Louise's colourful adventures climbing

The start of summertime

2010-03-15T11:14:00.001Z

Rock climbing in the sunshine at the start of the week. It was so warm, we were climbing in t-shirts and I even managed to get a little sun burnt, incredible!! It feels like summer is here and now it’s time to get back into training hard. After most of the winter off rock climbing, everything feels new and unnatural again. Definitely lacking the confidence and desired mental state to get into a proper flow whilst climbing. Much more mileage required.

More fun bouldering in the sun

2010-03-12T11:12:00.001Z

Bouldering in Ardeche

2010-03-11T11:10:00.001Z

After our freezing modelling stint, we headed south to Ardeche for a couple of days climbing in warmer conditions. We found an amazing enchanted forest, bouldering spot with huge trees, incredible rock formations, a flowing river and mysterious caves. We spent 2 days bouldering here and still have so much left to do, we will return in the summer to camp and explore more.

New modelling career?

2010-03-05T11:09:00.000Z

The following day we headed to Vallouise to be models for the day in a shoot for an outdoor catalogue for a UK company. Typical, after all those warm days, it was bloody freezing, perfect conditions for hanging around outside!! I lost count of the amount of jackets we modelled, everywhere from frozen lakes and ski pistes to little alpine villages. It was much harder work than expected so don’t think I’ll be making a career out of it.

Last of the ice

2010-03-01T11:07:00.001Z

The exceptionally warm weather and some new snow has accelerated the end of the ice this season. My last day out was with Lucy Creamer, one of Britain’s most accomplished female climbers, to try a long route in Fressineres. The valley is beautiful and the ice routes, well what was left of them looked fantastic. It was just a shame that everything, literally everything was falling down. So we headed to another venue for some roadside ice cragging. It was great to get out and climb with Lucy, who led a route with a sustained ice pillar. The placements felt good but the quality of the ice was like sugar and we were dubious about the security of our ice screw placements.

Holiday on ice

2010-02-21T11:06:00.001Z

February was a great month for getting out climbing with pals on ice. Judi was over from Ireland and our friend Richard from Reading. Richard led his first ice route in great style and really took to ice climbing. To start we went to the cascade artificielle in Aiguilles, a perfect location to practice on steep ice in a lovely location, just one minute from the car! We then went to try Canyon de Prareboul but the ice routes we’re in great condition so we did the first pitch of a 4+ route and lowered off a huge pillar. The lead felt scary as the ice formations made placing ice screws difficult but it was good to get on something, as the day was fast becoming a washout. Thanks to Richard & Judi for a great climbing holiday out here.

Sunny rock

2010-02-14T11:04:00.001Z

Only in the French Alps could you be skiing one day and rock climbing in glorious sunshine the next. We visited our local crag with pals to enjoy the winter sun and escape the crowds of French and English tourists on half term break.

Bailey goes ski touring

2010-02-07T11:03:00.001Z

It was all worthwhile for the dog when we took him out on his first ski tour. He loved charging through the snow, trying to keep up with us as he literally swam through deep powder. I think the dog faired better than me, trying to get to grips with off-piste skiing after just 6 days skiing ever!! It was super hard work and the day ended with one very tired girl and an even more tired dog.

The incredible journey

2010-02-01T11:01:00.000Z

So after a quick visit to London for work it was off to Sheffield to collect the dog and take him back to France. Bailey isn’t into car journeys and spent 14 hours panting and shaking his way down to the Ecrins.

New toys...

2010-01-08T09:37:00.004Z

Many of the best ice climbing areas now require access on ski. Robin tried it this week and loved it, so we've gone all out to get super fit and get into the mountains on skis.
A huge amount of cash later, I'm now the proud owner of touring skis, boots, skins, touring bindings and ski crampons. Shame I've only done 6 ski days so far!!
How hard can it be really?

Thanks to Christoph at Latitude Rando in Chantmerle for his patience with a) my poor french b) a customer who doesn't even know how to get in and out of ski boots properly and c) a girl who knows which boots she should have as they fit best but doesn't like the colour and makes a protest about it in the shop.

I was sensible in the end despite the fact that the really uncomfortable pair for hard core skiers matched my skis much better!!

Check out http://www.latitude-rando.com

More ice adventures

2010-01-06T09:32:00.004Z

Resting is so boring, I hate being injured. So we headed off into the mountains for some intense ice climbing physio.

Ice Climbing Ecrins

2010-01-02T09:08:00.001Z

A visit from a pal in the UK was a great excuse to get out ice climbing. Well it's not skiing, so am sure the knee will be fine, much less likely to fall over and hurt myself. I didn't realise that skiing would be more hazardous to my well being than the climbing. Natalie and I had a fantastic few days out on the ice, her first time. I've got the bug now, couldn't stop smiling all the way up each route. I LOVE IT!

Ski update

2009-12-24T09:06:00.002Z

It was all going so well, getting more confident, loving the slopes. Then I fell over and twisted my knee in some nasty position and after a short visit to a dishy doctor at the local hospital it turns out I have hurt a ligament!! Three weeks rest with no harsh activity... i wonder if ice climbing counts? Perhaps it's just skiing!

My first winter

2009-12-20T09:02:00.003Z

The snow has arrived and it now appears that I live in a ski resort. So I thought I had better learn to ski. I had an excellent lesson from a local friend and ski guide who helped point me in the right direction. Check out www.eurekaski.com I couldn't recommend a better instructor than Gavin. So armed with some basic technique I hit the slopes hard - quite literally!!

Binge blogging

2009-12-01T09:01:00.000Z

So I'm guilty, I haven't updated the blog for ages...here it all comes at once.

Dry tooling in our backyard

2009-11-04T19:06:00.000Z

Another stroke of luck on a rare bad weather day, out walking, we saw a couple of people dry tooling just below our house! So we headed down there to check it out, awesome but too hard for our cumulative experience of 2 days dry tooling at M7. Luckily we made some pals with two local French climbers who kindly put a rope up for us to play. We love it! Visiting La Grave soon to tick some of the easier M4-6 routes.

Italian footballers and handling strikes

2009-11-02T19:05:00.000Z

It is starting to get super cold and snowy here so I was very much looking forward to a few days cragging with my pal Adam in sunny Spain. Got to airport and checked in at 10am, super excited.
At the boarding gate café I was suddenly inundated with male attention from the Juventus football team, flying out for their champions league efforts. Apparently the best goalkeeper in the world (Gianluigi Buffon) offered to buy me coffee. I kindly declined and got stuck into my book ready to board.
Then it all went pear shaped…no sigbn of my flight and I was told to go back out through security. Well after 8 hours in the airport, quite a few glasses of vino with some new friends from the UK and Madrid all flights were cancelled due to handling strikes so no climbing by the beach for me. I would be gutted if I didn’t love my new home so much.

Great scrapheap in the sky

2009-10-22T19:04:00.000+01:00

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

2009-10-20T19:03:00.000+01:00

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

2009-10-18T16:49:00.001+01:00

Sailing in the sunshine

2009-10-14T16:29:00.000+01:00

The UK isn't all bad!

Gracias a mis amigos de Madrid

2009-10-08T20:30:00.000+01:00

Lo he pasado muy, muy bien!

15 pitches of Caliza Clasica

2009-10-07T20:19:00.001+01:00

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

2009-10-06T20:16:00.004+01:00

Butterflies should wear helmets

2009-10-04T20:10:00.003+01:00

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

2009-10-03T20:08:00.000+01:00

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

Wild about Verdon

2009-09-30T20:05:00.001+01:00

Third time this year and still can’t get enough of it....in spite of polished rock, some widely spaced bolts and not being able to locate either the bottom or the top of some of the routes on our tick list.
All part of the amazing adventure that is Verdon; wild camping near Couloir Samson – the best bedroom in the world!!

Topping out...

2009-09-14T12:19:00.004+01:00

Rainbow Dash took well to climbing

2009-09-14T12:19:00.002+01:00

What else would you do on a monday morning?

2009-09-14T12:11:00.003+01:00

Shit I dropped the camera!

2009-08-24T22:30:00.000+01:00

After our lightweight brekkie of ginger cake we set off at 6am hoping most of the climbers would be ahead of us and we could travel fast and overtake where we needed to. We were going really well until the steeper sections of rope ladders and chains that meant a build up of traffic. I had a Scottish hot aches experience waiting for pitches to come free.
We summitted at 10:30 and took tonnes of great photos before I decided to drop the camera down the face while trying to clip it back onto my harness. Nightmare!!! Up the Matterhorn with amazing scenery all around and my beloved pictures on the glacier below.
The descent of the Hornli was horrific, easier to overtake thank god but the crampon and rope skills high up were not good, many parties very unsafe. So we skirted around them as best we could to get out of there before accidents started to happen. The Hornli hutte seemed so far away and it took us a lot of hard work and rock scrambling to get down and back out to the ski lift.
After a quick beer in Zermatt we returned to find a FULL campsite but still managed to blag a space. What a day! Amazing mountain, shame everyone else thinks so too!!

Salzbretzels und ski lifts

2009-08-23T19:29:00.000+01:00

We arrived in Tasch from Chamonix ready to go into Zermatt and begin our training – nearly three bottles of wine later we felt hydrated enough to begin our ascent of the Matterhorn (il Cervino) the next day. First we had 3 hours of ski lift and piste walking action up Matterhorn Paradise and down into Italy and Plan Maison.
The salz bretzels and chilling on the ski lifts allowing us to recover ready for our 1600m ascent to the Carell Hut on the Italian side of the Matterhorn. After a sweaty nights sleep in the rafters of the hut we awoke at 5am ready for our climb.

More bouldering

2009-08-19T22:22:00.001+01:00

and yet more skin loss...

Back on a mission

2009-08-18T19:57:00.005+01:00

After a day’s rest I was ready (or so I thought) to tackle another big route on my wish list – Aiguilette Lauzet. It is an amazing buttress that stands out from the road. However, after leading the first pitch at hard 6a/b I wasn’t feeling super strong. So we opted to take an easier line to have a more relaxed experience. All was going so well until 2 pitches from the top when the bolts ran out...after some scary climbing clipping old bent pegs and chockstones in a large crack I came to a stop when I couldn’t see any more pegs. So I lowered off one of the bent rusty old pegs hoping it would hold me, knowing it had probably been around longer than me so it was probably ok.

After some debate and guidebook consultation we found another line of bolts, that again ran out!! We finally found ‘a few’ bolts up another line but again lowered off as they were run out and we didn’t know what was above. So we scooted off left to join the Via Ferrata that led to the summit. Quite an adventure in the end but still an amazing day out.

Still not feeling much like a climber...will the climbing mojo return??

Bouldering in Ailefroide

2009-08-17T09:55:00.001+01:00

It was a pleasure to chill out the following day and boulder a little bit, lost most of my finger skin early on and the thumb that I burnt lighting the oven for a pizza the week before finally cracked into a nasty open wound. Perfect excuse to laze around and enjoy the atmosphere!

The day after Big Tower is Watching You

2009-08-16T09:43:00.001+01:00

On reflection not as scarred as first believed. It was a hard day following a hard nights bivy on the glacier. We hadn’t really taken into account it was a North Face route so would inevitably have a fair share of loose rock and be in the shade most of the day. Luckily I had my down jacket on me for comfort belaying but poor Adam was climbing in shorts all day – freezing!!

The route was so long we couldn’t stop climbing even for a few minutes and turned around the belays super fast just stopping long enough to swap gear. The climbing itself was fairly unremarkable and scary with the amount of

choss rock around. Our cut off point was 3pm which we believed gave us plenty of daylight to abseil off the route so we decided that wherever we were we would start to head down at that time. We topped out at 3:09 – perfect and thought we might even make a beer at the refuge before it shut. However we still had 19 abseils and 3 traversing pitches between us and the glacier floor.

Well as expected on the way up, there was plenty of rock spikes to get the rope stuck on the way down. The tails were constantly getting jammed and stuck. We had to climb up no less than 5 times to retrieve rope tails. About 3 abseils from the ground I was losing the will to live – well not to live but certainly ever climb routes like this again with horrific abseils! When the rope got stuck this time right near the belay at the top of the pitch I quickly led up again to free the rope greatful for a chance to do anything but abseil and because I thought I was going to cry with sheer frustration. Some 6 hours later, yes 6 hours hanging in our harnesses, abseiling and pulling through ropes we reached the bottom of the route just before 9pm. Only just enough daylight to get over the worst of the galcier and back on the good path down. Finally we made it back to the van at 11pm and chilled out with some nice food and wine, mission complete.

The next day we awoke like zombies and I knew I was broken when I couldn’t even face sorting out ropes and gear, didn’t want to think about climbing!! It was a pleasure to sit in the van all day taking Adam back to the airport. Anything but climbing – truly broken.

Scarred for life!

2009-08-15T12:48:00.001+01:00

Both emotionally and physically. 1 super cold bivvy on the glacier, 22 pitches of climbing on loose chossy rock followed by 19 abseils and some extra pitches to free stuck rope tails!!! And a huge walk out in the dark. We survived, just. More about this another time...

3rd time lucky for La Demande

2009-08-11T10:04:00.003+01:00

We drove down to the canyon bottom to wild camp at the start of Sentier Martel, starting early on the wine so we would sleep early too. That plan was scuppered by Adam who wanted to walk down to the bottom after dinner for a quick look – and who should we find but our crazy Dutch friends packing all their aid gear and leopard print spandex (yes spandex) for their big route. The route was only a half day route but they were going to do it in style, hauling tonnes and tonnes of gear and starting out super late so they had to spend a night on the wall in the porta ledge. I like their style!! So we had more wine with our pals as they showed us all the gear they had begged, borrowed and stolen. The spandex was superb and we were offered some to borrow for our route the following day but declined – isn’t spandex sweaty? Perfect hydration and an early night before our big route then!! At least I fell into bed and passed out right away rather than fretting about the route all night.

So here I was gearing up at the base of La Demande again, 3rd time lucky. Well we made it although pitch 5 was a low point for me, after leading a tricky pitch and then finding the top out to the belay near impossible. My legs were shaking, arms totally pumped and felt like I was going to vomit. Had I been holding my breath? Was it exertion? Or the wine from the night before? Anyway green spell didn’t last long and two pitches later we were over half way.
The climbing felt tough and physical all the way up, definitely an old skool route. The bolting was sparse in places, bit more like a trad route really with the odd bolt in it. The last 2 6a pitches were totally amazing, proper 3D climbing. Adam back and footed his way up some huge chimney and I went for bridging like a spider. It was super cool (if a little scary on the lead) but by this time we were feeling the effects of so many physical pitches. We topped out about 5ish, so pleased to finally have completed it. Only had to hitch back down to the van some 15ks away...

Abseiling over the bat cave

2009-08-10T10:02:00.000+01:00

We rigged the van with a rope to scramble down to the start of the abseils and then started down over the huge caves. There was a 50m free hanging abseil to get to the bottom and I gulped hard as I set out over the lip of the overhang. Lovely, relatively easy, climbing on good quality rock above the lake. As we got nearer the top I could see lots of tourists peering over the side wondering what we were up to. We topped out to dozens of tourists taking our pictures and clapping... we gladly obliged and revelled in our new found fame. We followed that with a proper wash and swim in the lake and then joined the tourist path ourselves to go in search of giant mugs for the van and kitchen tiles for Adam in Moustiers. No luck with tiles but we did find some ‘life enriching’ mugs for the van.

Don’t mix beer and route choices

2009-08-09T10:00:00.000+01:00

After some lovely climbing (7 pitches of 6a type stuff at Dent D’aire) we headed down to the campsite for a stolen shower and some washing up. However, we were busted and had to pay to stay the night. So we went into town for a beer instead. There was a huge storm so we had to take refuge in the pub for quite a while. Several buckets, yes buckets of Hoeegarden later – we met some crazy Dutch climbers from Amsterdam. Well they recommended us a good route for the following day - L’Eperon Sublime. It had an aid pitch and neither of us had done that before so we thought that it would be an adventure!!
And it certainly was, we managed 2 pitches of climbing before another storm raged in, we had to take cover in a cave some 200m above the canyon floor. After 90 minutes or so in cave the rain stopped so we ventured out to find the way down. Only to miss it entirely and have to retreat back into the cave before another soaking. After a nap in the cave, we woke up cold and hungry so went for the exit again. We eventually managed to abseil to the safety of Gorge and walked to the road to hitch back up to the van. What an adventure – 12 abseils for 2 pitches of climbing on polished limestone! And the moral of that story is best adventures come after too much beer!

Driving through the night

2009-08-08T09:55:00.000+01:00

After picking Adam up at Nice airport, we drove through the night singing our way to Verdon. It was all going so well until the DJ (DJing in the van is a ‘blue job’) put on a cover George Michael’s Faith by Limp Bizkit. I did consider leaving him right there by the road side but that would be a bit harsh. We parked up at the top of the Gorge for an amazing wild camp and great breakfast.

Sweet

2009-08-08T09:00:00.001+01:00

Back in my spiritual home - Verdon!

What the papers say...

2009-08-07T15:17:00.003+01:00

Well quite a lot about us this morning. It is amazing what you'll do for free Pastis at lunchtime!!

In search of Johnny Depp

2009-08-06T15:17:00.004+01:00

I've retreated to my Mum's house in the south of France for good food, wine, puppy love, some washing and a chance to see the man himself who lives nearby (not that I'm bothered). My Mum supplied a good map of the area, she has also apparently done a recce to try and find where his house actually is! I trotted off on my run this morning hopeful of getting lost and knocking on the right door for directions...
So far nada, but I still have tomorrow and can run further if needs be!!

Return to Tour Termier

2009-08-04T19:56:00.000+01:00

Apparently my favourite French crag yet, amazing rock and location!! It didn’t disappoint third time around. In fact better! We saw 10 Chamois, usually notoriously shy creatures but they were all chilling out together and posed for photos at the Col.

Perfect Monday

2009-08-03T19:54:00.000+01:00

A lazy lie in, followed by yoga and bouldering in Ailefroide, before driving to the mountains to park up and enjoy the view for good sleeps.

Canyoning and a long recce

2009-08-01T19:52:00.000+01:00

My first canyon experience, a bit like being at a water park really but without all the man-made plastic and chaffing. Loved it, although some of the jumps were a little scary and I managed to keep opening my mouth just before hitting the water so I could have a good choke! After our morning in the canyon we went up to Glacier Noir in the mountains to recce a 22 pitch route we want to climb next week.
And what a recce – over 6 hours in total and still didn’t manage to find the base of the route!! The location feels really remote and super beautiful. Shame about the loaded snow slabs high up and the constant rock fall but it is that time of year I guess. Got a few good bivvi spots sorted, just need to locate some bolts.
After bouldering about at the base of the crag in our runners to avoid all the snow and ice (no crampons and axes) we decided to give up the search and get some advice in the valley. The line of the climb looks incredible, if we get some good advice we’ll be back for it.

Chilling in Italy

2009-07-31T19:48:00.001+01:00

After our big day out, we went to Italy for some chilled out cragging followed by pizza and ice cream. Great day!

Goats make better boulderers

2009-07-30T19:45:00.001+01:00

After meeting Adam we headed to a land of huge rock pinnacles (Tenailles) to climb a 10 pitch 6b route but immediately regretted our leisurely start as we encountered a queue at the base of the climb. To avoid waiting we decided to do the harder route next to it instead. And it was tough!! 6c crux at the start on slab with no holds, levitation required. Followed by a few more 6b and 6b+ pitches, some delicate and some more thuggy. Luckily Adam and I managed to lead our preferred styles with Adam breaking out up the steep stuff and me taking over on the more delicate stuff. We topped out amongst more pinnacles and threaded our way down between them on foot and back to the base of the climb. The highlight of the day was catching up with a HUGE flock of sheep and goats being driven down the hill at speed!

The route I came back for...

2009-07-28T19:43:00.000+01:00

Finally, La vie devant soi (6b) up the face of Palavar. 13 pitches of incredible rock, mostly on slab. Fantastic! Highlights were the harder pitches with delicate face climbing on tiny holds, crimps and tidy footwork definitely required. Absolutely shattered afterwards but well worth it. Great day out!

Heart of Briançon

2009-07-27T19:39:00.000+01:00

Great to be back in the Ecrins. Had a fabulous day climbing with Robin followed by a tour of old Briançon and an amazing lightshow bivvying outside so as not to miss anything – no less than 13 shooting stars and a weird flickering that lit up the sky sporadically. So glad I’m only climbing 13 pitches tomorrow and didn’t need much sleep at all.

Return to the sunshine

2009-07-26T19:32:00.000+01:00

The van only stopped a few times on the way to France, it has started to randomly cut out whilst driving which is quite exciting!

The first time I got out the emergency triangle thinking it was the beginning of the end but a few minutes later it started like a dream.

Had a few ducks over to dinner in my overnight stop at Reims.

Climbing Prohibited

2009-07-14T19:49:00.002+01:00

Well it might as well be at the moment, given the shite weather! When will it stop showering and give us just one completely dry day to enjoy some climbing?

I'm off to find some sort of sacrificial lamb to appease the weather gods!

Fighting the panic

2009-07-12T17:55:00.007+01:00

It's dark, there's not much air, you're squeezing your body through the smallest gaps imaginable and you're way underground. Well what else would you do on a rainy afternoon? I was beginning to regret saying yes to the caving adventure and was fantasising about sitting on the sofa and watching crap TV for the rest of the day.

However, Adam was as enthusiastic as ever as were my pals from London - so off we went.

It isn't a glamorous hobby, overalls, wellies, helmets and torches...crawling around in the mud on your hands and knees. On one occassion I do have to say I felt the onset of a little panic come over me as I started to think about the roof caving in on us or running out of air down there. Breathe and relax and try to enjoy it, I kept telling myself. However, I soon forgot about the rising fear as I was busy watching Adam contort and squeeze his way through the tiny gaps. All the time thinking if he can get through then I definitely know I can and please god don't tell me we have to come back this way - isn't there any easier way out?

A couple of hours was enough for us so Heidi, Chris and I headed back out. Adam gave us strict instructions not to get lost and off we went. Well we didn't get lost but I had an anxious few moments while we were trying to figure out where the exit was. Good skills Chris for finding it for us. Never again will I take for granted fresh air, space and being able to actually stand upright!!

Caving - a great adventure but probably a one off, as groping around in the dark in tiny confined spaces definitely isn't for me.

Hard Limestone

2009-07-11T17:49:00.002+01:00

I had promised a weekend of sport routes on Limestone - so off we headed to Cheedale. What a fabulous setting; lovely river, green green fields and trees and good quality rock. The only problem is that it is very hard and technical. You can't fudge your way through these routes, you need to use your feet well and all the technique you can muster or you will be spat off quickly.

The routes were certainly hard and I had to fight my way up a 6c on top rope - every hold had to be used a certain way and I learnt a huge amount about twisting and body placement. Thanks to my fantastic climbing coaches with far superior skills. I even managed to get up a third of the 7a+ they were working on, well the easy delicate fingery bit at the bottom anyway. The top looked horrific so I stopped there.

I'll be back to Cheedale for more rock lessons as soon as I can.

Back to Grit

2009-07-10T17:33:00.010+01:00

After two months it was back to beloved gritstone to tick some long term projects. Three routes at Froggatt have been on the wish list for some time. Chequer's Buttress HVS, Tody's Wall HVS and Brown's Eliminate at E2. We started out on Chequer's Buttress to warm up!

I thought that would be the easiest tick of the day...however, the reachy moves around the corner to establish yourself on the arete took a while to committ to. After much debate and trying out a few possible moves I kept retreating back down to a rest - desperate to climb it cleanly I was determined not to rest on my gear. I was soon sweating as I realised I had climbed past the point of no return and couldn't downclimb. I was committed to making the moves or taking a big fall round the corner onto my 'bomber?' nut. Breathe slowly, concentrate and reach up up up for the good hold. Fantastic!! I was super nervous and almost lost it but held it together for the most rewarding tick. Well worth the wait.

Tody's wall was a breeze in comparison - one big move followed by easy slab and crack climbing above.

By this time I had already talked myself out of the biggest tick of the day - Brown's Eliminate. It was quite windy and I didn't fancy being blown off route onto dodgy gear at less than half height. It will wait for me...but I need to get the timing and my confidence right first.

So what next? I decided on CMC slab at HVS which was pretty terrifying with two pieces of dodgy protection behind a small flake that moved as I seated the gear. The moves weren't too bad but the gear was purely psychological.

By this time I wanted to test my nerve even further and chose Motorcade at E1. I had seen other climbers back off this route and knew that gear wouldn't be too good but it looked so tempting. At least I knew I could retreat to safety if I needed to. With our pals watching on, one lashed to a tree to take good pictures - the pressure was on. Needless to say it was another 'you don't want to fall off from there' type of route. Absolutely loved it. Got plenty of gear in a break way beneath me and then went for it. The final move was committing but felt great and having a friend nearby for encouragement helped me nail it quickly.

Chris and Heidi both ended the perfect day leading Three Pebble Slab - E1 that might as well be a solo for all the protection it offers. The beer tasted sweet after a great day out. SOOO pleased to be back on grit.

Thanks Marielle for more photos of Dibona

2009-07-05T20:01:00.006+01:00

When I reached the top of Dibona I saw the couple who had climbed above us, sitting in the sunshine from the descent path looking up at us. They very kindly took a few summit shots and I received them by email today.

Unfortunately the clouds came in so they didn't get one of Sari and I both together but it is great to have another few pictures of this incredible day out.

Merci Marielle!

My right arm gone to Kyrgysztan

2009-07-05T10:37:00.002+01:00

My van mate and climbing buddy of 6 weeks has now left for Kyrgysztan. She'll be climbing Peak Lenin in July and exploring new mountains in August.
Good luck Sari! Hope it all goes well.
Her exped blog is http://karagakarexped09.blogspot.com/

Fitness training with the wonder dog

2009-07-04T17:30:00.000+01:00

I think the dog needs it more than me at the moment, we had to stop after just 2 laps of our local hill as he was lagging behind me!! I guess being black and furry and having to run fast uphill probably isn't the best on super hot days.

Limestone at home

2009-07-01T23:26:00.008+01:00

It isn't 400 meters high and there are no mountains surrounding us.

But it's still great quality climbing and the sun is shining.

Sari and I had a really chilled out day and learnt how to climb again without bolts!!

We climbed:
Conclusor HVS - Ravensdale
Froth VS - Stoney Middleton (been on my tick list for ages, hooray)
Gabriel & Pearly Gates VS - Stoney
Aurora Arete HVS - Stoney.
Thanks to Adam for bringing fun and refreshments at the end of the day.

So this is what people do on holiday

2009-06-28T09:46:00.000+01:00

After all that climbing we had to be tourists and go to the beach. It was great to chill out, swim, eat and relax on the coast before driving home. Although I have to admit I was bored after a day so looks like I'll never make a beach baby.

Our final mission

2009-06-24T09:43:00.000+01:00

And so we reached the pinnacle of our trip literally, to climb Aiguille Dibona.

At over 3000 meters, the tower of rock that is Dibona is superb. With our route Visite Obligatiore taking one of the best lines on over 300 meters of 6a ground. We walked up to the mountain refuge the previous day allowing us plenty of time to ascend in the morning. Although this time we were climbing with a huge pack containing our mountain boots for the snowy descent. The climb was absolutely amazing, lots of varied pitches on excellent, steep rock. The second always had a hard time hauling up the huge pack but it was easily worth it. It took us 12 hours in total, 9 or so climbing followed by 3 more hours to descend back to the comfort of the van. Not bad on 1 litre of water and a Lion bar!

An incredible route and an incredible end to all our climbing efforts.

Partying hard in La Berarde

2009-06-21T09:40:00.000+01:00

We moved in search of pastures new to La Berarde for more long rock routes surrounded by mountains. Not expecting to meet a bunch of crazy pirates from Madrid! Our new pals combined with a night of live music and dancing in the village made for a tricky ascent of Tete Blanche – try over 10 pitches (400 meters) of up to 6b climbing on 4 hours sleep and a hangover from hell!

Girlie mission on a 11 pitch TD route

2009-06-19T11:15:00.004+01:00

High in the mountains we toiled up 11 pitches of 6a ground to reach the summit of Tour Termier at 3,070m. The climb was amazing, starting really well but the altitude and battered bodies from 4 weeks n the road are beginning to show.

The last couple of pitches were a huge effort for both of us!!! We descended in the snow in our runners for added fun.

At the end of the day what better way to relax than chill with a beer and enjoy the view!

Easily the best climbing to date...

2009-06-18T09:36:00.002+01:00

Tour Termier, great quality climbing in beautiful surroundings high in the mountains with fabulous views perfect for wild camping in the van. We visited twice as we loved it so much and there are a couple of routes to return to.

Thanks to the guys from the Foreign Legion for showing it to us!

Via Ferrata action in Valloire

2009-06-17T11:21:00.002+01:00

Perfecting our bridging skills.

Epic adventure on the River Kwai

2009-06-13T11:12:00.002+01:00

We made a team ascent of the River Kwai today. The bridge was a little let down, nothing more than a rope hanging above a big void with a dead tree to walk across. Natalie, Chris, Sari and Lou all had a good day out together and even got to use our headtorches descending by multiple abseils in the dark. Bloody rope got stuck again, thanks to Chris for soloing back up to free it so we could get down safely.

Third time and still not lucky

2009-06-09T13:21:00.003+01:00

After wild camping in a small spot next to a dodgy van, I finally managed an hours sleep before our 6am alarm. Watched far too many scary movies about woods, strange vehicles etc and my overactive imagination kept me awake. Unphased we went out to try La Demande again hoping it would be easier than last time. Alas, no, still difficult and we decided to be sensible and retreat after the first pitch. Especially given that there were just 4 bolts in the first 30m and we didn't fancy climbing another 13 pitches with the prospect of 10-20m falls!! So we tried a different route instead and I had to speed climb on the lead to try and beat incoming rain...I've never climbed poorly bolted 6a ground so fast!! We're returning to Ecrins now as we've definitely had our fill of Verdon.

Bailed out by the foreign legion!

2009-06-04T13:50:00.001+01:00

We headed off to the Ecrins for some alpine action and rock routes in Aillefroide. We did two fabulous routes in glorious sunshine with moutains all around us. Including an easy but spectacular 500m 12 pitch route. On the way down (our first abseil of 6) we met a couple of guys climbing up and said hello. Another abseil later we were pleased to have been sociable as our rope got stuck and we couldn't pull it down. Quite stressful hundreds of meters of the ground with no other means of retreat!! Luckily our girlie calls were answered and the guys from the French Foreign Legion we met on the way up freed our rope for us on the way back down. It turns out the tape at the end of the rope had got stuck!! Good lesson to learn with people above you : )

Verdon calling

2009-06-01T13:45:00.001+01:00

Back on the road again, we headed to Verdon to tick La Demande once more. the dodgy forecast put us off so we climbed La Derobee (6b, 5 pitches) instead. The following day we went for a team ascent with Natalie of an easier route L'Herbietto (10 pitches, 5b). We knew bad weather was on it's way...the storm clouds gathered and before we knew it we had a collection of hail stones in our chalk bags with lightening and thunder all around us. We climbed the last few pitches super fast and retreated to a cave to hide until the weather passed and we could get back to the car. Great adventure!!!

Return to Verdon?

2009-05-29T20:15:00.001+01:00

Quite possible as weather in Dolomites not good!!

Still dreaming of Verdon

2009-05-29T20:04:00.004+01:00

Life is sweet

2009-05-29T20:03:00.002+01:00

After 8 hard days climbing in Verdon it was a relief to arrive back at my parent’s new home and chill out for a couple of days. Great food, company, wine, pampering and shopping. Just what a girl needs!! Off to find new nail polish now.

The ultimate muscle van

2009-05-28T07:55:00.002+01:00

Being overtaken by a 2CV!

The bat cave part 2

2009-05-28T07:33:00.004+01:00

After a lovely evening at the beach we set off again. Securing a rope to the van to use as a handrail while we descended a steep, loose path to the abseil point. One abseil later we were faced with a huge abseil over the top of a cave, dangling without feet the whole way. This was too much for Sari finally and so we cut our losses to climb out of the last pitch and head for the beach once more.
There was a line of bolts above us so off I went. The climbing seemed super hard but perhaps it was just the stress and frustration of not starting the route from the bottom. After standing on bolts, clipping in, pulling on quick draws I managed to place a few quckdraws above me. It was then time to stand down and let Sari climb, maybe it just wasn’t my day.

Immediately I realised there was a problem as Sari also had problems on the top rope but she pushed onwards aid climbing with the use of a friend between bolts until easier ground and the top.

It was then we finally decided to gt the guidebook out and see what we had been climbing – and sure enough we had been attempting the 7b alternate finish! So our egos weren’t too battered by the end of the day.

The bat cave

2009-05-28T07:31:00.001+01:00

For our last days climbing in Verdon we decided to climb a route or two at the other end of the Gorge, near a fabulous lake. The views were tremendous but we were back in our favourite territory, abseiling into nothing! The first day we tried we got to the abseil point, clipped in and then retreated back to the car. The scars of abseiling the previous day were still quite raw and Sari was not a happy bunny.

We decided to go cragging and swimming for a stress free day and try again the next.

Vultures and base jumpers

2009-05-28T07:27:00.003+01:00

With all the giant vultures circling overhead waiting for some fresh climber carrion, we began our huge abseil adventure from the top to the bottom of the gorge. Oh how we just LOVE abseiling!! The only momentary distraction from the stress of trying to find abseil points and dangling mid air from a rope between large caves and overhangs were the base jumpers. One huge woosh and rush of air and finally a chute opens, followed by another and another. I knew I was stressed as I was wishing we had taken that route down and not our epic abseil.

So we arrived fresh and happy some four hours later to start a 13 pitch climb (La Demande)!

We were super pleased when we met some French locals who wondered why we had got up at 6am and spent 4 hours getting to the route when we could have parked the car at the bottom and walked in 30 minutes, got to love the guidebook abseil suggestion! After trying the first few bolts and moves on slippery, friction free rock we finally accepted defeat and went to climb another route instead.

We did manage a fabulous route with a sociable feel (how many climbers can you get on one tiny belay ledge?) climbing next to lots of French weekenders – one of whom graciously clipped our rope through the first couple of bolts on a 6b overhang on the last pitch that we needed to overcome to top out. La Derobee 6b.

Climbing in Verdon

2009-05-28T07:24:00.002+01:00

What a place – 6 great days on fabulous rock in a georgeuos setting with glorious sunshine. No major route finding disasters and all went smoothly.

Climbing some amazing long routes including: Day 1 - Les Dalles 5c; Day 2 - El Gringo Loco 6a, Le Petit Chat 6a+; Day 3 – Cocoluche 6a, La Dolce Vita 6a+; Day 4 – THT 6a+, ? 6a, Jurrasic Parc 6a and Day 5 – L’Offre 6a.

And then a rest day finally before a big mission the following day.

Champagne and Celebrations

2009-05-15T07:23:00.000+01:00

After a quick overnight stop in the Champagne region (where else) we pushed on to the house and spent some time resting and celebrating before our trip to Verdon.

The end of an incredible journey

2009-05-14T07:18:00.000+01:00

3,200 miles by RV, 3,100 nautical miles on the QM2, across the Chunnel and finally down through France. Emigrating from Seattle, Washington to Plan de la Tour. The last two legs in Jake with a multi-national crew from Finland, US and UK.

Only one breakdown immediately after getting off the Chunnel as we lost the Undertray so we got to use our reflective jackets and warning triangle right away!

Lots of big ticks at Rylstone

2009-04-24T18:54:00.004+01:00

After a huge BBQ and sleepover in the van we went over to Rylstone. A fantastic crag where we all climbed excellent routes. Resting my shoulder I went for the bold approach on slabs, Sari and Adam climbed exceptionally hard on steep routes. Well done Adam on a great ascent of Monument Crack. So pleased to finally see you terrified!

Brimham rocks literally

2009-04-24T18:45:00.005+01:00

Brimham - what an awesome venue. So friendly, we even had cheerleaders one day. Go Mark, go Mark, go Mark!!

Over a couple of days with different pals we climbed some great routes. Sari climbed like an absolute demon bagging 3 superb 3 star VS routes and Adam had fun on Love Bug (HVS). The pics show me on the crux of Rough Wall (why is it always at the top).

Back to grit

2009-04-24T18:41:00.003+01:00

Couldn't stay away from Gritstone for too long so I followed Rosie & Mark down to N Yorks.

I was itching to get to Almscliff and the first route was certainly the highlight of the day.

Check out Adam preparing to stride across the gap!

The BBQ, the bacon and the cheese toastie

2009-04-24T18:32:00.004+01:00

Had a wonderful few days relaxing (and climbing a little) in the Lakes with pals.

After a fabulous BBQ with Kirsty, Rob, Emily, Elliott, Tolly & Bailey. It was bacon sarnies the next morning in Ambleside car park with Rosie & Mark. Having spent all my cash in the car park staring at strangers pass by and waiting for the drizzle to subside we moved to Keswick in the hope of climbing something. Shepherd's Crag never disappoints (although the cheese and onion toastie at the farm did). We managed to get an HVS route in each although some much more elegantly than others. The crazy fool that weighted the sling balanced over a rounded hump in desperation - you know who you are!

Erm...that'll be me then.

My blogs are like buses

2009-04-24T18:32:00.001+01:00

So here they all come at once...

Easter Bunny survives big bad wolf in woods shocker!

2009-04-10T18:49:00.004+01:00

Today whilst out in the woods a curious incident took place between prey and predator. Bailey found a baby rabbit sitting in broad daylight on top of its burrow and instead of running back down to safety when it saw him approaching, it took the 'play dead' or some might say stupid approach and just sat there blinking! Wolf and bunny now nose to nose...

Bailey carefully picked up dear bunny in his mouth but luckily he isn't in touch with his inner wolf. He hadn't quite worked out that this tasty morsel was indeed edible and placed it back down again. Bunny rabbit reaction - nada! Just continued to sit there and stare back. One flying stick later and the wolf (well hardly) was seen off. Bunny rabbit reaction - nothing, just sat there. I decided to coax it along, just to make sure it could actually move and it just hopped casually back down into the burrow.
So the Easter Bunny lives on but not for much longer if he carries on like that!

Faith in friction

2009-04-05T21:05:00.000+01:00

A fabulous day out at Froggatt. After a quick warm up I attempted one of my 'wish list' routes Three Pebble Slab (E1 in my book but think it is HVS now). The crux rock over move took me some time to commit to but the upper slab was a breeze despite the lack of protection - just switch off the rational (I'm going to really hurt myself if I fall off) brain and go for it. Something I didn't seem to have a problem with at all, maybe that side of my brain left years ago!!

The rest of the day was all about big ticks for Adam and Sari and we bagged Hawks Nest Crack, Valkyrie and Chequers Climb. Well when I say 'bagged', Adam did a good job on Valkyrie whilst Sari and I moaned, grunted and shouted TAKE up most of the initial jamming crack. Who said the crux was near the top, getting off the bloody ground was way harder!

All followed by a pint of Easy Rider (yummy beer) in the Chequers, Sundays don't get much better.

Four good fingers left

2009-04-03T09:52:00.003+01:00

These are hardly 'hands that do dishes'. Another great day climbing at Stanage until a fight with a pesky HVS route High Neb Edge on the second relieved me of the final skin from two of my fingertips, blood everywhere. So if you're climbing there I apologize for the profuse amount of blood on the first hold. It gets better after that as only made it to the next hold briefly. The cling film from Adam's lunch and some climbing tape meant that we could climb on.

I'm now wondering how on earth my fingertips will recover in time for a day out again on Sunday...

Hardly two peas

2009-04-01T09:51:00.004+01:00

Another great few days climbing in the Peak with spring sunshine and crazy dogs. We've worked hard this week at Stanage, Birchen and Curbar ticking off lots of classic HS, VS and HVS routes. Culminating yesterday in a triple ascent of The Peapod. What a climb! There was hardly any skin left on my hands by that stage but it didn't matter as this required more bum shuffling and leg work than anything else. I think I can safely say it was a once only experience. Thanks to Adam for leading us up such an excruciating (my back still hurts) route.

Good Karma

2009-03-26T17:39:00.000Z

On returning to the CIC hut last night, we were greeted by the London Mountaineering Club who had kindly cleared our route of the previous day for us and returned all our gear. What nice chaps!! So all was not lost (except the cheap camera). The next day didn't start off well, super high winds shook the hut during the night and squally blizzards were appearing. We decided to head back down and home. It took a little while longer than usual after a navigational error in Glossop resulted in a detour via Barnsley and Huddersfield back to Sheffield. Ooops!!

A mixed adventure this time

2009-03-25T17:29:00.003Z

We set off again the following day from the North Face car park to the Ben. This time we had some camping gear ready to stay in the CIC hut overnight as the long walk in was getting tedious. After soloing up to the foot of our route, we then worked out we should have geared up earlier and spent a slightly stressful and uncomfortable few moments getting a belay together and tying in! The first pitch was great but we weren't sure if we were en-route. All the time I was wondering why this was a 3 star route (Number 3 Gully Buttress) until we got to the final pitch. What an awesome location for a few tricky moves with nothing below, what a drop!!!

Thank goodness for the poor visibility which meant you could only sense the impending doom rather than being able to see all the way down to the Coire floor. The last pitch was absolutely superb and worth returning for again. We then got on with the task of navigating our way back off the top once more in whiteout.

Winter not over just yet...

2009-03-24T18:04:00.003Z

With rain looming over the Peak for a few days, Sari and I packed up for some winter fun in Scotland. We charged through the night to get past Loch Lomond before the road closure at 10pm, overtaking the work vehicles just in the nick of time. After a few hours sleep we woke early and set off up the Ben in search of Comb Gully (IV 4). Having just missed Rosie at the CIC we had to set off without a cuppa into the Coire.

The climbing itself was great but felt really full on due to the dump truck at the top chucking huge loads of spindrift down on us. Like a giant snow shower all day! My goggles were too scared to come out of my sack so they stayed safely inside and I resorted to climbing blind! In addition my hood came down to allow me to gather a nice snow batch in the back of my jacket and all around my neck - check out the huge snowballs that gathered on my plaits. After applying liberal amounts of hand cream at the belay, (scars from previous week in Peak) a pesky ice screw then slipped out of Sari's hand. I also couldn't retrieve a runner slightly before the belay so that got left behind too. And somewhere buried in the spindrift of that fateful belay is my camera!!

Still the climbing was ace and we did well given it was our first day out together in winter.

Springtime in the Peak

2009-03-22T08:43:00.000Z

Stanage, Froggatt, Burbage, The Roaches...

An amazing week of climbing in the Peak with lots of sunshine, happy dogs and good routes. Bring on summer!

4 days, 2000 kms, 2 girlies

2009-03-15T13:10:00.000Z

6 hot dawgs, 6 Viking beers, 1 giant Coke can, 31 hours driving, 5 guest houses, 2 pick and mix, 3 blocks of halva, 9 petrol stations, 17 snow ploughs, 0 hot springs, 6 sagas, 3 reindeer herds, hundreds of ponies and even more dead hanging fish. Iceland rocks!

Bless Bless Iceland

2009-03-14T04:35:00.000Z

More of the same today, amazing driving but still no sign of ice so we decided to join the tourist trail. Just as we had given up our search we found an ice line on the way to the tourist attraction of Geysir. So after ticking off the sights we headed back for the route. We think it is a new route at WI4 and have chosen to name it Bless Bless which means Bye Bye in Icelandic (a phrase we learnt off our friends Peter and Konnie), a fitting name as we were on our way home.

Keep on truckin'

2009-03-13T03:12:00.000Z

Day 3 was all about the mileage. And survival...trying to negotiate mountain roads, whiteouts and snow drifts in Ruby our little 1L 2WD Hyundai!! For hundreds of kms we passed only a few 4x4 trucks/pick ups but everyone stopped to chat and laugh with us (or at us).

The scenery was wonderful (when you could actually see it), driving round fjords and glaciers with snowy peaks going right out to the sea. We were on the home stretch heading out east and then south. None of the ice venues we passed were in condition but we were loving our journey. Fingers crossed we would find one last patch of ice before the airport tomorrow.

Blizzards, beaches and fruit buns

2009-03-12T02:42:00.000Z

Wow, today will take some beating. We drove out to the beach at Bjorg in search of seaside icefalls and weren't disappointed. After a warm welcome from Konnie with a fabulous breakfast, Peter took us out to the ice by Skidoo which was very exciting (three people, two climbing rucksacks with spiky axes on the outside and a small seat). Rosie liked it so much she decided to try launching herself off the back!

The location is absolutely spectacular with ice falls stretching right down and out to the ocean. Climbing above the snow covered beach with black sand in a blizzard has to be the most amazing climbing experience ever. Peter very kindly collected us and we spent the rest of the day happily chatting and eating with our new friends.

Thanks very much to Konnie and Peter for making our day so memorable.

Check out http://www.bjorgum.is/icebjorg

Iceland's tallest Slush Puppie

2009-03-10T23:29:00.000Z

Our masterplan was to drive round the entire country in the 4 days we had, going clockwise, taking in as many climbing venues as we could en-route.

Super excited to finally get out of Reykjavik we headed to Glymur, Iceland's largest waterfall at 200m in height. Once we eventually found it (maps are for girls), we were suitably impressed. In a very dramatic setting with steep cliffs, swooping birds and roaring water. However the ice on closer inspection turned out to be of the slushy variety and we hadn't bought any crazy flavourings or colourings with us! So instead we soaked up the view and had a photoshoot at the top of the fall. Only 500kms til bedtime.

Mylo and Peanut pack for Iceland

2009-03-09T19:15:00.000Z

They're unsure how many bones to take and wonder whether it's too dangerous as they just heard Icelanders like to eat hot dogs at service stations!

The thaw

2009-02-26T18:30:00.000Z

Not much to say. Temperatures rise, everything goes soggy and I'm off home. The shiny new ice screws I bought will have to wait a week until I'm in Iceland.