Upwards and Onwards

'Getting there' seems to be the mantra that keeps going through my head at the moment. My strength and stamina is improving almost weekly now. It feels good.

It is to such an extent that in the last couple of weeks that I’ve ticked off three routes (Pel, Cemetery Gates and Hydro) that have been lined up for some time.

It was an early start on a Saturday morning that kicked my trad climbing back into gear. Having loaded the bike with all the gear; one fairly large trad rack, three ropes (one 70m, two 60m half ropes), helmets, harnesses etc., Dale and myself hit the road. Destination Castell Helen on Gogarth South Stack, it was about 06.40. Low tide was at 06.04, we would have enough time if we go a reasonable move on. By the time we had geared up, set up the abseil, ab’ed in and got sorted in the little belay niche it was about 08.00. I set off up the first pitch. Pel (VS 4c), but the combination of first thing in the morning and having not done any trad leading since 27.11.11 made the first pitch feel far harder. The line follows a rough right-hand upwards-diagonal which then hits a corner up to the belay ledge. Cool moves all the way along, fairly sustained and above the sea meant I loved every minute. With the belay set up, Dale practically waltzed along to the belay ledge. A quick break on the ledge to swap over and sort out the gear and Dale set off. The second pitch is very different, easier (and not so good climbing) but with little protection could make it spicy. Calm and collected Dale cruised it. Before I knew it we were at the top. Time for a cup of tea at the shop on South Stack.

The corner on the first pitch of Pel.

Dale half way along the first pitch.

Dale heading up pitch two

At the top. Time for a cuppa.

Dale wanting to get some mileage in and crack a couple of routes suggested we went to Holyhead Mountain. He got on Teaser (VS 4c), a tricky little corner route that requires a cool calm head as it is a bit of a pump-fest for the grade. After he nearly had a wobbler (a reasonable distance from the last bit of gear and rather pumped), he chucked in the required cam and finished the route. I then did Cursing (VS 4c) a reasonable route with a distinct crux and a good exposed finish, it proved to be harder than I remembered it to be. Dale to finish the day did Pleasant Surprise (HS 4c). On the way back down the A55 Dale fell asleep on the back of the bike, I was impressed. My driving must be pretty smooth. A brilliant day out.

Dale on Teaser.

Me, post-crux, on Cursing.

Dale on Pleasant Surprise.

After a bit of mad arranging with Pete we headed out on a sunny afternoon to Dinas Cromlech, the plan to tackle Cemetery Gates (E1 5b) and possibly do Cenotaph Corner (E1 5c). We bashed up the approach slope. The little scramble up to the base of the routes is always good fun, a bit tricky and exposed with big, heavy walking boots on. Seeing that Cenotaph was running with water from the-day-before’s rain, we scrapped that bit of the plan. Feeling good and wanting to get the on-sight I opted to lead. Cemetery Gates, what an amazing route. You set off up on some smallish holds with little gear, then step round the corner leftwards onto the main face, you look up this long crack line and go for it. All kinds of climbing is required; jamming, face climbing, crimps, you name it it’s there. Even better is the fact that there is shed-loads of gear. The last few moves were interesting, thinking Ron Fawcett-like ‘Come on arms, do your stuff!’. I’ve clearly been bouldering too much recently. Pumped I reached the optional belay ledge. Looking down I was practically out of quickdraws, so set up a belay and brought Pete up. He was more pumped than I was (one bit of gear had been a horrible fiddle), and asked me to finish the route. More than happy to do so, I pushed on to the top. There is a step round a corner (as you move back right) and looking down the ground just drops away, it is an amazing feeling. Pete came up and we ab’ed down.

Pete making progress to the belay ledge on Cemetery Gates.

Getting closer.

Next day I had agreed to take my friends Hannah and Brock up Tryfan’s North Ridge. However when we got there it looked wet and grim, not the best conditions for their first accent. Looking on the map I suggested that we headed up onto the Carneddau area. With incredibly mixed weather we had an ace day. Whilst standing on the south-east ridge of Carnedd Llewelyn I could see into the next cwm with Ffynnon Llyffant at it base. I reckon that I could see the gully that I had my accident on. Whilst on the top of Llewelyn, having lunch, we got snowed on. Then we traversed across to Carnedd Dafydd via the ridgeline of the Black Ladders. Then we descended into Ffynnon Lloer. Hannah had never tackled long scree slopes before and had a great time learning to control the sliding steps that the slopes bring. From the lake we wandered back to the road. It is a fairly short and easy circuit that I would recommend to anyone of a competent walking ability, furthermore it is do able in most weather conditions.

Looking towards Carnedd Llewelyn.

Hannah tackling a little scramble section.

Brock doing the same.

 

A new Prophet? Unlikely.

Hannah on the scree slope.

The next Tuesday I went with Gwen in the afternoon to the Little Orme to do Hydro (E1 5b). After a bit of a wander trying to find the correct path to the crag we eventually reached it. The wind was blowing hard, the forecast was for dry weather till sunset, it was time to get going on the route. I got to climb first. You go up a pillar-like-bulge on the left-hand side of the cave on reasonable but small gear. This section from no real warm up and the biting wind was very pumpy and required faith in my finger to hold on, as I could not feel the rock under them. Then with some good gear in you step out onto a traverse above the lip of the cave. There is little protection and the crux moves are protected by a couple of rusty pitons, so really it is a no fall zone. Good and hairy. I came down off the route and it was Gwen’s turn. In typical style she did it with no problems. A word of warning to anyone who wants to do the route: Get your second to strip the gear, it is very, very difficult and quite dangerous to attempt to get the gear whilst lowering off. We tried it, bad move and not one to do again. We drove back in the rain and the wind. It was that windy that 70mph was the max I could get out of the bike.

Going up the first section of Hydro.

Looking out to the Great Orme.

The day after Tristan and I had a walk planned. We set off from Ogwen Cottage and went up along the ridge on the south side of Ogwen Valley, to get Y Garn and the Glyders in. As it seems be regular at the moment, the weather was mixed and the wind strong. Moving up on to Y Garn the wind stopped us dead for several minutes at a time, it was easier to brace and wait it out than to try and move. The section between Glyder Fawr and Fach always amazes me, it is like walking on the moon or an alien planet. There is no grass it is a large section of rocky (roughly one ft. by one ft.) blocks. As we moved up onto the top of Glyder Fach it started to snow, fairly heavily. Having crampons in the bag and knowing exactly where we were there were no worries. After about twenty minutes it stopped as quickly as it had started. All that was left was a decent to Llyn Bochlwyd via the east side of Bristly Ridge.

On top of Y Garn.

Looking up at Y Garn from Llyn y Cwn.

Up the slope we go.

The "moon" landscape on the top of the Glyders.

Where did all this snow come from?

Looking at the south ridge of Tryfan.

The south ridge of Tryfan.

Recently I have been reading Full of Myself, by Johnny Dawes (thanks go to Pete who got it signed for me, a wonderful surprise) and Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance, by Robert Pirsig. They have certain connections within the concepts and ideas developed through the discussions on philosophy, overtly in Zen… and within other subjects in Full…, I recommend reading both. I’ll do a full review once I’ve finished both.

In a couple of weeks I’m off home, the Transalp is going to have some work done. New front sections on the exhaust and an oil change will be the first tasks. Then a major clean to clear off all the dirt from winter and using farmers roads. For the second year I’ve used a trick that my friend Pete (different one) told me. Spray the whole bike in WD40. The bike will look more mucky because stuff sticks to the WD40 but when you wash the bike with warm soapy water and a sponge it will all come off straight away and will have protected the bike from all the road salt.

Anyone wanting to get on the gritstone over Easter?

Some videos:
Johnny Dawes interview on the Guardian Website
James Pearson in Northumberland
The Pou Brothers in the Alps
Motorbike adventure in Midwinter
The Secret Life of Bikers

There are only three sports...

‘There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor-racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.’ Ernest Hemingway.

Personally I would change the above quote to ‘there are only three sports: kayaking, motor-racing and mountaineering’, but the sentiment is all the same (Bullfighting is a horrible, disgusting event that should be eradicated from this planet). They have a risk factor that, even with modern equipment, is far greater than any other. Yet the gains from them, from personal experience and with discussion with others, are far greater than any other. You can truly find out who you are when you are on the edge; stuck in a stopper, the rear-wheel slipping, run out above the gear and fighting waist deep in snow through a blizzard.

Recently however I’ve not been capable of doing such things. But I’m getting there. I’ve been busy with getting up mountains and going climbing that spending time updating my blog has proved difficult, so  I’ve only just got round to it.

Having gone running a few times my leg felt strong enough to try climbing and walking. My wrist, I thought I take it as it went. At night at Indy proved quickly that my wrist was strong enough to climb, I even managed to lead up the over-hanging head wall.

The next day with perfect weather resulted in a trip up Snowdon, up the Pyg Track and down the Miner’s path. The ground conditions amazing, powdery snow without the need of crampons. It was a great day. For Krystyna it was her first mountain day, I can’t think of a better introduction to the joys of hill days. For me it held interesting moments, it took a while for my confidence to develop again, in particular while making steps on the more steep snow. It is funny how the mind can play with your abilities to tackle obstacles that previously showed no difficulties, and still are no physical difficulty. Being buzzed on the top of Snowdon by a 22 Squadron rescue helicopter, with their winch men waving from the door really made our day.  

The view from Snowdon top onto Bwlch Ciliau.

The RAF Seaking Helicopter.

Us and Snowdon in the background.

The amazing Moon we saw that night, reflecting in Llyn Llydaw.

Buoyed by my day on Snowdon on that weekend I went up Tryfan with a group of friends. Although we were cold and in the cloud for most of the day it was a great day out. The scrambling on Tryfan is always fun and I don’t think I have ever taken the exact same route up ever. Coming off the top and bog-trotting back to the car was amusing.

The girls and James on 'The Cannon'

Me on 'The Cannon'

The girls and James on the way down, post-bog-trotting.

Last Tuesday was a trip with BUMS to Beacon climbing centre. I easily managed to get up several F6a’s, a few F6b’s and tried and failed on a F6b+. I’m still wary of over doing it, causing further injury and delays.

Wednesday was a cold, wet and incredibly windy day. Setting off with Jack and Ellie we headed up from Bethesda to Carnedd Dafydd to Carnedd Llywelyn then down into the cwm at the base of the Black Ladders. The wind was really strong, it required that you lent into it to walk. In conditions like that, were you can’t feel your hands, the rain is freezing and you can’t see more than twenty metres due to being in the cloud, it tests your metal and you come away feeling better, the challenge met and defeated. Everything is in perspective again.

For Jack it was a sentimental day, the two year anniversary of the death of a friend in who died mountaineering in Scotland.

On the top of Carnedd Dafydd all kitted up.

Ellie bracing in the wind.

'Look I can fly!'

Me being a Berghaus advert.

Saturday was cold. We went to Llanddulas Cave. I got hailed on half way up a route. It still isn’t really warm enough to go climbing yet, particularly if you’re not in the sunshine. The local pub (The Valentine) there however was great, a coal fire and London Pride on tap.

Sunday was the BUMS indoor boulder competition at Indy. Mikey Kenyon and Meg White won. A good time was had by all who took part. Thanks to Indy for hosting and route setting. Some great and challenging problems were put up.

Motorbiking has started again. Getting back into the swing of things I’ve gone on some short but fairly difficult routes. A particularly good one is the roads around Bronydd Isaf (OL17: 627 704).  It is a set of farmer’s roads with grass growing in the middle of the road. I’m struggling to go faster than thirty and feel as if I’m completely in control. Hopefully my throttle and general bike skills will improve with the more challenging driving. I’m looking at doing some routes around the Dolgarrog area. Anybody know of good-green lanes in North Wales?

To conclude on a quote ‘Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.’ T.S. Elliot.

Some film clips:

Some cool and dangerous motorbike riding.

Maybe I need to train harder?

A really nice climbing/lifestyle film: 'A Desert Life'.

Cedar Wright in Malaysia: Part I

Cedar Wright in Malaysia: Part II

Racing, Running and Reviews.

The dates for the various motor-racing events have been released. Of major interest to me is the Moto GP (Silverstone, 15^th-17^th June), British Super Bikes (All year, but I’m planning on visiting: Oulton Park, 5^th-7^th May/6^th-8^th July, Donington Park, 7-9 September) and the Isle of Man TT (provisional dates: 28^th May-8^th June). For more dates and locations see the websites. 

 

The Dakar Rally is now over, with French man Cyril Despres on the KTM winning the Bike category. A summary of the best bike action is available here. 

 

TT: Closer to the Edge came out last year and last week I got round to buying and watching it. Two words; amazingly quick. Whether you like the TT or bike racing at all is not really important. It is a tale of a group of people seeking something past the ordinary and ordain in life. Although it is a documentary, it is a well-edited, fast-paced, person-orientated film rather than the typical moribund T.V. shows. The on-board camera shots are unbelievable, watching the bikes hit over 170 mph on the tiny country roads sends adrenaline shooting through your body. It is the stories of the riders and their families that really make the film, in particular those of the Dunlop family, Guy Martin and the Dobbs family. Some of the quotes Guy Martin comes out with are hilarious and down-right honest opinions, e.g. ‘Some lads love going to the pub, some lads love shagging. I don’t mind it but I’m not into it. Different things make different people happy, don’t they’. Anyone who likes adrenaline fixes will be able to relate to it. As the tag-line says ‘Just because you’re breathing doesn’t mean you’re alive’!

Here is the trailer. 

As I’m doing a series of reviews I’ve got some biking jeans, Richa Kevlar Jeans.   I’ve owned them for about a year and a half, taken no spills on them. As jeans go they look the part, have a good cut (slightly different to normal jeans), proper denim, can be worn on a night-out and are tough as old boots. The cut around the knees may look a bit strange, that is because on the inside they have insert sections for knee pads. Also on the inside are large sections of Kevlar fabric, round the backside, down the back of the legs and around the knee, prime areas to get hurt as you slide down the road. They take a bit to get wet and I’m sure if you treated them with Nikwax or the like they would be fairly water-resistant. For sitting on the bike they feel comfortable for all day riding and are much nicer if you are going in to town than your full leathers. A couple of downsides are flexibility is very limited for non-biking movements, they take even longer than normal jeans to dry and in midsummer when not travelling at 60mph they can get very warm. Overall I’d highly recommend them to any biker, and unlike those jeans you got from G-star (or some rubbish brand) they won’t fall apart after two washes.

I had the cast off and then replaced last week. It is now neon yellow. My thumb was given the all ok and I’m getting it moving again, as it had been immobilised for five weeks. Still cannot ride the push-bike though, my arm sticks out at a funny angle and grabbing a handful of the back break is not going to happen. The cast comes off around the end of the month, then a few weeks will be needed to get it back to working strength.

I’m now able to run, finally. It is a great feeling that I can now be building my strength back up. Distance and speed is getting there. My knee is no longer buckling if I misstep which proved amusing to everyone else as I went down the road. It is funny how things you take for granted when taken away from you become suddenly really important to get back. 

In the vain hope that this was useful, thanks for reading.

Why Adventure? (and some videos).

As this healing process has been going on I’ve had a few introspective moments. The close call with being a dead body and evening news story brings a different perspective, and more importantly I’ve found a serious mental questioning on ‘is what I do and enjoy worth it?’. Personally the answer has been a strong and definitive ‘Yes!’. Yet my assumption that if I die or severely damage myself doing something I love, be it on a cliff, mountain-top or on the motorbike, that it would be fine has been brought to the fore and been found wanting (it is not a fear of dying, but one of missing out on all the stuff I could have done before dying). Now how this effects my mental attitude when I’m physically fit is something to find out. Maybe physically hard but relatively safe adventures will be the route I take. Whatever route I take I will do it because I enjoy it and the challenge it presents. It would be interesting to hear from people who have had similar experiences to hear how they mentally organised themselves after such events. 

There is a new(ish) article on the Bangor University Website: http://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/full.php.en?nid=6308&tnid=6308. It discusses the psychological reasons for people to seek adventure (I’m sure there is a more comprehensive paper somewhere). It seems that we seek adventure for a heightened emotional response and that adventure allows us to take control of an aspect of our lives. Seems interesting. I think that we all struggle to truly know why we place ourselves in positions of danger, is it just the adrenaline kick or is there more to it.

Many climbers, mountaineers and explorers have tried to answer the question of “why?”. Mallory’s succinct ‘Because it’s there’ doesn’t really answer it. I believe it is a very personal matter that needs to be addressed individually, if you work out why you are doing something you perform and enjoy the activity much more. Which aspects of your own adventures do you get most from? Focusing on those aspects helps improve the overall outcome.    

The Dakar Rally, heard of it? You should have. One of the most gruelling races on the planet, man and machine are tested to their limits. Desert racing at its zenith. And the best bit is that it is on at the moment.

Here is the official website: http://www.dakar.com/index_DAKus.html.

The route, even without racing, looks amazing. Watching it makes me want to just get out on my motorbike and go for a spin on a dirt road (which obviously can’t happen at the moment).

My Transalp is based on Honda’s racing bikes for this back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. No wonder it feels indestructible.   

I'm going to get (and read) Full of Myself by Jonny Dawes. I'll let you know what it is like.

Now a load of videos to get you psyched.

The Nose, El Cap.

Mixed Climbing Avalanche Accident (was buzzing round UKC a few weeks ago).

A load of the Dakar Racing clips. 

Gasherbrum II, first winter ascent. 

The Real Big Drip (M7 WI 6), Canadian Rockies.

Sonnie Trotter on Lake of Fire (5.13c R), Squamish, Canada.

New Year, Similar Targets.

Another year has gone by, one that personally was exciting and full of amazing experiences (and I hope your year was as well). Some key highlights include: My first Gogarth trip (Britomartis, HVS 4c) and subsequent visits, my first limestone E2 (It, E2 5b), buying and tazzing around on my Transalp, my first slate E3 (Goose Creature, E3 6a), crapping myself (not literally) on Superdirect (E1 5b) with Gwen and doing Pull My Daisy (E2 5c). Also completing my first year at Uni and managing to survive my recent epic stand out (although my fall wasn't really a highlight!). 

Some targets for the new year: Climbing: Comes the Dervish (E3 5c), Atlantis/True Moments/Freebird (E2 5b), Samurai (E2 5c), The Sloth (HVS 5a), A Dream of White Horses (HVS 4c). Walking: Summer version of the route we were doing when I fell, The Pennine Way, Scarfell Pike, Ben Nevis, Cadir Idris, Welsh 3000’s. Motorbiking: A Scotland trip, a Lakes trip and save up for kitting the Transalp up for off roading.

I’m still out of action, my hand is going to take some serious work to rebuild its strength (hopefully this will force my climbing footwork to improve and better, smoother gear changes on the motorbike). My knee is now able to bend completely, it has taken time and quite a bit of painful stretching to achieve it though. I still can’t step down stairs with it, I kind of mentally line my right foot up to catch me, then step down and move quickly as my left knee buckles. It can be quite hairy doing this so I wait till I’m almost at the bottom of the stairs before trying.

My best advice is don’t fall/slip, the recovery process is a real frustration. But if you must bash yourself up; stay focused, positive and just keep working at it. Recovery does and will happen.

Currently, as I can’t do anything useful/fun/scary I’m reading a lot. Nothing wrong with being well read, in fact I normally pack a book in my backpack when I’m out for a few days to pass the time after tea and before bed. Therefore the next few blogs will probably be reviews of adventure literature and films.

Here is one review to get you started.

    

In September I bought Unjustifiable Risk?: The Story of British Climbing by Simon Thompson. It is a quite fascinating read that I have recently finished. It brings together various aspects of history, social commentary, politics and biographies to present an overview (although it is possible the title should be changed to ‘an introduction to the story of British climbing’) of the history of climbing (in all its aspects). It not only covers the British Isles but has an international perspective of the role of British climbers in the development of our “games”. It covers a time period of circa 1800 to modern day.  It is interesting how the change and development of gear and attitudes to it have played an important role to the climbing we are involved in. Thompson makes you wish to be involved with the tales he discusses (apart from, personally, the deadly accidents that have occurred pursuing those lofty peaks).  Overall I highly recommend the book.

A few other titles I recommend reading or watching are:

• The Ascent of Everest by John Hunt. 
• Climbing: Because it's There (Philosophy for Everyone) by Stephen E. Schmid (ed.). 
• Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.  T.V Series.
• First Ascent Series Boxed Set by Sender Films.

So, happy New Year to everyone. Get psyched, get out there. Enjoy the mountains.