Giveaway Project of the Month - May & June

Once again the end of the month has passed and i have failed in my responsibilities to provide you with new rock. Due to this, the next giveaway is 2 three star cert's, that to be honest, I'd rather keep...


However the whole reason I missed my deadline was due to the impending arrival of my zoo of monkeys, so I probably won't have time anyway.


Off to Mount Doom.

The White line is the amazing Wriggler, a classic E1 on the lofty heights of Cefn Du. Consisting of two contrasting pitches of enjoyable adventure; the first an easy dolerite ledge shuffle, the second is a bold and airy slate slab.

Project RED

A blunt 40ft fontesque arete. The rock is crysaline slate over an ingneous intrusion, solid once clean but not prone to traditional crimps. Can be top roped off the P1 belay of the wriggler.

Project BLUE

A blank expedition up a near vertical baldness, through an overlap into a very thin slab, joining the wriggler at its second bolt. The route could be top roped off this.

So there we go. Both would benefit from / require bolts. Both are mondo hard, but dripping in glory.

Might even clean them for you tommorrow...

Tales From the Shed

Had a free day yesterday, but no climbing partners, and no car for the morning, and had to be in work for 4pm..

But It Was Free!!!

The morning was spent next to the Bates motel, cuddling a lovely new boulder problem which should appear here eventually.

Once the Car was captured, I regained my shunt off of Reeves and hot footed it to the shed.

Oh Balls this projects hard...

The good news is I could probably get up to the third clip with current fitness.

The bad news is its probably then V7/8 to clip four, and then V6/7 to the lower off.

Today I ache.

Might have to get, well, better I suppose.

Visiting the Shed

Its the accepted cliche that when the father in a family requires some space he retreats to his shed to tinker on some project or other..



Well I have a quarry, and this is my project

I revisited the shed last week, got this out of mothballs, chalked it up and put the bolts in. This was no mean feat, however, as:

This quarry, although convienient for parking, is a little exciting to access.
You are required to climb to rig ropes from above.
It overhangs by 1.5m in 10m
I couldn't get to it before 9.30pm.

Much hilarity ensued, with one of the rather useful holds getting pulled off while trying to get in enough to bolt. Still I reckon its still within ( or close to) the realms of possibility with my current fitness.

All I need now is some helpful belayers to spare the odd couple of hours now and then as its too steep/dynamic to shunt!
(there are other available projects to tinker with in the shed by way of sweetener)

Giveaway Project of the Month - April

Due to my current Obsessing, I'd better giveaway wholesale, an unclimbed quarry I've just noseyed around.

Type this into Google maps

53.126267,-4.14051

The Positives
totally untouched
Good quality rock
Interesting approach
undercut leaning flake line
overhanging peapod with pro
cute blunt arete/groove feature

The negatives
may harbour mosquitoes
some loose rock
ring fenced within a soon to be busy industrial estate.... Maybe

Things I have noticed

Whilst sussing the Moves on Jammerock

G Mawr can take a pretty good piccy.

boulder problems don't have to look great to climb great.

I haven't Properly jammed in a while..



Whilst having a constitutional at Mancer Quarry

They're improving the roads within Glyn Rhonwy.

Construction workers don't seem to have great peripheral vision.

My abandoned abb rope is gone from Liquid Armbar (Kids, Council or an attempted ascent?)

I'm still obsessing about potential new routes.

The Joy of Self Sandbagging

Yesterday I was captured from my ordinary week and given the rarest of gifts, The opportunity to introduce new friends to some old ones..

Yep, we got to feed the Brutaliser..

On a rare excurison to England, Alex the Hoff and I took a jaunt to Brimham Rocks, home to a plethora of lovely wide cracks and this benign E3 in particular. Much fun was had, warming up on Desperation Crack, before seiging Bog Crack, and moving down here for a spot of yoyoing. There was not a little blood loss, Particularly from Lord Bertram, who became enamoured by Charming Crack and fed her small morsels of his own flesh. We then tried to feed the Brutaliser a small maiden, but she got spat out...

All In All, much fun was had, woes and cares were draped on the jaws of these noble beasts, and some small victory was shared.

However, the rock always wins, and we now all ache in fundamental ways. I think We'll be back.. (maybe when the Owl leaves Giggling crack?)

Thanks guys for taking me away!

Suncharm Ledge goes public

The news you've all been waiting for...





I.e. We've mopped up all the easy lines and its all yours.

SunCharm Ledge offers a crisp smooth quarried Dolerite Wall, with 4m of highball fun, and a heathery patch to plonk your pads

Calum M and I went down here on Saturday with a pad each and this 2pads + spotter set up Seemed to work really well

Its a traverse off left to get down, The Suncharmer being from a little higher, as can Rhinoplasty if you want too..

1. Flock of flying Butt Monkey's V1 tackles the flying arete on the left.

2. The Groove of Smooth V3 is the flying groove entered from the left

3. Maurice Chevalier V3 the central arete

4. Observation groove V0- the easy central corner

5. Sunshine Swing V4/5 The impressive right arete taken via left side and rock onto ledge to scamper off rather than top out

6. Rhinoplasty V5/6 the right arete taken head on to finish as for SS

7. The Suncharmer V3 the ltr girdle to the proper highball finish

Calum got 5 & 6, the rest yours truly

Just the blank right wall to go..

To Get to Suncharm Ledge:

1.Follow the tourist path from bus stop to Twll Mawr

2. Hop over the right fence, scamper to the hut and look over the edge

3. Take the obvious scramble down to Suncharm ledge.