Determind to get an E3+ onsight before the end of the year, I went by myself to the Wainstones. Looking at the guide ‘Peel Out’; ‘west face of The needle and Psycho Syndicate all looked ‘Do-able’. As I thought about them in my mind, they became less steep and with bigger holds, this made it even worse, when i turned up in the rain looking up at this impossible ‘test piece’.

“blooy hell!”,  i thought.

I trotted round the whole crag looking for routes, failed and managed to scare myself onsighting an E1 friction climb. A Sad ending to a great year. 

With Hyperthermia; Swollen Pancreai; dislocated patella; 30ft falls; ripped hands; progression through six grades; F.As; Cleveland MC activities; Self Arrests; terrible falls through trees ripping belayers off of stances and our first Lakes E1, our year has been a good one. Although I remeber not when I actually did my ‘first’ Lead, i think It was around April time this year. This was as daunting as every challenge overcome this season. From this Severe to attempting E3- and failing, I have had so many great (and not so great) experiences with so many differant people. A night ascent of Helvelyn lewis to walking over the struggle at night With Mini Ian, It’s been a ‘reet Bastard’, but enjoyable.it was capped off by a wet, chossy visit to Middle Head today, rain and seepage- along with falls, it was not so good. In the last month we’ve been looking at local crags and ones further-a-field on the Internet.”That looks do-able”, has become a common sound- reverberating from the Girth of Dooge. (Dave Warburton) After out splendid ‘ganda’ at Middle Head we trotted off to Round Hill. Seepage is a real problem here and I think a spade to the top of the crag would be useful. Despite this though there’s huge potential- with bouldering comparable in quality to the Wainstones and a few unclimbed lines (paired with a few hard pre-climbed routes) i think We shall spend some time here next year.The bouldering is on small buttresses (that need de-seepaging) and about 6 big angular boulders. There’s 30/40 problems I imagine and a good few days will be spent there, as well as this there’s an E3 arête- that’s mentioned in the guide(only top roped). With a bit of cleaning this should be possible. There’s also a crappy VS arête- on the south side, that ill probably tootle up.The Unclimbed Arete.So opportunity and exploration found again. I’ll let you know How It goes.

Next year looks like I’ve got a lot more exploring to do. I thought i’d finish visiting all the esoteric crags by the end of this year, but i’m only half-way through. I’ve crossed off a lot of the choss and am now focused on some good stuff. I want to visit Ingleby Incline as It looks real good.

I also want a crack at some F.As at turkey Nab, but they look a bit hard for me. Chris shorter’s been recomending stuff, that he describes as been ‘too bold for him’, this makes me worry as hes put up some pretty hard Es. I’ll probably have a look, but faill terribly. I also want a crack at roseberry face- A death trap, and hopefully ‘finish off’ our Mid-grade crag in the lakes.

I really dont understand people who dont like the chossy hidden stuff- thats the real spirit of climbing.

probably my best Climbing experience. I went with my Dad by plane and slept on a bench the first night. We had some tuition on cravase rescue ect. Then we wandered up a nice PD ridge up Mount Blanc de chillion (in the picture). My dad suffered a little due to altitude and being knackered, but we got to the top and got down in good time. This gave me a good view of what mountains were around and am planning to return next year.
Zermatt was not to my likiing really, although the mountains are supurb, It’s a hastle getting to them, with me being a penny-less teenager. Despite this though we attempted the Breithorn (the easiest 4,000 metre peak). We didn’t take the cable car up to kleine matterhorn though- seemed like cheating. Instead we stayed in the Teodolu Hutte. It was Cold and stormy so we set off late, we climbed Kleine Matterhorn, by the steep side and then traversed over to the Breithorn. we got to about 4,000 metres then realised that the last cable car left in about 15minutes. It was a decision between a four thousand metere peak and a huge walk down or nothing. In the true spirit of alpinism, we chose nothing. running back to the cable car.

A fine trip and i have arranged to go this year with Dave to do Dent Blanche, Aguille de la Tsa and Pigne d’Arolla north face. (hopefully)

This was more Dave’s achievement than mine. I wasn’t on form having just craped myself up an HVS 4c round the other side soloing. But we went round the North crag after a recommendation from a friendly guy.
I lead the first pitch struggling, looking for an easy line- using some pendulum tactics. Then with my gear being round a suspect four foot flake and my only holds being on it- a novel experience, I made my bid for the top. My part was done. Dave flew up in His 5.10 rock boots and got equiped for the crux pitch.

He climbed up the E2 crack of Triermain Eliminate and then traverse rightwards with a brilliant hold round the arete (remember that if you ever do it). He cruised up the last stretch and then belayed me up.

According to the guide book it was all over now, a nice 4b pitch. It wasn’t 4b a difficult crack lead to the only gear- a sapling (an inch thick). I was terrified, 150ft up with only a sapling ten metres back for gear. green and grassy, I finally reached a holly tree. The end of the climb. Safe.

A Classic of the moors. The Perfect overhang of the Moors. I have wanted to do it since i saw the picture of Steve Crowe, effortlessly reaching the jug.- Which was much worse than i imagined. I had only tried it twice before and this time i was determined. The first moves were the most fluid climbing I had ever done- even Dave Commenting on the fluidness. My Hands were constantly slipping from the poor Holds. High feet on the layback cured the problem, but there was still the dyno to do.

I was already Pumped by the steep strenuous moves, but then came the real test. I leaped up and reeched the hold. Although this was not the whole route done, I had done the tradtional Problem.

There’s just the top bit to do now. My meegre achievement was upstaged by Luke nearly completing the whole route. - a ‘pro’ at work. I’ll try it again at the next CMC meet. Definitely One For ‘the wish list’.

I’m Obsessed with new routes and ,apart from Esklets, our best First ascents were in the lakes.
Me and Dave discovered this slate outcrop, on our first climbing trip to the lakes together. It’s undoubtebly been climbed on before as its ten yards from a path, but it was good rock and an adventure. Dave lead an amazing HVS (funny Friend placement) called stormbringer. I attempted an arete at about E3, but i was no E3 climber and only managed totop rope it. We named it Durple Gill as it had no name on the map- no doubt the real name will come from the natives eventually. It’s a nice evenings climbing and we hope to do the bulk of the ascents next time we go- don’t be knicking them! LOL
Another plan (thats really bugging me) is to do the face at Turkey nab. Last time i looked it looked imposible, but i’ve progressed since then. So hopefully it will fall. I recon it’ll be atleast E2+. Don’t knick that either please.
Ian Jackson mentioned The wall at Roseberry topping- loose, hard and probibly not there anymore. It would be good, but even he reconed it would be well in the Es. My Whole life seems to be Attempting  first ascents, but yet I dont have many to my name. Meeting Tony Marr inspired me to do some more routes. I thought it was a hastle sending the First ascents in, but he seemed quite possitive.

After Walking up ulswater fom patterdale- some unsuccessful hitching. we arrived at gowbarrow Knackered. We Started on a nice roof crack and then moved up to the bigger buttress. It was my Turn to lead.

We walked through the jungle untill the bottom of susan was reached. An obvious, easy looking line (i must stop thinking things look easy). The start was hard and it got no easier, i ran out of cams quickly, then the hexes went. Just as i was about to fall i saw the miracle, an in situ- nut (an old one). This saved me. I rested for a minute then climbed the difficult exit crack. This was the climb of my life. Dave followed me up in true style, enjoying the moves that had been my torment.
I

(Top of susan, after a hard days climbing, looking down to home- the CMC Hut.(only a hitch away) taken on a 1 MGPix camera phone)

t was only given HVS, but i had found E2s easier. Sandbaged? or inexperience on rhyolite? Who knows.
But I felt like a true Climber now.

I’d already written it so i thought id lop it on:

’twas a frosty morning and we’d been climbing for many-a-year, but properly and consistently, for only a few months. Park Nab was the place. The overhanging buttress of Lion King was prominent on the Skyline. I felt experienced - until I gazed upon the obvious, but unconquerable looking crack of Parallel lines. It was an eliminate, although I didn’t know what that meant. I assumed it was to do with being killed. I forget how old I was - perhaps my fourteenth summer, perhaps my last. I wished not to indulge in this half understood game of leading, but the all-piercing eyes of the clan in which I was a part, pushed me on. The gear I started to amass, looking at it so thoughtfully, was gathered in a haze - thinking only of a way to escape the peril of the doom-like crack that awaited me.

I started to scramble up to the base, then the hauling of the mass of shiny friends behind me. The weight was like nothing that I had felt before. If these did hold me they truly would be my greatest friends. Better than that menacing belayer at the bottom. The cold sandstone pieced my skin, giving it the friction it required. Before I knew it I was eight feet up, and it was time to place the first bit of gear. A size 2.5 friend I believe, locked me to the rock. I continued placing gear frequently. Then what had been described as the crux move came.

The crack steepened until I looked up more than ninety degrees, this truly was severe. Another piece of gear was placed. The awe grew, a shiver of determination, summoned by the unadulterated fear, rushed through my body like morphine (something I would later experience due to my appendicitis). The move pulled me so my head protruded above my arms. The gear was by my feet. Would it hold? I was certain of a fall, I was imagining the description of the route in the next guide book - follow the trail of brown. This pushed me further, then the clasping hand of an infant was seen to grasp the summit of the monumental line. Then another hand, followed by a head and a mantle-shelf. A foot, and then the entire body, was on the rock above. It was over, but this, the fear, the torment, the closeness to death, was only the beginning.

At the moment i’m just getting loads of experience. This year was a year of climbing most days. I visited the Alps and did some highish snow plodding (around 4000 metres). Im really motivated with first ascents, although most of them were poorish ones- filling in gaps- the harder i climb the better the routes should become. Next year should be when i see how good i am, as this years my first obssesive year. I’m not as good as i should be, considering all the practice i’ve had, but i’m happy. Luke Hunt was my origional teacher (and a mad one), soloing E3s at the age of 16. I climb mainly with Dave warburton and Ian jackson at the moment, having had some good trips to the lakes with them. Ian’s a bit too good for me though, dragging me up Rigor Mortis at Castle Rock on my first lakes trip.

Im pretty illiterate, but my belayings OK. (don’t ask Ian though)