New E11

Beth Rodden has climbed a new route - Meltdown - in Yosemite. Not a bouldering story I know but E11 is big news. Meltdown being the third given such a grade. Rhapsody and Cobra Crack being the other two.

Full details from UKC and Climbing.com.

Free Tibet

Sounds like a dream, doesn't it? A free Tibet. Or even a Tibet without torture. We (me and Jenny) have be wondering about how to support the Tibetans and I've happened upon the Sad Smokey Mountains project. Italian artist and mountaineer, Alberto Peruffo, has setup the SSM project in protest of the ongoing situation in Tibet. You'll find details here: http://www.sadsmokymountains.net/.

The protest is going to take place on 8 August 2008, my 35th birthday, to coincide with the opening ceremony of the Olympic games. Ban Ki-moon won't be attending it would seem, neither will any other world leader with any integrity. Here in Ireland we don't have any significant peaks, Carrauntoohil wouldn't qualify in my humble opinion. I suppose if we got enough smoke off the top of the Dublin Mountains to be seen across the capital it might be good enough.

However to really make an impact (i.e. get on national television) it would have to be a significant structure or building in Dublin with a roof that is attainable.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Evolve FFS!

Ha! Made me laugh anyway.

Grades

Yep, guess I'm a grade whore. So for the benefit of my non-European readers I'm including a grade conversion chart. Reproduced with permission from the nice people over at Rock Fax. I found a conversion chart on camp4.com but it was rubbish. According to them I've climbed V7. I wish.

By the way, the sit start to Andy's Arête is 7a+, not 7a as I had originally thought.

Here you go:

St Patricks Day

So I headed up to Glendo in fine weather expecting a crowd but was pretty much on my own. A couple of others were working projects on the far side of the valley but I was over by Big Jim and Jane for most of the day. My apprenticeship on Andy's Arête starts today. Being ill during the week seems to have taken a bit of a tole and it took me ages to get going. Easy warm up problems were spitting me off like so much chewed tobacco but I persevered and managed to get my head in the game.

The 6b on the face of Big Jim was first to be worked. Those of you who know me will have seen my on this problem at some stage or another this winter. Its probably way over due a send but I haven't cracked it yet, until today when I cracked it, except I didn't crack it at all. After my bouldering master class last weekend I've been reviewing my technique and seeing problems in a new light, which has inspired a new solution to this problemo. Its a much more technical solution that involves a tricky rock over onto a tiny edge which requires a lot of trusting in feet. But it works. I was so surprised when I eventually latched the top jug that I forgot to hold on, so it didn't go. I tried again in vain for 30 minutes and latched the jug again one more time only to have my foot slip. Its been a long time since I got fed of with my bouldering but I was very un-impressed today. In hind-sight this is probably a good thing as it will give me drive.

Then I moved on to Andy's Arête. This is my big tick for my year of bouldering. Well my big tick is a 7a, I've decided to work this one. Andy's Arête by a standing start goes at 6c (I think), ad the sitting start and you've got a 7a. So today was my first day and it was the standing start. To be honest it went okay, I've worked out a sequence that may work, time will tell, and have started working it. It start off with getting established on a right smear and then latching an small edge with the left toe. At this point you rock up onto the left and then move up for the next hand hold. Managed to get the rockup twice but have to work out what to do with my right foot to stop me from barn-dooring. Probably spent to much time on Big Jim before hand. Ah well, it looks like a plausible project though.

To finish off I did the path side traverse, the sequence is photographed below.

Piclens

Time to start up this blog again. I know I've been of line for a while, this was due to a family bereavement. So I've news to talk about it my next couple of entries.

But first of all I want to gush about Piclens. There are very few browser addons that get me excited, I mean Sage is about it when it comes to recommendations. I tend to consider a lot of them a gimmick that I won't use in my day to day life, most of what I use are developer tools and probably aren't much use to anyone who isn't a developer. But piclens is awe inspiring. I don't know if any of you are familiar with it but get yourself firefox (which you should have already), install piclens and get on over to UKC's top 200 photo's. Its amazing, truly amazing. I'm hoping it becomes a web standard like Flash.

In upcoming news I've been bouldering, attended a master class and we've a new climbing wall in Dublin. Keep an eye on this space.

Engaged

Well now, been a while hasn't it? I've still to post on my recent trip to font but far more interesting is myself and Jenny getting engaged!

That's why I haven't been blogging, to busy living life.