Ravelston VI

Thoughts of Death, SS, 6b

Ravelston V

 

• Midge's Belly, 5+
• Mojo Dojo Casa House, 4
• I am Kenough, 5+ (big shelf is out)
• I am Kenough, sit-start, 6a+
• He's Just Allan, 6c+
• He's Just Allan, sit-start, 7a

Ravelston IV

 

Troll, Sit-Start, 6a+ (Eliminate all the jugs on the left arete, finish standing above the lip)

I am Kenough, Sit-start, 6a+ 

He's just Allan, dyno, 6c+

Ravelston III

 Plastic Duck - update

• Le Canard Déchaîné, 6c
• Taking off, SS, 6a+ dyno

Snowflake Traverse eliminate, SS, 6a+

Bouldering in Ravelston II

Firestarter - Dancer in the Dark (6b+?)

North Quarry

 A nice wee problem in the quarry, SS, 6a 

North Crags (facing Ravelston park)

• Rock-over, SS, 4+
• Black Mirror wall traverse, 4

• The Best Lip in Edinburgh, 5+
• Liposuction, SS, 6a 
• Labia, SS, 6a

Bouldering in Corstorphine, Edinburgh

Daliath and Govid (eliminate) - Sit-start as for 'David' and 'Goliath'. Eliminate the holds on the left and the big vertical edge on the right. from the high crimp, launch directly to the top holds. 7a.

Deuteronomy - A few meters left of the Goliath boulder. Climb the wee overhang from a sit-start on a low flake. Launch to small crimps then to better holds higher up to top out. 6a+

Hummell Rocks (Gullane) - Get Lucky link

 

Get Lucky - Sit-start as per 'Dumb Luck' but instead of going up, continue to traverse on poorer holds to reach the lip of the 'Mini-roof'. Follow that line rightwards to bridge back to Neanderthal and climb down easily to finish. 6b-ish?

Bouldering near Dunsapie Loch, Holyrood Park

 

I'm pretty sure bouldering near Dunsapie Loch is forbidden. But if it wasn't...

Bouldering in Ravelston, Fire Starter boulder

 

• Not so fast, 4
• Firestarter, 5+
• Crossfire, 6b
• Carbon Monoxide, 6b+

 

Hummell Rocks - Gullane Bouldering update VI

 

Àrd-ealain (crimp variation) , 7a 

Joey the lips, 6a

 The sand level has slightly dropped again since the picture above was taken. So here are the revised grades revised as of April 2022

• Green: An t-sliseag, 6b
• Red: Shit-Start, 6b
• Blue: Àrd-ealain, 7a
• Purple: Overhang Lip Traverse, 6b at the moment.

Coup de grâce

Here's my latest problem at Gullane / Hummell Rocks. I reckon it's a solid 7b.

Unfortunatly, it requires top conditions - low tide, dry spell, dry air flow... 

A late summer morning session is probably best as the crag still catches the sun so the holds are dry, even with a slight sea breeze.

 

 

 

Aonarachd (overhang lip traverse extension)

With the sand at a higher level, it's been easier to work out hard moves at Hummell Rocks this summer. Yesterday I managed to stick to my traverse project.

Aonarachd, which is the Gaelic for 'isolation', is an extension of my existing Overhang Lip Traverse. 

Instead of deadpointing to the good hidden flatty, I continue leftwards to the slopers of An t-Sliseag ('the slice') and finish left into the big jug of An t-Sliseag Cop Out.

I thought it would be 7a+ but I have done it only once so far after weeks of trying. Being tall allows me to use the low plinth as a foothold but it is very sandy and it is very difficult not to sleep. I have also tried to do it footless but then, sticking to the slopers is even harder.

So I reckon the grade is probably more like 7b for small people - unless you get very dry and cold conditions, which does not happen often at Gullane.

Here's a photo of the problem:

 And here's a video of my original Overhand Lip Traverse:

Bouldering at Gullane beach, Àrd-ealain

 

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) V

Here's an update of my mini-topo (September 2016).

I did a few vids at Gullane since 2016, you can find them here.

The sand level has gone up very high in Winter 2019-20, so some sit-starts have almost disappeared, e.g. 'An t-sliseag', and landings are much safer  - no mats required!!! :)

As a results the grades are much lower:

1. Àirde An Làin, 
2. High & Dry, 4    
3. Leum, 5
4. An t-sliseag 6a    
5. Àrd-ealain 6b
6.  Overhang Lip Traverse, 6b

 

I've added another couple of problems, which I thought worth trying if you are bored. Here's my topo update.

• Green: An t-sliseag, 6a at the moment.
• Red: Shit-Start, 6b
• Blue: Àrd-ealain, 6b at the moment.
• Purple: Overhang Lip Traverse, 6b at the moment.

Please remember -

Don't use any hard/wire brushes !

Hummell Rocks is a soft sandstone crag by the beach. So holds will always be sandy here. In many cases, you will need to brush the holds before climbing but please, brush them very gently, using soft (not wire!) brushes, to avoid any damage to the rock. Soft nylon are the most popular, but at Hummel Rocks, even soft brushes need to be used gently! If you want to compete with the next guy, give him a chance to try the same climb ;)

Don't climb here less than 24 hours after the rain!

Climbing on wet sandstone destroys it. Hand holds and footholds are softer and break apart more easily. Wait as much as possible, at least a week when there's been high humidity, cold temperature and already moist conditions.
So late summer is probably the best period to climb at Hummell Rocks.

Training Routine

This is my new training project at Agassiz Rock - linking as many loops as possible.

I know neither the name of the problem nor its grade. I think it's a variation of Jammin' Beneath the Darkness (7a) but in any case it provides a good routine for training, one loop making about 20 moves. Exactly what I needed to build a bit of stamina outside :)

Bouldering at Gullane beach, mini-roof problem

Bouldering near Edinburgh - Roslin Glen

What makes a good problem?

Solid rock, nice setting, dry conditions, safe landing and a cool line, easy to read and that will involve both technical and powerful moves.

Roslin Glen has a bit of that:

Bouldering at Hummell rocks (IV)

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) 

Overhang lip traverse, 6c+ (ish...)

Bouldering at Hummell rocks (III)

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) 

Conditions were good at Hummell Rocks (Gullane beach) yesterday.

I managed to climb a couple of hard lines. I doubt that these are FAs but the moves are cool and not recorded anywhere, so just in case someone would be looking for ideas, here they are.

I've given them Gaelic names, just because I can - It's my blog, so I make the rules, but who cares about obscure climb names anyway :)

1. Àirde An Làin, 6a : cool crimpy moves. Topping out is high and dodgy (mosh and bushes), Not recommended. Best is to escape rightward and down climb. 
2. High & Dry, 5 - see previous post. It did not feel like 6a after all. 
3. Leum, 6a: from a good side pull right hand, step up and reach high to a break. 
4. An t-sliseag 6c+: Sit-start both hands on an edge in the red part. Pop to slopers above the lip, move right then pop up again high to a hidden hold. Get over the overhang's lip and finish diagonally up and right. Top out or down climb. 
5. Àrd-ealain, 7a: Sit-start on poor crimps below the lip. Deadpoint to sloper above (hard not to dab) and again to better crimps above. The rest is much easier. Requires a good dry spell and cool conditions (an evening with no sea sea). 

Remember:

Don't use any hard/wire brushes ! 

Hummell Rocks is a soft sandstone crag by the beach.
So holds will always be sandy here. In many cases, you will need to brush the holds before climbing but please, brush them very gently, using soft (not wire!) brushes, to avoid any damage to the rock. Soft nylon are the most popular, but at Hummel Rocks, even soft brushes need to be used gently!
If you want to compete with the next guy, give him a chance to try the same climb ;)

Don't climb here less than 24 hours after the rain 

Climbing on wet sandstone destroys it.
Hand holds and footholds are softer and break apart more easily.
Wait as much as possible, at least a week when there's been high humidity, cold temperature and already moist conditions.
So late summer is probably the best period to climb at Hummell Rocks.

Bouldering at Hummell rocks (III)

Hummell wall - Gullane beach (near Edinburgh) 

Conditions were good at Hummell Rocks (Gullane beach) yesterday.

I managed to climb a couple of hard lines. I doubt that these are FAs but the moves are cool and not recorded anywhere, so just in case someone would be looking for ideas, here they are.

I've given them Gaelic names, just because I can - It's my blog, so I make the rules, but who cares about obscure climb names anyway :)

1. Àirde An Làin, 6a : cool crimpy moves. Topping out is high and dodgy (mosh and bushes), Not recommended. Best is to escape rightward and down climb. 
2. High & Dry, 5 - see previous post. It did not feel like 6a after all. 
3. Leum, 6a: from a good side pull right hand, step up and reach high to a break. 
4. An t-sliseag 6b+: Sit-start both hands on an edge in the red part. Pop to slopers above the lip, move right then pop up again high to a hidden hold. Get over the overhang's lip and finish diagonally up and right. Top out or down climb. 
5. Àrd-ealain, 7a: Sit-start on poor crimps below the lip. Deadpoint to sloper above (hard not to dab) and again to better crimps above. The rest is much easier. Requires a good dry spell and cool conditions (an evening with no sea sea). 

Remember:

Don't use any hard/wire brushes ! 

Hummell Rocks is a soft sandstone crag by the beach. So holds will always be sandy here. In many cases, you will need to brush the holds before climbing but please, brush them very gently, using soft (not wire!) brushes, to avoid any damage to the rock. Soft nylon are the most popular, but at Hummel Rocks, even soft brushes need to be used gently! If you want to compete with the next guy, give him a chance to try the same climb ;)

Don't climb here less than 24 hours after the rain 

 Climbing on wet sandstone destroys it. Hand holds and footholds are softer and break apart more easily. Wait as much as possible, at least a week when there's been high humidity, cold temperature and already moist conditions.
So late summer is probably the best period to climb at Hummell Rocks.