I applied rather last minute to become a provider for the Mountain Trainings climbing coaching award schemes. I’ve run a lot of Climbing Wall Award trainings the last few years and figured the coaching awards would fit in with these in a logical manner. Climbing walls are where most people have their first taste of climbing so improving the input at this grassroots level makes sense. 
 I was sceptical before arriving at the provider workshop on the 26th/27th of September worried it was going to be too similar to the Fundamental courses with a few snippets of BCU waffle on top. The 19 providers chosen were an eclectic bunch specialising in performing, teaching and/or instructing and I wondered how it was going to be pulled together to deliver a consistent award scheme.  By lunch time of the first day Martin Chester had sold each of us that this award scheme was the greatest thing since sliced bread and having read numerous books related to teaching and motivation over the last 2 years I thought the courses made excellent sense and would fit next to the Fundamental courses nicely.

  
    The BMC Fundamental courses are primarily about what to teach whereas the coaching schemes are more concerned with some good methods of how to teach, plan, analyse and give feedback. Part of the ethos of the award is to give good practice and teaching skills to a large body of people working with beginner and intermediate climbers on a regular basis. This will hopefully make many peoples’ first contact with climbing a more positive experience and give instructors/coaches more strings to their bows. The 2 awards levels to do this are the Foundation Coach and the Development Coach award, with a Performance coach award being piloted in the spring of 2014.  
 
  One example showing the importance of how we communicate is shown in Dwecks book, Mindset. How the difference of 6 words can have a profound effect on performance in anything. 

  Students praised for ‘talent’ rather than effort would go on to do much worse in tests. 
Talent based phrases: “you’re a natural at that”  “you made that look easy”   “you’re very intelligent”

Effort based phrases: “you worked hard for that”    “you could do harder”

 The groups praised for effort would persevere on tests for longer, enjoyed them far more and did not suffer any loss of confidence. Groups praised for talent didn’t want to look ‘unintelligent’ so if there was a choice of an easy or a hard test they’d choose the easy one. 90% of students praised for effort took the harder test looking at it as a potentially fruitful challenge. 
    If you are working with people in the context of teaching it’s hard to ignore this type of research. Have potentially great climbers lost motivation or ‘flatlined’ through being told how great they are? Are people sticking to the same party piece routes because they don’t like being seen to fail on something new?
 
   Another good example is the ‘Gorillas in Our Midst’ test from Simons and Chabris. Volunteers were asked to watch a basketball match between a team in red and the other in white. They are asked to count the number of passes the red or blue team make. Halfway through the game a guy in a gorilla suit runs across the screen. More than half the volunteers missed the guy in the gorilla suit.  The experiment was later done with Basketball players who all saw the guy in the Gorilla suit. 
 
    Experts are deemed to have more conscious bandwidth. This can be linked into many facets of climbing from the briefings instructors give before a bouldering session to Z-clipping and even shoddy belaying. 
  Many elements from the coaching award scheme have not been widely brought into the world of climbing although excellent books like Dave Macleods 9 out of 10 climbers does touch upon many of them. It will be interesting to see what the effect is over the coming years. 

   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.

The September 2013 Rapid Rock at Plas Y Brenin has sadly come to an end. Its been a great month and we've been lucky with the weather when compared to last year.

   I've run 3 of these over the last 4 years as well as being involved in a few others. During the month we've generally climbed all over North Wales, had people leading multi-pitch routes from diff to E1 and have made them confident and self sufficient for future climbing plans.

A wet forecast meant a fun day out on the Carreg Hyll Drem Traverse. If anyone has not done it and the weather is turd on a weekend its worth heading to warm up on before going to the Indy or Beacon climbing walls.



  Tina unfortunately twisted an ankle badly just before the final week but this is Tina on the left with Kate and Jake a pitch behind. Luckily Tina could come for the final evening in the Heights pub in Llanberis. I expect to bump into most of them on a cliff sometime and expect some scintillating rope skills.



  Cheers for a great month folks and thanks to Jake, Andy, Reeves, Mike and Paul whose efforts all helped to make it.
 

   Johnny Dawes had mentioned that the blunt Prow of the Milestone was a possibility over a decade ago but had played down that it was any good. My friend Calum Muskett had tried it early in 2012 and had gotten close but seemed to have lost interest in it in 2013 as he'd not been on it and it didn't appear he was going to get back on it in the near future.
   The week leading up to it I'd told most people I know my plan to go and try the arête so I shouldnt have been surprised Calum got wind of it the day before I'd planned to check it out. I abbed the arête on my grigri and was pretty impressed with the quality and difficulty of the moves as well as with Calums high point near the top which left me dumbfounded as to why he'd left it. Getting a feel for the moves I realised my old boots wouldn't work, Reeves arrived at the base and I abbed to him and picked up my new boots before jugging back up to get a better feel for the crux moves and to check the gear placements.
   Just before setting off for a lead go I received a txt off Calum saying it would be nice if I gave him a week to attempt it before trying it. Not feeling (nice) like I had as much time as a young man to keep returning I replied an ascent was unlikely as I'd bust my tip and felt the climbing was tricky. It was however too fun not to try.
   At 3/4 height the climbing goes from easy to suddenly steepening on the right side of the arête, a powerful move to a backhand and a reach to a sidecrimp on the arête using a poor foothold is followed by a wild step through to prevent a barndoor. You can place 2 good RPs here but they are difficult/desparate to place. It then follows a fantastic seam line with minimum footholds feeling like a gritstone problem. My first go I got through the crux backhand move but the demons of Muskett made placing the RPs desperate which combined with a rope fankle I only just managed to flummox to the last hard move before falling. I pulled the ropes and after an hours rest and some fingertaping I got it having left the gear in from my first go. Mark Reeves was as ever excellent company for such an endeavour. The climbing ways in at about F8a and Pete Robins thinks its one of the best around near that level and suggested the 7a tech grade, the E8 bit's open to question as the route is safe but it just feels that little bit too hard?. 
   The name is in homage to Calum and may make some more sense in the not too distant future. Although the name had an element of teaching a youth humility and some small sense of Ian Hislop smugness there was also a glimmer of guilt. That disappeared when a friend said its not like you've stolen his girlfriend and perspective was regained. I think Calum is closing in on a very good new project which I wouldn't be surprised to have named after me! I've some vague ideas of what these names might be.
   The Wrinkled Retainer is definitely lacking attention at the moment considering its one of the best E5 6bs in the area giving a brilliant line and gear it comes highly recommended. One last point to make is this climb is way, way, way too hard for Jordan Buys.....

   Had a great road trip up to Scotland climbing a variety of esoteric and classic climbs. I’ve often wondered how Scottish climbers dealt with both the poor weather and the midges but before setting off Northwards Julian Lines assured me there was always climbing to be done up in Scotland. He wasn’t wrong and we managed to climb every day for 8 days on some of the best single and multi pitch climbs I’ve done only getting partly shut down on an over optimistic walk into the Ben on the 2nd to last day. Having taken up 8 bottles of midge stuff I actually hardly used any and didn’t really notice the dreaded midges although Sophie wasn’t as lucky. Whilst up there the usual suspects were very active with Tony Stone having cleaned up some great routes, Blair Fyffe was keeping an eye on the avalanche conditions and Ian Small & Co were putting up some knarly knew routes. Murdo was obviously doing loads as well. 
 
    Highlights of the trip were climbing Steeple, Juggernaut- thanks to Tony for the chalk(quite reachy/dynamic so chuffed to os it) and Dalriada on the last day, as well as staying at the great Hutchison Hut beneath Etchachan. The
lowpoint was walking out from the Hutchison hut and a farcical retreat off Wild Country as the last route of the trip. Although we got rained off Titans Wall/Agrippa area of the Ben the routes themselves look absolutely stunning and
I can’t wait for a return visit.

   When in the Cairngorms if the weather is too poor for Shelterstone and Dubh Loch then the Pass of Ballater has excellent granite which stays dry even in the rain, like an inland Sennen Cove and Ballater itself has some excellent
cafes, particularly the Bothy. The lines at Shelterstone look to be some of the best slabs in Britain and deserve some attention. It unfortunately crapped out before I could try Run of the Arrow but I'm looking forward to going back and seeing how impressive Dinwoodies first foray on it was to the last gear as well as Whillances ascent.  
   
  Scotland holds more Extreme Rock routes I’ve not climbed yet than anywhere else and I was keen to reduce the list somewhat. I’ve now got about 55 left to do in Britain. Most are between E1 and E3 but with a few outstanding E5/6s and of course Revelations in the Peak. I’m hoping to get it done in the next 2/3 years as almost all the routes I’ve done from the list have been great and they are found in some of the best places (apart from Avon). Calums just lent me his copy to make a plan of which ones to go for next.
  The final day of the holiday we met up with Dan Varian, Kevin Avery and Mickey Stainthorpe. Driving from Roy Bridge we met them near Arrochar where it was raining and grim. Varians enthusiasm led us to walk up where the crag was wet and in the cloud. We minced at the base feeling cold before racking up to do Club Crack (which felt hard when damp). Getting back to base the cloud had cleared and the crag became dryish very quick. Me and Mickey set off up Dalriada which was exactly how it looks, absolutely stunning. It’s pretty easy to fluff the crux and when the top headwall is unchalked it’d be easy to cock up so I thought the E7 grade seemed fair enough as some of the pegs will disappear soon no doubt. Dan and Kevin both made light work of it making for a great afternoon. 

   Whilst they were on Dalriada I borrowed their rack and set of up Wild Country a Dave ‘Cubby’ Cuthbertson route from 1979. I grabbed the good hold at the base of the crack and swung out onto it and was quite disappointed by the gear beyond. After plugging in 2 crap wires and half a cam I reversed to a lower ledge to rest and retrieve a different cam. I climbed back up to my high point and remembering it used to have a stuck rock 6 I lobbed one in high up the crack. I used one of my q-draws on it and feeling too knackered to do the crux beyond I stripped out the gear beneath thinking to down climb protected by my wire and come back when fresh. Unfortunately as I stripped out the lower gear my arms went to the end of their tank, I had time to throw back in an outward
pulling rock 2 and pulling outward on it whilst saying the classic words ‘take’ to Sophie on the ground I watched to see if the rock 6 was going to hold. A few frantic moments later I plugged in a good cam 1 above. As well as being really knackered and quite scared I had Jack Geldards smug voice saying ‘you can’t win them all’ reverberating through my head. 
    Admittedly I was tired and the route not in great nick but the crack is tricky to get gear you’d want to lob onto and you are on a countdown. Good onsight/flashes from Macleod and McNair and a great effort for 1979 as I think
it could be knocking on for both E6 and 6b. It’ll have to wait for fresh arms and a return visit now. I was impressed with the quality and difficulty of many of the Cubby routes we did on the trip.


Some of the best routes were:

Steeple- a contender for the best E2 in Britain

Freakout- The main line of Aanoch Dubh

Spacewalk- Great crux right at the end

A Sweet Disregard for the Truth- On a great wall, good gear, steep and brilliant.

Juggernaut- Brilliant reachy/dynamic climbing. Crux for me was leaving the jug, I got a heel on the jug and flagged. Probably the best short E7 I’ve done, tough for 6b, good gear but need to climb quite fast. A Macleod classic.

The Handren Effect- Great wall climb with pretty good small wires/in-situ stuff and involving lovely pinches on the 2 upper hard bits.

Dalriada- Climbs as well as it looks, a must do.

Just a Little Tease- Extreme Rock cover & fun dyno at start.

Cosmopolitan- Great gear, easy to make it 6c if you weren’t careful!

Plague of Blazes- Great rock with good abseil point.


  I’ve got a week or so booked off for the start of October and it looks like it’ll be back to Scotland with Calum, I’ve told him he’s no chance on any of these routes that are harder than E4!!!

   Some old school footage from Al Hughes and Al Leary of Neil Carson on the Big Bang LPT for the Welsh channel S4C. Apart from talking through the style of the route Neil talks about how he thought climbing could be in the Olympics. When I was starting out climbing Neil was an inspiring character, climbing well in the UK competitions, sometimes winning them as well as putting up a climb which at the time would have been amongst the hardest in the world. 
   The Ormes are really coming into there own the past few years with loads of great new climbs being put up on them with 3 friends polishing off really good projects and a new guide coming out it seems an appropriate time for this footage.

   In 2011 I told myself I'd do whatever it took to try and climb the Big Bang. The long repoint style epitomises everything I hated about climbing when I was younger and on moving to Wales George Smith asked if I was going to try it, I said absolutely no way thinking I'd never ever have the physical capabilities and would never be boring enough to spend days and days trying 1 climb. The repeat came after a not inconsiderable effort over 2 months involving no alcohol or cake, waking up before work with my blood boiling for training and worst of all resting on some nice days. At the start of the siege I was onsighting some 8as in the UK and the odd 8a+ abroad and couldn't touch it. Chris Doyle shouted at me that his Grandad could do better, I retorted I'd send him a postcard from the 9th grade. 
  
    It's about 8b+/8c to 3/4 height where a fingery crux of V9/10 at the top is reached and you need to be hitting the end boulder problem relatively fresh to succeed. After finishing the siege on the 31st July I 'peaked' smashing through a bit of a performance platuea and for a month or so afterwards no climb felt off the radar in Britain before I went back to normal - bummer. Although I went back to normal it was Carsens brainchild which taught me that a section of climbing which feels like it takes everything can end up feeling easy with enough effort and attitude and led on to the ascent of the Meltdown the year after. The climb had taken me 13 session that year but it ended up saving me time as soon after I climbed routes which would normally have taken me a few days each I could do in  a few hours. 
   
  Although I followed a vague/flexible structure to my training, rest and attempts it wasn't until afterwards whilst reading some sports science style books where things started to make sense about the siege. The best one I'd recommend is 'Bounce' by Matthew Syed, other than Dave Macleods book obviously. Some good snippets I found useful were: 
  
When the body is put under exceptional strain extraordinary physiological processes are activated.

Top performers take active steps to stretch their limitations every session.

World Class performance comes by striving for a target just out of reach but with a vivid awareness of how the gap might be breached, over time through constant repetition and deep concentration the gap will disappear.

Purposeful practice is transformative

A few key points to performing well for sporting types were:
        Setting specific goals
        Working Hard
        Showing tremendous discipline 
         Taking responsibility for their actions
         Receiving immediate feedback
         Putting as much emphasis on technique as on the outcome
         

  I thought I'd finish by showing some footage from the opposite end of the rock climbing spectrum, at least in terms of scale. Pictures of the big walls were definitely one of the reasons I first got hooked on climbing.
    The video below was probably the hardest pitch on Premuir wall which myself, Hazel and Dyer climbed last year. This is pitch 25, overlooking the base of the Nose more than 2000 ft beneath us. The gear for the corner has to be preplaced as its fiddly RPS which would be near impossible to place on the lead. The morning after climbing it Dyer got some footage of Hazel showing how the blank corner can be climbed. The corner is harder than Hazel makes it look being probably 8a+ on its own before finishing with an evil bouldery crack above. Your shoulders and calves are gauranteed a thorough drumming on this corner.
 It was a desperate pitch. Climbing the 2nd to last pitch (another desperately slippery 8a+, gear pitch) by headtorch with Hazel and Neil on night 6 stands out as one of the wildest moments in climbing the last few years and the ascent had an element of everything I got into climbing for.

The weather is great for 2 weeks in Wales, a rare treat after last year.
On Tuesday 9th July I set off walking up to cloggy with 2
ropes, a rack and a grigri. At some point the week before I’d decided I was
going to go up and try and do Indian Face in a day. Walking up I thought about
the interesting characters who had been on or climbed it and the impression it
had left on them.  I planned to try the crux moves on grigri, check the gear,
toothbrush some of the footholds before George Ullrich was to meet me at 14.00
and if I felt prepared then….


I had a near religious belief that this was how it was going to happen and
this has nearly brought me to grief on more than one occasion over the years but
having good faith in the efficacy of ones performance is pretty paramount with
doubt being the number one cause of error in many sports. Now was as good a time
as any as my disposition for the bold has deteriorated over the years and it is
not likely to improve. I’ve done a lot of trad climbs this year and had done
Gribin Wall climb with Calum the other morning just before the rain came in. I’d
been on it once before after climbing Rare Lichen and after a quick
re-acquaintance on a rope it went ok. Nick Dixon said he found it as hard as IF
so it seemed an opportune time to test this.

When much younger I’d planned to try this groundup but being older, not as
bold and having a mortgage to pay it had dawned on me it was not going to
happen. On the Monday I climbed with Ryan Pasquil and Katy Whitaker in the peak
explaining my plan to try some of the moves before leading it I think I may have
disappointed Ryan. I was looking forward to seeing what the climb was about from
the safety of an ab rope and was also very curious as to where I had got stuck
13 years before on still one of the closest calls I think I’ve had even through
a great deal of youthful soloing.


    In the summer of 2000 I made my first and most eventful visit to the cliff
with Adam Wilde. We climbed Vember and at the base I’d run to some climbers on
the White Slab area to borrow their guide for a description of Masters Wall.
Booting up at the base of the groove Adam Wilde asks me if I’m going for the
Indian Face. I’m shocked and actually worried as I did give it some thought for
some moments. At this point in time I was ridiculously confident although I admit
 to not living like an athlete, Ambleside was more of an 1980s scene it was a time
without concerns, especially not about being Homo-athleticus. Wall climbs
suited me down to the ground and I didn’t expect any problems with the climb.
The week before I’d made short work of the Bells the Bells and a few days after
I’d soloed up Grand Alliance in a few minutes just before it rained. Most of my
climbing was without ropes which made the serious climbs feel ok and I was
planning on trying to pay homage to big Ron trying to replicate his 100 in the Lakes and
Wales. It’s only reading the guide now and looking at the picture of Moffat that
I realise I went badly wrong.


     Pulling through the first roof I moved up and after spending a few
minutes trying to find a rock 6 I throw a skyhook on and rather than moving up
right which is where Masters Wall goes I climbed about halfway up the groove on
Indian Face before reaching right and committing to 2 or 3 hard sequences which
felt desperate. Getting stood on a 1 cm edge 4 inches wide I thought I was in
but I soon realised I couldn’t move right, I daren’t move up as although there
was something to aim for if it was not very good I would be dead and the
footholds appeared to runout. I tried to escape onto the resting ledge on Indian
Face just up to my left feeling pretty desparate by then. Climbed out I untied
and dropped the ropes to Adam. What followed was a truly life-changing
experience. I’d been on the climb for some time and Adam didn’t know the cliff
so it took him a while to throw the two tied together 9mm across the face to me
from quite far up to the right. By this time I’d been in the sun for some time,
I’d thrown my rack off to save weight, most of my fingertips were bleeding, I
couldn’t feel my toes, my tendons had been screaming for more than 30 minutes, I
thought I had seconds to go for 30 minutes but you do try your best to hold on
to life. It’s hard to describe that last 30 minutes on that bloody wall but
being tortured before knowing they’re going to finish you off soon is perhaps
not too far off the mark. When the rope reached me I struggled to tie a proper
knot, I think I got a weird slippery hitch in before I sailed 50 foot down right
into Vembers drainpipe crack and quickly slid down that.


    Arriving at the base I was totally blown, Adam was very much the same. I
left my rack and my rope (which had gotten stuck) at the cliff, I didn’t think
I’d be climbing again and wanted to disappear from beneath the jaws unable to
look at the face. The next day me and Adam went down Cwm Pennant and I had the
best tasting egg sandwich I’ve ever had and with my feet in a river I was loving
it. It took a good month to feel my toes again and over the years when people
asked if I was going back for Masters Wall I knew there was absolutely no way.
Seb Grieve went on the Indian Face soon after and was good enough to send me
back the few skyhooks and poor runners from the climb, his note read "none of it
would of held btw", I’ve still got the note. It put a damper on operation upward
movement for a brief time but it may have saved something worse happening at a
later date.

Arriving at Clogwyn Du’Arddu  on this Tuesday, 2013 there was only 1 other
team on the cliff. I made a base and after looking up the starting groove and up
the ominous scoop above I round to the top and abseil over. Looking down the
crux headwall to the resting foothold I’m glad I never tried it from the deck as
much as Redhead would think me someone of low libido. I’ve never been on a climb
with so many ‘almost holds’ for both hands and feet where it ‘s easy to get it
wrong and what could be a 5c move could become a 6b move. I dicked about on this
bit getting a vague method for the step off the rest ledge I was happy with. I
go lower and inspect the gear at ¾ height, the nest. I was a little disappointed
as Neil Dyer had said he thought there were some ok wires and Al Hughes had said
when Johnny did West Indian Face there were some good bits of protection. I
found 1 ok RP but if not placed perfectly it would pull through and it was hard
to judge if it would take a fall. 3 other rp1s near it weren’t that inspiring
either. I checked the moves and gear lower down and was a slightly appalled. The
filed down rock 6 mentioned in the old guide is not therewhich is why I didn’t
find it in 2000, where I presume it went a quarter in offset 5 or sideways rp5
may take some bodyweight. 3 meter beyond a 3rd in sideways
rock 7 again possibly takes some bodweight. These 2 bits are your pro until the
‘gear’ nest at ¾ height, I can only think the gear has changed over the years
for redhead to survive a fall down the groove or else the ‘Gods’ were smiling on
him that day. Adam Wainwrights words about it essentially being a solo began to
make sense. I checked the trickier moves on the way back up and brushed them
feeling nervous knowing it would be my last opportunity that day before a crunch
time decision on wether to try it. 


   At the base a few friends have come up to the cliff, Evans, Emma, John,
Luke, Will and Al Hughes. Asking the time my gut turns as they say it’s 13.20,
40 mins before George arrived I was hoping for 2 hours to decide. The surety I’d
felt before checking the climb was gone and I spent the brief time brooding with
myself. The word unjustifiable was in my mind a good deal of the time. My legs
had felt a bit wobbly when walking off the top and a foot shake almost anywhere
on the climb could be more than likely fatal. I was disappointed I wasn’t the 19
year old who told himself if he could physically climb a route he would climb
the route.  George arrives and I tell him I’ve not decided. I get racked up
anyway. Al Hughes asks if I could down climb from a little way up which produces
a positive response from me as I think to myself I could down climb the whole
bloody route so what’s the problem. I still had not decided wether to try it but
set off up the groove fast anyhow. Stepping left through the first overlap I
climb poorly and 5 meters beyond I plug in the 2nd shit runner, sit on my heels
for a minute and have a word with myself. Letting being scared effect your
performance on this climb is a poor idea but telling your body that is easier
said than done. I thought briefly about down climbing but thought I could still
slip off and could still end up on the ground from 15 meters. I figure it’s
safest to carry on. I climb the groove a bit differently to how I did playing on
my grigri and plugging in the nest I grab the rest foothold and get stood on it.
I bluetak 2 poor skyhooks on and rest for 5/10 mins. I know that it’s all about
the next move for me as beyond the climbing eases enough that it would feel just
like soloing an E4 back in the day. I committed to it with a slightly different
foot sequence than I’d tried and went to the top fast before any day-terrors
could set in.  It admittedly felt good latching the finishing jug and although
I’m uncertain if it’s worth the risk at least it means I can ‘tick’ extreme rock
now. George comes up easily and Calum afterwards.

I think at my best I may have ground upped to the nest of rps, possibly
the footledge but no way higher, I would’ve got too tired looking for none
existant runners and nowadays I would of got too scared and would of lowered off
from the RPS (hopefully) or have down climbed from lower. The Indian Face is a
true headgame with relatively steady climbing (by modern standards) but with the
seriousness impeding your performance on it with lots of bits it’d be easy to
cock up and get scared on.


    I think Calum may try it today and George on Thursday so it’s about to
become a trade route. Good luck to them both. I’m going to stick to cracks and
bolts for the rest of summer!

     A week in and around Chamonix mid June involved helping out with the Arc'teryx Alpine Academy for a weekend, meeting a lot of sound people, watching some special films, some downhill mountain biking! and some climbing. I'd taken all of my warmest clothes having heard they'd had an abnormal amount of snow for the time of year but stepping off the plane in Geneva the speaker mentioned it was 34 degrees.
    The weekend of the Academy was very busy in the mornings and I was impressed with Tanja Kulkies and Veronika Kraler for not having nervous breakdowns trying to organise who was going where. I helped out with some sport climbing sessions with Mina Leslie-Wujastic and Luka Lindic. Climbing on Gaillon in 30+ temperatures we stuck to the shady sections of the cliff feeling sorry for Nina, Josune and Rikar and the teams who were multi-pitching without reprieve from the sun. The levels of enthusiasm in our group was pretty impressive as coaching and heckling from the trees at the base felt pretty tiring in the heat. Cheers for everyone who came and Isabel and Alisa for looking after us.
   The day after myself and Luka went to find Thai Kickboxing, after getting lost trying to find it in Switzerland a few phone calls later we arrived at the crag which incidentally was back in France. We warmed up on some sport routes on the right and the 7b crack which would be E4 6b in the UK and a classic. My friend Matt Perrier (aka Ug) had said to take 3 friend 5's and 3 friend 6's. We'd managed to borrow 1 cam 4, a 5 and a 6 from Dougal Tavener, a friend whose current appearance is similar to that found in 1970s Yosemite with long blond hair, aviator shades and usually a rollie in mouth he can usually be found with his knew white BMW parked outside the Elevation Bar in Chamonix itself.
   First go I got reasonably close but after a tussle getting stuck with chickenwings trying to squirm over the crux bulge at half height my body gave up. Having seen a picture of Tom Randall with his leg above his head I decided to try the same, second go up before attaining my high point I inverted and with both feet above my head it took a few moment to realise I was no wideboy and couldn't move. Third go got most of me above the crux bulge and I could taste success, this feeling lasted a few minutes but I grew sicker and sicker before the git spat me out. 
  After only 3 goes I felt pretty rinsed but I'd got the 'gist' of how to tackle it. Next go I got stood above the bulge and having thought the upper crack looked easy I had to down climb to retrieve a cam to protect the upper crack and was very thankful to have protection as it felt quite touch and go. Sleep didn't come easy for the next few nights with sores acquired on elbows and shoulders, I left the crag with a good deal of respect for the wideboys as I don't intend to climb any more off widths if I can help it.
   The downhill mountain biking was something I was quite dubious about and with various people wiping out early there was good reason to be cautious. Wrapped up in body armour it felt like being a teenager again, tire burning your friends to try and get them off their bikes. At points on the downhill tracks there would be 2 options shown by a red arrow and a blue with the red offering a trickier option. Mina went the way of the red arrow and asking advice from downhiller extraordinaire Harald on how to do it - he shouted back "you don't". Big thanks to Tanja Kulkies and Veronika Kraler for organising the week. The rest of the week had its good points like meeting Emily and its bad points like hanging out with Jack but generally the holiday made me realise why so many people went and spent a winter in Chamonix and never returned.