Jackpot!!!

                                            Manhandled V11, Cave of man hands

It's not often that you visit an area that you have discovered and find it to be better than you remembered. In fact, it has never happened before to me. Usually I'll talk up an area until my unwitting sidekicks are expecting the next Andersens or Taipan wall only to discover that it is merely one boulder, moss covered and no more than 6 feet tall... Luckily in this instance there was independent confirmation as to the quality of the venue before we re-visited, although it was still with some trepidation that Ross Taylor and I slowly made our way up to "The cave of man-hands", as it is now known. I was amazed, bigger, longer, steeper and better rock, why the hell had I waited a year to revisit? We quickly got down to business and had an amazing day, aside from Ross trying to kill himself with a dislodged kettle-bell sized piece of rock. A bunch of easier problems, up to about V9 on all angles fell rapidly, before I turned my attention to one of the obvious ribs that meandered out through the roof to a rounded top. Manhandled, V11 was the result and it was amazing. It has everything, some small crimps, some big spans and some all out grunting squeezes. And, to make things even better, there is more to go... Back there this weekend, so will keep you posted. Laters...

Indian Summer in Font

When the forces of destiny conspired that I would spend three autumnal weeks in Fontainebleau I knew it wouldn’t be the sub-zero perfection that I had on my last trip there over three years ago. However, being a man of numbers, average temperatures around 16 to 18 didn’t sound too bad. By definition of an average, for every warmer day there would hopefully be a cooler one in which the mythical friction would emerge in all its Velcro-like glory to allow some respectable ascents which I would report herein with barely concealed pride.

L'homme a la Dent Creuse 7B

What I did not expect was a fortnight long record-breaking heat wave that saw my designs of Bleau mastery melt away like dropped ice cream on the footpath. After drying my tears I realised there were only two things to do: 1) get tactical with early morning and late evening sessions on shady boulders with holds that I could bend to my will despite a total lack of friction, and 2) make the most of exploring the surrounding area with my lass.

La Coccinelle 7C+ 

Tactic 1 got me up a handful blocs up to 7C+ish, and tactic 2 revealed a whole world of places, sights, tastes and experiences I never would have had if I’d been on a single minded “climb-or-else” trip. So although my best laid plans went astray, it was a good lesson in accepting what you can’t change and making the most of what you can.

Quartzite Goodness!!

ZAC VERTREES WARMING UP ON PUNKS IN THE GYM 32 photo SMITTEN

Migrating down south for spring...I'm currently residing in a small peppermint cottage in the sleepy town of Mitre with one long standing project on my mind, the mighty Somalia! This line blasts up the front wall of the Pharos at Araps and has stood the test of time. Conceived by pom Nick White  and bolted over a quarter of century ago.The orientation of this line aids the desperate nature of the climb as it is facing south east  and bakes from sun up to sun set, so those slick bum's become well lubricated with midday sun making crux 1, a digit mono almost impossible to grasp. So these gorgeous sunny spring days that we are currently experiencing are doing little to help my confidence when it comes to fronting the wall of the Pharos for a hack at a mega classic long standing project that seems to have become unfashionable over the years. A mono fetish is recommended, but remember you must set your heart to the controls of the sun, or just come for a tan. To brake up the monotony of the siege I have been taking the odd field trip to the best stone on the planet, the Grampians, exploring new areas with the local hard man HB Malcolm Matheson down in The Lost World. It is one of the Gramps undiscovered gems with several three star routes on offer and touted as having some of the best pitches in the country.  My pick of the litter being a Space Odyssey and what a journey it is with two exciting pitches of 26 & 27 the latter being remnant of a wrestling match up the underside of a ships prow that feels well above the tree line.

I'll keep you posted on the progress, Zac.

Tom et je Ris - sent

Hello from France! PHOTO SIMON CARTER

I did it! The route of my dreams, Tom et je Ris. It was a fight to the very end. In the high crux I was certain that I was off. I even screamed out, Noooo, as I came up short with my left hand. I dug deep; slammed a right heel against the tufa, managed a quick shake for my left hand only and then I just kept to my sequence and kept going through the motions, screaming with each move. To my amazement I arrived at the last cave and took a very long rest.

PHOTO SIMON CARTER

So needless to say that I am on cloud nine, I have achieved something that I have been dreaming about for several years now. It almost feels unreal. 

Monique