My most recent sponsor is quite an interesting one. I’ve had particularly bad eyesight for 2 decades and when I got handed my first pair of glasses my optician told me I’d be wearing them forever.
   For some of the aspects of my work I need to wear contacts. ML assessments involve night navigation
and if the weather is poor I can’t read a map and often feel like I’m going to trip over if I’m wearing glasses. On an effort on Rumblefish on Dinas Cromlech 1 contact fell out and my balance went to shit and an undignified retreat ensued. The last trip to Yosemite involved 3 or 4 eye infections with the last one leaving me near blind for 2 days and very light sensitive for weeks. Ben Bransby is the only person I know with a stronger prescription than me at -9 or so. I vaguely remember a story Pete Robins told me of Ben losing his glasses on a ledge in Pembroke on an attempt of a new route. To cut the story short Ben could no longer see and built a crap belay, Pete couldn’t get up the top pitch and wanted to hit Ben for losing his glasses, they had an epic retreat into the sea. This is a very vague outline of the story but you get the picture that being myopic can be a pain in the arse sometimes.  

   Inspired by Calum Musketts positive attitude I sent off emails to 6 Laser Eye Companies not really expecting a reply. I received a reply from one saying that some British Cricketers had used their company and had paid, I emailed back thanking them for their reply but mentioning that Cricketers get paid to play.  
   The next email was from Mary-Frances Kelly at Optical Express saying that I’d make an interesting case study. Since then I’ve been quite blown away by their level of support. I’m coaching out in Cyprus until the 4th of November (if I make it out of Britain through the storm tomorrow), I’ll watch and take part in the Welsh Climbing Championships at the Beacon and soon after that I’ll be zapped.

   With how Optical Express have been to deal with so far I’m feeling confident about going there and having it done. As part of the sponsorship contract involves naming a new route after the company I figure they are pretty confident as well. Ray Wood is getting some footage of before, during and after the eye surgery so I’m going to do my best not to cry before going in. I’m pretty happy to have Ray there to help get home post operation. 

   As well as being liberating for my lifestyle their sponsorship also means I can afford to go out to Patagonia in December with Tim Neill. If we get the weather window we’ll try and free the Compressor route on Cerro Torre. Fingers crossed.   

On my first trips to Wales many of the times would involve a Paul Williams guidebook. 

   Falcon…"you pull out right and the exposure hits you in the face like a frying pan"

 Great wall… "An ascent on a warm sunny summers evening will remain embedded in the memory long after the cold winter nights have drawn in"

 White Slab..."An incredible aura surrounds this fabled route; it exerts a magnetic pull that compels one to climb it....sooner rather than later...."

    To say he brought the climbs and their history to life would be an understatement and out of climbers past that I would have liked to have met he’d be top of the list.
    One of the lectures he used to give was called ‘The Slate of the Art’ showing what was going on in the quarries at the time and brilliant to see by all accounts. Paul had eyed up a big corner line going the full height of the Lost World hole found behind Twll Mawr (where the Quarryman is). Being one of the lesser visited areas of the quarries it’s managed to stay unclimbed for many years.
     Martin Crook and Ray Kay had attempted the line but did not return for an ascent. In about 2006 I rang Neil Dicksen quite excited about the prospect of trying it, spinning him a yarn about it being one of the last great lines left
in North Wales. He drove over from Conwy and we made the pilgrimage into the pit where it started to rain and we were forced to hide out in a tunnel. Being Neils 21st birthday he was unimpressed with the venture. We left empty handed. Reading through Simon Pantons recent and excellent slate guide this October I found a note on the Ticks groove project which reignited my enthusiasm for an attempt.

   Myself, Mark Reeves and Alex Mason decided to try our luck. Mark was already a pioneer of many of the climbs in this part of the quarries. Alex had given up smoking the prior week so myself and Mark offered him some advice on how best to quit smoking as we didn’t want him becoming irate on the climb. He took the advice and sucked on a variety of items for much of the day. Climbing down the 3 sets of ladders to gain the level we were surprised to see Simon Panton getting pictures of Hosey on his knew route ‘The Beast Within’ with Ben high up on the left side of Lost World. Its rare to see anyone in Lost World or its adjoining pit Mordor.
    The Ticks Groove appeared bigger and better than I remembered. Alex set off up the first, mildly chossy looking pitch making rapid work of it. Reeves went up next with me staying out of the line of fire. The 1st pitch was quite deceptive being steeper and less ledge shuffly than I’d expected. Looking up the main corner there were some uninspiring looking blocks low down which I figured would be the termination of our attempt. 
Luckily after prevaricating about wether to pull on the main dubious looking block I just got ready to push it towards Mark Reeves if it came off and managed to get entrenched above the main danger blocks. This 1st third seemed like an easier version of many of the Pat Littlejohn sea cliff routes where you pull on things just because you know he did but you don't know if the holds will stay on or not.

   Beyond the jammed in blocks the corner offered some excellent, technical and reasonably sustained climbing leading via some airy moves to a tree, afew metres beyond there is a brilliant ‘5c mantle’ leading to easier ground and a brilliant grass ledge which feels kind of on its own in the middle of nowhere. As Alex and Mark came up behind 4 Ravens flew past in convoy making their signature cawing sounds and the pit had a wild air about it. Ascending the main groove had been a close run thing on a few occasions but I was confident we could find a way out somewhere above if it didnt rain. Luckily the logical continuation corner wasnt as bad as it looked.
   The final pitch finished with a 10 meter technical corner with good holds at the top just as all the footholds runout making for an exciting scamper for the final moves of a great climb. The climb was found by one of the keenest
climbers ever and having done some great routes over the past year this adventure felt as good as any of them.

Ticks Groove, E6 6b:


Pitch 1: 20m, E3 5b Follow loose blocks carefully up leftwards to a ledge
near the base of the corner


Pitch 2: 35m,  6b Climb the corner via some dubious blocks with lots of care,
at ¾ height it becomes quite technical and sustained with excellent moves to
gain a tree, the bracken groove above the tree leads via a ‘5c mantel’ to easier
ground and a good grass ledge and belay.


Pitch 3: 10m, 6a Step back right into the main corner where sustained
technical climbing leads to some great finishing moves.


J.McHaffie, Mark Reeves, Alex Mason, 10/10/13

  Having become a provider for the new Mountain Training coaching awards I decided to head to the
  BLCCs to see what was involved in current competitions. It was held at the new Awesome Walls in Sheffield which had been heralded as the National Performance Centre by the BMC, the pictures looked ridiculous and the venue didn’t disappoint.
   The first day was the juniors and the vets with a large crowd of parents and supporters. Quite a few people I’d climbed with over the years were there, Vicky Askew, Catrin Rose, Emily Allen, Stan Harris, Cameron McLoughlin, Connor Byrne. I was very impressed with everyones performance and as I’d booked myself on to compete
the following day I could’nt believe how relaxed everyone seemed as I was bricking it. The quantity of talented youths who obviously put a lot of hard work into their climbing really came through and the 3 different viewing levels
made for a good show.
   The following day arrived and thankfully quieter than the day before I was tied in to try the qualifier I wasn’t looking forward to by 10.30, having been set by the Frenchman Yann ‘genome’ it had a nasty looking slopey blob boulder pretty low down. Ed Hamer had just pissed up to the last move before me and thinking I could static the lower moves like Ed it became apparent I wouldn’t be. Slipping off the aforementioned blobs the next young man in line said “I thought you were going to walk up it”. The next qualifier was thankfully a Mark Pretty special involving small holds and not being too steep. 

   Having felt a bit deflated after Yanns route, not thinking I’d make the final and feeling ravenous having been staying light for Bransbys 8c the Beast on the Diamond which had been wet the last 3 times I got stuck into a sausage sandwich and a big rocky road. Feeling ill afterwards I became more ill when they said I’d got through to the final. In isolation I did feel a little old but thankfully Dave Barrans was there as well (sorry Dave). Stepping out my friend Ben Bransby cheered and I cursed him under my breath on the way out to the final, Ben was the first ever British junior champion and I knew the strong devil would’ve found the first qualifier and this final ok. Another Yann route I was glad not to suffer the social embarrassment of falling off the first move using a sloper. Halfway up the wall at a ‘big brain’ hold I thought looked tricky to negotiate from the ground was where my summit bid ended so at least I’d read it correctly. Apparently Yann thought 7c to here which would make this my worst performance for many years but I gained more respect for people like Vickers and Legrand who topped these buggers out in the 1990s. 
  
   The final was great to watch. Connor Byrne, only 17 yrs old got really high in the roof. Ed Hamer blasted across the roof to fall at the easing in angle on the last few metres. Dave Barrans was unlucky enough to slip off still full of beans at the start of the roof which was a shame as Barrans was looking brutally strong. James Garden got well across the roof before falling. The last out and the only person to top both the qualifiers was a young Canadian Elan Jonas-McRae. Appearing able to take his feet off the majority of moves this caught up with him in the middle of the roof leaving Ed Hamer the winner of the Senior mens.

    The Senior womens final was on the same heinous roof. Molly Thompson Smith put in a fantastic show topping it out and Tara Hayes wasn’t far behind. At 15 yrs of age it makes Molly the youngest senior womens lead climbing champion.   

   I’d definitely recommend competing or watching if you’ve ever given it any thought as by doing so you are helping to support the British competition circuit and you can see some impressive displays and some scary falls! Worth
practicing on some slopey blobs before going on Yanns routes, I know I will.
   The following day found a surge of excitement on Burbage South with Ben Bransby. Abseiling down Parthion Shot I was glad to discover a fingerjug/good crimp left near the top of the broken flake as well as quite a few good small wires. I pulled into position and found a good way of doing the big move up to the ‘ledge’ above. We had a rope down it and discovered that the top move to the pocket is pretty nails if you are a shorty although you are stood on a ledge so there are no excuses really. This was one of the routes I really wanted to get done whilst in the peak area and I was a bit gutted about hearing of it being impossible but it’s only a bit harder than before the flake snapped at the moment at probably around 8b.If anyone goes to try it could they go gently with the fingerjug/crimp.