I [heart] cube

So a couple of weeks ago I realised that I hadn't an excuse to lug heavy rocks around this year. My fevered thoughts drifted to the excitement I had when trying to climb this particular puppy:

I also remembered that my efforts with snowballing it, although more fruitful, were still very much in that trad territory. I had also bought some new rock lugging gloves, it seemed the time was ripe....

The results of efforts up to the first brew break.

This is obviously going to be  a long haul, or lengthy lug. This is complicated by the fact that this isn't a quarry, or a muddy reservoir shore, but a pretty mountainside. While there aren't any serious plant issues, it needs to be sympathetic, aesthetic, and low key. However, it also needs to be about chest height on the outer rim for all the wiggieness to be removed. The plan is baby steps: 

The end of day one.

Next session will be to backfill the retaining wall I've built. Once level this will be the equivalent of the snow platform I built before. I can then do any blending it requires, and increase the height in small increments, balancing my desires against potential impact.

I love bouldering up at Mymbyr, and have done for almost a decade. Here is an attempt at catching it with my phones panorama App.

Come Explore!

I.N.S.P.R.E. February 2016

The second in the Its Not Shit Please Repeat Everybody series is a little number by G. Smith of Bigness fame. I was informed of its existence many years ago by Mr Panton, who knew I was looking for jamming boulder problems to whilst away my hours on. He related that although it was ace, and he had put pretty pictures and a news item about it on Northwalesbouldering.com (article Here), no one had reported doing it.
Running jam (for this is the puppy) suffers like many potential classics due to its awkward location; in this case nestled in the Cwmffynnon-Mallory-Mymbyr confluence. This is a confusing jumble of heather, grassland, boulders, hummocks and bog. Riddled with re-entrants and other mountain leader terms, it can be frustrating and bothersome to navigate around. This may be why G gave the wrong grid reference.
My first visit was on a lovely sunny day, map in had I headed up towards Mallory, before veering off at a relevant contour. This I duly followed to the supplied reference and peered around. Looking at the map, I peered again. What followed was akin to a carefully coordinated manhunt. I became intimate with the CMM confluence, and after sometime, fell over the boulder. It was ace.

Thus it was with some trepidation that I set off last week to rediscover Running Jam, and provide a slightly better approach description (and grid reference).

Here it is:

 As you may have ascertained, although I dragged two pads up, the boulder was sadly gopping with last nights rain, and no actual bouldering took place. However, this was a) good training, and b) provided a more accurate w alk in estimate. I certainly looked as ace as I remembered it, and there is scope for a mid traverse diversion up the face..

Right, brass tacks.

Its a 45 min walk in; once over the first bridge follow the stream towards its source until it has an obvious lefthand bend, with a hummock and large flat boulder. Here you see the view above.

A is Running Jam, B is the Mallory boulder, C is the first boulder you're hoping is the Mallory boulder, and D is BOTM February 2007. Best approach is fairly direct, aiming for the large quartz slab. Map and proper grid reference is Here.

The map website is incidently my new favourite thing, as it allows me to bore my friends with accurate weblinks to obscure craglets.

Enjoy, the hillside has much more to give to the persistent, and Running Jam is ace.

P.S. Wellies are a must on this one....

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There and back again

So I reached another training goal today. Its a small step, but its good to feel like I'm still moving forward. Following the F7A+ through to the side wall (3 moves from the end) and then back again. Four minutes in a fairly horizontal world, feel free to fast forward. Wednesday is looking dry, so I'm now psyched to see how it feels in the real world...

This is maybe the crazy box's doing, but I've marked all the low tide windows on the family calendar until June. The Tosheroon and I have some unfinished business...

Cracking open a little wider

All this rain is turning me a little loopy. Today I got there and back as far as the red shiny volume on my knee bar trainer at the Beacon. Also, I've started daydreaming up some new wacky ideas to fill the days of drizzle, just doodling like...

I've just bought myself some new winter patioing gloves too.....