I.N.S.P.R.E. Jan '16

First post of the new year, and I seem to have found myself without a monthly feature. All Giveaway projects are, well, given away.. The big tick list is now short mid term and loooonnnggg goals. What can I prattle on about? okay, not a big dilemma.

Talking to fellow pursuers of unclimbed esoterica, we've all got pet rocks we're rather proud of. The fact that other people have never heard of them, let alone climbed them, is a little irksome. However, I do concede that I've climbed some right tat too, so how do we promote the horseshoes and ignore the horseapples. My new monthly feature looks to address this.

I.N.S.P.R.E. stands for "Its Not Shit, Please Repeat Everybody". There are neglected gems out in them thar hills, that may have never been seen by anybody but the FA, let alone had someone else climb on them. I intend to limit my own contributions to 2-3 so as to not be too narcissistic, so expect some beta and history from other fellow esoterrorists.

This months contribution is "It not the Years, its the Mileage" F7A/+ found at Crag y Giat above Nant Peris. 

Here it is. Through the campsite and up the hill, 30 mins if you're unfit like me.

The gate seems to have gone, but the crags still here.

I first stumbled across the crag in 2003, where I cleaned it up and led a couple of lines up the middle (no. 2 cam I seem to recall). The line on the left intrigued me, and over the next 8 years I sporadically humped myself up the hill, trying new sequences, and testing my fitness. My eventual success was down to improved core keeping my feet on.

Almost 5 years later, and still no repeat, the lichen and fluff has grown back a little, and would be repeatists would be wise to take a harness and 15m of rope to give it a good clean.

plenty of bosses to tie off a cleaning rope!

lots of interesting rugosities

slabby to steep..

Myself modelling the crag. The crack I'm under is Chemistry Crack. I chose the name as it was reminiscent of the test piece at my old uni. A join between two high walls outside the chemistry dept at Royal Holloway, young guns would test their jamming/ laybacking skill here on the way back from the pub.

On the left are the starting holds for mileage, and here on the right are the Starting holds for "Desire is Repressed Fire" a F6A+ up the middle into the hanging crack. The cam can go in the dark slot above my head. "Sharks patrol these waters" is another line to the right of this up the margin of the slab, above a nasty block. Sharks and Desire both somehow made it into the Llanberis guide, but Mileage is currently recorded only in this blog, and on North Wales Bouldering.

Its a stiff walk, but for capable types it will certainly be a rewarding one. The slash grade reflects my uncertainty, its certainly the hardest I've climbed of its type, and I still remember the crux sequence; thumb gaston to stacked mono in shallow gouge, into a dynamic rockover for a monocrimp.. all very esoteric.

For your consideration...