Catalan Granite

It takes an office Christmas party to get some outdoor bouldering done. Although I heard last weekend's conditions were pretty good, there was not many weekend opportunities for a good bouldering session lately. Since I was going to spend the weekend in Barcelona with my workmates, I thought I might as well bring my climbing gear in case I would get a chance to try some of the already renowned Catalan granite. It is not very close to the city but I only had to carry my Mythos and a bottle of water so it was easy enough to go around.

The transport in Barcelona is clearly well developed. They have an equivalent of the Dart which leaves from the city centre (Plaza de Catalunya) every hour and follows the coast to the north. For approximately 4 euro you get a return train ticket to Vilassar de mar the closest place to the main area: Can Boquet. From the train station you must walk west towards the hills. It takes approximately 30mn by train and another 45mn on foot. Can Boquet is definitely the main spot but there are also a few other areas closer and further and the locals seem to be very busy developing the whole area:

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http://blogdgranit.blog.com/
Forum

So as Arnie puts it: I’ll be back.

Epic spelling!

We all know that the French are "arrogant cheese eating surrender monkeys".

Since they do not speak English, one should not take any interest in their language - compared with the internationally reknown complexity of the English language, le français is a kind of proto-logos similar to the weird music you can hear at the so-called "world" section of your local retail shop, right?

This seems to be the attitude adopted by the editors of the latest issue of the Irish Mountain Log who managed the impressive achievement of placing 3 different spelling of the same French name, Fontainebleau, within a square inch of paper! (page 42 of the Winter 2007 edition).

Fair dues to them, this must be a record.

Admittedly, misspelling foreign names is not an issue in English speaking press, but we're talking expertise here: this is a climbing magazine, featuring an article on the world most famous bouldering spot.

Unless maybe it is unfair to claim that Fontainebleau is more famous than Fairy Head, Glendolugh or the Peek district (annoying isn't it ?).

After all, only a couple of thousand people climb in Font every weekend - probably a little more if you include the Cuvier...

Still, such a clear lack of effort could lead to a very tricky diplomatic situation.

You see, Fontainebleau is owned by the French, a concept that is alien to all these people who are still the subjects of such a great ruler as Her Majesty the Queen of England, Canada, Australia, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and so forth... And known to the French as la Reine des Rosbifs (much shorter, see!)

The French could therefore well decide to forbid the access to all non-french speakers. I can already hear them: "You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottoms, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you!"

So the following are a few tips for editors of English speaking climbing press and online media platforms (although it seems that it would also be very useful to the editors of English speaking newspapers too):

1. French accents are like garlic, you only need a hint, not the whole bleeding bulb! Adding accents everywhere does not make it look more French. It just kills flavour.
2. Get yourself a computer with an Internet connection: this 21st century technological tool will give you access to an activity widely known today as surfing the web (ask your kids for help) and guess what? Computers and the Internet are equipped with smart French spelling tools!
3. If you decide to misspell, at least be consistent. Your English readers will undoubtedly forgive your lack of interest, but it is much harder to forgive your lack of common sense.

PS: Anyone who finds a mispell in this post, please refrain being too critical: French people are as touchy as they are arrogant.

LE BILBOQUET DU CUL DE CHIEN

Bouldering in Fontainebleau - Le Bilboquet du Cul de chien

In Fontainebleau last weekend, I climbed for the first time on the Bilboquet du Cul de Chien.

I sort of remembered being told, a few years, that it was "forbidden" to climb on Le Bilboquet because it was moving and about to crack.

And true enough, there does not seem to be much information about it on the extensive Bleau.info database or in the french bouldering website Zebloc.

Nevertheless a quick google search will show you a lot of pictures and videos.

On the boulder itself, there does not seem to be any of the usual color code you'd find all around the forest, but its handholds are as white are any other heavily chalked classic of the Cuvier.

So off we went, with the idea of doing a group photo on top of it (not very original I must admit).

But with two of us already on top of it and a third person climbing it, it started to shake - not a mad momentum, but we could clearly feel the vibes.

So here's an interesting physics exercise: given the three of us were about 200kg, would it hold the momentum generated by a fourth climber or is the threshold higher?

PORTRANE UPDATE

Declan Tormey added two little deadpoints below the lip of Wave washed in the Alley (lines 1 & 2). Although they were more than certainly climbed by Michael O'Dwyer back in 2001, there was no mention of them in the original information. They both are sit-start deadpoints from small crimps, probably 6b.


Line 3 is a variation of problem 16 in the alley: instead of going into the groove, one goes left on the blankish face with a nice top out on jugs (but hard to reach). 6b/c

Problem 4 is a old project of Kevin Cooper. It starts into Planet Earth, bridge back onto the arch, drop around the bottom of the Arch to finish onto the Ear. Probably ranging at 6c/7a.

There was a gap between Planet Earth and Stick it. This was filled up during the summer with a sit start to the big ledge. From there you can either akwardly climbed into the mini cave or dyno to the top jug above. 6a

Paul Harrington also mentionned a traverse (5+/6a) at the back of the arch. Again, these lines have probably been climbed before, but there was no mention in the original guide.

Finally it is worth noticing that the rock at Ground Zero is more dirty and polished than ever.

SMART MAPS

Another cool exploring feature launched very recently on the net is the Ordnance Survey Ireland Smart Maps. Unlike Google Earth the aerial definition is pretty good all over Ireland.

Here is what you get on Google Earth for Glendalough:


And here is what you get on Smart Maps:


And moreover the maps have a few extras. There 4 types of viewing:

• "environmental" shows you the basic features you would find on an OS map,
• "ortho" is a bare aerial photo,
• "Land reg" shows you the latest update of the land registry office (more info to come on that matter)
• "Wind report" (my own favorite) is a map of the average wind speed: for those who wonder about conditions, how fast a place can dry, which place is most likely to get midge infested, how exposed is Glenmac, etc. Here is the map of Ben's Font:

• 

By the way for those who still wonder, Cloghole seems to be the name given to the valley on the other side of Luggala hill (also Fancy mountain). But if one insists, Ben's Font could be called Cloghole river.

To browse the smart maps, you need to register first. It is free of charge and you do not need to provide many details. Once you are logged in, click on "browse maps". Again, please note all this information is protected by copyright.

Enjoy your exploration!

CLOGERHEAD

Dublin south side boulderers are clearly the luckiest given the proximity of Wicklow, especially when it comes to quick bouldering sessions. However those leaving on the north side can find the traffic very frustrating, and the only way around is getting up early. The recent discovery of Portrane improved this situation a little bit but let's face it, Meath and Louth aren't exactly blessed with good quality rock. Nevertheless since the introduction of the helicopter viewer, you can now explore the eastern coast of Ireland and it seems that there is a little bit more than one would expect. I spent a couple of hours exploring Clogerhead last weekend, and although the place seems more suitable for routes, there might be a little bit of bouldering too. Here are two nice problems worth mentioning:

1- K3, sit start 5+
2- Alice in Crimperland, 6b/6c

I will continue my exploration and hopefully more information should be available soon.

ACCESS:
From Drogheda, take the R166 toward Termonfeckin (sic.) In Clogerhead, leave the beach on your right and turn at the pub on the harbour road. There is a big car park passed Oriel harbour. After 2mn of walking, you should see the first rocks.

"Summer" bouldering at Portrane Beach

"Met Éireann confirmed the worst suspicions of umbrella sellers yesterday when it declared last month to be one of the warmest, sunniest and driest Aprils on record."
The Irish Times, Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Summer? What summer? The three following months probably broke some rainfall record. (By the way, I cannot bear that "me-and-my-umbrella" song anymore, can you?) True, summer this year started in mid April and finished in mid May. As a result our usual evening summer sessions in Portrane seriously started only a couple of weeks ago, and will be over in another couple of weeks as the days are getting shorter. It is hard to get motivated in these conditions. My Shot down in Flames project is laughing at me....

I do not know if it is the climate or the economical context but most of the locals are leaving: do you really think that Squamish or Font could beat Portrane? Seriously lads!
So for those about to rock, here's a little video of Portrane:

The End of an era

Real coastal bouldering exploration is over my friends! At least for those who have access to the internet. Exit the long trails on misty days to find nothing more than a few cliffs of rotten clay decaying in the sea waves. Let me introduce you to the new generation gear: the online coastal helicopter viewer! Every single corner of the coast of the Republic of Ireland has been photographed from helicopter and is now available online for free! Bear in mind that this tool is not working 24h/24 yet, for some reason that I am not aware about.

More Sandstone

With the north of Europe facing the big Flood and the south set on fire, it looks like this summer has a little bit for everyone... The lucky boulderer that I am, escaped the desperatly wet eastern Irish coast for a couple of weeks holiday in that lovely French region that is called the Languedoc. Situated at about 30mn from the mediteranean sea, just where the Larzac plateau starts, the town of Lodève has a lot to offer, a few quality sandstone bouldering spots that is. Now I know what you are going to say: why bothering with some obscure place in the south when the world sandstone bouldering Mecca lays a few kilometers away from the world capital of chauvinism? Well, firstly Font is busy, especially during the summer. Secondly Font does not have cicadas. And finally my fellow boulderers, this is holiday we are talking about: cheap wine, good food, sunbathing at the beach, games of petanque sipping pastis, afternoon siestas, and wonderful scenery over the Larzac. So if you happen to go anywhere around the Montpellier / Bezier area, have a look at the Lodève bloc website.

La Vie au bout des doigts

I just came across an online video of "La Vie au bout des doigts". This is a short film done in 1982 by a dude called Jean-Paul Janssen about another dude called Patrick Edlinger.

Patrick Edlinger is probably one of the most famous climbers in France, if not THE most famous (I mean outside the climbing world).

I am not too sure if the guy was the first to climb whatever route or grade and frankly who really cares? He inspired many kids of my age and just like Ben Moon or Lynn Hill, he became a legend.

Donegal

This weekend's plan was to visit Polldoo Glen, Muckross Head and Carrickfin. Unfortunatly Saturday was so misty that we only got an hour of climbing at Muckross Head: Just enough to try Jesus, and Joseph (Mary was too wet...) and to add a new problem below the roof to the left. Quintana is a 15 moves roof traverse which is probably around 6b when it is dry.
Sunday's better conditions allowed us to give a serious attempt to the Carrickfin's three star arete. Without any success. However we managed to climb all the other lines registered in the Short Span guide, exept for the crack route right of the three star arete (another "not easily taken away"). We also climbed a few lines at the top of the crag which did not seem to be recorded.

The Arch

Kevin Cooper and I introduced Harry Fogg to Portrane last Monday evening. We headed to the Arch sector where, as expected, Harry ran up most of the easy lines. Xmen remains unflashed, although Harry nearly got it footless on his first go. The rock was bone dry and the tide was completly out, which was prefect for trying the Arch (the line itself). But it seems that it will take me another couple of sessions this year.

New crag in Clare

Brilliant conditions last weekend in Clare.
Bit of exploration on saturday, new crag found.
Vertical limestone, about 20 meters high, facing south, some potential for bouldering, but definetly more suitable for routes.
The place will remain secret for a while as a decision must be taken on wether or not it could be bolted.

Spring in Ben's Font

Bouldering in Cloghole, Ben's Font, Co. Wicklow

April was very nice this year. Probably too warm for proper bouldering conditions but very enjoyable nevertheless; especially in Ben's Font (known to some as Cloghole) where the surrounding landscape is just perfect.

I managed to send that project on the big overhanging boulder by the river (the opposite side of Sad Punk). I decided to call it Exfoliator in the memory of my palm skin. The sit start is definitly way harder.

The following week Mickey the Dude Nicholson got a new "shallow water solo" right above a mini cove in the river.

PS: here's a bouldering guide of Ben's Font in PDF format. Enjoy!

An Taobh Tuathail

The tide was high during the evening last week so I decided to have my annual session in Bullock Harbour, the occasion to do some traditionnels deep water problems: Lan Mara, Lag Mara and my own little favorite, An Taobh Tuathail.

Video of the (possibly) first ascent back in 2004: