Great scrapheap in the sky

Returning from the Ardeche my trusty Punto was groaning a bit, we put it down to the excellent Italian build quality and drove on. Halfway home it finally died, gear box pouring out oil all over the road. Luckily we had a few days AA Europe membership left and they sorted us out. We were towed to a local garage within the hour, a pizza van was on hand outside (fantastic as we were starving and dreaming of pizza that evening), and a taxi was called to drive us over 100kms home. Definitely team lucky but not the Punto though. It will soon be relegated to the great scrapheap in the sky!

The perfect place

We thought we’d found the perfect place for our first yoga and climbing retreat in the Ardeche but after a strange phone call we discovered it was only for rent at weekends. A few weeks earlier we found this amazing gritstone crag in the woods looking over a fantastic old chateau and after an internet search for new venues… it came up!! It is absolutely amazing inside, truly the perfect place for our clients to practice yoga, chill out and experience climbing in the garden crag. Full steam ahead with the new business…

Cragging at home in Briancon

Sailing in the sunshine

The UK isn't all bad!

Gracias a mis amigos de Madrid

Lo he pasado muy, muy bien!

15 pitches of Caliza Clasica

For our final day together we chose to connect two classic lines, a route on Le Socle followed by a route on La Grand Candelle.

Over 300 meters of limestone next to the sea.

Highlights were...trying to climbing the first three pitches in one rope length, it worked but it was tough going on the arms and I was definitely fading when I reached the belay. Getting lost on my other pitch and having to do some random, unprotected traverse back to the line of bolts.
As well as, the first two pitches of the Grand Candelle with a very exposed and windy step across the void from the summit of the pillar to the main rock buttress.

And of course, my Spanish pals who sang, danced, chatted, shouted and kept me very happy and entertained throughout.

Beers, beaches, picnics and a little climbing

Butterflies should wear helmets

Unless of course they want to spend the night in Marseille A&E waiting to see whether they need stitches for a nasty head wound.
It was one of those heart stopping moments, the moment I have been dreading throughout my climbing career...when something goes wrong. I stood motionless as my friend above pulled up over a massive chunk of rock and it fell away from the wall, taking him with it. A terrace below, I thought he was going to be crushed as the block was so huge. Luckily it fell to one side and him the other but the said block then shattered into slightly smaller rock missiles and rained down on us below (perfect day to leave your helmet behind).

As the dust settled we realised we were all ok, apart from the profuse amounts of blood pouring out my head. Thanks to Moni I cleaned up ok but we did get to spend a fantastic evening following the yellow line in hospital waiting for the verdict.

And the moral if this story is...we’re all bloody lucky and NEVER NEVER climb without your lid!!!

Climbing the Calanques

This is the story of Los Piratas de Madrid, La Mariposa Inglesa y El Pony...