Archive for the ‘Climbing News’ Category
Tremadog Festival 2012
Eric’s Café with Craig Bwlch y Moch poking out of the trees beyond. Photo: Si Panton
After a year off in 2011 the Tremadog Festival is back with a vengeance. Keen local climbers, Jim and Julia Kelly have stepped in as the new organisers and look set to breathe new life into this popular event.
TremFest 2012 is taking place over the weekend of 21-22nd April and will be based, as usual, at Eric’s Campsite and Bunkhouse below Craig Bwlch y Moch. As with previous events the idea is to give the crag a spring clean, but there will be plenty of fun, free beer and prizes along the way.
All are welcome to join in; to read more about the event go to the BMC website.
The previous Tremadog Festivals run by Mike Raine were a big success and it would be great to see the same level of support from the climbing community at this much loved crag.
Diffwys Groove E6 6c
Caff, doing his day job with Plas y Brenin Photo: Si Panton
James ‘Caff’ McHaffie has climbed a new route on Cyrn Las (or more correctly, Diffwys Ddu). Diffwys Groove E6 6c tackles the obvious narrow groove feature just right of (and gained from) the third pitch of the E2, Prune. Impressively, the route was done in a ground up style. In fact, short of an unexpected slip on a lichenous foothold at the top, it would have been onsight.
To read more about the ascent check out the report on the DMM website.
Caff recently joined the DMM climbing team, cementing his strong connection to the Welsh climbing scene.
Two new quality F7as on the slate
Prolific slate new router, Ian Lloyd-Jones, has kick started the 2012 season with a pair of superb F7as in the Peppermint Tower area of Rainbow Walls in the Dinorwig Quarries.
Honorary Limestone F7a is the bolted dolerite line to the right of the excellent E3, Jugs Mawr. Steep climbing via some great pockets and slots leads up to the 5th bolt where a cruxy traverse leftwards along the horizontal crack leads to better holds. Precarious/airy moves back rightwards will hopefully gain the 6th clip; continue upwards with a few more awkward moves to gain a huge jug, climb more easily to the lower-off.
“This is definitely a route that wants to be a limestone sport route!” commented Ian
Chinook Arete F7a climbs the bolted square cut arete to the right of Midnight Drives.
“If you enjoyed G’Day Arete you will probably enjoy this one. It has some cool moves and is probably a grade harder.” explained Ian.
Both of these routes can be reached in an easy 15/20 minute walk from the Nant Peris side of the Quarries.
New Running Blog coming soon
Hi there, This is Paul Barbier blogging…
I have been recruited by V12 to blog about all things running and what I get upto.
I have lived around the area for years and love running. Mountains, trails and roads, I have loads of plans and like all sorts of running. I will expand upon all this stuff in another post as its late now – 10:30 pm. Sufffice to say that i am keen but not particularly talented. I like to talk, along with running, and am entered in the Haworth Hobble this weekend, a 33 mile trail / fell race up in Yorkshire this weekend…
More to come soon, I hope you like the blog and find it stimulating in some way. It will feature everything from gear reviews to what I get upto, along with anything else I find interesting on the way….
Thats all for now, thanks V12 for inviting me and catch up soon.. Tomorrow I reckon I will blog a bit more and upload a couple of pics and route ideas and stuff
Cheers Paul B
Cry Wolf M9
Pete Harrison has added another dry tooling test piece to the One Hundred Words wall in the Ibex area of the Dinorwig slate quarries.
Cry Wolf M9 initially climbs the left-hand rampline, via a difficult start, to the niche of One Hundred Words… . It then tackles the wall left of the niche to join One Hundred Words above. Finish up the challenging headwall.
“The first bolt is too low and the moves are sketchy – I recommend stick-clipping the 2nd until l get back there to replace the first bolt.”
Explained Pete, before adding:
“One Hundred Words is definitely at least solid M9! I always seem to end up grading wrongly first go.”
Spectral Wall VII 7 goes free
Andy Scott on the original ascent of Spectral Wall VII 7 back in March 2010. Photo: Tim Badcock
Andy Scott returned to Clogwyn Du on Saturday with Gav Foster to make the second ascent of his own route, Spectral Wall VII 7, which he first climbed with Tim Badcock back in 2010.
On the original ascent Andy took one fall and had two rests when a section of ice collapsed. The full clean ascent was still up for grabs and Andy was keen for a rematch.
With temperatures rising on Saturday the mixed routes were not really on, but the softening of the ice probably helped on this fragile route.
“The lower wall had more ice this time so was a wee bit easier, but the top section through the overlaps had skinny ice and wild pulling on thin picks – amazing!”
Enthused Andy after the ascent.
At one point things got quite hairy, as Gav explained:
“Just as he was going through the overlap his feet ripped and I thought he was going to take a tumble but Andy pulled up and did a double kung fu kick to get his feet high; he then raced up the next section like a man possessed!”
Elsewhere this last week there has been plenty of winter action, including an ascent of Route 2 on Dolmen Buttress, Glyder Fach by Andy Teasdale, Simon Colley and Mark Walker. The route gave good sport and went at V 6. A few other lines have been done in this area by Mark ‘Baggy’ Richards, but full details have not been released yet.
Earlier in the week on the east side of Bristly Ridge Baggy, Gaz Davies and friends climbed a trio of routes: Two Tier buttress IV 5, Giant Steps Buttress IV 5 and Grooved Buttress IV 4.
The forecast for the coming week offers little in the way of snow but there will be plenty of freezing conditions at all levels.
One Hundred Words for No Snow M8+/9
Pete Harrison has climbed a cracking new drytooling route in the Ibex area of the Dinorwig slate quarries.
One Hundred Words for No Snow M8+ – M9 takes an attractive curving line up the left hand side of the tall wall on the left side of the bay as you walk in, and features mostly natural placements (only 4 pockets were drilled for axe placements).
“It’s one of the most enjoyable drytooling routes I’ve climbed – lots of variety, lots of good moves and a good length. The style of climbing makes it super training for mixed climbing.”
Enthused Pete, before adding:
“The initial diagonal seam manages to be both a bit tenuous and a bit strenuous with excellent climbing up to a breather in the niche. A drilled pocket above the niche gives access, via hard-to-spot footholds and a reach, to the upper wall where torques, steinpulls, a dyno and some footless matching lead to a couple of very thin moves rightwards. A cruxy move up with tricky feet gains a pocket and the upper crack, which is followed with interest to the lower-off.”
Pete suggests the following grade changes for the Ibex wall routes:
Ibex M7 – “I overgraded this in the first instance: it was never M8 but probably was M7+, and it’s now got a little easier with traffic.”
Ibex Direct M7+
The Deerhunter M6+
Monkey-Bar Kid M6
Ironically, given the title of Pete’s new route, it seems that winter season is back with vengeance. With snow cover down below Cloggy and sustained cold weather forecast for the coming fortnight.
Ibex Direct M8, Never Never Land
Rob Greenwood on the first ascent of Ibex Direct M8 Photo: Torquil Bennett
Yesterday Rob Greenwood made the first ascent of Ibex Direct M8 on the dry tooling wall in the Never Never Land section of the Dinorwig Quarries.
Torquil Bennett had previously top roped the line, traversing across the lip of the tunnel at the start. Rob climbed the line second go, missing out the tunnel traverse at the start.
Rob also onsighted Rastamouse M7+ in the same session.
To see a topo of the face go to either the Monkey-Bar Kid news item or the Rastamouse news item.
Rastamouse M7+, Never Never Land
Over the Christmas period Torquil Bennett returned to the Ibex dry tooling wall in Dinorwig slate quarry and completed the left hand project line.
Rastamouse M7+ climbs the left hand corner on a selection of tiny hooks, wide crack stein-pulls and micro-torques. Needless to say precise footwork is essential on this excellent technical line.
The second ascent of the route fell to Nick Bullock who managed a stylish onsight.
The absence of sustained winter conditions in Snowdonia has seen the dry tooling routes on this wall mobbed with frustrated winter climbers. At least everyone will be good and fit when it finally arrives for good in the mountains…
Long term forecasts do seem to indicate January going into February as the most promising time for winter conditions in the hills. Check out Exacta Weather for more on this.
North Wales White Guide – winter climbing and conservation
The growing popularity of winter climbing in recent years has prompted concerns about the potential impact upon rare alpine plants found on the Snowdonia winter cliffs.
The North Wales White Guide aims to address these issues and raise awareness amongst climbers of the presence of rare plants and how to minimise any potential impact on them.
This guide is the product of a collaboration between the Countryside Council for Wales, the BMC, Snowdonia-Active, the Snowdonia National Park Authority and Ground Up, the producers of the recently published North Wales Winter Climbing guide.
To read more about it check out the following news items on the BMC website and the Snowdonia-Active website.
The guide is available for free as an A6 English/Welsh bilingual booklet which is being distributed to key climbing shops (such as V12) and climbing walls. It is also available at the SNPA warden offices at Pen y Pass and Ogwen Cottage.
Downloadable A4 pdf versions are also available on the Ground Up website in English or Welsh.
