So another silent 6 months has passed, I've popped the odd thing on Instagram, but not really felt up to splurging on here. .
Rewind to October:
By this point I'm trusting my ankle, having good sessions at the wall, I even started to try this new crack project..
Then got carried away.
Basically, while I was dealing physically and mentally with my bust Achilles, I had stepped away from climbing.
This meant no maintenance, no conditioning, I needed to compartmentalize that away.
When I returned to climbing I was surprised by how little form I'd lost, possibly something to do with how long I'd been maintaining at a certain level of form. However what hadn't stayed the same was my connective tissue. 6 months of stress free living had made my pulleys soft.
Lesson learnt, a little maintenance goes a long way.
One finger max density hangs have been a real eye opener. I use bungies and a home made edge so I can just make myself uncomfortable. I consider these exercises key to my recovery. 10 seconds of pulling in half crimp, then rest a minute. Repeat 5 times.
I did this twice a week for two and a half months. Now I just do it once a week as conditioning and will do indefinitely.
In the meantime I was going for the odd adventure with the kids, like exploring the woods
I even got an opportunity to walk up a mountain looking for cracks
They're a bit tall, not sure if they will be highballs or trad. I've not really tradded for 5 year's or more, so that might be interesting.
Finally this weekend Ethan and I returned to the crack
Unfortunately, it was a bit wet and the tools I'd brought to remove the stuck log were insufficient. Even our make shift swing didn't pull it out.
Still, I had a good play, and was reassured that my fingers were back up to this sort of shenanigans.
Something for another visit.
I'm really enjoying these adventures with the kids though. They have very little filter so are quite forthright and refreshing.
This is my phone. I've had this wall paper for about 7 years, passing from phone to phone.
The picture was taken on this trip in 2015, however, my first discovery of this special sea cave was in 2010, I think on new years day, when a man mate took me out for some Anglesey sport climbing. The climbing turned out to be a little too chilly to be enjoyable, but a gentle wander at low tide with a much needed flask of coffee led to its fortuitous discovery.
Put off by... Well everything really, it took 4 years almost to the day for a return inspection. That first trip I had campused the entrance to the cave and looked at the exit. I was sufficiently excited to return that I talked some friends into returning later that month. The climbing deep in the cave turned out to be really interesting, possibly fun even. Accepting the nature of the challenge was key, it was never going to dry out, chalk was pointless. Barnacles added to the 'fun' adding much needed friction, until you applied too much pressure and they dissolved to slippy paste. The high point of this initial session turned out to be a familiar one. Boxed and flailing at the end of the constricted section.
Some time in 2014 two things were decided..
Firstly, that trips should be undertook in the warmer months, as the cold trip meant major gashes off the barnacles due to lack of sensitivity in the hands. This also led to myself almost breaking my hand squeezing the life out of a jam I couldn't feel for fear it would slip.
Denizens of the Tosheroon cave..
Secondly, the name of this project. As a keen new router, I often find a name presents itself well before eventual success. Furthermore, it often helps to spur me on to greater efforts. The Tosheroon was a term appropriated by Terry Pratchett in his
book 'The Truth'. Officially an old English name for a half crown, in the Pratchett universe it is defined as:
"a lump of debris and rubbish made of the mud and gunk found clogged in drains. While they appear worthless, tosheroons can contain valuable items, such as old coins, lost rings and alike."
It seemed fitting, as while this project on first appearence should on paper be everything we run away from, it contains treasure.
So first trip back after that was in April 2015 during an unfavourable tide. I took the opportunity to scare myself and SWS down the crack reversing the (thankfully dry) HVS ground deep into the wider squeeze section. This left me with only 2m of uncovered ground.
Looking back, I was still doing a lot of bold trad at the time (I'd climbed Twll Love, a bold E5 in Twll Mawr the previous autumn) and attempts this year to repeat this feat resulted in whimpering retreat.
Next proper attempt was that May. Once more I failed to clear the constriction. That September Seren my daughter was born and thoughts of offwidth fitness were put to bed for a while. I visited in 2016, but only to shoot some beta footage.
Fast forward to Father's day 2019, and one of my son's Ethan, having flicked through the pics on my phone, decided I should go back to Benllech. It got me re-energised for the project, especially as the pebble level had risen and evened out making it feel more boulder and less intimidating.
Returning at the end of the month, it was the old team again. Back with some form of fitness, and having a couple of years of digesting tactics and possible options off all the previous decades footage, I felt hopeful. However, the crux exit of the constriction still eluded me, as the previous 4m was knackering me too much to try a whole lot of things before I plopped off. Another issue was the narrow tide window which only allowed 3-4 goes before retreat became necessary.
Another year and covid came along, the Mountain volume of NWB took my time and attention and The Tosheroon bubbled away at the back of my mind. It had been suggested that my ground up approach might be supplemented by a step ladder, that opened my eyes a bit. With the coming of the summer and the coastal NWB looming, I was keen to put this monster to bed, and with a favourable tide window for 16th July 2021 it was scribbled on the calendar. Post covid, the old team had gone their separate ways and I was given the challenge of enticing new faces to the project.
Fortunately for this opening salvo the reliable Mark Reeves was willing to come and heckle. We were also joined at short notice by that lover of all things niche; the Fiend. Needless to say the session was banter heavy, and I somehow managed to get out of the construction into the wider squeeze. However, in my 1000 yard stare state I'd become fixated on the right wall of the cave (possibly due to the extensive examination of it from the step ladder - didn't bring it again). The video is a bit long, but worth it for the running commentary :
At about midnight that same evening I came to the realisation that I should have switched to face the other way. Picture Dr Emmet Brown exclaiming "Great Scott!" and you get the idea.
Next visit (25th July) was with a mutual acquaintance of Fiend and myself, who Mr F thought would be keen. He wasn't wrong - Rafe turned out to be a power house of enthusiasm and encouragement. The ladder was left at home, and instead a rather large stack of pads was bundled to the beach. Once more I'd cleared the constriction, but by then the barnacles had managed to rip both my tape gloves off:
Rafe giving it some
For the next trip (10th August) I was to be joined by both Fiend and Rafe, and I set about retiring my old foamies and traced some new 2mm foam rubber templates. I've been building my tape gloves around these foam pads for about 18 months now and I'm finding they give a good compromise between the efficiency of a pure tape and the convenience, and let's face it bulk, of a jamming glove (I have small fists).
Once again Fiend bought the banter, but I was still unsure of the exact sequence of circus tricks required to establish me firmly on the left wall. I also prevented an early ejection from the roof with a dyno-bar of my right knee.
The aftermath
After that I was running somewhat on fumes. Good laugh though:
The next available tide window was the 23rd of August. Unfortunately nobody could come with me that date. I felt quite nervous about this as the tide window is narrow. A low spring tide is needed which gives about 3 hours of access before completely submerging the cave again. Not somewhere to have an accident. However with only about 2 tide windows a month being available to me, and winter looming, I needed every session.
I set about finding as many things that could provide an edge as possible. MMA knee sleeves under my trousers, a slimmer £3 headtorch off ebay to stop it catching. Hell, I even bought an led dog collar (not useful in actual action unfortunately). I also flicked through P-Widdy's crack book and set about converting my foamies to a vedauwoo wrap.
I had some kind words of encouragement from fellow jam heads and general deviants, and although still nervous, I stumbled onto the beach to find a lone fisherman toying with his rod. Although I left him to his practice and scuttled into my cave. Knowing that he was there had a calming effect.
Once the four pads I managed to Sherpa down were in place, I did a bit of pilates and a couple of pull ups, and set about the rigmarole of taping up. After this I did a bit more pilates and reacquainted myself with the technicalities. This basically meant bashing a few bits with a towel and adding some tick marks with a fat stick of Chalk I'd nicked off of Seren.
First go. First meter felt really good, once into the kneebar pivot from feet first to burying myself head first horizontal in the roof.. Well the pump and scrabble kicked in a bit. However, I got to the crux and had a bash until the wheels came off and I dabbed while suspended by a solitary teacup jam.
The first go had done its job and the blood was pumping into all the nooks and crannies. I lay on the pads and thought about all the peeps who believed I could do this. I waited for the heavy breathing to subside, and then waited some more.
This is an unabridged video of the second go. It's very long, and there is no Fiend to liven it with commentary. Also the lighting was a bit poor so you can't make out loads of the initial bit. However, here it is :
I wasn't smooth in starting and almost lost my kneebars getting into the roof. The jams through this bit are hard won and I kept slithering onward, expecting them to rip. Getting to the end of the constriction I was on two teacups bumping my left kneebar forward and it slid out.
Slight wolverine moment, primal driving rage. Not sure how but next thing I know my right kneebar is buried in the roof and I feel solid. I can bump the right teacup to a high fist and twist out onto the left wall.
My foot is on the first tick mark. Please don't skid off the barnacles. Next thing I'm extending into the rafters, open barring and feeling for help. Holds appear, I can pull into an upright squeeze position. The balcony at the end of the horizon is near. Slowly deliberately, I slide on a bum cheek. I'm there.
Having a moment just to be happy I took in my surroundings. It was a still and humid day, the crag above was still wet from sea spray, not the dry hvs I soloed 6 years before. I could just plop of the ledge and call it done. The Tosheroon I had envisioned was a crack climb, pulling off the deck and climbing until at the top of the crack, or at least the crag. I probed out, up and further outwards trying to breach the soggy defences. A stretch off a fist gave a dry jug and I swam back into the crack where I could bridge and get some more jams (best weapons against the sogg).
A whimper and a grunt and it was over. The memories remain.
The Tosheroon 7A+!
(could be MXS 6b, might be easier although my support team scoff at this. Let's just say Hard Very Marvellous)
Benllech hidden wall beach, around the corner. Needs a tide window based around a sub 2m low tide. No Chalk required, maximum skin protection advised.
Start 8m in at a chockstone in the roof. Leave the ground and battle bravely to the light and the jutting balcony. If you get here, pat yourself on the back and feel free to hop down. Those mad enough may, like the first ascentionist, want to battle to the top of the crack, but unlike him, please have someone to rearrange your pads.
So the last couple of months have been pretty dry in terms of adventure, mainly due to being wet in terms of weather.
However, enough brief windows of opportunity have occurred to slap together into a report..
So here it goes:
Ymyl Gwyn (not it's real name)
I discovered this little cluster of gritstone during lockdown, and have been meaning to return. October afforded a morning so I got my stomp on. First highball mission since the Shard debacle and I picked this one..
Turns out it needed more than a single pad, and once committed, it was impossible to fall on the one I had. Beautiful arete though, called it "Arrietty" after the studio Ghibli version of the borrowers, as it initially felt small, then I felt very small.. About 6B!
This is Wellington Drudgery, about 6A+. I'm seem to spend an inordinate amount of time on long boggy walk ins. Fortunately it occasionally pays off.
An attempt on the niche to the left, a decent side pull that just happened to be on the edge of a hollow pocket..
Crack ambition!
I've decided to spend the next few months ticking off and mopping up the last of the major North Wales crack based boulder problems. I'd forgotten how much I loved crack climbing. This little puppy did a
good job of reminding me.
Crack Ahoy! Black Country Crack in Parc Dudley
I'd also been having some thoughts about taping up, and happened across a big sheet of 2mm foam rubber..
While it is too delicate to form a glove by itself, I was able to fashion templates to build a tape glove over..
Boom!
Unfortunately, while the bottom 2 thirds of BCC were dry and lovely, the top third was not...
However, it made a lovely excuse to revisit this three star fist crack at a drier date.
I also foolishly attempted a through trip behind it...
Foolishness continued as I forgot shears to get the gloves off. I ended up driving home in them (via the Spar to get milk).
Came off lovely though.. Hand hair intact.
Finally, revisiting Craig yr ecs (surprisingly also not its real name)
So a year blighted by restricted travel has past, and yey! I've started revisiting some of these scattered play areas. First job was sorting the landing adjacent to Dutch Trance. I was keen to play on another line on the same block, but it was blighted by a big spike and a jumble of smaller boulders.
Firstly move and roll the small boulders and level the ground..
Then build up between the Spike and the boulder behind to platform it a bit and soften its pointy ness.
It'll need two pads at least but safe enough now, just need to get somewhat stronger...
First go.
Sharp holds, soft skin. There's work to do.
Finally tried a project from previous visits. The sit I tried before was still too hard, but I found it had a logical stand, with a tricky dyno..
First time I got it, my wife decided to call (that's my ringtone) and I kinda went to pieces. Happily I topped it 2 or 3 goes later.
Slanted Enchanted, 6C or there abouts. The sit adds 2 moves, but probably bumps it to 7A+ ish.
So there you go, a few snatched moments, I'm looking forward to a future meeting up with others, getting some pads down. However, for now I'm just loving getting out.
The Wishing jar was an ideas my wife picked up to help the kids cope with lockdown. By looking forward to the future, and naming those things you want to do. The kids wrote these things down and popped them into the jar. After all this is over we're going to open the jar and work through the list.
It's been a moody moo week and I haven't been psyched to train or interact that much with the outside world. I realised I have yet to put anything in the jar!
1.
Go upto the Marchlyn boulder and bag a few more lines
Just before lockdown I bagged the first of the harder lines up there. This turned my mind from can't to can and I've been mulling over the remaining projects. Got to keep training if I want a chance though..
An alternative veiw up to Marchlyn from one of the walks near the house. I've struggled with this as I don't really do conventional, however there are some weird spots near my home.
2.
Do all the coastal fist list blocs on the lleyn in a day
Through chats with other obsessives, I'd realised that although I'd almost completed all the inland bouldering cracks, I hadn't made a dent in the coastal's. The bloc's in question are sheep shelter, maneater, nefoedd wideboy and jellybowl crack. Only 2 are tidal and on opposite coasts, 2 hours between respective tides. All possible.
A previous attempt on sheep shelter, I started in the wrong place.
3.
Climb George's Crack and Pinocchio Crack and The Tosheroon
I'm embarrassed I haven't succeeded on George's yet, basically I'm not flexible enough. Pinnochio Crack is a Pritchard offwidth with (I think) only 2 ascents, for this I need more bravery, and maybe some more in my toolbox hence this:
Always something new to learn
The Tosheroon is my jabberwocky and I'm keen to slay it once and for all. Its awkward because you can't work sections, every attempt is ground (or bowels) up.
So there we go. Three things in the wishing jar, three things to train, get flexible, and get sneaky for.
So at the beginning of last month a window of opportunity opened on the Tosheroon, following my visit with Ethan. I had not only a spotter, but a very talented photographer (Charlotte Milner) keen to document my lunacy. I'll say straight up that I didn't do it this time, however like Turbo the snail I'm achingly close and I'm not giving up. First burn was fairly short, as expected, but spun me into a whirl of technicalities and beta choices..
Previously at this point I'd switched about face on kneebars to tackle the next section facing left. However, the play with Ethan had shown me that removing this tiring and so far fruitless switch didn't stop me getting any further. (both ways still ended with me flumping a meter further in. So with this in mind I tried the easier of the styles to adopt from this position:
Feet First.
Unfortunately, the leg work was not giving me any forward propulsion. Hands stuttered, and once again I Flumped. Ben, my Man-at-Arms, somewhat darkhorse, and fellow lunatic then bravely stepped forward for his go...
Ben did some impressive hip jams and faught bravely to match my flump spot.
Convinced that staying facing right was the way, I moved to a head first approach. This meant an awkward squeeze as the crack narrowed above me head (well chest actually) and flared widely below my kneebars. Once switched from feet first to head, I had to commit to a series of high kneebars for my left leg. This meant I felt like I could fall on my head, but allowed me to establish some tenuous fist jams to drag myself forward. The first on these is the picture above, opposing mounds in the crack wall gave a couple of sweet pots for me to establish, share and move off to the next. This resulted in a new highpoint, and the end of the constrictions. The flare below gave little to work with, but the fist we good enough for a pivot. I cut loose and stabbed a kneebar above my head....
Missing the crucial pocket to drive my heel into, I couldn't stick this. If I had, I may have thrown to what appears to be the handjam at the end of the fierceness...
There now remains three and a half feet of unclimbed Tosheroon, as I've down climbed into the maw in 2015. The psyche is high, but the windows are few, and the summer holidays of fun and family have sucked away my fitness. There is another window early September, but I may not feel fit for the fight. The last weekend in September may give the last warm window this year, Therefore I must get prepared!
So it turns out baby number four is not quite as nails as a simultaneous arrival of babies 2 and 3. This coupled with some autumn sun has meant I've been chomping to get out and about. While I'm currently suffering from general weakness, I've realised that throwing myself at the long term goals (LTG's) is not going to help. I've been mulling on what I have done in the past when in this situation, and dredged up this old List. Thinking back, Jamming has got me well strong, especially the steep stuff, and the worthwhile bouldering specimens tend to be beautifully technical too. Life is busy, so I've trimmed the list to now only contain suitably steep mountain Jamming boulder problems, I'll return to the coastal stuff later.
Ladies, and Gentlemen, the new and improved...
Fist List
(Welsh Inland)
1.Georges Crack 7A
2. Big bad Bari 6C
3. Crack House G2
4. Dangleberries 6B+
5. Happy Feet 6B+
6. Quack Crack 6B+
7. Teyrn Roof Crack 6B
So no. 1. 3. and 4. were still to be done (2. 5, and 6 were my own anyhoo). George had been subtly encouraging me to visit his Crack House, so that became the next mission. I've always been intrigued by the Dark side of Dyffryn Mymbyr, the boggy flanks of Moel Siabod always just out of strolling distance. To make a swift first reccy I enquired at Garth farm, if I could cross his land. He's a nice chap and said yes.
The view from Garth. this point is as far as you want to go without wellies.
Creig'ir Garth, home to some pegged E6's that look fairly savage.
The location of the Crack House, my map reading meant that I first had to reconnoiter all the top ridge first...
Inside the crack house.
My first visit was like Georges, solo, and without mat, I had a good go , but was afraid of braining myself on the ledge that guards the exit.
Following a quixotic urge, my next visit started at my usual parking spot for Mymbyr, much further up the valley. My reasoning was that as long as I was exploring, I'd better leave no stone unfondled. I'd also heard this idyllic grassy valley was a boggy nightmare, and was keen to wet my wellies.
hidden blocs in the bog
almost out the bog
Looking down on the Crack house cluster
This time I had a mat! (just the one mind) and this reassurance that I wasn't going to fracture my cranium while committing to the baggy jams was all I needed.
The grade (G2) refers to the number of goes George took to complete it. My previous session doubled this number, but this time I cruised it, twice so I could film a couple of angles..
Come and do it, its ace (maybe 6B+), also the hills have many opportunities for the explorer:
I'll poke around a bit more in the future, and I'll knock those last two off the list, then the enchainments can start....
