UKH

Let's face it 2020 has been challenging.

So what has been the best routes or experience of the year for you guys and girls.

For me it has to be doing Centrefold at Rhoscolyn, 40m of fantastic climbing in a wild position what a route! A close second would be Aaros at shepherd's, that thing keeps coming at you!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Lorraine at Dinas Mot 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I moved to Rosyth last year, there's a wee quarry there, typical C Scotland dolerite scruffy stuff. I'd climbed there loads in the past, but 18 months after moving there, I hadn't visited. In fact I hadn't climbed at all in 2 years, life got in the way.

During the 1st lockdown ms. aln and I went up for a walk and a look on a really hot day. We chatted to 2 guys with their sons on mini motorbikes, nosed around then had a sunbathe. After a bit, despite having no climbing gear, wearing trekking shoes, I couldn't resist a wee mess about. Traversed, climbed up and down, it felt good!

Then I went for it.... I headed up, down, up, across, back again, back down. I knew the line, I 'd climbed it lots of times before, but not for years. Went back up to that flake, there's that wee bump of adrenaline as I pulled on it and reached for the jug, got it, exhilarated as I romped to the top.

I don't climb hard, E3 on lead has been my max, but that 25ft severe soloed in my trainers in the sun was about as satisfying as any climbing I've ever done. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Aardvark (HVS 5a) was terrifying but extremely satisfying to have done.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Very few, but Twinkletoes on Arenig Fawr for a great mountain route, great company , bloody terrible approach and challengeingly thin climbing.  A full day out in the sun with the whole mountain to ourselves.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I got out a lowly 5 times this year, a record low for someone who climbs nearly twice a week. 

However, one of those times was to take my kids (6 and 8) out for their first outdoor climb. They loved my homeschooling! 

Definitely a highlight for me.

In reply to dinodinosaur: I’ll pick three routes. Early season trip to El Chorro with my son was good and we really enjoyed Amptrax (6a). Managed to get to Gogarth for a couple of trips, every route was great, but I’ll pick Resolution Direct (E2 5b) as the best. Finally got on Central Buttress (E1 5b) and it didn’t disappoint. Logged more routes this year than any other year, probably because I did a lot more sport.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Its a very fine route!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Had my best year ever on sport despite doing nothing in the first lockdown but the highlight was a day up at Dove Crag. What a place, Flying finish probably the only e5 I’ll tick this year but it was a memorable one.

Might have to take 11 weeks off every year.

Also hearing some stories from Neil Foster of my dad’s exploits in Lancashire from years ago, unsung hero of some classic ascents.
 

I’ve been pretty fortunate this year, wish everyone all the best getting through this shitshow.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I've not climbed much for the last couple of years - life and other interests got in the way and climbing just seemed to fall by the wayside. But this year I've made a bit of an effort to get out again and remind myself how to climb trad, starting with doing a load of low grade Yorkshire lime that I'd never really bothered with before and discovering along the way what an absolute gem Twistleton is!

Highlight of the year has to be a trip to Pavey though, one of the few weekends I got out of the West Yorkshire plague pit. I've rarely climbed up there because my climbing partner/other half grew up climbing in the Lakes and had already done virtually all the <E3 Lakes classics before we met but he was persuaded to repeat some routes. We did Golden Slipper and Capella and it was blissful - climbing in the glorious sunshine on an almost deserted crag, on what must be some of the finest rock in England!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Climbing soap on a rope and bath time in Vivian quarry. Been looking at them for years, its a great location & soloed them with a great friend. Really memorable experiences. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Majority of climbing I`ve done this year has been pebblehugging. The only route I climbed was memorable simply cause it felt so easy and required so little effort. Had a quick play on it with a fixed tr, and then the following time I was there rechecked the gear and moves, followed be a quick headpoint.

In fact some of the boulders I’ve ticked this year have been a lot more memorable. As some of them I’ve tried in the past and got nowhere. But now they’ve gone down easily enough.

in fact, I think the most memorable thing this season has been the fact that all the harder stuff I’ve tried has been sent in a quick manner (well, most of them anyway).

In reply to dinodinosaur:

First visit down to West Cornwall was great, with a highlight being leading both pitches of Thin Wall Special (E1 5b) at Bosigran. It was a lovely sunny, breezy day, with two marvellously contrasting pitches!

However the best route/day probably has to be Coronation Street (WW) (E1 5b) with two good mates. Impromptu day off work, all the pitches were interesting (read: traditional) with enough confounding factors (cold, damp, polish) to leave the outcome just in doubt.  Fighting my way past the overlap and jamming up the top 5b corner felt pretty full-on.  And it might take longer, but climbing as a three was a lot more fun!  All in all, a brilliant day! 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

An unplanned first visit to Rubha Hunish grabbed when the sun came out on the way back from Lewis. Renewed my faith in climbing after struggling post lockdown

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Birthright (ED1)

Better than Beyond Good and Evil (ED2), which is saying something! A classic Mark Twight line, not as well known as Beyond but all the more special for it. Sustained technical interest with just enough ice and gear in places. A superb day (and night) out.

In reply to Euan Todd:

Plus one for Corrie. I think we did it a couple of days after you and your write up sums it up very nicely. A really satisfying afternoon. 

Generally, climbing 2020 has definitely been about making the best of fewer opportunities - count your blessings and get it while you can - and that’s lead to some memorable days, getting on crags and routes I’d been putting off for years. 

In reply to Jezadee:

Yeah sometimes just getting out even when the various restrictions had been temporarily dropped felt like an achievement...

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Probably climbing at Bosigran in late July. We did Alison Rib and Black Slab on a glorious summer’s day with my brother-in-law and our teenage daughters. The girls absolutely loved it and both did brilliantly. 

A week later we climbed Commando Ridge (without the girls). The very early start was worth it to catch low tide, ensuring we could do the awesome first pitch, and the photos of sunrise were spectacular.

On both occasions we swung by the beach for a few hours afterwards for a swim and a chill out. 

Great memories in what has been such a shite year for so many of us. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Wasn't exactly bagging E points, but climbing Chockstone Chimney (D) with my 6 year old daughter after the first lockdown felt amazing.

I suppose that's one of the great things about climbing. It doesn't have to be an epic route to be something you'll remember for the rest of your life. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Leading my first E1 on our local crag after getting a set of micro cams to protect the route was a big one for me. Great Buttress Arête (E1 5b)

Best adventure was at Mother Carey's Pemb this year. Inner Space (HVS 4c). We were a party of 4 and oddly nobody wanted any of the lead so great! My wife absolutely hates traverses, not much good 25m above crashing waves in a cave. After all the screaming she got to the end of the pitch, really dug in and nailed it. All 4 of us topped out at 9pm in the dark. Buzzing off my head for a week after. Also found a working cam on the traverse, declared it on here but nobody claimed it so in the swag bag.

A few weeks later the cartilage tears in my knee and I'm told to stay off climbing for 6 months after a knee op, bummer.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

First off, and undoubtedly the biggest for me, was finishing a multi-year project and doing the Munros in winter. Finished post-lockdown, still can't believe I finished it and it meant a lot.

Solo Cuillin traverse in summer feltl ike being on fire, best fo the summer; a 12 out of 10 kind of day, fast, feeling strong and utter euphoria, getting off the ridge and running all the way back to the car in Glen Brittle. A real 'what-you-do-it-for' day.

And a local one; Hamilton's Arete at Craigmore; proper locals crag! A bit of a savage problem (E5 6b) with a crux at the top above two microwires (and that's it), I've been chipping away at since 2012 but didn't feel ready to lead until this summer) was maybe the best of them all. Mega, mega satisfying to make something like that feel really safe.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

For me this year, probably a memorable couple hours in the clutches of the Flytrap (E3 5c).

Highlights included overhead waves crashing over both of us on the low traverse pitch, laughing whilst shivering on the hanging stance in the gloom soaked to our skin, Jonnie pulling out an awesome lead to surmount the chockstone back into sunshine, and all to finish a few metres from where we started.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I think my most memorable day was probably doing Rowland's Magical Mystery Tour (5a) with a couple of mates and the whole sea cliff to ourselves. Given our combined age of nearly 200, the pace was suitably sedate. Just made it back from the Costa before lockdown. Another mate, flying out a few days later, had his plane turned around in the air above Alicante!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Lead my first E1 this year, Looning the Tube (E1 5a). Fantastic climb. I had done an E2 last year though, Just for Fun (E2 5c). Think this has been the year I've really learned to look at the technical grade as much as the severity. It's been a pretty good year for improving my head game. Also lead my first 6C indoors.

So despite the quantity been low, been pretty happy with the quality  

In reply to pancakeandchips:

Yeah I thought that. I didn’t think it quite lived up to the hype but I thought Voie Suisse was absolutely all time. I really loved that. It’s a nice spot up there. The steep wood rush is a bit precarious but aside from that it’s idyllic 

In reply to kwoods:

Kudos for being open about this, you're probably the first since Ed Drummond on Linden (E6 6b)!  

Both the Munros and the Cuillin sound magnificent though, congratulations! 

For me it's been a year with some small, quiet but intense successes and failures; much more about sharing the experiences with old and new friends than succeeding on a particular climb. Just being able to be outside and climb was always exhilarating in itself. 

Birdwatching filled the gap a bit. Yesterday we celebrated this year's species no.100 (a Black Headed Gull) with a glass of mulled wine from a thermos, in bright sunshine next to the river on the Museum Island in the centre  of Berlin. Roll on 2021!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Despite 2020 feeling like a total wipe out and alot of stress. On reflection actually had a really good year 

Best day was either Tower Ridge (IV 3) first winter grade 3 or Observatory Ridge (Summer) (VD) in summer long continuous day in shorts

Climbs that will stick with me are White Slab Direct (S)  just for the sense of adventure and situation and Pebbledash (6b) my first and only 6b clean

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Probably either Neptune (E3 5c) or Spock (E3 5c)

In reply to McHeath:

Hah! I didn't even think that meaning. Metaphorical chipping.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Definitely Globus (6c+). On my first visit to Kalymnos I fell of the last hard move of this, at the last but one bolt, on what had been looking like a very promising flash attempt up to that point.

Fell off again at the same place the following year.

This year, on a trip that I felt very lucky to squeeze in between lockdowns, nearly fell off again at the same place but didn't. Hurrah. Stunning route.

In reply to Martin Haworth:

Amptrax is great! We did it on new years day this year just gone despite getting zero sleep due to a new years eve rave in the building next to the olive branch! Looking at your logbook we were actually on Ebola (6b+) the day you did Amptrax, so must have seen you at some point!

In reply to Phil4000:

Your videos looked awesome and inspired me to have a go at them both one day! 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

For me it was leading my first two HS routes and then a VS. Also, I have been putting off trying multi pitch climbing, I finally took the plunge and actually quite enjoyed it.

So a pretty good year for climbing all things considering.  

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Having just started climbing Trad this year despite being the wrong side of 60 .... we have had a number of great days, some at the Roaches, some elsewhere. Including first on sight leads of VS and HS.

Probably the highlight was Middlefell Buttress followed by Curtain Wall in September, our first Lakes multi-pitch.

In reply to kwoods:

BTW, yours is one of the best galleries on UKC I think.

Not been tradding for long so for me it was seconding Debauchery E1 5a at my local crag, High Tor. An old classic with awesome exposure. Will hopefully lead it next year all being well

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Revisiting Portishead Quarry after many years. We did most of the routes on the slab (either leading or shunting). There were a couple of other parties there and a really friendly atmosphere developed.

Somehow this just made a brilliant day.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

This summer I had my 1st trip to gogarth. What a place, led a route on the main cliff, can't even remember the name but it was awesome. 

Just glad to have my first full year properly climbing for about 6 or 7 years. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Had my first trip to Lundy this year, I was initially a bit phased by the exposure, approaches etc, but after a few days got used to it and did Devil's Slide which was brilliant.

2020 has obviously been terrible, but the silver lining is that, because I couldn’t travel to climb sport like I usually do, I got to know some of the UK’s amazing trad offerings. I spent a few weeks in July “remote working” (but actually just climbing) in the Lakes, and another stint in September/October in Cornwall. Having never led trad before this year, I got comfortable enough on gear that I was able to send a few HVS’s — and more importantly I realized how much *adventure* I’d been missing out on as a sport climber! If I had to pick one highlight it would probably be: reaching the penultimate belay on South Face Direct at Chair Ladder, lounging on that big comfy ledge overlooking the sea in full glorious sun. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I had a great trip in early March to the Costa Blanca, with three crazy Lancashire lads. Our day on Diedros Mágicos (6a) stands out as particularly phenomenal, though a lot of good climbing was had - both trad and sport - and I onsighted my first 6c (probably a bit soft). Away from the coast, this is such a beautiful area. I can still smell the crushed thyme and rosemary of the mountains.

As soon as we were allowed out after the first lockdown, I had some great trips cycling to Trowbarrow with a friend. We had a lot of fun headpointing Izzy the Push (E2 5c) - which has some fiddly gear and packs in a lot of steep climbing for such a short pitch.

I had a lovely summer evening climbing Fang Direct (E1 5a) and Hernia (E1 5b) with a very close friend who I hadn't been able to see for some time due to all shades of tragedy.

I finally visited Scafell Crag for the first time, and had a cracking time with a good pal doing Botterill's Slab (VS 4c) and Moss Ledge Direct and Jones' Arete (VS 4c). I also got to Esk Buttress for the first time, which was fantastic but spooky - particularly the scrambles up to the climbs! Visiting these places was one of the benefits of finally getting a car.

Apart from these days, I had some really enjoyable trips out with my partner, most notable of which was probably a lovely day climbing Gillercombe Buttress (S 4a) together.

Other good routes: Chequers Buttress (HVS 5a) and Three Pebble Slab (HVS 5a) (in January!), Pluto (HVS 5a), Finale (HVS 5a), Do Not Direct (E1 5b), Gethsemane (E1 5b), Columbia (E1 5b) and Eliminate 'A' (VS 4c).

There were lots of other good climbing days besides - and some good fell running too. And I'm thankful for each of these, for keeping me relatively sane during a complete fckr of a year.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Climbing a nice alpine route on Koppenkarstein / Dachstein with a longt time alpine club colleague i had never climbed with before after his heart transplantation. And seeing his fun when others probably aready would have ended their climbing career because of a similar OP. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Sacre Coeur (E2 5c) I'd climbed it twice before, yonks ago, but I'd forgotten just how good it is!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

For me it was doing my new route Motivation (E3 5c), just in time before the weather worsened and lockdowns intervened.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

After the spring lockdown it was great to get down to the warm colours and sunny skies of Devon. My Dad and I had a day at Baggy Point, probably 30 years since our first visit there. It was one of those rare days when the sea is calm and deep green with submerged reefs disappearing off out into dark water and Lundy floating on the horizon.

We found Urizon and Lost Horizon a bit more physical than we remembered but without much practice and a combined age of 130 we made our excuses and, as so many times before, returned satisfied over the hill to Croyde.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Costa Blanca in January, my gf and I did 'Parle', an easy seacliff climb but the location and nature of the route makes it a bit of an adventure. We followed it with 'Magical Mystery Tour', another route on the same cliff, also not too hard but adventurous feeling all the same.

In reply to harold walmsley:

That certainly sounds exciting Harold!  Do you have any photos?

Neil

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Bishop's Rib and South Face Direct on a blue day at Chair Ladder in August. High tide was midday so we had the cliff to ourselves. With four months of the year yet to go we knew we'd just had the best day of the year. Perfect.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Definitely not the best route of the year but Mam Tor Gully this summer was definitely a memorable experience 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Having not enjoyed climbing that much for a year or two I had a great time on The Soup Dragon (E2 5c). I've done a few sea cave routes and generally found them a bit rank (but always exciting, sometimes terrifying), but the novelty of this route and the incredible feature it explores made it absolutely outstanding.

A good day on my todd was later in the season, scrambling up Scafell Pike from Eskdale, via Thor's Buttress and Pen, then soloing a classic route on Scafell on a part of the crag I'd not been up before, and back. Right up my street.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I'll throw another one in. Wild camping up on top of the moors at Crow stones and spending 2 hot, sunny days bouldering.

In reply to Neil Foster:

There are a few in the Carneddau Rock Facebook group. I'll ask if the photographers don't mind me posting a few on UKC .

In reply to Jon Stewart:

yes the soup dragon is a classic, very exciting. We found https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/gun_cliff-793/dragon_slayer-137408, equally exciting and no pushover at E1. Lots of sea cave adventures down there.

In reply to Dave Ferguson:

Isolation Motivation (E5 6b) was a satisfying new route at the end of the first lockdown after a big cleaning effort.

All the starred VS’ at Bwlch y moch in a day was fun too.

In reply to Neil Foster:

I have uploaded some. The action shots are attached, there is a topo in my gallery.

In reply to Dave Ferguson:

Cheers, looks cool!

In reply to dinodinosaur:

The Ring of Fire (7c+) it was great to put this to bed this year. Excellent sustained climbing.

Also Zaff Skoczylas, Sit-start (f7B+) was brilliant. Great line and fabulous moves. An unexpected end of year bonus.

Andy F

In reply to harold walmsley:

Good effort Harold, sounds like a pretty committing route too!

In reply to harold walmsley:

That crack is new?! Looks like quite a find.

In reply to harold walmsley:

Thanks Harold - Motivation looks great!

I was thinking those unclimbed lines to the right look mint too, but the commentary on Carneddau Rock tells me they were done some years ago.

Well done on your efforts though.

Neil

In reply to Misha:

I’d agree with this. As an alpine mixed route, Birthright had it all. Best route of the year.

Best experience was getting to do a first new trad route on a first visit to Owey Island in September. Friends had done all the hard work finding an untapped wall, all we needed to do was ab in & pick a line. I thought the climbing was brilliant but maybe that’s just how it all feels when doing something new. A magical island with amazing climbing & the last trad weekend of the year spent with good people. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Ego would probably say my first 7A in 15+ years, after getting back into climbing. The wilfully obscure Ramp Eliminate (V6), climbs really nicely on a mix of slopers and crimps and a cunning hip drop. Likely overgraded but I'll take it. The soul climber would say the sum total of trips poking around on the Lancashire moorland and other odd little venues, racking up just shy of 500 problems this year. Grateful for all the guides and online stuff we have now that help seek out fun ways of getting to the top of pointless rocks.

In reply to Si dH:

P2 would committing if done on sight but I had the knowledge. With my prior knowledge the whole thing felt about E2, which is my limit these days (I struggle on a lot of E1s on sight). The runners are a bit obscure on P2: some placements are nearly invisible and there is some fiddly ropework needed to make sure they stay in. I wondered about posting details of what goes where and how I used the ropes but couldn't see how to hide them from people who didn't want to know.

In reply to Michael Gordon:

The crack is new as far as we know, although according to the best information we can find, one of the earlier routes is said to have started up it before breaking out right on to the face. I think the previous pioneers were stronger climbers than me and were looking for the harder lines on the faces.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

One arm hang from Beastmaker bottom middle edge.

Its not been a great year.

In reply to UKB Shark:

You'll be cruising The Bonsai with those fingers of steel.

Andy F

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Just coming out of injury it was great to do Gillercombe Buttress on a beautiful sunny day in September. I have just prolapsed a disc in my neck so the winters fu**ed.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Teaching a complete beginner to climb and belay.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Oh hard question, had quite a few good yin’s this year despite Covid and lockdown. 
 

Enjoyed 5 days in March climbing on the Ben with perfect ice. We done Minus 3 Gully, Hadrian’s Wall Direct, Mega Route X and the Curtain. 
 

Passed my Winter Mountain Leader assessment which was an incredible feeling. 
 

Got to climb in The Peak for the first time having spend most of lockdown in that area with family. 
 

Managed to tick some classic Scottish rock routes such as Spartan Slab, The Clean Sweep, The Magic Crack & Salamander on Creag Ghlas after moving back to Scotland in the summer. 
 

Reached Munro number 200. 
 

Finally, I started a really cool job working in Glasgow’s Covid testing lab with a great bunch of people. 
 

Looking back on the year, it’s actually been really good, it’s easy to get on a downer with restrictions and Covid. Got my health.

Merry Christmas all, hope next years kind to you 😁

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Hey Dino good job on centerfold! (We bumbed into you at Desplomilandia in February I think?). I reckon my best would have been Zeppelin in a oner at Mother Carey's, I mucked up on the first attempt so pulled the ropes. Second go though, pulling through the crux with arms topped to the brim with lactic acid, and then slumping into the steepest hands off rest I've ever seen felt amazing. How I managed to hang on though the gopping wet upper crack I don't know, the experience was just so complete  It's been on the to do list for years so I'm glad I had to really dig in and fight for it, one of those routes that'll stay with me I think.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I led Ivi in Kalymnos which is a really pumpy 7a+ which I had to work really hard for. Felt quite rewarding when I finally did it as it took about 4 energy sapping attempts. Not the hardest route I did but maybe because it really did not suit me I had to work very hard.  
 

I would generally always say a big mountain route or long trad route. I did climb central buttress on Scafell, did a cool e3 at lower sharpnose and head pointed an e5 at nesscliffe but Ivi definitely put up the biggest fight and gave the biggest reward. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Climbed Spartan slab in the early September sun, had a pair of golden eagles soaring over us all day!

We rocked up to Glen Etive at 1 am after 7 hour drive from the peak. Went down to the lock for a quick cuppa before bed and look at the awesome stars and Milky Way. Met a load of young Scots on razzle, had a good Chinwag with them, then went to bed. At 4am we were woken by a domestic and a scuffle in the car park and end up not getting out the scratch pit till 11.00

Due to us running late we hardly had any breakfast, the approach was ridiculous, went completely off route, wet, boggy and loads of bugs. Ended up being 3rd in line for the route. Lovey climbing on perfect granite, got back to the van at 7pm completely dehydrated and drained...

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Ooh fun question! Nice work on Centrefold, got so much time for Rhoscolyn

Mine would be The Mau Mau on the Slate. Wanted to do it for ages and hadn't got on an E4 for nearly two years. It was a proper skin-of-the-teeth, redline experience where I only just came away with the onsight. Such a rewarding and addictive feeling!

In reply to dinodinosaur: Fiesta de Los Biceps - my first route at Riglos in early March just before the first lockdown kicked in. Touted as “only the best sport route in the world” and lived up to the hype. What an amazing day and experience.  

In reply to dinodinosaur: My first route after a new hip and first lockdown. A rather non-descript 5+ but in a wonderful position at the higher Gilwern crag on a sunny day looking deep into mid Wales 

In reply to Mike D:

Such a fantastic route, and under-appreciated I think. I did it as a birthday treat a couple of years ago, in what sounds like more amenable conditions. Still a memorable trip! 

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2017/09/01/flytrap-on-gogarth-north-stack-...

In reply to dinodinosaur:

A balmy August afternoon on Bosigran Ridge, perfect flat sea and cloudless sky. We had the whole route to ourselves and wandered up at our leisure. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Most probably Diamond Wednesday (HVS 5a) at the  Roaches Upper Tier. 

Although I think I went slightly off route as someone did call me out when I uploaded a picture on here. It was a very fulfilling experience. 

Cheers 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Great thread, just what's needed in this f*ck up of a year.

Flake Crack at Kyloe, first 'real' route after 10 years off the rock, sublime.

Brown Slabs Direct at Shepherds, amazing to be back in The Lakes, more to come.

Here's to a better 2021, take it easy.

Steve

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Crossing the Haardanger plateau on skis just before lockdown. Wild, beautiful and committing.

There were a couple of nice days at Bosigran too, especially introducing my 12 year old daughter to climbing in such a magical place.

Steve

In reply to steveoracle:

Lovely route, perfect severe. Shame about the tooling scars.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Two routes we'd wanted to do for ages.

Amethyst Pillar in the cairngorms above an inversion on our way home after a week of great weather in the highlands. 

and

Engineers slabs at the end of a long weekend in the lakes in September. Just warm enough to be enjoyable and well worth the wait. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I managed to cruise several VSs which was my personal best last last year and led 3 HVSs.  Post lockdown psche!  Brant Direct (HVS 5a), Bruvers (HVS 5a) and Britomartis (HVS 4c) all classics and amazing experiences. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Three routes in the sun on  Scafell East Buttress and still enough daylight and psych to hop over Mickledore and do Central Buttress (E1 5b) in the golden evening light. Magic!

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2020/06/25/a-feast-on-the-east/

Spending a while in Leonidio was great, getting the flash on Kopa Kabana (7c) as the last foute of the trip felt awesome, as was A Pig in the Roof (8b). The highlight of the trip was hangingnout with a super fun team of climbers.

Back home in the Alps it was great to rattle off loads of classics, Dru Traverse, Grepon mer de glace, diable ridge, Bienvenue George, zinalrothorn,  obergabelhorn, matterhorn etc...

In reply to Will_Thomas_Harris:

Sounds like you're going well Will! Season's Greetings to you and Amy and looking forward to more travels in 2021  

Cheers, Dom 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Heart and Soul/Blockbuster at Fairhead

Fiesta De Los biceps at Riglos

Calvary at Stanage

Peuterey Integrale up to the Summit of Mont Blanc

Requiem at Cratcliffe

Cullin Ridge (perfect weather all week up on Skye)

In reply to dinodinosaur:

The silver lining to the dark cloud for me was a proper crack at the Bouldering on my doorstep at Ogmore Bouldering

I've dabbled there before but somewhat put off by the lack of holds and stories of 5 year sieges ! During the summer I loaded up with pads, jumped on the Mountain Bike and cycled down for many delightful solo evening sessions in a fantastic and tranquil setting.

I got up a few things and even added a bloc !

Daylight Robbery (f7B)

Hooby's Roof (V7)

Pebble Dash (without foot block) (V9)

Further Confusion (f6C)

Oyster (f6C)

then a 3 week period at  Dinas Rock where I somehow ticked one of my 2020 goals

Saluki (f7B+)

Was satisfying - some big grade jumps in bouldering just about made up for a lack of route climbing.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

At the start of the year I'd resolved to push my climbing harder than in previous years, push myself onto routes that I wasn't certain to get up and go out on my own with a boulder pad when my regular partners weren't available. It actually started well, but then first the pandemic, and later a string of consecutive personal setbacks disrupted everything. As things are, I need to get my PhD thesis complete and my knee healed before I can get back to climbing.

That said, I've still managed to make some good memories. My route choices are a reflection on my year as a whole:

Back in early March, my mate and I noticed that there looked to be a good short weather window up in Snowdonia. We'd been waiting years to do Central Trinity (II 2) but we'd never quite been there at the right time. On the spur of the moment, we packed up after work and headed up from Bristol to Pen-y-Pass where we stayed at the youth hostel. On the journey up, we noted that it was a clear, cold and moonlit night and a plan formed. On reaching the hostel at 11pm, we immediately dumped our stuff, kitted up and headed out to the Ogwen Valley. We were at the base of Banana Gully (I) by 1 am, on the summit of  Y Garn (Gwynedd) by 1:45, had a summit beer in a frigid night under the stars and back in the youth hostel by 3:15 to go straight to sleep. Then we got up again at 7:45, grateful for the full English and coffee at the hostel. We headed up the PYG track in the mist but as we were tooling up at the base of the Spider on the Clogwyn y Garnedd face, the mist rose to reveal fantastic views and blue skies. We got up Central Trinity in short order without needing to get the ropes out, had a pleasant lunch on the summit of Snowdon, staggered back to the car with legs shot and got back to Bristol within 24 hours of leaving. Not a bad smash and grab, and one that we were glad to have done as the situation with the virus became more serious abroad and in the UK and the lockdown began to loom.

The next route was in July on my birthday, in that summer window when there was a bit of a respite from the gloom of the previous months. A day out at Shorn Cliff was stalled when we ran towards shouts for help from another climber. It turned out his partner had decked out from about 5m after his gear had ripped, stumbled backwards and hit his head hard, knocking himself out (he'd forgotten to wear his lid). He was conscious but clearly concussed and had been bleeding when we arrived. We stayed with them, watching for signs of improvement or deterioration and helping to contact the emergency services. Ultimately we helped the rescue service to clear a serviceable path, taking more than 4 hours to extract him to the forestry track, which was an eye-opener. Unwilling to call it a day, I climbed Bitter Battle Tears (HVS 5a) (wearing a helmet), which felt steady given the lack of climbing throughout the year. I later learnt that the fallen climber was discharged from hospital the same day without injuries, so a good outcome.

My final route was following my own injury and knee surgery in mid-August. By mid-October I was getting seriously itchy feet so I went for a hike up Sugar Loaf mountain, my first day in the hills since the Snowdon trip and currently my last. The next day I got my mate to drag me up Idleburger Buttress (VD) on a very tight rope with my leg brace on to protect my knee. It may be a scrappy, polished and unremarkable little VDiff climb but on that day, getting up it without any great difficulty despite only having one and a half functioning legs felt incredible, and breathed hope and energy back into me.

Unfortunately following a few more successful easy climbs in similar style, I did myself another worse injury to my knee, although fortunately it wasn't through climbing. It looks like I won't be climbing anything now for a good few months, and it's only a small consolation that I'm out of action at a time when travelling to climb is prohibited anyway. It's Sod's Law that it's looking like this winter could be one of the best for conditions in a long time, but I'll just have to look towards the spring and early summer for better days worth looking forward to.

In reply to dinodinosaur:

A weird year as I got quite a bit done but was never allowed to get into any kind of groove and was constantly plagued by headgame demons and falling in and out of enjoying climbing. Never felt fit but somehow still managed to onsight 6c, despite doing half as much sport climbing as I usually do. 

Early summer after the first lockdown I had a few great weekends away. Went to The Dewerstone for the first time (feeling a bit iffy about climbing, having only had a shaky time at Portishead Quarry and slid about on roadside Cheddar), but had a fun day getting up Central Groove, CCO, and Leviathan in a beautiful place with only a couple of other climbers around. Another weekend I ticked off all the Classic Rock routes at The Roaches and Hen Cloud, as well as doing Valkyrie (spending an hour hiding under the roof on Via De La Rosa from the rain didn't seem to damped the occasion). Later in the summer I led three Joe Brown VSs at Froggat as well as Goliaths Groove (the latter living up to its reputation as a struggle but felt amazing to get on it and even better to top it). 

The one bigger trip away this year was to Scotland with my friend Dan. He's having a baby so was keen to cram quality and quantity in spades, which left me mostly gassing. Although the forecast changed and stopped us getting up to Glencoe, we had a couple of great days on Arran and a slog on The Cobbler before we were sent back to England. Did South Ridge Direct, having driven up the night before, slept for a few hours in a carpark, got the ferry over and slogged with all our kit into the glen, eating nothing more than a couple of cereal bars. It felt punishing at the time but what a day. Blue skies and no midgies. 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

Eeech.  My logbook tells me I have only climbed three routes this year.  But my route experience of the year wasn't on one of them! It was bagging the Rat Island letterbox on Lundy (again).

First time round I had a six month old baby (safely left with mum!), and let's just say I didn't go via the guidebook description.  This time me, mum, baby (now nine years old) and his little brother all went on an expedition via the official guidebook route.  On the way we met a few folk we'd been playing letter box tag with over the previous few days and most of us hopped, scrambled and waded our way up in a very communal way.

It felt like a proper adventure and was a wonderful holiday from the plague.  The pint in the Marisco after was delicious.

In reply to Bobling:

It could be just me, but I have absolutely no idea what that means.

I did understand that bit....

Neil

In reply to Neil Foster:

Ah. Well next time you go make sure you get a letter box pack from the shop!  https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/discovering-lundy/activities/l...  oh, look there's Rat Island on the left hand side of the picture, you can't see the route up it though.