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Showing posts from 2006

Reiff In the Woods - The Main Issue drops!

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Well done to Richie Betts for sending the very obvious project at Reiff in the Woods! The severely overhanging wall has a mid-height rail, from where the lip seems to test your commitment to the jump as the landing can be dangerous if not padded and practised... here's Richie's description of completing the line: 'As for the grade.....well I'm not really sure. I was thinking around V8/Font 7b 'cos I cant really climb any harder than that! I guess comparing it to things on grit that seems about right, although it took me lots more goes than most of the Peak district dynos (Deliverance, Buckstone etc) but I think that's probably down to conditions and the landing. It's one of those....could be V6 if you are tall and like dynos or V9 if you aren't and don't. I was hitting the lip on every attempt but holding the swing is the crux... Barry pointed out that the temperature had really dropped just before I did it, maybe this made the difference. It pro

Static and Flow

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At last! After a stalled bouldering season, the high pressure has nudged in and settled the skies, the weeps are finally shrinking and withering at Dumbarton. While the Aberdeen crew have been lucky to have had dry conditions at Clashfarquhar, here on the west coast Dumbarton has been green and soaking for two months. Today I managed to get down and find some dry rock, working a few moves with Dave on some suddenly obvious unclimbed lines - it always surprises me that a little time off from a favourite venue refreshes your 'eye' and you see things that were not obvious when you're there all the time. Anyway, a small step as I managed to get the heel on the project again and 'look' at the next hold (yes, even that's an improvement to a boulderer) with Dave managing to go further and throw for the final move, which resulted in a couple of spectacular dynamic body swings, the resulting coiled tension propelling even the spotter into the brambles... a lot of pent-up

40 days and 40 nights...

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...of rain... which has put paid to the Scottish bouldering scene for this year... everything is weeping and green, we need a benevolent high pressure to restore some normality to the bouldering scene, everyone's frustrated by the deluge, and it doesn't look like stopping. Grabbing windows of opportunity between the fronts is the only option and running the animated satellite forecasts is like watching the old broken back of Scotland being whipped by sadistic Atlantic fronts. That said, I squeezed in a pleasant afternoon at St Bride's wall near Strathyre... a quartzy bulging wall with perfect landings and some good testpieces, just after the parking for the Ben Ledi walk-in. It is not extensive, but in bad weather it is only two minutes walk and facing south, so it's worth a visit when the higher boulders are not worth the risk. It catches the sun and a few hairy-knuckled gestures from passing white-vans, which you can feel free to return. The main lines are fingery str

Climbing on Mars

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From: Scottish Mountainner 25 Climbing on Mars By J S Watson ‘Like morality, mountaineering ethics looks to be a matter of discovery rather than decision, and to some degree always a matter of conscience.’ Rai Gaita – ‘Sacred Places’ What if we colonised Mars? Think of all the new rock, the new gravities, the new climbs? And what about ethics; what lessons would we bring from Earth-climbing? It could be argued that we are more ethical climbers these days and ‘ready’ to colonise: we have a well-documented knowledge of the do’s and don’ts around this inanimate, oblivious stuff called rock and ice. We know we are not supposed to take drills to mountain crags, or retro-bolt others’ more vital achievements. Most feel secretly guilty pushing winter climbing onto bare summer rock routes. Or we watch films, instead of relying on the traditional mythic story-telling, to reassure ourselves the ‘purity’ of ascent is guaranteed. We resist hammering and hacking at the stuff because we know we’re j

Rock Poker

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Dave MacLeod on 'Smokescreen' original method Alan Cassidy has reported an intriguing new version of Dave MacLeod's Smokescreen, originally a desperate Font 8a+, it has now been reclimbed at a more amenable grade of Font 7b+ . Alan said he discovered a go-again slapping sequence that got him up the crux hanging slopers. It goes to show that there are often other perspectives to problems, and that it is worth trying all sequences on your projects just in case... it also shows how rich our climbing world is... other people can often produce radically different results and it is worth absorbing as much as you can from watching other climbers. It's where you learn all your technique after all. Well done to Alan for discovering a sequence that will make this tespiece more accessible, I hope Dave is not too disappointed to hear the news... it won't make Pressure any the less impressive, but will mean there is an easier finishing sequence. That said, finishing up Firestar

A Spanish Interlude

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You would be forgiven for thinking Spain a hot limestone potato balancing on the nose of Africa, too hot and steamy for bouldering, one for the sports climbers maybe. Well, a little research and googling dragged up some interesting counter-points. The mountains are cooler, anything over 1000 metres and the Pinus Negris forests hide boulders and rocks entirely alien to the geological bully that is limestone, and the temperatures are more convivial to holding slopers. What I found hidden up here looked suspiciously like the clean red Torridonian sandstone of the North West of Scotland, nestling in the cool shade of pines. There was one online topo and a few photos that persuaded me to book flights to Valencia. The place? - ‘Albarracin’. Albarracin is a remarkable medieval town perched precariously on rocky slopes in a deep valley in the Montes Universales. These mountains lie west of Teruel (two hours drive north from Valencia airport) in the province of Aragon. A ten mile straight road

E11 REVIEW

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The 2006 Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival was packed and buzzing with anticipation, if not a little apprehension, after the bowel-loosening trailer for E11 came out some weeks ago. That pounding music, the slow-mo falls as they began... the sudden quickening wipe to the leg wrapping round the rope, the accelerating swing-in after 60 feet...crunch! I was wringing my hands as if I had turned up to watch a live car-crash. But my climbing lasciviousness was gradually eroded as Hotaches Productions pulled off a major feat in climbing film-making: a 'real film' about a climber's savagely withdrawn successes and crushing lows as Dave MacLeod attempted (over two years) to climb the awe-inspiring line of 'Rhapsody' at Dumbarton Rock. Paul Diffley has directed the film with feeling and pulled out some true performances from both Claire MacLeod and Dave MacLeod as the film delves into the personal traumas of obsession and the dangerous emotional tightrope of a climber maybe go

Font Inspiration

It's that time of year when your bouldering soul aches for the sandstone of Fontainebleau! For those of you heading to Font for the autumn crispness, here's a little visual beta and inspiration - Chris Boutell cruising Le Toit de Cul du Chien Font 7a...

Classic Scottish Boulder Problems No.7

A grand day out on Lewis! Starring Si O'Conor and John Watson...oh, the classic roof problem at Port Nis which is 'Atlantic Bridge' V4 Font 6c...

Classic Scottish Boulder Problems No.6

Tim Morozzo climbing 'Maizie Gunn's' V4 Font 6c on the Heather Hat boulder Glen Nevis. Video:

Project Time

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Angus cranks while Lambton rolls another...the Lost Valley, Glen Coe After the wet spitballs off Hurricane Gordon, the weather is finally cooling down and projects tremble at the thought of crisp cold autumn conditions. If your tendons last out and you've ramped up the power, this is the best time of year for the Scottish boulderer, as long as a little luck plays out before the nights draw in. Daev Macleod shows how it's done on Pongo Direct Wearing the duvet again is a sign that things are focusing away from the rambling circuit-style bouldering of summer towards the microscopic attentions to projects: that pinky isn't on properly... drag of the toe makes a difference there... tagged the hold for the tenth time...heel-toe finally sticks and undercut is gained (SHOCK it was easier than you thought!)...your arse is too far out, suck it in boy...GET ANGRY at it...YET MORE finger-tape surgery... spend one whole morning trawling hardware shops for the perfect brushes and broo

Classic Scottish Boulder Problems No.5

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Autoroof (Sit-Start) V5 6c+ Glen Nevis in the autumn is a truly special place for any boulderer. The fine-quality schist and excellent situation of High Crag, as well as a perfect grassy alp for landings, make this a favourite haunt of the dedicated boulderer. Dave Cuthbertson originally saw the value of this overhang and created some hard traveres such as Beatle-Back and Tinderbox , which are worth the walk up. The bouldering projects and straight-ups are hard, most problems above V8, but of note for a single visit is the excellent technical problem that is Auto-Roof. Why classic? Well: the situation, the moves, the quality of rock... there are plenty of problems in the glen worthy of any top-ten list, but for me it sums up the whole feel of Glen Nevis bouldering very well... isolation, sound rock, a drying wind... The problem finds a way through an impending wall to a jump-off niche where the route continues but eases off. The standing start, off an embedded boulder to the left, is

Classic Scottish Boulder Problems No. 4

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Chris Fryer on The Peel Sessions - V4 6b Glen Clova The Peel Sessions V4 6b Glen Clova Though better known for the excellent trad cragging, no self-respecting trad merchant should pass this problem by if in the area. If you can flash it, you should be well good for E4 cruxes - it is the obvious leaning wall above the road on Glen Clova's biggest boulder. An excellent landing means you can start this at sit-level and fall off as many times as you wish at any point... a couple of brisk power moves get you off your bum, then a tricky press move to the left allows a good incut up right...now comes a decision, either wimp out right on nearby jugs, or commit to the big move to a poor left hand-hold just below the lip. If you manage to hold it, keep your technique steady and mantle over the top. Sorting your feet position for the crux lunge is crucial (try a heel-hook on the sloper if you're feeling weak). If you're strong, you might want to try cross-handed... it's hard eithe

Motivation

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"...there is no such thing as 'hard' climbing or 'easy' climbing - more of this needs to be understood. 99 percent of us end up being just climbers, not 'Rock Gods', but really we haven't stopped doing the same things. When we give up the idea of competition and start motivating ourselves with our own goals rather than others' expectations, it becomes apparent nobody was watching all that time... your belayer is most likely thinking about dinner, a warmer duvet jacket or the next lead... whether you've just cranked out an E8 headpoint or topped out on a gripping V Diff, as long as the motivation has been rekindled, that's all that matters. Climbing on your own, solo, or just bouldering alone is a great way to source the real elemental stuff - it reminds you of your own limits, the boundaries you've set up. It is just movement on rock, moving through our own internal maps and renegotiating these boundaries - the only one you can't bri

New Areas topos

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I've put a few new topos on the main website at www.stonecountry.co.uk including Kev Howett's guides to various Central Highlands venues. They are printable Word docs. and the authors would welcome any feedback on history, grades, repeats etc. - the weather's cooling down and some new bouldering venues are always a tonic for the jaded Scottish trad climber... time to get some power back in them bones!!

Secret Training Regimes of the 8a Climber - Part 1

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Ross Henighan's hardcore regime has finally been sussed! Contrary to the belief that all Scottish climbers eat nails and train with 6-packs of Stella for weight-belts, Ross was caught red-handed in full pump at Dumby yesterday. When challenged as to what sort of training regime this constituted, Sleeping Beauty claimed his milk had been spiked: Aye, it must have been the locals, man. They spiked my bru. There I was, on a 7c crux, when it just came over me... I had to lie down man, everything went wonky-coloured and I was away before my head hit the turf. The last thing I remember was Buzz playing 'Blackbird' on the geetar... the rest is all naked girls running after me along Dumby's golden sands. Then some numpty poked me... I was just about to show the girls my tattoo and aw... man, I'll never climb 8c if i don't get proper training...

Carn Liath Development

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Mr Ben (direct V5) Lee Robinson has been busy with friends at Carn Liath, mapping the jungle of boulders for a future guide. It has a full circuit now and some hard projects, well worth stopping at if you're anywhere near Portree - it gets the morning light and the rock is a lot kinder on your skin than the gabbro. Thanks for the photos, Lee, some absolute cracking problems! Sheep Can Levitate V4

Classic Scottish Problems No.3

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Pump Up The Jam V5 6c - Sguman boulders, Glen Brittle, Skye Described by first ascensionist James Sutton as a 'deluxe 10 m jamming crack' (since when is jamming deluxe!!), this line is probably the most 'climb-me' problem on the Isle of Skye. It is indeed a long jamming crack just above the ground, overhanging severely and requiring grit, single-mindedness and lots of tape. It is also remote and is the finest example of what can be found if you take the Scottish bouldering approach: mat, boots, stove, go walking... it is located in the An Sguman east cluster (GR 443 184) just past the Coire a Ghrunnda burn, about 40 minutes from Glen Brittle campsite. It lies in a cave cluster, which is quite obvious from far away, small holly trees grow roundabout. It is an absolute must of a problem, as it is so unique - a kind of Separate Reality for Scotland (even in the Peak you'd be hard-pushed to find such a perfect 'bouldering' jam-crack a few feet off the ground

Shelterstone Circuit

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This topo is a rough guide to good safe problems up to about V3 on the Knoll boulders underneath the Shelterstone. Please let me know of any other problems you might do or know of that are worthy, or any harder problems that have been done above about British 6a. Lots of problems have been done here and it would be good to get a consensus of the best circuit and best 'off-piste' lines, some of which lurk in the great jumble above the Knoll. 1. Easy arete on reddish granite. 2. Overhanging groove, moving left on higher jugs. 3. Short slab direct. 4. Bigger slab to the right, straight up. 5. Cube-shape boulder arete. Jump to start. 6. Right arete of the diagonal crack boulder. 7. Tiptoe r-l along the diagonal crack then reach high for jugs in centre of wall. 8. Overhanging groove. 9. Right side of sharp arete. 10. Lip traverse l-r of curved boulder. 11. Easy large slab left to right arete above small howff. 12. Short wall on pink crimps. 13. Lip traverse R-L. 14. Traverse crack f

Classic Scottish Problems No.2

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Home Rule V3 6b - Dumbarton Rock It is inevitable there will be a number of Dumby problems in any Scottish classic bouldering wish-list. As the years go by (and the layers of graffiti paint build up), this testpiece has maintained its notoriety despite the big numbers flying around. It is a simple enough direct line, rocking up on a polished edge for a frustratingly out-of-reach hand ledge, then boldly finishing up the suddenly bottomless arete on thankfully good holds. It combines technique, strength, balance, commitment and persistence: the trademark of any Dumby problem. Redoing it brought back to me the subtlety of this problem. Due to its disproportionate polish (Dumby is after all famous for its polished slopers!), the crucial rockover edge requires a steady toe and a focused eye. The press with the left fingers on a good incut keeps the balance until the slimy pinch hold for the right hand comes into play. This hold is notorious for popping like a soap-bar and you slowly feel

Classic Scottish Problems No.1

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Ardmair - Stones & Seaweed V2 6a Okay, this is entirely subjective, but please make any comments and a consensus may develop (some hope!). I'll be posting candidates for Scotland's select 100 problems, with a film in mind... here's my first candidate: the Ardmair pocket problem Stones & Seaweed ss V2 6a . First of all, I believe a good problem is one you remember long after you do it, one you will no doubt return to. In fact, any problem you really enjoy. It usually exhibits a natural line (though not always, it can be blank or an eliminate); it has enjoyable or unexpected movement (it demands 'solving'); the rock and holds are attractive or curious; it requires balance, power and subtlety in one; other people mention it in passing... there are lots of crtieria for a good problem, but these are my favourites, what are your's? So, the problem. Ardmair is a beautiful beach north of Ullapool, with waves lapping on a pebble shore that has for aeons swirled

Curious Things

While out hunting boulders and generally wandering around, I've snapped a few curious things on the way. Part of the joy of bouldering is finding serendipity in odd places: dead turquoise Volkswagens in the Alps, iron floats , psychedelic plants & stones, strange cloud formations, 'found' objects. Here's a selection of a few things to take the mind away from bouldering a while... http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonecountry I'll post up some bouldering shots as well soon, new boulders, new areas.

Heatwave Stones

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'Undiscovered Country', Murray Boulder, Glencoe ...some pics from high stones being developed despite the summer heatwave. There was a surprising find in Glencoe, also a new area in Arrochar and a picture of a boulder that looks like a Scottie dog, sent to me by the intrepid Lee Robinson on his annual pilgrimage to Applecross and Torridon. Lee reports some cracking new boulders in Applecross, slightly further afield than the Kishorn boulders, but not too far away by all accounts... also some good bouldering along the coast south of Applecross. North of Applecross there is the huge cave at the MOD station, beside a fine beach, this is a super bouldering area if it rains, you can traverse back and forth at will until you're blasted. Colin Lambton on 'Crush', Blaeberry World, Arrochar New bouldering areas in Scotland are increasingly nudging up the contours, especially in a hot summer such as this. I noticed on Si O'Conor's blog that he has been busy at Cli

Cairngorm Potential...

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There's a great Dylan Moran gag about 'potential' - leave it alone, don't mess with it, that's what it is - Potential! You start screwing with it, you're likely to ruin it all... which is how I feel about my bouldering sometimes - lots of energy and plans and optimism - the reality is a little trickier. Take the Shelterstone, for example, a tremendous mountain crag, ( The Needle, Steeple...) you go here for these classic routes and the beauty of howffing in the Loch Avon basin, but who considers the bouldering? Most people who have climbed here have bouldered on the litter of giants beneath the crag - Julian Lines has done a pile of problems, Gary Latter etc. - a lot of climbers have quietly bouldered here a little when visiting to climb the bigger routes. I'm sure Robin Smith even warmed up on a few aretes. But in terms of pure bouldering? Very few bother, what with the walk-in - a three hour trek, especially with boulder mat - and you most definitely don

'Gabbrofest' out now!!

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Right now, several square miles of wild boulderfields are lying amongst scree slopes and moorland on the Isle of Skye... Not a bad intro! This is a labour of love and serious attention to detail, a quality addition to the bouldering topography of Scotland. James Sutton and Lee Robinson have produced an excellent map-guide to the bouldering on Skye, bringing clarity to the jumble of boulders in the great gabbro corries. The first thing that struck me was the simplicity of the layout, an A3 fold-out that packs neatly into a waterproof sleeve. Bird's-eye-view maps at 1:2500 scale locate you easily, numbered boulders refer to hand-drawn boulders, clearly marked lines and full descriptions, with V and Font grades... 39 diagrams, 150 problems... packs a punch all right. If that's not enough, there are GPS locators for the boulders. The main areas described include: Culnamean, Ghrunnda Boulders, Coire Lagan and An Sguman. Other areas mentioned are: Carn Liath, Skinidin, Elgol and An C

Cammachmore - New Aberdeen bouldering

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Having been partly developed by Tim Rankin but unreported, over the summer Tom Kirkpatrick has further developed this schist bouldering venue. It has larger boulders than Portlethen, meaning some highball finishes and problematic landings, as well as some deep-water soloing possibilities, but the best problems are safe and on good rock and there are some satisfying traverses. Tom will put a topo on the wiki at www.scottishclimbs.com Tom's description: Cammachmore Bay Bouldering Chilled out bouldering venue, just south of Craigmaroinn. The Bay gets all the sun going and nesting puffins can be seen on the cliffs above and seals and porpoises in the water below. The climbing is on a variety of large and small blocs and walls on beautiful water washed schist. A good spread of grades is available. The only draw back is that mats and good spotters are definitely required. The boulders can be approached in two ways. At very low tide by heading straight down the path towards the sea from t

No maps, no topos, no blogs...

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Imagine a climbing world without any documentation, or need for it... it wouldn't look much different: the high peaks would still look untrodden, the rock faces immutable and unknown, the boulders just attractive lumps of swirling geology. We would come across signs of climbing only on close up: chalk marks, rusted pegs, bolts, rotting slings and wonder what sort of experiences they had found, what successes, what failures: the act of having to imagine your way forwards is always preferable than following an arbitrary trail laid down on paper. You can get too divorced from it by proxy, which is why it is important to simply go exploring on your own: bouldering, soloing, walking: and not take any maps, or topos, or blog cut-outs... just finding your way on a good day over some fine rock is enough. Not that I want to knock sales of guidebooks or anything, but Scotland is still a land of adventure and summer is the time to get out and do just that. On a sunny day on a remote peninsula

Ardvorlich pics

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Jo George on Dilemma 6a Ardvorlich Walls

Ardvorlich Hidden Walls - Sport Climbs

The Climbing. If you're looking for a F6a-6c venue to ease the radical jump between indoor and summer trad in the mountains, this is an excellent venue: sportingly bolted 15m technical walls that will improve your onsighting ability and work your head round to the idea of climbing above gear. The climbing is never desperate - all very steady crimps and pockets on two excellent sunny walls and the bolts come just when needed! Many combinations can be created by mixing the routes up a bit to allow a bit of traversing experience... the rock is excellent schist, if still a little dusty - a little more traffic will help. Usually gets a wee breeze to keep midges off - the bracken in summer makes approach more difficult. Where are they? GR 323 123 Landranger 56 Being only forty minutes from Glasgow, and ten minutes from the roadside, this is an idyllic sport venue on the west bank of Loch Lomond. A knoll behind Ardvorlich B&B hides twin west facing walls - this is a few miles north of

Akita Boulders

Dave MacLeod has kindly revealed where the Akita boulders are: check his blog at: http://www.davemacleod.blogspot.com These are seriously clean and steep boulders, with some superb projects and excellent mid-grade lines. The whole of the far Northwest is littered with crags and stones like this, as if some climbing God sprinkled them out of his boulder box... it's a long way to go for most, but look at the quality of the rock that awaits you...

Boulderer Translates Mountaineer Shock

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News from Lakesman Tim Carruthers that his translated autobio. of Heinrich Harrer is nearly ready, hopefully October. Looking forward to it Tim... Book Description The first publication in the English language of the autobiography of one of the world̢۪s most well known adventurers: Heinrich Harrer who died early in 2006. Best known in book circles for his bestsellers Seven Years in Tibet (1953) and The White Spider (1958), this book brings to life those and his many other adventures. Heinrich Harrer, traveller, explorer and mountaineer led one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century. He famously spent Seven Years in Tibet (made into the film in 1997 starring Brad Pitt as Harrer himself) and was tutor, mentor and a lifelong friend of the Dalai Lama. He made the first ascent of the notorious North Face of the Eiger in 1938 (told in his book The White Spider). The Eigerwand had been a scene of carnage in the years preceding Harrer̢۪s success - an achievement partly ov

Applecross New Problems

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Tony Simpson and Mike Adams were on tour in Scotland and claimed a few new lines at the Applecross boulders. They climbed the wee hanging groove on the downhill face of the Kishorn Stone, at about Font 7b V8 - very hard without a cheat-stone! Mike Adams also found a solution to the big project on the Russell Boulder. Says Tony: Mike (after some persuasion that he could pull on) did the undercut project, heading left from the undercuts then back right at around Font 7c+ / V10. I failed to do this due a bad finger injury but was trying the direct undercuts to flake/edge (Lh) small crimp (Rh) then flat edge (Rh) (seemed clean but very hard maybe V11 Font 8a) There are fine hard problems from the lads and well done to them for persevering and sampling the delights of the North West.

New Kid on the Block!

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Kayla , Tim Rankin's V11/12 at Portlethen (the hardest line out of The Pit), has been reglued and reclimbed by local 19 year old Luke Fairweather. Luke has only been bouldering a year and a half and is already in the otherworldly bracket of Font 8a and above - this is a desperate problem and rated by Tim Rankin as his hardest, and Tim has put up some hard Font 7b's and 7c's, and he rates this as the pinnacle of his Portlethen bouldering. Luke's enthusiasm and dedication has brought him early rewards - let's hope he creates a few classic problems of his own in Scotland while he is here. Dumby is next on the agenda for Luke...

Spring News 2006

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The Thirlstane has been maintaining its popularity for repeats of Sav's old problems (my God, that sounds dated already, I can still see Paul cranking Font 8a's on the Ibrox wall at will in the 90's, as part of his circuits!) - though the exact sequences and rules for the hard eliminates such as Chinese Democracy and Shrinking Violet remain to be clarified - I would say if it feels easy, you're using an illegal hold! That said, there have been impressive repeats: Tim Carruthers (June 2003, repeating Shrinking Violet and Tied Up and Swallowed) and Tim Rankin on SV earlier this year and just this month Niall McNair completing CD, admittedly finding an 'easier' sequence by using a logical foothold that may have been 'out of bounds' on the original, but just remember how bendy Niall is - a monster rockover or mantel is meat and drink to him - I guess in Font they would call this problem 'morpho'. Well done to Niall! He says: Dropping a line to let y

ARDMAIR TRAVERSES

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1. HIGH TRAVERSE - V3 - from far right, traverse on good holds all the way left along the higher lip of roof. 2. ELIMINATE TRAVERSE - V5/6 SS - from Right Bulger eliminate big holds and traverse to far right and up. 3. MIKE'S TRAVERSE V7/8 - an eliminate traverse of the lower lip of the roof, starting from the Smiley hold, no back wall on roof allowed for feet. Excellent and hard. 4. CUP RUN V6/7 - from low down on roof shelf, gain higher shelf slopers, then reach back twice on tan crimps RH, crux slap left to tan sloper, continue to jugs far left. Good moves and apparently there's an easier sequence with devious heel-toe jams if you're canny!

Ardmair Beach

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Just north of Ullapool, over the hill from Rhue, is the restful pebbled beach of Ardmair. There is not-so-restful bouldering at the south end on the excellent roof, which stays reasonably dry even in heavy showers. Across the road, the Ruins area contains Mike Tweedley's two excellent roof problems, Corkscrew and Crucifix (on the obvious propped roof 100 metres along the fence). The problems appear in the Guides section at www.scottishclimbs.com and Ian Taylor has done a good topo as well for the beach crag. Here's a photo-topo and descriptions of the straight-ups at the beach - all done from a sit-start they give roof-monkeys a dozen or more work-outs. Various traverses can be done along the lip, from a grade of V2 on the higher holds to V7/8 on the lower holds, depending on where you start and what holds you eliminate. Ian Taylor and Lawrence Hughes have done most of the link-ups here, but feel free to create your own variations - it's that kind of bouldering wall! Updat

Invisible Lines

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Sometimes you think it's all been done, there's nothing left to do. it takes dedicated eyes to spot new lines and problems, especially somewhere as worked as Dumby. Yet again, Dave MacLeod has pulled out another good problem, this time a clean, natural line, no eliminate. On the 'dirty' side of the BNI boulder, just right of the scrotum-shrinking 'Nadjilation', is the overhanging arete that is now the chalk-ticked technical excellence of 'Sugar Rush' Font 7b. Dave says: A technical wee number that kept us busy for an hour or so. The landing ain’t so bad with a couple of pads and spotter but it’s a good pure arête line – not many of them left at Dumby ...

Super Size Me

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The excellent cold and dry conditions in February and early march has allowed Dumby to see some hard repeats, Dave Redpath on Pongo Sit-start and Dave MacLeod on Supersize Me. The question remains, is there an 8c lurking at Dumby??? Here is Dave on his repeat: "It was put up by Malcolm Smith last June (I was getting close then too but he beat me to it!!). It takes a big diagonal line across a 40 degree face on the boulder, linking up several problems with no let up. Basically Font 7a traverse into Pongo SS. Up this (Font 8a) and reverse the traverse of In Bloom (Font 7c) into Slap Happy Font 7a to finish. About 30 moves in total." Dave has now done all three Font 8b's in Scotland, the other two being Pressure and The Perfect Crime, both at Dumbarton Rock.

New Portlethen Testpieces

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STOP PRESS! Tim Rankin has climbed the hardest confirmed boulder problem in the North East, and Portlethen's gnarliest creation so far, at V11. Here's the news from Tim himself: '...heres the description and as for the grade I don't care but am tempted to give it a provocative 8a+ based on other things I've worked but it must be there abouts 8a/8a+. This problem takes the challenge of the widest part of the Pit roof from the back then climbs the faint hanging arete feature to finish up "The Pain" Start sitting at the back wall under the widest part of the roof on the right side of the Pit. Desperately pull on using an undercut and a small side-pull, grab the good hold on the lip and power up and left to gain the good undercut and an easier finish straight up.' February 2006 Tim Rankin has been busy with Chris Adams, best buddy Mark and new Devon boy 'cool-hand' Luke, who is eating up the local testpieces. This well-bicepped North East cre

Trossachs Classic Problems

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A number of new venues over the last few years has transformed the Trossachs from a traditional cragging backwater to a rediscovered gem of modern bouldering philosophy. The main areas are Loch Katrine, Stronachlachlar, Ben A'an and Ben Ledi. LOCK STOCK AND BARREL V9 - Dave Macleod's testpiece on the Sebastopol boulder. This gut-buster sit starts under the blunt arete and hooks and slaps up to a desperate slap for the sloper on the original V2 problem of Sebastopol. The true cave start remains a big number. BOOMER V1 - the excellent and remarkably easy dyno (if you commit!) on the Fence boulders at Stronachlachlar. From a handrail, wind up the spring and boom for the apex jug. Try not to let your feet helicopter you off, stamp your foot on the wall as soon as you can! TOURIST TRAP V5 - Loch Katrine - From a sit start on this arete, gain a two-finger sloper with a long reach, then figure out the best body position to grab the lip holds. Traverse left to escape this trap! WA