January

For climbing, this has been a bad start to the year. Starting out in Inverness I went to Brin and am fasagadh but didn't do much. Since coming back to Glasgow I've been to the wall once and dumby once.

A goal for this year is to climb an 8a+ route and I should be 1/12 the way there by now. In fact I would say I've actually got worse so reckon current progress is at minus 10%. I'm hoping next month will be better, but uni work is increasing so will have to put some effort in if I want to achieve another of my goals which is to get a degree.

Archives

Ok, so sometimes I write a blog post but don't post it. I had a look back at some of these and I've decided to post them up. I don't really know what I was thinking when writing them so no longer feel liable for saying things that are boring or offensive... (mostly boring)


Kilnsey

I think a large part of my failure to get a lot done at kilnsey was due to my shoes being too sore. Think a new pair of shoes would be excellent, some really comfy ones, maybe even so I can wear wooly socks or something.

Sport Climbing. hmm...

no name

My favourite bit of last weekend was running through a wooded hillside looking for a good place to shit. That, or climbing on my own. Both were done away from the powerscreams, spotters shouting at me and the need for success. What they did have was something I could actually feel and see with my own body and mind, personal experiences that I have and are not some product of training and pushing but just something that made me feel awesome at the moment.

Ruthven Boulder

I don't mean to put a downer on the psyche levels of Dave Macloed after his amazing effort on Echo Wall, but I thought his problem, Dude Direct, at ruthven was particularly easy for 7C!

Climbing vs Maths

Some of the underlying human instincts are common both in a mathematics problem and in a boulder problem, I've noticed.
The first way is that they're both exercises.
The Second is that you strive to perfect them, do them automatically, like a "well oiled machine" (as my lecturer put it).
The third is they're baffling to anyone who hasn't studied them, not only in terms of method, but also in terms of "why???"
Which leads me to the final similarity, an easy way to the solution is round the back...

Christmas and New Year

Got a bit of climbing in over the Christmas hols around Inverness. With the snow, options were limited for rock climbing I think I did ok considering.

Headed to Brin a few times, with all the snow it was great fun to begin with, following deer and rabbit tracks around the wood and sledging down the hill on pads. It was pretty cold though. I got one good tick - Pitbull 7B+, a Dave Redpath problem from a while ago. A vid is here which also shows snow going into my wellies from crossing the treacherous field. Here's a not so good video of a different trip to brin. Enjoy... well, I say enjoy...




I think I had fun that day despite not really climbing. Just brushed up the problem which turned out to be too hard for me. Then went home. err

Another place I went was Am Fasgadh which probably has been one of the most popular Scottish crags over the past few weeks. Some of the routes were seeping and there was a risk of being impaled by fallen icicles, but apart from that, it was good fun.

Back in Glasgow now and here's a taste of life in my flat:

aww, it was misty

Hope these dumbuck posts aren't bugging you. Don't mean to bug ya. Headed back there today with Nic and Dave. SBI is still out of reach and it's easy to blame conditions. Think I'm also really weak; on Dave's porta-fingerboard I could only manage a handful of pull ups. The route had a wet bottom which made for wet hands and shoes once again. Got the feeling the crag was out to get us when I slipped off clipping the 3rd bolt. Hit the floor on rope stretch and crushed Boost's supply of chocolate peanuts for the day. Chocolate peanuts are a sort of secret weapon to use against Dumbuck. The fall also ripped a flapper on a crucial bit of skin. I have no doubt the crag knew what it was doing. Like a moody teenager, Dumbuck was sneering. It got to me, and I couldn't help but feel sick on my next go. What I was doing there, man?

The mist rolled in and I pulled out the classic joke about what causes mist "...I haven't the foggiest" which lightened the vibe, obviously. The top bit of the route is brilliant fun, reckon there's equally as many toe-hooks, heel hooks and regular feet, along with a great drop knee move. The last heel hook keeps slipping on links which is a bit worrying. As the mist became thicker and the afternoon gloomier, the chalked up holds looked like constellations in the nights sky. I joined the dots of So Be It and got a snake which probably wasn't that imaginative.

So it's a relationship of contrast that I've got going with Dumbuck. I left the crag filthy with mud and with pretty cold feet, and that's that. Would rather be in Spain, but whatcha gonna do?

Dumbuck!!

Another day at dumbuck at this time there was some dryness. Me and Boost going for it on So Be It for about 3 redpoints each. Each redpoint involved a lot of drying holds and warming hands. The crag was mostly dry and should be good for the weekend. Anyway, My best redpoint hit the hold that you throw for, (I throw for most holds, but you know the one I mean... the big one, with the dimple bit), it's tricky for sure. Being able to start off without getting wet feet and hands will make a difference I think. With wet and cold hands and wet shoes, its desperate.

Looking forward to the weekend, I reckon my chances of So Be It are higher than that of winning the lottery. I bought a ticket for the first time earlier this week. I found out after that the probability of that is one in 14 million... I got no numbers. You can't predict the lottery but my prediction for this weekend dumbuck action is that it's going to be happenin'. nuff said.

Dumbuck Devastation!!

I'm not in a good mood with Dumbuck toDAY.


It was along WAY to go. (though chess was good on the train)


I hope next DAY is better than TODAY (though it wouldn't be difficult).


PLease ooo Please be dry for me Dumbuck, PLEASE.


On another note, I am also devastated becuase my team, ITALIA 90 got to the final of the '6 a side' glasgow football league. We LOst! In the final 5-4...

I-TAL-IA!

I'm absolutely knackered.

Co-author: Duboust

Zoo

Nice

Apes were my favourite

I knew this blog was needing a few pics to brighten it up.