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Showing posts from 2012

Skye (a land of myth much-missed)

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In the early 2000s, a mysterious stranger began claiming a number of hard ascents, first in Glen Nevis ( The Morrighan, Jupiter Collison ...etc.)and then on the Isle of Skye ( Extradition, It's Over etc.). In particular, the boulders of Coire Lagan held some great-looking lines which began appearing on a local blog featuring photographs of a lithe-looking climber on very steep lines, but usually static on one of the jugs and never on video. Many climbers had visited and tried the lines, coming back claiming they were futuristic and impossible. Dave MacLeod walked away from the mythical ' It's Over ' with its wee undercut holds and obvious-but-out-of-reach double-sloper. The forums, for a year or two, were alive with debate as to who this stranger was and how the hell he had got so strong. The legendary O'Conor blog , its posts notably created in the dark hours, like some intricate verbal death-star, has mostly been dismantled by its shamed owner, who was, at

Archipelago Review

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If you're interested in landscape writing, perhaps the finest collection can be found in the biannual literary magazine ARCHIPELAGO . It is published by Clutag Press and collects the best of landscape writing and poetry from the likes of Michael Longley, Tim Robinson, Robert Macfarlane and Seamus Heaney. Issue 7, Winter 2012, contains a section from our very own Rathlin: Nature and Folklore , an extended version of 'Foorins and Cuddens' telling of the isanders' seabird-fowling and natural climbing skills akin to the 'guga' hunters on St Kilda: '...some descended on homespun ropes from cliff tops, the ropes secured to an iron stake driven into the turf, or, in the case of one famous nineteenth century climmer (island name for a cragsman), from a rope tied to the leg of his horse.' There is some terrific writing in this 'journal' of poetic landscapes. I liked Katherine Rundell's 'Ghost Storms', describing a Scottish storm &

Perfect start to December

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There is no better feeling than cyan-blue skies and the first winter shroud laid down on the distant Highland tops... the rock conditions have been perfect and holds which were soap-bars in summer now feel like emery boards. Craigmaddie and Craigmore have been in good condition, with new link-ups and traverses for the locals creating grade confusion - everything in these conditions feels two grades easier, which is why Font grades can feel so hard in the heat (they tend to be graded for the 'magic day' of perfect friction). Craigmaddie now has over 50 documented problems, from Font 2 through to Font 7c, with the sunniest winter aspect in Central Scotland. This makes it a glowing and popular venue for those who can't afford the petrol for 'The County'. For the Central belt boulderer, this venue offers an under-rated alternative to Northumberland sandstone and you can get over 6 hours of sun in mid December, if your skin lasts that long! Colin Lambton ha

RIP Patrick Edlinger

It's not about the shoes... (nor the camera...though that footless hang and chalk blow is iconic!!!) also, good post on Bloc de Pierre here >>>

Ben Donich 846 m (2,776 ft)

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I'd always known there were big stones on Ben Donich - it's typical of Arrochar rock architecture with split schist crags and chasms and jumbles of scree giants  in corries - but I'd never gone up for a proper scout. So, with the forecast promising sun in between hail and snow, I squelched up the speedy north east ridge to the summit in under an hour, then backed down the craggy east flank towards the Brack, stalking the boulder clusters, giving sheep the odd adrenaline-shock. Arrochar schist is not impressive in the wet of midwinter, its lichen coat soaking up slime and soaked heather-bunnets dripping down cracklines. Nevertheless, finding such a bloc as this bodes well for summer projects and those who like solitude and king lines topping out at 8m over, for a change, reasonable landings...

New book from Stone Country announced!

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We'll be publishing an exciting new book by Francis Sanzaro in early 2013 and we've just got the cover (with thanks to Boone Speed for such a terrific shot). The book's called ' The Boulder: A Philosophy for Bouldering ' and it analyses bouldering in depth. It's an inspiring read, written with great clarity and poetry by a boulderer and academic philosopher who listens to what he does and is able to unfold the complex mental and physical origami that is bouldering. He explains to us what we're really doing, or perhaps what we are truly enjoying, when we boulder. The more you think about bouldering, the harder it is to say what it is, but Francis has done a terrific job bringing a distinct voice to the sport. The book will be available in March 2013 and I'll put some sample pages up around Christmas as a taster.

Abracadabra

This 7a seems to get harder the more you try it...a real workout for the back and ribcage muscles! Abracadabra from John Watson on Vimeo .

Long live autumn...

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Long live such autumns: clear skies, frost-cold rock and an orange-filtered low sun. Finally the bouldering season seems to have kicked into gear... I've been projecting at Dumby before the sudden sunsets above Langbank on the other side of the Clyde, and enjoying the pseudo-grit of Craigmaddie higher up on the moors for a change of geology. It seems everyone else is burrowing into their projects and enjoying what free time can be stolen in the shortening days. A full afternoon at Dumby went by in stop-motion oblivion as the tide crept up to the sea boulder from a low tide... no better way to dissolve the stress of deadlines and office life.

Torridon Bouldering

It seems Torridon is maturing into Scotland's best bouldering venue considering all the qualities we associate with the sport: aesthetic rock, stupendous landscape, variety, king lines, accessibility (well, it's beside a B-road!). This autumn and winter should see another assault on the tiers above the village, with plenty of projects remaining and easier circuit lines galore. As Queen Victoria observed: '...not a lot of people come here.' Shame! Dan Varian's new line 'Wee Baws'

Dumbarton Rock safety report

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The recent geo-engineering survey  at Dumbarton Rock, commissioned by Historic Scotland, on the NW face (main climbing area above the boulders) has thankfully found no major instability and we hope that responsible climbing can continue as normal at Dumbarton. The report summarises the situation thus: 'The principal potential hazard noted at the NW inspection area is unstable blocks becoming detached  from the face and falling onto areas below.  It has been established through visual inspection of the area  that the rock mass is generally tight, and although there are a number of well developed joint sets, there  is little evidence that the intersection geometry is creating significant viable or active rockfall events. This  is not say that rockfall will not occur, as from time to time material will dislodge from the face due to  natural processes, but these are likely to be relatively infrequent and are impacting areas with only  transient pedestrian traffic. Given these cr

New problems in Font

Two new problems in Font, though one is a rehash of a Pepito 'lost classic' at 91.1: Piège à Feu from John Watson on Vimeo . L'Écossaise from John Watson on Vimeo .

Ethics and Development

Thanks to Chris Fryer for pointing out this video on ethics and development of climbing/bouldering in Mount Evans etc. in the US. Whilst Scotland is unlikely to suffer huge impact in terms of the volume of boulderers visiting new and pristine areas of our own Scottish wilderness, our responsibility is nevertheless undiminished. Places such as the Shelterstone, Torridon, Arran, Lewis, Rum etc. all have similar boulderfields to the one in this video.The  weather, remoteness and danger (snapping an ankle in a talus field...you've a Joe Simpson on your hands) might all mitigate our impact on the environment, but it's worth stopping to think, especially for guidebook producers, film-makers and sponsored climbers, what are we promoting? How should we do it, if we do at all? ABYSS - North America's Highest Bouldering from Louder Than Eleven on Vimeo .

Eliminate shame

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We have come a long way from the original stand-up start, indeed this didn't exist as a concept until we sat on our arses to add a couple of moves to a tired old boulder problem. The sit start is now so ubiquitous it might be better to highlight in guides which problems start 'homo erectus'. We have by no means stopped there in the evolutionary journey backwards to be as prone as a flounder under a piece of rock for fear one single, aesthetic udge might be missed. We created the traverse as a crabby, contorted pump simply for the fun of it, or to create our own bibliography of extensions: ben, jerry, tom...  Then came the crazy-golf world of the 'eliminate' which is kind of like an apartheid for holds, where mostly big holds suffer a deletion of rights. The modern bouldering corollary to all this arbitrary nonsense is the link-up, the bastard son of the eliminate. The traditonal idea of the line is, apparently, subverted and twisted out of all normal, mountaineer

Craigmaddie Flyover

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Craigmaddie flyover , a photo by Stone Country Press on Flickr. Blissful autumn day at Craigmaddie, working through some classic problems and nailing down more aesthetic and less snappy sequences on the ! top tier. Abracadabra is definitely 7a, don't let anyone tell you any differentIf anyone can remember the beta for Farmer's Trust, Pete and I would love to know, we flailed about like demented goldfish... updated topo on the way.

Meall a' Choire Leith and Glen Lyon

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This unremarkable and indistinct bump of moss is remarkable for its surroundings rather than the character of its summit. The more satisfying ascent (if not climbing Meall Corranach) starts from the Roro bridge in Glen Lyon, a few km east of Bridge of Balgie, with the recommended circuit going up the east glen and a grassy descent down to the west glen. Glen Lyon Park at the Roro bridge testing station and swing round the road to a T-junction, heading left towards Roromore. Just before the fence at the Allt a' Chobhair, follow the burn uphill by a fence through more interesting scenery than the farm track across the river. It leads past some glacial boulders to the old shieling village under Coire Ban's scree slopes. Follow the wall uphill to the Coire and either strike up left steeply, or follow the fence right to the blunt ridge of Sron Eich. A gradually easing angle leads south to the summit plateau of Meall a Choire Leith, which I think is named after the adjacent

Donegal Bouldering and Tweed's Port

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A week in Donegal in late August is a dolly-mixture of weather. It certainly meant wind and the tent spent most of the week flattened under an invisible thumb of constant pressure. The bouldering around Dawros Head and Tramore is always interesting, with the sand levels playing tricks with your memory. The Tramore dunes have grown, for example, and totally covered one nice wall I used to enjoy as I couldn't for the life of me find it again. I felt suitably small, thinking how casually our efforts are buried by wind and time. It was no different for the neolithic and bronze age folk - a large finger of granite, which was once pointed on a hill as a marker or territory post, has lain buried for millennia by a giant sand dune which is only now walking its way east and revealing the top of the blinded stone. However, Marmalade Rock in Loughros has some nice problems on walls and orange quartz, with the coves at Rosbeg providing some good steep, sea-worn schist, though m ostl

Craigmaddie circuit addition

The direct version of 'Chockstoner' problem on Craigmaddie's lower roof  -  a rather scrappy 5+ on the  left arete - is much more satisfying this method, stretching out to slopers from the foot plinth, then cutting loose to finish up The Nose (a 5 from standing jump). Hardish foot clamping and dynamic throws make this about 6b+, anyone done it this before this way? Craigmaddie The Nose Direct from John Watson on Vimeo .

August eggs and extreme Johns

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As work on the new bouldering guide continues, the summer is often a time to explore and map and check out others' explorations. Tom Charles-Edwards is probably one of Scotland's most under-rated pioneers of the 'lost boulder'. A bit like Christophe Laumone in Fontainebleau, Tom often prefers solitude and exploration, stringing together king lines on remote blocs. It is thanks to Tom that future generations will have futuristic and adventurous projects to keep them busy and feed the rat when all the 'accessible' stuff is worked out by the 'car-boot raider' (park by boulders, unload 10 mats, flash all the 8a's, tick, downgrade, eat carrot, pack up and drive off...apologies for unfair caricature?!).   Tom Charles-Edwards on 'the Flying Pancake' The Dinosaur Egg, Arrochar area Anyway, Tom has suggested some very good ideas for the new guides, as I'm trying to develop a guidebook that does justice to the many tastes in boul

Requiem for a Boulder Mat

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It must be an age thing, but I found myself ogling new bouldering mats online, in preparation for patio-ing out my autumn project, when I just realised, jeez, I had another mat already. It was up in the Coilessan boulderfield, hidden under a roof. Was it? Or was I losing it? Bloody hell, how long ago was that, I thought? Three years? Oh well, best stomp up, hunt around in the hope of retrieving it, in whatever state it had been left by the Scottish elements. I seemed to remember leaving it under a steep project prow, fully intending to come back the next weekend... it was old and manky then, what hope for it now? The plan was to do a good 10km stomp-around anyway, for it was way too hot for a bracken-fighting, tick-picking bouldering session, so losing some weight seemed like a good idea. I ran up the track for a couple of km, found the white post, stomped up through the 'bastard' tussocks and made a beeline for the giant boulderfield. Just getting here with a mat e

Update on Dumbarton Rock access

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MCOS and myself attended a meeting with Historic Scotland at Dumbarton Rock with David Mitchell (HS Director of Conservation), Ian Lambie, (District Architect for HS) and Stephen Gordon (Head of Applied Conservation at HS): they are keen to 'de-schedule' the crags and boulders so climbing can become official, but there are a few issues to resolve first. A geo-technical survey commissioned by Historic Scotland will allow a climber to accompany the survey to promote better understanding; there will be a council meeting with a climber representative to discuss landscaping; and any graffiti cleaning will be accompanied by a climber so no damage to holds is done (cleaning is a priority for the non-climbing crag face below Omerta). Cleaning methods will be discussed and whilst non-climbing rock might be blasted, climbing rock will use a non-damaging solution/steam cleaning method. So, good news really and a real opportunity to keep our heritage alive at the Rock... thanks for eve

Raasay Classic climbed

Dave reports on his blog about the success and pleasure of bouldering in wild and haunting places such as Raasay. plus he bags a 7c+ classic, giving Raasay a big pin-marker on the bouldering map of Scotland ! Check out geolocation for the access (prow at bottom left of pic) >>>

Coiregrogain Blocs

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A very wet Sunday in the Arrochar Alps, so I put the running shoes on and took the long escalator-paced track up to the Allt Coiregrogain in horizontal, soaking drizzle. I'd been tipped off by Tom C.E. that there were some impressive blocs in the hanging glen between Beinn Ime and Ben Vane. He isn't wrong! Some giant stones with attractive, steep walls and flying aretes... the usual bogs might be an issue, but a dry week might make them just about approachable, if you like 5km walk-ins with big mats. Some nice camping spots, so perhaps a dry spring trip would see some big lines climbed. Apologies for the retro-style photo - the phone battery was so low, this was the only camera app that would work.

Summer Bouldering

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The sandstone boulders under the cliffs of Raasay have seen some serious attention from top-end climbers Michael Tweedley and Dave MacLeod. Dave reported an amazing and very continental-looking project on the giant boulders round Screapadal. Dave reports on the stunning potential of the area in his blog : 'We spent ages looking round the boulders finding countless problems in the V0-V3 range that looked great, but not much for ourselves. But finally we stumbled upon one line that changed our psyche - the biggest, baddest Font 7c/+ roof in Scotland!' Beastmaker Dan Varian has written a hilarious blog about the ups and downs of Scottish bouldering, cranking out some big new testpieces in Torridon and Applecross in June. Lovingly entitled '3 days in Paradise, 1 day in a Shithole', you can tell he wasn't impressed by Dumbarton! Don't worry, Dan, we feel you and are trying to get the place cleaned up! See here for further developments on the clean-up and developme

Dumbarton Rock Update

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It seems there has been some confusion and misinformation about cleaning of the boulders/crag at Dumbarton. Currently, the issue is in the hands of the MCoS, Historic Scotland and SNH, so please check for official statements on the MCoS website, the most recent of which is here >>>  official news . Whilst we may all have different views on how best to manage visual pollution such as graffiti - some would like to see it go, some feel it is part of the urban character of the place - the best we can do is represent our feelings on climbing heritage to the MCoS as our official access representative. My own personal statement in defence of climbing here remains: 1. We LIKE the place and USE it a lot, in all seasons, so naturally want to see a balance between conservation and the rights of our climbing heritage. 2. We clean the place up independently every year and ought to be recognised, or at least consulted, when decisions are being made on 'cleaning' the ro