Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Sunday, 10 October 2010
Monday, 6 September 2010
Bouldering in Galicia
In terms of rock, it was not the season. Indeed, the main spot in the southern part is Pena Corneira, near the town of Ourense, which did not really see the temperature dropping below 30 during this summer. So I stayed on the coast instead and had a few sessions among the mini sea cliffs.
The guys behind Cantil (A bloque en Galicia/bouldering in Galicia) have gathered a few topos and drafted a Google map of the various areas that have been developed:
There's a great spot called A Pedra Rubia where I had a few nice sessions, but I even found a good spot closer to where we stayed: the Supertanker boulder of Portocelo. I'm not sure if it's got a name or if there's any info about it so I just gave it that name for the sake of it. It's got a good few problems and features a steep overhang with very poor holds. Potential for 8s from sit-start, but hard enough from stand start. Video here:
There's a lot of other stuff around especially between Portocelo and La Guardia. I even found a jumble of boulders with savage roofs and overhang but the landings were also savage, so I did not go near it. It's all in the following video:
And finally, also in Portocelo, close to the Supertanker, is a nice roof with three obvious lines: left arete, centre crack and right arete. But between the last two there's a really hard eliminate that will see me again if I get the chance. Video here:
Special thanks to Miguel and his family for looking after us during As Festas do Monte. It was great!
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UPDATE (23 /09/ 2010):
Luis Vigo (that would be his forum nickname), says that the Portocelo's boulders have been a climbing spot for the last 15 years and it even saw the first Galician bouldering comp in 1998. He says there used to be a topo but he doesn't seem to know where that info is gone.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
About sharing and more Glendo off-track
Weather conditions were very mixed for the last bank holiday weekend: although the cold wind was keeping the rock at the perfect bouldering temperature, rain was also around...
On Saturday I got a text from Michael Duffy saying he was meeting Ricky Bell in the Cooley Mountains to check "one of the best lines in Ireland". This frightened me a bit as I thought the boys were on the trail of my latest secret spot. Oops, did I just say it? The fact is I do have a nice little spot in the Cooleys, but it does not have one of the best lines in Ireland, but at least 2 or 3 of them. No need to get excited though, this is just my very subjective opinion.
Talking about opinions, I already had got fairly paranoid when Dave Flanagan gave his own on first ascents back in June stating that "by saying nothing you are relequinshing your right to complain when someone does the 'first ascent' of your problem. " But I do share my discoveries and first ascents and the proof is my good mate Tim Chapman rung me that day asking if I had read Dave's article: "Do you think he knows about your new place?" The fact is I met a good few hill walkers around there and it's only a matter of time before climbers hear about it so let's start the sharing:
As for northies, it turned out that it was not what they were after. They were actually trying some serious line on one of the numerous outcrops that can be found in the Windy Gap. I had a quick walk around there before, but had never bothered checking that overhanging bit. I did not take any picture, but let's just say it is a high enough awesome looking slopey prow with what looks like a strenuous overhanging start. Unfortunatly the rain arrived and ruined the guys hopes as the upper slopers became damp. I would not be surprise if we hear about it soon though.
Sunday was another good discovery day. Again Michael Duffy texted us saying he was going to try a good looking roof crack he had spotted high in the scree. However after having spent a good time warming up and brushing the line, the few attempts he and Ron Browner gave it were far from enough to crack the line before the rain. In the meantime, I had met my old buddy Michael Nicholson who had decided to explore the surroundings. A good idea that was: he found a couple of huge caves, one of them containing one of Glendo's best problems. Not that it is particularly hard (Michael Duffy flashed the first ascent) but it has the good benefit of being sheltered from the rain, a quality that is not common among Glendo's problems... I am not talking about moisture here: by 5 o'clock all boulderers had fled the valley under lashing rain except for me, Kevin Griffin and Michael Duffy, who also had the taste of bringing lamps to light up the cave. The problem itself is a roof line, not too unsimilar to Chillax, but slightly harder. I suggested the name "Perma-dry" but Michael has probably come up with something better by now.
So, Dave, if you are reading this, here is a thought for your website: how about a database of perma-dry problems? I'll start: Perma-dry, 7a?, Glendo, in a cave high in the scree, 100m straight up above superstars of the BMX.
On Saturday I got a text from Michael Duffy saying he was meeting Ricky Bell in the Cooley Mountains to check "one of the best lines in Ireland". This frightened me a bit as I thought the boys were on the trail of my latest secret spot. Oops, did I just say it? The fact is I do have a nice little spot in the Cooleys, but it does not have one of the best lines in Ireland, but at least 2 or 3 of them. No need to get excited though, this is just my very subjective opinion.
Talking about opinions, I already had got fairly paranoid when Dave Flanagan gave his own on first ascents back in June stating that "by saying nothing you are relequinshing your right to complain when someone does the 'first ascent' of your problem. " But I do share my discoveries and first ascents and the proof is my good mate Tim Chapman rung me that day asking if I had read Dave's article: "Do you think he knows about your new place?" The fact is I met a good few hill walkers around there and it's only a matter of time before climbers hear about it so let's start the sharing:
As for northies, it turned out that it was not what they were after. They were actually trying some serious line on one of the numerous outcrops that can be found in the Windy Gap. I had a quick walk around there before, but had never bothered checking that overhanging bit. I did not take any picture, but let's just say it is a high enough awesome looking slopey prow with what looks like a strenuous overhanging start. Unfortunatly the rain arrived and ruined the guys hopes as the upper slopers became damp. I would not be surprise if we hear about it soon though.
Sunday was another good discovery day. Again Michael Duffy texted us saying he was going to try a good looking roof crack he had spotted high in the scree. However after having spent a good time warming up and brushing the line, the few attempts he and Ron Browner gave it were far from enough to crack the line before the rain. In the meantime, I had met my old buddy Michael Nicholson who had decided to explore the surroundings. A good idea that was: he found a couple of huge caves, one of them containing one of Glendo's best problems. Not that it is particularly hard (Michael Duffy flashed the first ascent) but it has the good benefit of being sheltered from the rain, a quality that is not common among Glendo's problems... I am not talking about moisture here: by 5 o'clock all boulderers had fled the valley under lashing rain except for me, Kevin Griffin and Michael Duffy, who also had the taste of bringing lamps to light up the cave. The problem itself is a roof line, not too unsimilar to Chillax, but slightly harder. I suggested the name "Perma-dry" but Michael has probably come up with something better by now.
So, Dave, if you are reading this, here is a thought for your website: how about a database of perma-dry problems? I'll start: Perma-dry, 7a?, Glendo, in a cave high in the scree, 100m straight up above superstars of the BMX.
Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Portrane Update
Although the last weekend was probably the wettest of the last 2000 years in Dublin, the overall summer has not been as bad as last year, and I am sure most Dublin boulderers enjoyed at least a couple good sessions in Portrane over the last few months.
Firstly I wish to mention the visit of two Austrian climbers, Connie and Alex, who had decided to start their bouldering trip around Ireland by staying a week in Portrane. I must say we were quite puzzled when they mentioned it and we advised them to shorten their stay in Portrane and quickly move to the West. And for anyone else planning to visit Ireland, I reiterate my advice: although Portrane has a good bit of bouldering, it is clearly not your main destination and does not deserve a full week of your time. Donegal, Connemara and Kerry have much more to offer in term of rock quality and variety of landscape!
Two new problems were added at the Arch: I personally finally sent an old project linking Girls on film / Planet Earth to the Ear via the Arch. (See previous post) Although none of the moves is harder than 6c, it constitutes a long sustained traverse which I named the French Connection. This will have hopefully got me fitter and my traverse project in Clare should soon enough become the French Connection II. (For those who have never seen these films, go and rent the DVDs, they are much more entertaining than any climbing video). Michael Duffy added a new problem to the left of Planet Earth / Girls on Film: Sit-start under the roof using a small side pull left hand and the stone ledge for your feet (sometimes buried in the sand). Slap over the lip of the roof to an edge and go up left to a catchy in-cut.
Michael also succeeded where many others had previously failed: he managed to flash X-men, the tricky roof problem that was once described by the Portrane bouldering guru Kevin Cooper as the un-flashable problem. However it was not clearly established if Michael's foot freded* the ground or not. Moreover Michael seems to have climbed X-men using his knee, a method that, although that is perfectly acceptable, can be considered as terribly ugly among proper climbers. Kevin advised Michael to shape up a bit and climbed the line the properly. I managed to take a little video on my phone:
There was also a good few sessions in the Pit to try the sit-start to Mr Topsy Turvy. This is the low roof indicated has a project in the guide. That problem has actually been done by both Michael Duffy and Rob Hunter and is clearly harder than 7a when you start with both hands on the roof undercut. And for those who feel really strong, there is an even harder project to the right: starting under the roof as well, use two wrongly oriented sharp hold and slap really far out to the right to link onto the big ledge of Mr Silly.
Finally I spent an evening Clogerhead back in June: I found a nice traverse not far from Alice in Crimperland. The Spine follows a long spiky break line from the left to the right. I also found a nice vertical wall with a few crystal crimps. I climbed a couple of problems on it but they do not top out as the wall is fairly high. They would definitely be better climbed as some little routes or alternatively deep water solos (although I have not checked the waterline at high tide.)
*to fred: this term intends to refer to Swiss climber Fred Nicole who claimed a first ascent although this FA climb got clearly affected by the fact that he had been involuntary "pushed" by one of his spotters. Anyone who knows the exact story, please do not hesitate to stick it in the comments.
Firstly I wish to mention the visit of two Austrian climbers, Connie and Alex, who had decided to start their bouldering trip around Ireland by staying a week in Portrane. I must say we were quite puzzled when they mentioned it and we advised them to shorten their stay in Portrane and quickly move to the West. And for anyone else planning to visit Ireland, I reiterate my advice: although Portrane has a good bit of bouldering, it is clearly not your main destination and does not deserve a full week of your time. Donegal, Connemara and Kerry have much more to offer in term of rock quality and variety of landscape!
Two new problems were added at the Arch: I personally finally sent an old project linking Girls on film / Planet Earth to the Ear via the Arch. (See previous post) Although none of the moves is harder than 6c, it constitutes a long sustained traverse which I named the French Connection. This will have hopefully got me fitter and my traverse project in Clare should soon enough become the French Connection II. (For those who have never seen these films, go and rent the DVDs, they are much more entertaining than any climbing video). Michael Duffy added a new problem to the left of Planet Earth / Girls on Film: Sit-start under the roof using a small side pull left hand and the stone ledge for your feet (sometimes buried in the sand). Slap over the lip of the roof to an edge and go up left to a catchy in-cut.
Michael also succeeded where many others had previously failed: he managed to flash X-men, the tricky roof problem that was once described by the Portrane bouldering guru Kevin Cooper as the un-flashable problem. However it was not clearly established if Michael's foot freded* the ground or not. Moreover Michael seems to have climbed X-men using his knee, a method that, although that is perfectly acceptable, can be considered as terribly ugly among proper climbers. Kevin advised Michael to shape up a bit and climbed the line the properly. I managed to take a little video on my phone:
It should however be mentioned that Michael was probably tired from the hard work he has put on the Arch: As I mentioned in a previous post Michael has cleaned the upper part of the Arch and has worked out most of the moves to the top brown jug. So if Mr Weather finally decides to settle down a bit, it should not be long before that stunning line gets linked. By the way Michael has also climbed a new 8a in the Scalp called Switch. He said that the first move is the hardest, (a tough far slap) but the rest gets easier... I cannot but agree with him!
In the Alley, I added a sit-start just left of Andy's Problem: from a low undercut , deadpoint to the top end of the ramp and top out to the left as per the ramp. For the bolder finish, go straight up through the high overhang (spotter highly recommended).
There was also a good few sessions in the Pit to try the sit-start to Mr Topsy Turvy. This is the low roof indicated has a project in the guide. That problem has actually been done by both Michael Duffy and Rob Hunter and is clearly harder than 7a when you start with both hands on the roof undercut. And for those who feel really strong, there is an even harder project to the right: starting under the roof as well, use two wrongly oriented sharp hold and slap really far out to the right to link onto the big ledge of Mr Silly.
Finally I spent an evening Clogerhead back in June: I found a nice traverse not far from Alice in Crimperland. The Spine follows a long spiky break line from the left to the right. I also found a nice vertical wall with a few crystal crimps. I climbed a couple of problems on it but they do not top out as the wall is fairly high. They would definitely be better climbed as some little routes or alternatively deep water solos (although I have not checked the waterline at high tide.)*to fred: this term intends to refer to Swiss climber Fred Nicole who claimed a first ascent although this FA climb got clearly affected by the fact that he had been involuntary "pushed" by one of his spotters. Anyone who knows the exact story, please do not hesitate to stick it in the comments.
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
Bloque Andaluz - Nerja Bouldering
Si hay escaladores españoles que leen este blog, pues tengo una
--> cuestion: donde se puede encontrar informacion sobre el bloque andaluz? 
Esta es la primera vez que pongo un poco de castellano aquí así que me perdonan los errores. Ya tengo unos artículos que tratan de España, pero siempre fueron destinados a unos amigos de Irlanda. Aunque en realidad el artículo en cual trataba de Pena Corneira tuviera que haber sido en castellano, porque hay mucho más probabilidades que interese a un ibérico que un británico. Ya visite unos sitios en España y me parece que los españoles, lo tenéis bastante bueno para el bloque: la verdad es que cada vez que estoy en algún sitio en España me encuentro con unas rocas muy atractivas. Sea donde sea. Claro que hay de todo, pero hay mucho y por todas partes. Hace unos días estuve en Nerja por segunda vez. La primera vez fue un par de años en invierno: mi mujer y yo estábamos harto de la lluvia irlandesa de Noviembre y decidimos de pasar unos días al sol.
Para los aficionados de las series de tele, este lugar es sinónimo de
"Verano Azul", una serie culta de los 80s. Pero para los británicos es un sitio desconocido donde se puede pasar unas vacaciones tranquilas sin escuchar a ingles en cada sitio. ( La verdad es que en Nerja hay mogollón de irlandeses y británicos pero comparado con Torremolinos, es un mogollón muy pequeñito). Estuve allí sin tener mucho tiempo para escalar y tubo suerte que había bastante roca en las plazas para practicar media hora al día. Lo que me extraña es que no se encuentra nada de info en el Internet. Es cierto que el Chorro queda muy cerca y que siendo una destilación muy importante hace sombra al resto. Pero eche un vistazo al google map y me parece que hay bastante por allí para blocar.
En fin me quede con las rocas de la playas que non son malas. Estoy seguro que no soy el primero porque hay muchas presas que están marcadas con magnesio y por eso me gustaría saber cuantos pasos hay por allí y si hay mas sitios cerca / alrededor.
Hize un par de videos:
For those who wonder what the heck, I was in Spain last week, enjoying the good sun (that yellow thing that appears from time to time in this rather gloomy irish sky) and I found some nice bouldering on the beach, but I could not find any info about it. The place is called Nerja. It's on the coast, close enough to El Chorro. The rock is a sort of conglomerate pudding: although it looks loose, it is actually very solid with a lot of overhangs and roofs. Very enjoyable but not documented as far as I know. So anyone who happens to know something about it, I would be interested to hear your comments.
Thursday, 1 May 2008
Mall Hill Video
The Wicklow cranking season is nearly over and with the longer and warmer days, boulderers will be back to good old Portrane. So as a conclusion of this winter’s posts, here is a video of Mall Hill. Yes I finally took the time to put these little videos together.
They are not as great as I hoped they would be, but I think they are good enough to show the quality of the bouldering in there. It only features the Dublin-Beauvais boulder on the left side of the hill and a couple of boulders in the forest: I have not recorded anything on the right side of the hill but maybe this is an opportunity for next year as there are some awesome lines there too.
I should also mention the climbers names: Michael “the Dude” Nicholson on the slab and “The small Matter of Up” (No Mikey, this was not a first ascent…) , Michael Duffy on “Piece de Resistance” (Michael, this is the only French name I could think of, so feel free to rename it) and Myself on “Living the dream” and “Coup d’Etat”.
They are not as great as I hoped they would be, but I think they are good enough to show the quality of the bouldering in there. It only features the Dublin-Beauvais boulder on the left side of the hill and a couple of boulders in the forest: I have not recorded anything on the right side of the hill but maybe this is an opportunity for next year as there are some awesome lines there too.
I should also mention the climbers names: Michael “the Dude” Nicholson on the slab and “The small Matter of Up” (No Mikey, this was not a first ascent…) , Michael Duffy on “Piece de Resistance” (Michael, this is the only French name I could think of, so feel free to rename it) and Myself on “Living the dream” and “Coup d’Etat”.
Sunday, 9 March 2008
There's been blood.
Last summer having been what it has been, some of that free time has been used to clean new lines in various areas. In the not so secret " area 52 ", some of the boulders are now starting to receive ascents and I am currently trying to put some info together. Here’s a video of my favourite line so far, a nice overhanging arete with a finger jamming sit-start:
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Glendo off-track
Bouldering in Gendalough, Co. Wicklow
So freshly squeezed before the bouldering meet, here is a PDF including the location of some cool lines like the excellent Roadhouse and Mindgeback nicely executed by Rob Hunter in the Pieces of Glendo video.
To get you motivated before the meet and for those who have not seen it yet, here is the video:
They are a few other ones on Trial World.
Tuesday, 22 January 2008
NEW YEAR IN CLARE (part 2)
Bouldering in Le toit du cul de Clare, Co. Clare
A small PDF bouldering guide to Le Toit du cul de Clare is available.
The rule no.1 for enjoying a peaceful married life is to make sure you please both mothers-in-law
(unless you have successfully managed to disguise a murder into an accident). Mine being from County Clare, I usually spend Christmas in France and the New Year in Clare and the opposite the following year. This is a good way of enjoying all the good stuff from Christmas time, from Christmas pudding to foie gras. And this way I also get a chance to send my problems at the Toit du Cul de Claire (although that trickle cake can have a terrible effect on my belly weight). The place is only 15 minutes away, so I usually manage 2 or 3 sessions at Christmas. This time I did not do any gardening, although there is probably another 3 or 4 lines that could be developed. I would also like to get rid of some of the small bushes covering the top edge: some of the lines could definitely do with a nice top out. But one has to get some climbing done sometimes to keep some motivation.
This time I decided that I would focus on the full traverse loop around the roof, linking Cold Turkey and the Grand Slam traverse. After a few tries it definitely came clear that the easiest way was to start on Cold Turkey because the deadpoint is easier going up than going down. After that there are a few jugs to campus along the roof lip. These lead you to the corner around which stands Munster rules (Grand Slam left). Campusing back down should bring me back on the long mantel traverse below the roof. I say "should" because the entire line is approximately 40 moves and I will need a little bit more stamina. But I am back there next weekend and hopefully I will have that line called the "French connection" by Monday. Video here:
I also did a bit of exploration in the Arra Mountains between Lough Derg and Nenagh. This time I had pre-checked on the aerial views from both google Earth and the OSI, and although some very interesting spots looked particularly similar to those of Glenmacnass, the place proved to be as beautiful and as boulder-free as the Slieve Bearnagh in East Clare. Next stop is the Silvermines Mountains in Co. Tipperary. If anyone has already checked the place, please do not tell me. I love a thrill of long boggy walks in the misty fog. It is the best way to enjoy a nice hot whisky by the range...
Monday, 14 January 2008
CHRISTMAS IN NORTHERN FRANCE (Part 1)
Most people drive home for Christmas. Being foreigner in Ireland usually means you will have to fly. Being French means you will usually fly not too far from a good bouldering spot. Unfortunatly I was born in the only county in France that does not have a single crag. Here's an example of what the highest crags look like round my parents place:
Yes. The French love their spuds too.
Anyway, this means that I usually have to do a bit of driving to the closest climbable crag: St-Vaast-les-Mello.
Being originally a chalk quarry, this place is not exactly the top of the range. To open a few routes, the locals started by chipping some holds (a french traditional climbing technique) into the blank faces of the quarry. But they soon discovered that chalk was actually softer that limestone, and that without superglue their new mono finger holds were transforming very fast into pockets and even jugs. Using that same superglue they decided that maybe they should stick some real solid holds to the chalky faces. I have a couple of these foot holds at home. I keep them as a souvenir of the fun we had in the place. Later they developed yet another technique involving glue, which I cannot describe here given the age of some of my readers.
So here is an old video of me and my bro bouldering in that awesome place one of the last Christmas holidays:
If I have a little bit more time I can push further to a much more beautiful place called La Hottée du Diable. The place is located between Chateau-Thierry and Reims, nord-East of Paris. It is extremelly similar to Font: beautiful sandstone boulders on sandy clearings in the middle of the forest. The place is obviously far less known than Font, the major reason being the size of it.
La Hottée is only a small outcrop of sandstone
lost in the middle of huge Champagne vineyards. Neverless the place has a good collection of problems including some really serious ones and it will probably take me a few more Christmas holiday before to get wired on some of these lines... There is a good slideshow of the stones here.
So if you ever happen to be stuck in the Champagne region and that you are not too keen on visiting their cellars (after a few glasses, claustrophobia usually disapears), you can boulder off.
Yes. The French love their spuds too.
Bouldering at St-Vaast-les-Mello, Oise (60)
Anyway, this means that I usually have to do a bit of driving to the closest climbable crag: St-Vaast-les-Mello.
Being originally a chalk quarry, this place is not exactly the top of the range. To open a few routes, the locals started by chipping some holds (a french traditional climbing technique) into the blank faces of the quarry. But they soon discovered that chalk was actually softer that limestone, and that without superglue their new mono finger holds were transforming very fast into pockets and even jugs. Using that same superglue they decided that maybe they should stick some real solid holds to the chalky faces. I have a couple of these foot holds at home. I keep them as a souvenir of the fun we had in the place. Later they developed yet another technique involving glue, which I cannot describe here given the age of some of my readers.
So here is an old video of me and my bro bouldering in that awesome place one of the last Christmas holidays:
Bouldering at La Hottée du Diable, Aisne (02)
If I have a little bit more time I can push further to a much more beautiful place called La Hottée du Diable. The place is located between Chateau-Thierry and Reims, nord-East of Paris. It is extremelly similar to Font: beautiful sandstone boulders on sandy clearings in the middle of the forest. The place is obviously far less known than Font, the major reason being the size of it.
La Hottée is only a small outcrop of sandstone
lost in the middle of huge Champagne vineyards. Neverless the place has a good collection of problems including some really serious ones and it will probably take me a few more Christmas holiday before to get wired on some of these lines... There is a good slideshow of the stones here.So if you ever happen to be stuck in the Champagne region and that you are not too keen on visiting their cellars (after a few glasses, claustrophobia usually disapears), you can boulder off.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
"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 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:
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
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.
Monday, 16 April 2007
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!
Sunday, 15 April 2007
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:
Video of the (possibly) first ascent back in 2004:
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