Ricky Bell - The other half of Half Dome

I said good bye to the East Face of Lower Cove........ A few weeks ago I climbed my last project on the wall. Sleezy Lover E8 6c is the obvious slightly more direct finish to Easy Lover. It’s one of the best routes I’ve climbed in the Mournes. Hard but really safe. Basically Easy Lover to the juggy rest, then a boulder problem on undercuts and slopes and a safe run out to another rest, then good gear and massive slap for a big fat granite crimp...I cleaned it ages ago and had climbed on it on and off but I hadn’t got it dialed in the slightest. Because it’s so safe. So was happy to just have fun climbing on it. I tried it with Danny and got to the rest with the good gear. Completely blocked..haha properly flash pumped! I recovered a wee bit but knew in the back of my head that I was wasn’t going to get to the top. I fell off the very last move..but I got further than I thought I was going too which was fun. I belayed Danny on a route round the corner and reflect that, that was cool to climb on another amazing route on that wall. It has to be one of my favorite bits of rock in Ireland. I’ve spent quite a lot of time there in the last few years. But now I’m moving on..I went back the next day with Molsey before another weeks stint doing access work in Athlone (the flattest place in Ireland...) I got up it..It was a perfect day in the Mournes.

Since I got back from Flathone I’ve bouldered a bit at the Head. Climbed a problem that I’d had a bit of a mental block on, which was nice because it actually felt pretty easy and reminded me of how easy it is to get yourself into one of those wee mind sets were you think you cant do it for some reason, but in actual fact all you need to do is apply yourself/focus for a wee minute.

I’m back here in Belfast now. Doing access and pottering about on my board at my folks house in the afternoons. I’m on a power endurance mission. The last few days I’ve had out have been to Eagle Mtn. I cleaned this amazing arete there. The best looking arete in the world...(I spent a lot of time cleaning new routes last year when i was injured, and now i’m getting to climb on them..very psyched.) Craigy shot a wee bit of footage of it last weekend

http://vimeo.com/11507852

On a serious note - I found the other half of half dome.. It’s in some farmers field in a wee town called Attical in the Mournes..






Ricky