Steve McClure - Here comes summer

About time too! The winter was a long one, cold, possibly good for friction, but not when covered with snow or for the unmotivated who has been there too many times before. Occasional trips to the Plantation weren’t doing it for me and I pressed on and booked in work with hopes for the spring. And here it is, all in a bit of a rush in the end. What seems like yesterday I was away in Scotland over Easter, it was constantly raining and cold and dark and windy, then two days later I was in Wales in the middle of summer!

Holyhead Mountain, hardly the most inspiring venue in Wales, but a compromise for all team members guaranteeing good trad and good sun. Out of the wind, belaying at the top of the cliff in just T shirt with shoes cast aside was a joy, soaking up the rays like memories from a past life. Taking in the rope then watching as Rab popped over the edge below me rattling with doubtfully placed equipment, my skills rusty with under use. E3’s and E4’s were fine for now, and just right for the sun and the scene.

And it gave time to hit the Cave on the way home. After yesterday I was sore, a few hours on a long link in here is like a complete session, then it was downstairs for routes and Melancholy for a quick tick. Today was the only time in history where the weather was worse at Llandudno than in Llanberis! We watched as the thermometer dropped from 17 to 11, and as the sun rounded the corner and the wind howled in. Huddling in the back of the cave, duvet jackets essential, winter was back! Horary, conditions were awesome, pity my condition was not!

Lucy Creamer- sunny birthday.

This time 17 years ago and 2 days, I onsighted my first E3. It was my 21st birthday and a very momentous occasion for me. At the start of the year I was leading HVS, then a month or so before onsighted my first E1 (which as it turned out was E2!) and then some E2s. But E3 was the big one for me and the fact that it was ‘Sunlover direct’ at Trevallen, Pembrokeshire was significant. Not least because of it’s name! I am the ultimate sunlover, so it had to be that route, even though as it turned out it’s not completely straightforward. But I will never forget that climb, it was the start of an amazing period and within the year I was onsighting E5s.

My 39th (ah, can that be true?) birthday came and went on Monday- with no earth-shattering climbing news. In fact I didn’t climb at all, which was ok, Tim and I spent a nice day doing ‘stuff’. Which is necessary and enjoyable, especially because at the moment I have been getting out quite a lot.
News on my shoulder injury is that it seems to be slowly improving. I had physio this morning (with the gifted Alison Macfarlane) and now have a new set of exercises to work away on. The pain is subsiding and the mobility is improving, so I can’t complain really. I just wish it wasn’t taking sooo long. I first noticed this problem in Spain (prob March ’09) last year, so it’s taking it’s time but hey there is light at the end of the tunnel.

With the injury, trad seems to be the best course of action. So I have been getting out quite a lot on the grit and slightly further a field. Some of the places I’ve been are Ilkley, Eastby, Almscliff, Tremadog, Stanage, The Roaches, Millstone and so on. Part of the reason I was thinking of Sunlover (apart from my birthday memory) was because of the fantastic weather we’ve been having. I am in heaven, my body seems to come alive when the sun is out and the temperature goes up a few degrees. Although saying that I was out at Millstone yesterday with Sari and it was absolutely baltic- what is going on?!

We wanted to go to Stanage but it was so windy that we didn’t even get out of the van and turned tail to Millstone. It was bloomin cold there too but just bearable, although I nearly got frostbite in my fingers.
I’ve mainly been doing nice easier routes and just enjoying the feeling of moving on rock and remembering how to place gear. I did do an E4 at The Roaches and it was good to get on something harder. It was a roof flake, a little friable but not too bad. I do enjoy being in the horizontal especially when there’s gear. I’ve come to the conclusion that slabs are not my medium and I don’t enjoy the feeling of teetering about with no gear. I enjoyed it in my youth but not any more.
I love going to new venues, so it’s been really nice getting out and about seeing different places. Tim has been along quite a bit too which has been great, so we’ve been collating images for future articles etc. It’s nice to get a lot of climbing under my belt, even though it’s quite easy stuff. I am still going to the Foundry 1-2 times a week, just to keep the fitness levels up, so that’s working well.





The van has had a surge too. The good weather has inspired us to put some work in on it. A cupboard is taking shape, it will be the longest ever build for a cupboard; one shelf seems to take a few hours to put in. But no matter, it WILL get there. The problem is there are no straight edges in the van, just lots of modern curves and swoops, so measuring is a headache. But we’ve chosen paint for the wood and it looks very nice. We just can’t wait to get it finished, it will be amazing to go away in it. Alex and I stayed in it at Tremadog and it was great. Ok there was nothing in it but the spotlights worked!! It was warm and vaguely comfy, so bring it on is what I say.

In fact we are back off to Tremadog tonight, looks like it should be lovely again. Although maybe a few degrees colder, which is just not fair in my book. Last week I was like a lizard on the belays basking in the sun, it was fab but I think it may be layers on this time around. Anyway, it’ll be great to do some more nice routes. I have done a lot at Tremadog, so most stuff will be repeats but it’s been a long time since I did them, so they shouldn’t feel too familiar. Also, Alex had a nasty accident last year and broke her back, so she is regaining confidence again and getting back into it and Tremadog is a good place for that.

I’ve got a very busy time coming up. I’m not sure how much climbing I’m going to be able to fit in the next few weeks. I’m travelling round the UK on the BMC rock climbing essentials masterclass tour with Katherine Schirrmacher. It should be fun but lots of driving. Then I’m going to France with Tim to help him on a big photo shoot that he’s doing, then straight back and off to Pembroke with Alex, then straight back and up to Pabbay with a different gang- phew!! Busy times but enjoyable…

I will try to keep you posted with all the fun and games.

Ricky Bell - The Dark Crystal

Sunshine... Happy days. ..The last month was a bit of a weird one. I didn’t have much work and the weather was too bad to get out on the things I wanted to climb on...normally when there’s not much work on I’m secretly completely psyched.. .. but this was just frustrating. ... So I’ve trained a lot recently (power endurance—projects in mind) and bouldered a bit at the head..but mostly sat around the house looking out at rain..there was one night were all the lights down donnybrook street flickered on and off in this mental hail storm... .But now all that is gone... right now I can’t imagine it will ever rain again in Ireland... I’m sitting in a hotel in Athlone (the middle of Ireland) with sunburnt arms. We're doing some access workn high up on a massive posh hotel...and there’s plenty of work in the pipeline..sometimes life gets in the way of climbing...but that’s fine... climbing never seems to get in the way of life..I’m psyched because I got out climbing on Saturday. And it was brilliant...I went to the east face of lower cove with Craigy, Andy, Michelle and Molsey.



It was roastin but the wall goes into the shade pretty early.. prime conditions for climbing and prime for sitting watchin in the sun.. I climbed a new E7... I love climbing new routes. They always mean something a wee bit more to me than repeating routes.i'm lucky i get to open new routes....For example this route, I looked at it from the ground about a year ago with Craigy. We both thought it looked like an amazing E3 and I suggested he should satch it up there and then. Craig abbed it and floated immediately into space then laughed at me...E3.. The line is this big wet streak on the crag. It was covered in overhanging grass before I cleaned it.. Sounds terrible but if you get it dry it’s friggen wild looking...slightly overhanging the whole way but not sustained in the slightest...a tricky bold section then massive jugs..then a hands off rest on this pedestal near the top of the crag then a slopey boulder problem crux to top it out... the route climbs really well but the thing that appealled to me about it is the granite is completely multicoloured!!..., it’s surreal...black, purple, yellow and green granite. ..It’s mad looking...like nothing i’ve seen anywhere else...I called it The Dark Crystal because I found this (see pic) big black crystal in a ceuse like pocket about half way up the wall. I pulled a big lump of grass out of the pocket and there it was..The Dark Crystal—like the film. If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do.. the skeksis, were serious bad ass’s. The route climbed well..I enjoyed it simply for what it was...it was fun and natural and completey the opposite of sitting about stressing about work like before...Andy repeated it straight after in typical Marshall style not without a minor moment near the top...before we left , I climbed on another project on the wall... It had one wet hold..I made good progress since the last time I climbed on it. I’m keen to get back on it when I get back from the gloriousness of the creggan hotel athlone. Saturday was class. I think everybody had that wee feeling like it was the start of another wonderful trad season.

enjoy the sunshine

Ricky