Lyon. Ian and my epic Verdon adventure plans were rapidly collapsing before our eyes.<br />
<br />
The plan was a good one. El Topo is a 14 pitch route up the biggest bit of the Verdon Gorge that was yet to see a one push free ascent. The crux being pitch 13, a f8a slab, it was going to be a challenge. Whilst the weather in August was far too hot (and our fingers far too weak) for 'in-a-day' attempts, the wall goes into the shade at 2pm. Our plan was to make a free ascent, over several days, with a portaledge, climbing only in the shade between 2pm and nightfall.<br />
<br />
Steve (the owner of the broken Landrover and our lift to the Verdon) looked at us like we were completely insane when we told him our new plan.<br />
<br />
"We're gonna leave the stuff and hitch-hike 700km back to England, pick up Ian's car and drive back..."<br />
<br />
Pro hitching tip: Look as crazy and nonthreatening as possible. I donned a tie-dye vest and some pelican sun-glasses, Ian a Hawaian shirt. We had the inflatable palm tree as a last resort if it came to it.<br />
<br />
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<br />
It worked! We managed to hitch from Lyon to Calais in an afternoon! Arriving back at the ferry port at 11pm.<br />
<br />
The woman at the ferry desk looked unimpressed.<br />
<br />
"No foot passengers on the ferry at night, you'll have to wait until tomorrow morning"<br />
<br />
Ian and I were on a roll at this point. We walked out, then drove our imaginary car back up to the ferry desk. The woman started to speak but I mimed that I couldn't hear her, wound down the imaginary window and stuck my head out. Ten minutes later we were on the ferry back to England!<br />
<br />
Back in Lyon the following afternoon we picked up our food, haulbag, gear, ropes and borrowed portaledge and continued to the Verdon. We joked that the detour made it feel like we were approaching a real remote big wall. Except we could ab off and get baguettes at any point... perfect!<br />
<br />
I don't think people go big walling in the Verdon very often, we got lots of confused questions in the campsite. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">El Topo topo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Since we'd already tried the 8a pitch 13 on a trip the month before and to make the hauling easier we decided to ab in from the top and leave a stash of food and water at the bottom of pitch 13 and then try the rest of the wall "ground up" to reach our stash.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Day 1.</span><br />
We walked in to the bottom of the route with all our stuff including ~28 liters of water. Humidity seems to just sit at the bottom of the gorge and we were both totally drenched in sweat. I ran the first two pitches together, Ian got off to a bad start by taking a groundfall on rope stretch from the first bolt! What are we doing!? The hauling was hard work. Everywhere the bag could get stuck it did get stuck. Ian abbed down next to the bag and helped it past obstacles whilst I space hauled from the belay. We had a worrying five minutes where we couldn't get a knot undone and thought we might have to go down or cut the rope. Then to both of our surprise I onsighted and Ian flashed the 7b pitch to get to our bivi ledge at pitch 4. No portaledge necessary! I managed to bivi on an ants nest.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Day 2. </span><br />
Ian smoothly sent the 7a pitch 5 as a warm up to arrive at the first 7b+ pitch. "It's completely blank" was the helpful piece of beta I had from Dan Mcmanus who had tried the route earlier in summer. It looked it! A smooth slab traverse of grey Verdon limestone with no visible hand or foot holds. My heart sank, what made us think we could do this?<br />
<br />
It's not so much the grades of the pitches which make this route really hard but the style that those pitches are in. Smooth grey slab with no chalk on any of the holds... if there are any.<br />
<br />
I set off on the pitch without any expectations. Something clicked and my self doubting internal chatter stopped, and I was just climbing. My body seemed to know what to do! I was dimly aware that I was pulling off "impossible" moves, fingernail crimps and sideways, directional smears connected by improbable, contorted shapes. Like a slow motion dance off with the rock. I reached the belay having onsighted the pitch and my thoughts immediately turned to Ian, how had I just done that? How on earth was Ian going to do it?! The pitch was so traversy that working it on top-rope would be next to impossible. He managed it as well! Both of us agreed afterwards that we had no idea where that kind of form came from.<br />
<br />
Blank grey slab stretched on above us, it felt cool to be out in the middle of nowhere on such a huge featureless wall. I managed to flash the 7b+ above, Ian getting it second go before doing one more "6c" pitch before dark, nothing is a pushover on this route!<br />
<br />
This was to be my first night in a portaledge. Setting it up in the dark at a hanging belay proved somewhat tricky.<br />
<br />
"Is it supposed to be this wobbly?"<br />
<br />
I asked nervously whilst semi-sitting on the ledge, still gripping the attachment point for dear life with one hand. Portaledges are not relaxing things! During the night it somehow slipped and I ended up lying very downhill with all the blood at my head.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Day 3.</span><br />
We sat on our wonky portaledge sipping coffee under an umbrella whilst the wall around us baked in the morning sun. "This is the life!"<br />
<br />
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<br />
The 7a off the belay was short, powerful and a bit chossy, I did some power whimpering and onsighted it by the skin of my teeth. The 7b+/c pitch above looked steep and powerful, a nice change from the blank slabs below. Unfortunately we didn't account for the obligatory slab crux by the first bolt...<br />
<br />
Ian did some swearing and dogged the pitch to get the clips in and the haul line fixed. This was going to be tough. Again something happened and I was watching myself climb, perfectly. I need to find a way of switching this kind of focus on and off. I flashed the pitch, no falls so far! Ian got it first try on second.<br />
<br />
"It's really hard and thin, me and Callum Muskett thought it was harder than the 8a pitch"<br />
<br />
was Dan's helpful information about pitch 11. I fell off the crux. I fell off the crux again. I repeatedly fell off the crux for about twenty minutes "Oh dear, what if we can't even get to the top! Who could possibly think this is 7c!?!!"<br />
<br />
In desperation I crimped down on a two finger dimple and rocked over on a non-foothold. Extending my go-go gadget arm I was able to reach a sidepull 20 feet to my left. A bit of a riverdance cross-over foot sequence saw me clipping the next bolt.<br />
<br />
"I'm not sure if I can redpoint this pitch Ian."<br />
<br />
I went to the top which proved sustained even after the crux, I would say the pitch was comparable to something like Zoolook at Malham. We decided to press on with one more pitch before it got dark so we could reach our stash underneath the 8a and go back down to redpoint p11 the next day.<br />
<br />
Dinner was two packets of Uncle Ben's rice, a luxurious cold tin of ratatouille followed by an extravagant Nuttella binge!<br />
<br />
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<br />
I went to sleep worrying about the pitch below us, I could see myself repeatedly falling off that slab crux...<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Day 4.</span><br />
HAWAIIAN LEDGE PARTY!<br />
<br />
We reasoned that whilst we may or may not be the first people to get a continuous free ascent of El Topo, we would DEFINITELY be the first people to have a Hawaiian party up there!<br />
<br />
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<br />
Once the sun was off the wall we went down to try the "7c" pitch 11 again. Both of us now convinced it was more like 8a. (We found out afterwards from local Alan Carne that someone broke a key hold at the crux of that pitch, which explains a lot.)<br />
<br />
I found the crux slightly easier without the weight of the haul-line on my harness, and did the pitch next go! But as I was doing the final moves to clip the belay I felt a familiar pop in my ring finger. 4 days on a big wall doing very fingery climbing had taken its toll and my collateral ligament was partially torn. Ian lowered me off the pitch and I proceeded to terrify him by screaming in frustration and kicking the rock for 5 minutes.<br />
<br />
I really really wanted the climb and all that stood between me and success was the 8a pitch 13.<br />
<br />
Aware that it was a totally stupid thing to do I mummified my injured finger in tape so it couldn't bend and then strapped it to the fingers either side, effectively turning my left hand into a flipper.<br />
<br />
Somehow by sheer determination and stubbornness I managed the 8a first go and then lead out on the final easier pitch to the top of the crag. Managing a complete free ascent with 12 of the 14 pitches onsight or flash.<br />
<br />
I stood in the last rays of the sun totally exhausted, unsure whether to be ecstatic at having done the route or furious with myself for getting injured again. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ian was yet to redpoint pitch 13 and also wanted a continuous free ascent so I descended to join him on the portaledge for another night.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Day 5. </span><br />
We woke up very early to black clouds and the sound of thunder, we quickly decided to abb off for baguettes! Having been caught in a thunderstorm in the exact same place a month before it was not something either of us wanted to repeat.<br />
<br />
It was odd after spending 4 days getting up there to be back on the ground again in just over an hour. The baguettes and coffee tasted amazing.<br />
<br />
That evening I was having a nap and enjoying terra-firma when Ian stuck his head into the tent. His eyes were wide and he had a familiar insane grin on his face.<br />
<br />
"The weathers cleared up and there's still an hour of light! I'm gonna have a redpoint and err... if I can't do it... I'm gonna spend a night on the portaledge by myself!"<br />
<br />
Eerr ok Ian, sure, whatever :).<br />
<br />
We abbed back in and despite a valiant attempt Ian didn't quite send. I jugged back out at sunset to leave him looking very zen, sat on the portaledge reading "The Rock Warriors Way"<br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: lime;">Day 6. </span><br />
The next day I went back down and this time he managed a successful redpoint! Also completing a basically continuous ascent minus abbing off for a few hours to get baguettes. A phenomenal effort. Ian also gets extra style points for picking up hitch hikers <i>during</i> his ascent.<br />
<br />
I'm gradually learning that the main obstacle to having really great adventures is dreaming them up in the first place. This whole trip took the same amount of time and money as a regular euro sport-climbing holiday but it's definitely something I'll remember. Bring on the next adventure!<br />
<br />
Some more photos: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the portaledge top-right.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-25897909887364236562014-08-14T06:13:00.000-07:002014-08-14T06:24:40.006-07:00FilmsI've put together a short film of climbing The Nose on El Cap with my girlfriend last May. This was our first proper big wall and we had a lot of learning to do on the way. Hopefully it comes across how much fun we had up there! <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/103421464" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/103421464">The Nose</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Also I realised I never posted this nice short film by Abstract Normality Media about a <a href="http://jacobclimbsthings.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/the-lizard-king.html" target="_blank">first ascent I made last March</a>. Apologies if you've seen it already! (You can watch this in HD if you click the link and go to the Vimeo website.)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/91808015" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/91808015">The Lizard King</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/abstractnormality">Abstract Normality</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-91682886304048668272014-08-01T05:18:00.000-07:002014-08-01T05:18:55.256-07:00Summer!The last month I've mostly been climbing with the mentalist that is... Ian Cooper.<br />
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This is a collection of our best days in July.<b> </b><br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>Hindenburg:</b></span><br />
Arriving at the top of Hindenburg E7 6c at Mother Careys Kitchen in Pembroke it looked steep and terrifying. Not least because the guidebook warned of crucial pegs rotten or missing and that it may not have been climbed in it's current state. The fact that Caff had told me it was fine only served to make me much more scared!<br />
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We went down in trainers on two separate ab ropes and back aided into the massive overhang. We found some gear and replaced a few threads. Doing this turned a potentially life threatening onsight attempt into something much more enjoyable. <br />
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I managed a flash, doing some shouting as I passed the second bouldery section. This left Ian to test the peg (it held) and he managed to send on his third go. We ended the day on an HVS called "Inner Space". Calling this a climb would be misleading, it's more of a tunnelling and sideways chimneying exercise. The crux is not being too intimidated by the horrific sounds made by seabirds in the depths of the cave!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">back-aiding into Hindenburg</td></tr>
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>Staffordshire Nose Challenge:</b></span><br />
The challenge is to climb all 31 Brown and Whillans routes in Stafforshire as fast as possible. The difficulties lie in the fact that these routes happen to be excruciatingly painful and horrifically awkward, you can view the full list <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=653" target="_blank">here</a>. We finished in 9 and a half hours, both having to redpoint the desperate Ramshaw Crack. Other gems were Crack of Gloom and Masochism, routes to do before you die! Speed attempt next! Since we're competing against the Wideboyz we obviously need a team name, I'm pushing for "Jacob Cook and the Disasters" but for some reason Ian isn't happy with this... weird.<br />
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John Dunne has been making noises about creating a Yorkshire version.
This is still in the pipeline but I've tentatively named it BIG JOHN'S
YORKSHIRE HARD-MAN CHALLENGE and it's going to be beefy... <br />
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<span style="color: lime;"><b>Verdon Gorge:</b></span><br />
My PhD supervisor made the mistake of telling me he was going on holiday for the last week of July and somehow I found myself in the Verdon! The best route was "Alix Punk De Vergons" a 10 pitch 7b/+ up the mighty, overhanging and tuffa infested Duc. Ian and I were both surprised and chuffed not to fall off, team free onsight, booya!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I may have to report this to Jens...</td></tr>
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We also tried the crux pitch of El Topo, an epic 14 pitch voyage up the biggest bit of rock in the Verdon, ending in an 8a at pitch 13! The style is pockety slab climbing with bad feet, Verdon at it's finest. We both had a bolt to bolt before being suddenly, unexpectedly caught in the middle of a thunderstorm. Unsure whether to cower in the cave or jug out to the lip as quickly as possible we opted for the latter. As I manicly jumared lightening struck the rim of the gorge about 30m from me... a close call.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/102285154" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/102285154">El Topo clip</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Unfortunately I tweaked a finger so never got to have a redpoint and had to stand and watch as Ian went for glory and sent the pitch. Here's some photos from the glorious 8a 13th pitch, I'd love to go back for the whole route...<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-19720778790853073972014-06-19T05:08:00.000-07:002014-06-19T15:07:29.887-07:00RabI'm really excited to be working with <a href="http://rab.uk.com/" target="_blank">Rab</a>, my new sponsor. Over the years the brand has made a name for itself by creating <i>the</i> top quality gear for the mountains. <br />
<br />
They supported our <a href="http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=5840" target="_blank">West Greenland Expedition</a> in summer 2013 and I was really impressed with the gear they gave us. Ian Faulkner and myself were around ¾ of the way up the then unclimbed 1200m main face of the <a href="http://www.cosmic-dancer.com/news.aspx?ItemID=685" target="_blank">Horn of Upernivik</a>. As we climbed clouds were swirling around the surrounding mountains. When the clouds moved in around us and it started raining we crawled under a fallen block. All I had with me was one of the <a href="http://rab.uk.com/products/mens-clothing/synthetic-fill/primaloft/-generator-jacket.html" target="_blank">Generator</a> jackets. I’m not going to lie and say I was warm! But after a night of shivering I was very much still alive and able to take full advantage of a small window of sun to blast to the top before the weather closed in again. Since then I’ve stuffed the jacket in the bottom of the bag on every multi-pitch route, just in case.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team Rab at the north summit of Uummannaq mountain, Greenland.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Find the people!</td></tr>
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Back to the present I spent last weekend on the South Coast, the highlight being an onsight of Privateer, a spectacular 7b+/E6 deep water solo off of Funky Ledge, Swanage. The slappy compression moves high above the sea required full commitment and left me with an enormous grin on my face, I love this stuff! I’m so excited to be in the UK for a summer of adventure climbing…
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-52573663291605237512014-06-11T05:39:00.000-07:002014-06-11T05:39:26.040-07:00Yosemite part 1<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: lime;">Day 1</span>:</b> The pitch is labeled with an
innocuous sounding “5.8 fist”. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">“well that’s about VS, I could probably solo
this blindfolded”, I think to myself. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I put my fist in the crack. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I take it out and look at it. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I put my fist in the crack the other way
up. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I take it out and look at it again. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I put my other fist in the crack. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hmmm. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">10 meters later I’m a gibbering wreck, desperately
trying to make the crack wider with one hand on either side. My lone blue camalot is
the only thing keeping me from a 20 meter screamer. Above me 5.8 fist crack
stretches on indefinitely. “HOW DO PEOPLE DO THIS?!?”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Well it could only get better from there!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I just got back from a month in Yosemite with my girlfriend Bron.<b> </b>I was super excited to learn how to climb big walls, which was the aim of this trip: figure out big wall, aid and crack climbing. These are some highlights from the trip:</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: lime;"><b>Big Wall Number 1</b></span>: Our first step towards big wall glory was the south face of
Washington Column. On dinner ledge, our first bivy spot, we were joined
by a guy who told us his name was
Joe-semite. He appeared to be climbing by himself, had long straggly
black
hair, tiny John Lennon sunglasses and reggae blaring from the large boombox hanging from his
harness. Occasionally he would yell “YEAH
FUCK YEAH” at the top of his lungs. He seemed to be having a good time. Later two friends joined him having hauled a case of beer, whisky,
rum AND vodka up to the ledge. Party! Not what I was expecting
for my first big wall bivy!!! The next day we climbed and hauled to the top, Bron put in a great effort leading the last scary loose pitch by headtorch. We pulled our haulbag over the top and collapsed where we stood.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5ykjP-yYuGIYucrTfxnYdzwXl93fM8QawfMmo1KUd44O6KOT0YmV8UlrDnDccqjqLuxWNze1aqTVm2aLtjvMr12iK4cHV9p2CvHkALACY80_QQBS4fJV60BvqINdIoxrI0o8ET54X_U/s1600/2a.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu5ykjP-yYuGIYucrTfxnYdzwXl93fM8QawfMmo1KUd44O6KOT0YmV8UlrDnDccqjqLuxWNze1aqTVm2aLtjvMr12iK4cHV9p2CvHkALACY80_QQBS4fJV60BvqINdIoxrI0o8ET54X_U/s1600/2a.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGgDNtjb_pRLQevyio9uZ8EoKMm5t2Qib_g3N9dKqv5NUNU_zOURYXXeHiA_rba_7nLZHxFJp0rbnn9UiwYwFluAD3uMvz5d7ZYl_2NqT8vDCkzZLK_FphrXW-YZHbLxO_PhOt0Rjj58/s1600/joesemites+photo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGgDNtjb_pRLQevyio9uZ8EoKMm5t2Qib_g3N9dKqv5NUNU_zOURYXXeHiA_rba_7nLZHxFJp0rbnn9UiwYwFluAD3uMvz5d7ZYl_2NqT8vDCkzZLK_FphrXW-YZHbLxO_PhOt0Rjj58/s1600/joesemites+photo.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Everything is clipped to everything else, what is aid climbing anyway!?"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xCJ5jfmErwazFtOM1yD1-OQ63s59t09RicWlw1ZWiEhAh0mBpyBoZT3M9_k1Hc2SRRQn9S0aDPWaHuLfgxdtzcGvT09Pvxf0XmU6nHADv2f4puTcJ_YspcpBg9NuZ-sptNLAg_DRcio/s1600/6.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xCJ5jfmErwazFtOM1yD1-OQ63s59t09RicWlw1ZWiEhAh0mBpyBoZT3M9_k1Hc2SRRQn9S0aDPWaHuLfgxdtzcGvT09Pvxf0XmU6nHADv2f4puTcJ_YspcpBg9NuZ-sptNLAg_DRcio/s1600/6.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topping out in the dark from our first big wall!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: lime;">Royal Arches Solo</span>: </b>Royal arches is a classic 16 pitch 5.7/severe-ish, my time was </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">1 hour 55 minutes valley to valley</span>. Running down I was laughing to myself, this much fun shouldn't be legal.</span>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: lime;"><b>Astroman</b></span>: Alex from Montreal had slightly crazy eyes and pretty much told me I was climbing Astroman with him. Astroman is THE classic free day route in the valley, it's about 12 pitches long and at 5.11c it would probably get E5 or E6 in the UK. The crux pitch is the terrifying Harding Slot, an E6 squeeze chimney! I knew my friend Steve Dunning had got benighted on the route last year so we started early, really early. By 7am Alex was leading up pitch 3, the Enduro Corner, an incredible pitch of unrelenting thin hand-jamming. Or frantic laybacking in my case! I climbed the corner like any self respecting sport climber would, shaking out, chalking up and not a single jam. A pitch or two higher my foot pinged and I was suddenly aware of an awful lot of space underneath me. My stomach stayed where it was and the rest of my body came to a halt 15 meters lower. I did some adrenalized shouting, pulled back up the rope and finished off the pitch. I could actually feel myself learning how to jam, on the route! Unfortunately I fell a few more times getting into the Harding Slot so the 100% free ascent was blown, it really is rather hard. I wasn't bothered though, it was amazing to be finding pitch after pitch of incredible climbing. Every pitch on the route would be at least a 3 star E4 in the UK! Higher on the route I started to get into my groove, onsighting the E5ish changing corners pitch and the ominous sounding 5.10dR last </span><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">pitch. We were on top by 2pm so probably didn't need to start quite that early!</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGNNkM3RTbeG4nZJlJtqhpiMOZRAyGj-yMLuswJci1Gz66IkV7AXMin-dxj0929z1riN6z4T9ru8HQ4kxkoGoYNYHEdkNBudbSeLR8M3c9Up2m9bOefDj-YVKKTCK07DrG-zjz7E5udI/s1600/23.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGNNkM3RTbeG4nZJlJtqhpiMOZRAyGj-yMLuswJci1Gz66IkV7AXMin-dxj0929z1riN6z4T9ru8HQ4kxkoGoYNYHEdkNBudbSeLR8M3c9Up2m9bOefDj-YVKKTCK07DrG-zjz7E5udI/s1600/23.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the Harding Slot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I can't breathe!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDeE7feCg70x2ka8DTsVn2ZjLclKEd80XhwIApAS-z0vvpKNMpmS_o8RkjyxtYUYn3qjZQFqsKAjAcOiyD-gIWEBID-OO-IJKjNqjw23WIfwb69QWYJmSXBWyQFDp3X5FL2oxjbNa4eU/s1600/25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIDeE7feCg70x2ka8DTsVn2ZjLclKEd80XhwIApAS-z0vvpKNMpmS_o8RkjyxtYUYn3qjZQFqsKAjAcOiyD-gIWEBID-OO-IJKjNqjw23WIfwb69QWYJmSXBWyQFDp3X5FL2oxjbNa4eU/s1600/25.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The incredible Changing Corners pitch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkge1Pv36bs-S_T3TX7_jtfH5t0IDq0HUyq_SgX2uwe8v8mh3yGWkII1dJQxmpUeDSwlZ_YiCN6rc3507tHu7VQREs95cUfeewAYuB5Tl94FJSlmtC48ggYzWmgY7RgOj35FACnW9NQN0/s1600/25a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkge1Pv36bs-S_T3TX7_jtfH5t0IDq0HUyq_SgX2uwe8v8mh3yGWkII1dJQxmpUeDSwlZ_YiCN6rc3507tHu7VQREs95cUfeewAYuB5Tl94FJSlmtC48ggYzWmgY7RgOj35FACnW9NQN0/s1600/25a.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ASTROMEN!!!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"> <b><span style="color: lime;">The Nose</span>: </b>We climbed the world's most famous big wall route in 4 days and 3 nights. It's popular for a reason, the climbing is SO GOOD and the exposure is out of this world. Vertical camping! It felt totally surreal waking up each morning and looking down at the valley below. Like being in space. Somehow everything clicked and big walling started to feel manageable. Our ascent was a leisurely one, I think we could have done it in 3 days at the speed we were going, but instead it was nice to stop well before dark each day and have time to chill out on the incredible ledges. I can't wait to get back there and try my hand at some of the harder big walls in both free and aid style.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Great Roof</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bron seconding the Great Roof.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pancake Flake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv07cu9tW68MUK_0aW-Al6iM_PMUir5fJ40uZhgKqDUdvYhSw4nlGx_3rnwWsbQX6c3bqmgg2ztwDte3DmJPahJySiCJrtU62nEHo9UTefaFXMhnJ62IgEvopfAmuun7kPdoiBolRo2o/s1600/34.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwv07cu9tW68MUK_0aW-Al6iM_PMUir5fJ40uZhgKqDUdvYhSw4nlGx_3rnwWsbQX6c3bqmgg2ztwDte3DmJPahJySiCJrtU62nEHo9UTefaFXMhnJ62IgEvopfAmuun7kPdoiBolRo2o/s1600/34.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp VI, our final bivy on the route</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtJEzpiO_I7XGnZPYU6pLn4tfQ8zXiw_Nm5pTHMqCHSQKTDL7a0Fs34WWNzYDxGtZAW3YDx31tyFcJbHzPD2B7d6ljsBoP2lAj4PEwWH2_1kzzhqUvt8qyJf6q3eeyCM43fexVmQ8-i8/s1600/36.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtJEzpiO_I7XGnZPYU6pLn4tfQ8zXiw_Nm5pTHMqCHSQKTDL7a0Fs34WWNzYDxGtZAW3YDx31tyFcJbHzPD2B7d6ljsBoP2lAj4PEwWH2_1kzzhqUvt8qyJf6q3eeyCM43fexVmQ8-i8/s1600/36.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some Italians we met on the final day</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b> </b><b> </b></span>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-77347583002585840662014-04-14T13:52:00.000-07:002014-04-17T13:37:39.599-07:00MalhamI first climbed at Malham four years ago, we bivvied on the catwalk under the crag. It was February and -12°C. We were so psyched on that first night that we made a 1am ascent of Begozi and the Ledge lizards 6a+ by headtorch. That weekend I worked my way through some classic 7as, I remember being particularily chuffed with an onsight of Consenting Adults, the warm up route.<br />
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<br />
A year later we were illegally bivvying in the hay loft of a farmers barn opposite the crag. In the morning I slept fitfully, I kept jerking awake having dreamt I was hearing tractors and shotguns... I remember falling off New Dawn 7c a lot that weekend, I just couldn't seem to get my feet to stay on the glassy polished footholds!<br />
<br />
Then I moved to Leeds and didn't have to doss at the crag any more, this definitely helped my climbing! I started to get the hang of moving efficiently over the rock, I started to see footholds where before there had been only blankness. That year I climbed lots of the classics, Raindogs, Zoolook, GBH, Overnite Sensation, Predator... Culminating in making the third ascent of Totally Free II, the 70m 8b super route climbing all the way out of the cove.<br />
<br />
A lot of people find the climbing at Malham frustrating, every hold is either a sidepull or an undercling. Often the crux of whole routes is a foot bump, or swap. For me this is what makes it great, it's all about tactics. Climbing well there is like playing a game of chess with the rock, often 5 moves go by and you haven't made any upward progress at all, just moved your hands and feet around!<br />
<br />
In the last year I've been more focused on trad climbing and expeditions so haven't spent as much time at Malham, but a couple of weekends ago I went back for a play. I surprised myself by making a 3rd go ascent of Energy Vampire, a short bouldery 8a+. You can see my sketchy ascent in the video below, I totally forgot my sequence on the top wall! I also included some footage of the quiet crusher that is Jacob Handyside sending Overnite Sensation 8a+.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/91956876" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/91956876">4 Bolts - Malham</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
Finally I'm proud to have become a <a href="http://www.bobhats.com/" target="_blank">BOB HATS</a>
sponsored athlete! (this means I got a free hat :D) I can confirm that
they are both extremely warm and extremely stylish! Also entirely
handmade by a pair of loveable climbing/slacklining bums, what more
could you want!?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-15099310762345063662014-03-13T20:20:00.000-07:002014-03-13T20:20:42.074-07:00The Lizard KingI finally succeeded in leading my project at Ilkley!<br />
<br />
I first tried it 4 months ago, a few days after doing the New Statesman. Basically I got on it because I'm not strong enough to do the crux of Gerty Berwick and wanted to find another way up the wall! <br />
<br />
You
do the crux of the New Statesman to a shake, then swing left and do a
crazy rock-over move to reach a pod in the wall halfway up Gerty
Berwick. You follow this route for a couple of moves before going left again
with a cool cross over sequence on pockets, this part is a bit easier than the start but the gear isn't
great and you're really high at this point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red: The project<br />
Blue: New Statesman<br />
Green: Gerty Berwick</td></tr>
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By far the crux for me was the rock-over in the middle. It took me around 8 sessions to figure out, and even once I could do it consistently it still felt absolutely terrifying. The move involves getting fully rocked over on a heel and then just falling sideways and grabbing the next hold on the way past. I'm pretty sure this is the kind of move Dave Graham describes as a "drive-by"... Also you don't have any gear at this point and it's getting close to the limit of what could be called "highball". <br />
<br />
The actual lead felt incredible. I don't think I've ever
been so focused. It felt as though I was watching myself climb it, and
climb it <i>perfectly.</i><br />
<br />
Yes it's a link-up and maybe not the most obvious line on the wall but
once you've been on there it's actually the easiest way up that bit of
wall. Anyway, I had a great time climbing it.<br />
<br />
It's for sure the hardest thing I've done on trad and I think it comes in at about f8a+ but it's always hard to tell with these things. I've given it E9 7a and it's called the Lizard King. Partly as a Jim Morrison tribute and partly to draw attention to the fact that many of the current world leaders are actually <a href="http://www.lizardpersonornot.com/" target="_blank">Lizards</a>. (Although the name "State Pension" was a clear front runner for a while.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://abstractnormalitymedia.com/" target="_blank">Abstract Normality Media</a> caught the ascent on film, here's a few screengrabs from that:<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-49443622042791386362014-03-07T11:15:00.000-08:002014-03-07T11:34:25.891-08:00Scary WeekendMy scary weekend consisted of headpointing two grit E7s. Paralogism at the Roaches and Snap Decision at Ilkley. The idea was to mentally prepare myself for the headpoint of my project by doing some easier routes.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="393" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/88445669" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/88445669">Two grit E7s, Paralogism and Snap Decision</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
I was thinking about going for the flash on Paralogism, but after my two beta monkeys failed to get past the initial moves I thought better of it! Thank god because I proceeded to fall off on my first go on top rope! It's not a case of <i>if </i>but <i>where</i> you would hit the floor on this one...<br />
<br />
Arriving at Ilkley to find driving sideways hail did not bode well for the day. The route, Snap Decision, had several wet holds and was generally quite green. I chucked a rope down it anyway and somehow as the sun was setting I found myself tieing into the sharp end. I decided to put a single biner on the solitary peg runner to reduce the fall distance and took a rag to dry some key footholds whilst on lead. Topping out to a clear winter sunset and a familiar kick of adrenalin reminded why I do this stuff. (Euphoric pigeons!) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-65209664274206577462014-02-25T16:05:00.000-08:002014-02-25T16:05:04.153-08:00MeteoraJust had a week climbing on the conglomerate towers of Meteora in central Greece with my girlfriend Bron. This place seems to be a bit off the radar for most climbers in the UK, which is a shame because it is, totally, awesome!<br />
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I felt like it provided quite a different experience to a lot of "clip and go" euro-sport holidays, which can feel a bit sterile. All the bolting was done ground up and as such it's pretty runout in places, definitely worth bringing a trad rack as most of the routes we did had an average of about 3 bolts per pitch! <br />
<br />
Just looking around in the mornings at all these huge 300m towers filled me with childlike psyche to get out climbing, "I wanna go up there!"<br />
<br />
This was my first time using the Edelweiss <a href="http://www.edelweissropes.co.uk/products/ropes/oxygen-ii-82mm-unicore/" target="_blank">Oxegen II</a> half ropes, I was amazed at how much lighter they were than my previous half ropes and after a week of heavy use they still looked like I'd just taken the out the packet, highly recommended.<br />
<br />
Day 1: Obviously had to involve climbing this:<br />
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<br />
Day 2: We decided to go straight away for the classic route of the area; Traumpfeiler or Pillar of Dreams is a 9 pitch grade VI in the UIAA scale, which corresponds to about HVS, sounds easy! Well it was, but I wouldn't have liked you to tell me that halfway up pitch one. I found myself adrift in a sea of mossy pebbles with not a bolt in sight above or below and no obvious trad placements except optimistically equalised slings on crozzle! Thankfully after this it was slightly safer, although pitch 7 also had 3 bolts in 40m! Here's Bron seconding pitch 4:<br />
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<br />
In the evening I snuck in an extra cheeky solo up this huge block, it had a cross on top and I thought "if a monk can get up there, so can I!"<br />
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Day 3: This perched block is still up there as far as I know!<br />
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Day 4: We decided to try and climb our two favourite looking towers in a day, both via 5 pitch VIIs (E3ish). First up was Teufelsturm, which I am unreliably informed means "devils tower".<br />
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A missed belay meant we simul-climbed a large section in the middle and the final pitch apparently had no bolts! Summit one:<br />
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Next up was "Kastrakiturm", the final pitch had some incredible exposure!<br />
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Ten pitches climbed, hi-five!<br />
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Day 5: A 6 pitch VII on "Dupianifels" had a SWEET picnic spot in the middle:<br />
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Also from here I had an hour and a half in which to attempt Meteoras hardest route, "Crazy Dancing" IX+/7c+ is a totally wild horizontal roof crack blasting straight out of the cave!<br />
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Unfortunately I didn't quite send, but it felt hard to be upset in such amazing surroundings.<br />
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Day 6: Last day! We wanted to try a route imaginatively named "Action Direct" but it turned out to be wet. Instead we went for "Keisel Am Himmel" a 5 pitch VIII/7a. I linked the first two pitches to make a 50m 7bish monster pitch. It had a bit of everything, loose pebbles, crozzle crimping, running out of quickdraws... Here's Bron seconding the crux:<br />
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All in all I'd definitely recommend the place if your looking for a different kind of climbing trip. Do get in touch if you want the beta on where to stay, what to climb etc!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-58439146934896456522014-02-09T18:23:00.000-08:002014-02-09T18:23:37.292-08:00Yorkshire SketchingLast week I managed to sneak out to Hunter's Stones between rain showers and do the classic "Hunter's Roof". What a brilliant problem, I've never climbed anything like it in my life, double heel-hooks, double guppies, obligatory campusing, it's got it all! Here's a video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/85910632" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/85910632">Two Barden 7Cs, Hunter's Roof and McNab Sit.</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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Frustratingly I seem to have a bit of a finger injury, which has prevented me from getting as much training done as I would have liked. Instead of training I decided to finally sift through some footage that's been sitting on my computer for ages.<br />
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Here's a video of some Yorkshire classic highballs and trad routes:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/86271445" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/86271445">Some Yorkshire Sketching</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-23865118829151017912014-01-16T18:07:00.000-08:002014-01-16T18:07:51.389-08:00And now for something completely different...The alarm went off and I felt as though I'd barely closed my eyes for a second. As I adjusted my balaclava and fitted my goggles I made sure not not to leave any exposed skin before stepping outside. It was -25<span class="st">°<i>C</i></span>, significantly warmer than the last few days, the sun was yet to rise.<br />
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A mere week before I'd never had a pair of skis on in my life but here I was shouldering a heavy bag setting out for a two day, 25km back country ski across a frozen lake. It was cold. Headlines in England described conditions in Canada as a "Polar Vortex", giving rise to some of the coldest temperatures on record. The previous morning the thermometer outside our cabin had confirmed this, registering a frigid -46<span class="st">°<i>C</i></span>. This meant we had decided to wait another day before setting off.<br />
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Skiing across the lake was not what I'd imagined skiing would be like. Rather than
gracefully gliding over the surface with minimal effort, it
involved what I can only describe as trudging, with long awkward pointy
things attached to my feet. The four of us took it in turns breaking
trail in the knee deep snow.<br />
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By mid afternoon we had skied just under halfway, we stopped to build "Quincy". A type of snow cave which Bron seemed convinced would keep us alive and (dare I say it) even warm during that night. The way they supposedly work is to have a raised platform inside that is above the level of the entrance, this allows bodies inside to warm up the air without the heat escaping. It sounded unlikely.<br />
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To my amazement I woke up the next morning still alive! However as I slithered out the door my heart sank, I was met by a full on blizzard, howling winds and a near total whiteout on the lake. Quite a scary place to be as we had no means of contacting anyone or calling for help and thus no option but to make it the remaining 13km to Temagami, the town at the end of the lake. Luckily we had a GPS allowing us to navigate during the whiteout. Skiing through the now waist deep snow drifts in the blizzard felt like being on another planet. My eyes were freezing shut whenever I removed my goggles. My water bottle was tucked firmly inside my crotch to avoid freezing.<br />
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In winter the lake freezes so solid that they plow a road a couple of kilometers over the ice from the mainland to "Bear Island". Deeply exhausted and with frost nibbled extremities we staggered onto this as it was getting dark on our second day. God knows how people do extended winter camping trips!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-28861712064313559862013-12-06T12:23:00.000-08:002013-12-06T12:23:11.096-08:00The New StatesmanFirstly I'm really psyched to announce I've joined the <a href="http://www.edelweissropes.co.uk/" target="_blank">Edelweiss</a> UK team, they've been quietly making the best quality ropes for years and it will be great to be able to get out climbing on them.<br />
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Second, my ascent of the New Statesman at Ilkley last month has been made into a film by my housemate Kevin Fenemore who is the man behind Abstract Normality Media:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/80585727" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/80585727">Jacob Cook climbing The New Statesman, E8 7A</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/abstractnormality">Abstract Normality</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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I haven't blogged about this ascent yet because I've been waiting for the video to be ready.<br />
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Jordan Buys kindly posted an interview with me about the New Statesman on his <a href="http://jordanbuysclimbing.tumblr.com/day/2013/11/28" target="_blank">blog</a>, rather than writing a lot about the route I thought it might be most interesting if I just posted that interview here:<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Jordan: How old are you, where are you living?</b></span><br />
I’m 25 and I’ve been living in Leeds for the last two years.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Can you give us a brief summary of your climbing life so far, highlights etc?</b></span></div>
I started climbing aged 7 in London, but something happened 4 years
ago whilst I was living in Oxford and I became extremely psyched, I
haven’t looked back since. Over the past few years I’ve undergone a bit
of an apprenticeship into hard adventurous trad in the UK. Going from
having no idea what I was doing and all my gear falling out, to
repeating a bunch of trad test pieces onsight or from the ground up.
Routes like Lord of the Flies, Ghost Train, Masters Edge, Positron etc.
My climbing highlight so far was probably doing the E8 Point Blank in
Pembroke ground up over a couple of sessions, a process involving some
20m lobs!<br />
<br />
Over the summer I took the next step into adventurous
climbing by going big walling off the west coast of Greenland. To be
honest in terms of big walling I feel remarkably similar to myself 4
years ago starting to trad climb. But I’m really keen to put the time in
and learn the tricks of the trade; Yosemite here I come. More big wall
first ascents in adventurous locations is the dream.<br />
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<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Can you describe The New Statesman in three words?</b></span>
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Spicy Arete Burger.<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;">
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<div>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Did you find it easy, scary or full of bird poo?</b></span></div>
I got completely shut down on my first session and
thought I’d probably never do it. Amazingly on my second session I found
some new beta and was able to top rope the route in a one-er, it seemed
a shame not to go for it there and then! I was very scared, it was the
first time I’d ever really headpointed a grit route (or any route!) so
the whole process was a bit new to me<br />
<br />
A trickle of bird poo actually served as a tickmark on the thank god jug near the top!<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Why did you get on it in the first place?</b></span><br />
It’s
been on my mind that I had to try it ever since I moved to Leeds, such a
good line and it’s only half an hour from my house! Also I’d been
watching Neil Bentley on it in hard grit for the last 15 years.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>How many times did you watch Neil Bentley on Hard Grit to get motivated?</b></span></div>
Many, many times! It wasn’t until I actually tried the route for myself that I realised just how bad his sequence actually was!<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Do you rate the new cafe at the crag?</b></span></div>
<div>
3 quid for a coffee?! It’s a disgrace…</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Did you wear your lucky underpants that day?</b></span><br />
I
wasn’t expecting to lead it that day because it was only my second
session and I’d gotten spanked on my first. Luckily all of my underpants
are tie-dyed anyway…</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>Have you any designs on other grit routes in Yorkshire?</b></span></div>
<div>
Yes! All of them. Right now I’m pretty psyched about Ilkley, my
mission is to climb all the routes there. I recently did Cindy Crawford,
Desperate Dan and Guillotine. Next up are Snap Decision and Milky Way, I
may even have a play on Loaded; who knows, maybe I can lank my way past
the crux on that one too! Unfortunately this may mean I finally have to
do Botterill’s Crack as well, grim.</div>
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-1134025073162746982013-12-02T04:59:00.000-08:002013-12-02T04:59:05.833-08:00Desperate Dan and GuillotineWe had a great day up at Ilkley last week, finally putting the Grove Gardens pad stash to good use.<br />
<br />
After warming up on Bernie the Bolt, a great highball 7B+. I managed a ground up ascent of the precarious Desperate Dan, E6 6b, and a headpoint of the chillingly bold Guillotine, also E6 6b. Rather than waffling about the climbs I'll just put the video up, here it is!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/80787483" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/80787483">Desperate Dan and Guillotine, two E6s at Ilkley</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
I think I'm starting to feel in the zone on the grit now. Last weekend I managed a lifetime ambition by making a ground up ascent of Ullysses Bow at Stanage, pads or no it was still bloody scary :p. No video of that one though.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-3426583488553080302013-11-18T14:44:00.000-08:002013-11-18T14:44:09.288-08:00Cindy CrawfordAfter staying out until 4 in the morning the night before and having to eat my breakfast in the car on the way to the crag, I didn't have high hopes for my day at Ilkley. Josh and I had decided to have a go at Cindy Crawford. This John Dunne test piece blasts straight out the extremely steep valley face of the calf boulder and tops out at a dizzying 7 or 8 meters. The grade is around E7 or font 7C depending on which system you would prefer to use. Luckily we were able to stuff more pads into the back of Josh's two door Toyota Yaris than you might think!<br />
<br />
It's a bit of a strange one because after Big John did it way back in 2000, it lay unrepeated for 13 years until Dave Sutcliffe ground upped it earlier this year. I have absolutely no idea why it's seen so little attention; it's a sweet line and well within the capabilities of quite a lot of climbers in the UK at the moment. <br />
<br />
Out of nowhere I managed to flash the line, thus making the third ascent after John Dunne and Dave Sutcliffe.<br />
<br />
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It was one of those rare moments in climbing where everything falls into place and hard moves feel effortless. I wasn't concentrating on anything really, how high I was off the ground, how small the holds were, exactly what sequence I was going to use, success, failure... It all just faded into the background. Until everything flashed back to reality and I was cutting loose with my right hand holding a green sloper on the lip of the boulder. Deep breaths. Take it easy. Over the top. A perfect climbing experience.<br />
<br />
I remember reading a Johnny Dawes quote somewhere about how you can climb every day for a year and only get a couple of moments like that. I think I'd agree with him.<br />
<br />
Still feeling warm and psyched I decided to try and repeat it five minutes later, this time with the cameras out: <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="394" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/79673832" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="700"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/79673832">Cindy Crawford</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3908706">Jacob Cook</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
And some more photos...<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8511566986018849846.post-70943284380114701592013-10-08T13:52:00.000-07:002013-10-08T13:52:32.831-07:00The KnifebladeTom and Ian had spotted an incredible looking knife blade feature from the boat. It looked like it <i>might</i> go, following the line of an enormous corner system and then moving right near the top under some capping roofs.<br />
<br />
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Pete, Ian and myself were dropped off at the base at 4pm. The wall being North facing meant it got a total of about 3 hours of sun between the hours of 1am and 4am!<br />
<br />
We scrambled up on the left and were able to gain a half height ledge system which took us back right and deposited us at the start of the corner. We began to climb through the night.<br />
<br />
As the sun blinked onto the face at 1am I was leading an exposed pitch out on an arete, linking two crack systems via some airy face climbing.<br />
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A few hours later I was at the end of the crack system under the capping roof at the top of the corner. The rock around me had begun to sport deep white scars indicating fresh rockfall and ledges were filled with gravel and dust, it was not somewhere I wanted to be for long. I knew that all I had to do was traverse about 30m to the right and we would be out on the easier angled "Knife edge" and could run up this to the summit. I placed a runner as high as I could and set off.<br />
<br />
A balancy traverse 10m to the right gained a resting niche, but still no gear!<br />
<br />
A further 10m traverse without a single good runner put me in a bit of a ridiculous position. I was now facing an enormous pendulum back into the corner. But I didn't fancy attempting to reverse and I knew that if I wasn't able to reach the arete our attempt was over and we'd have to go down.<br />
<br />
It was a truly wild place to be, one of those times where you learn how you really cope under pressure.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking up at the crux pitch; scary territory</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Somehow I arrived at a belay and Ian and Pete figured out some elaborate ropework to allow them to follow the traverse without facing the prospect of the monster pendulum.<br />
<br />
Sure enough we were able to scamper up the arete to the summit.<br />
<br />
It felt great to be the first people ever to stand on top of such an inspiring feature and a fantastic way to end the trip. It was also cool because we could see for miles, all of our climbs from the trip were layed out before us. Ikeresak mountain in the foreground which Pete and I had climbed the week before, Uumannaq mountain in the distance where we had put up "Islands in the sky" and even, way off on the horizon, the entrance to the fjord containing the Horn.<br />
<br />
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<br />
The knifeblade actually connected to the mainland at the top via a thin bridge of land. We opted for what turned out to be a 7 hour hike off the back rather than abseil back the way we had come up.<br />
<br />
We named our route "That Sinking Feeling", in honour of how proud we were to have gone the whole expedition without sinking the boat even once! It went at around E5 5c.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Topo of the line.</td></tr>
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On the way down we found some Antlers!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the end of a 6 week trip, Peter was feeling pretty horny...</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00282420639944492387noreply@blogger.com0