Yorkshire

Me and Mule headed to Yorkshire on Saturday morning. My goal was to do some training and to find a cool project and Mule wanted to crush some routes. We headed straight to Kilsney where we met Steve Dunning and Dave Buchanan and Dal and Louise. We warmed up and i got on Subculture, didn't really like the crux bit but had some redpoints to no avail. The North Buttress was seaping so we left that. Mule tried to flash Comedy, he would of pulled it off he he'd got his thumb on one of the final holds. He did it next go.
Steve on Comedy:


Dave was trying All Out looked pretty meaty (well it is a Carson route!). I have never really got into Kilsney, i have always much preferred Malham, maybe one day.
Next day we headed to the Cove. I wanted to do some stamina training on my old nemesis Overnite Sensation. I've fallen off the last move of this route about 6 times over the years. I just find it so pumpy. Shit bastard. Anyway i soon got sacked with it and couldn't resist having a go on Austrian Oak, always fancied this one. Malham is the most beta intensive crag i've ever been to. If your going to try something hard there my advice would be to go on a weekend where there will definitely be a man there who will inform you which smears to put your feet on. Its so god damn complicated but very special climbing. Mule was on Raindogs, he dropped the move to the chain but not before he fell off by the last bolt with all the slack out clipping. He fell into the starting groove. The weekend was not going well for me, needed to take something positive from it. Magnetic Fields was my last chance! I have tried this before too, doing the moves when i was light but failing to do them on subsequent visits. What would happen this time??? Ted was on hand to shout out the numbers. I pulled straight up to the meat of the route, the famous pocket pull! It wasn't feeling too bad. I went to the top. The last move is a horrible stretch rightwards into an undercut off a backhand undercut. Very weird and very worrying. Anyway i was psyched. The route isn't pumpy like Overnite. It is basically a 7a+ boulder to the undercuts then a 7b/7b+ boulder to the third bolt, then a 7b/+ route to the top. The good thing about the top though is that it is tricky rather than pumpy. The next day i managed to link the crux YYFY. I worked out the start too, this is tricky! So i have always wanted to do this route, its famous and hard and i like the style. Will be back soon for another go. Mule fell off the last move of Raindogs again! Bugger. Lincoln had a shcok on the redpoint of The Maximum when he clipped a bolt and the hanger came off! Ha exciting stuff:

Mule on Raindogs: