Eagle canyon makes for a great adventure day – all I thought I had signed up for was a spot of climbing, but we really needed our explorer hats on to get even remotely close to some rocks (and a good supply of water for the 90+ temps).  Thanks to Tom’s pickup we had little trouble making the 4 miles along a rediculously bumpy track, but finding our selected routes required much determination! Shiney bolts marked the rockface towering above us, making it to the beginning of the official climbs involved scrambling that would really have been better with a rope! Oh yeah, not forgetting the killer lizards that guarded the forests who were carefully left undisturbed

The rock has awesome holds, lots of pockets that at least a couple of fingers get in! Although bolted, the routes aren’t exactly used much (no chalk marking the way for that invisible piece!)

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Accessibility an optional upgrade

lizard of the land

Rob stretches

Rob crack climbing

Sonja ascends rock

new mexico landscape

climbers aren’t the only users of the rock

Tom lead climbing

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New Mexican vistas on the journey home

Sheffield Planning Thread

Ok then guys, the train tickets are booked and I’ve worked out how to use the sofa bed. So nows the time to sort out what you want to do while you’re up here. I’m definitely going to have a bouldering mat so that’s an option, we can either MTB out to Rivelin/Bell Hagg or drive out to Burbage South. It all depends if you guys are going to be able to get your bikes up here. We should have enough kit for some sport climbing but I’m unlikely to have a large enough trad rack by August. I’ll let you know if that changes.

It’s not quite as extreme but we could just go for a walk round the peaks or stretch out the bike rides into a decent bit of MTBing.

Anyway, answers and comments in the thread please!

Cheeky Bouldering, New Mexican Style

New Mexico is moving rapidly up my favourite states rankings, with its seemingly endless outdoor sporting opportunities! My first bouldering here was out near apache canyon, a serene valley with chunky rocks to play on.  Feint signs of chalk indicated the previous existence of fellow climbers, although solving problems with those holds would require surgery of some body-enhancing nature I feel.

being horizontal isn’t usually this much effort

bouldering, as convention would have it

but defying customary climbing is also entertaining

Ambling around Hathersage

Having decided to save the Rivelin Valley trip for a day when I’d be “working from home.” The missus and I decided to go for a walk in the peaks (I even persuaded her to buy some decent shoes!). It was a glorious weekend and it just goes to show that the peaks are fairly spectacular even when you’re not hanging off a piece of grit.

(and yes I realise that I’m going to have to buy a camera and stop using my crappy mobile phone)

The beauty of the South

Just to balance out any perceived Northern bias, here are a couple of reasons why returning to Portland ought also be on the cards (from Oanh and my trip back there last Saturday)

 

The lazy belayer

 

View of Blacknor Cliffs from the top of Fallen Slab

 

Dinner

 

Sunset on Chesil Beach

 

Mint Sauce

Some are wondering where I got the blog header from. It’s been borrowed from Mint Sauce, a comic put together by Jo Burt, and it had a completely disproportionate effect on my teenage life. For those that are interested a nice archive can be found at ‘This is why‘.

Reasons to come to Sheffield

With my house 5mins away from here I decided to set out and find the Bell Hagg boulders. A little further down the Rivelin valley and things are going well.

Across the stepping stones and I start getting very lost.  Soon I’m slogging up the side of the valley with my bike on my back. It turns out in Sheffield that just because it looks like a bridleway on the map it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s ridable. Still, a few wrong turns later and I finally found the area. Next week it’s on to the Rivelin Bouldering area.

Portland Rock

So judging by that funny looking rock we’re currently in … France

The sun was the killer on this climb

Ah the fun we had setting the anchor at the top!

It’s typical, I spend 2.5 yrs in Southampton only a couple of hours away from Portland and I never go climbing there. Then, mere weeks after moving to Sheffield, a trip down to the sports climbing mecca is announced! Still 6hrs driving later and we made the most of a cracking weekend. The heat was intense and climbing up a nice crack in full view of the morning sun left me feeling like a bug, on a rock, in the desert.

Goals for the Summer

In an attempt to stay honest and focused I’m going to post up my goals for this summer:

Bouldering @ Font grade 6c+

Complete an adventure race

Get down to the Beast of Brenin @ Coed Y Brenin

At the end of the year if I make the most of my recent move to Sheffield I’ll be fairly pleased. Feel free to ask me how things went at the end of the summer.