Rolling Back the Years

I've lost my buzz, the weather has finally beat it out of me. I've hardly thought about Walking Mussel in the last week. I planned to go down to LPT Thursday evening but after looking over the wall it was apparent that it was actually fucked. Seepage from above and dark greasy rock below. Usually the climbing struggle is in your own hands (well kind of) but at the moment it's in the hands of the elements and i'm starting to think i'll do nothing this year. The problem is by the time it improves i'll be hanging by a noose with my limp penis getting pecked at by grateful seagulls. Anyway every cloud has a silver lining and i went back to Pill Box (which incidentally is one of the most reliable crags round here conditions wise). I've repeated a lot of stuff on Pill Box recently but there are two more new links for me to aim for. Drink Driving into Last Orders and/or Last Rites would be very cool and very sustained. The Last Rites link is probably beyond me but i'm keen to have the Last Orders one as a goal and if nothing else it's a reason to go there. Last Orders is a 7a up line just by the edge of the Box.
I first visited the box in 2002 armed with the Northern Soul: Coastal Crags pamphlet. It's funny to see how far Mr P's topo making abilities have come on in ten years. It is the topo making equivalent of jumping from 7a to 9a!

There were 9 problems with the hardest being Kristian Klemmow's, Millenium Drive at V10. I got keen for the place and managed the 2nd ascent of Millenium Drive (Mule downgraded it on the 3rd ascent). My first new problems were Jack Daniels Connection and Chris' Link, both 7b+. I kept going back to my favourite crag and after 40 days managed Drink Driving in 2007. I gave it 8a+ as it had taken 4 times longer than the 8a's i'd done. I managed the harder start in 2009 (Jack the Drunk).
On Thusday i felt mutant warming up, i instantly recognised it was one of those rare days and i was cursing the fact i wasn't trying to climb Walking Mussel. Smitton and Dylan were there racing up E5's. Smit on More Genius:

There was only one thing for it, i sat down in that very familiar position and crabbed leftwards like i had so many times before. It felt like i was shaking hands with an old friend. I got to the two hard redpoint moves and crimped hard. I got the first pinch, a move i must have fallen off 100s of times and almost managed the cross under which marks the end of the hard climbing. It was a real buzz to almost repeat it, i felt like a better climber and the acres of extra flab weren't stopping me. Maybe the finishing links would be possible after all. I went back on Saturday and fell off the same move although i wasn't as strong. Pete Robins has never really got stuck into the box but he's started to get tick his way through the easier problems armed with a printed out ticklist. I'm sure he'll have everything ticked off in another few days. He's unrelenting that boy!
Pete attempting The Malteser, 7c:

It seems like Last Rites could be 7b now as easier beta has emerged. I'll be a bit gutted if the 8a link from Malteser comes down. The new crimp that people have started using on Jack Daniels has basically made it pointless as it's so close to Original Problem so i'm going to have to declare it a historical eliminate i.e, the crimp is out. An eliminate it may be but the original 7b+ seqeuence and the 7b sequence are brilliant so it's still worthwhile. I don't care about Jack the Drunk losing significance as i know it was a hard thing that i did.
Old footage from Bamboo Productions:

Jack The Drunk - Chris Doyle from Bamboo Chicken Productions on Vimeo.

Pete Harrison is doing some re-equipping on Upper Empire. Last year Norman bolted Wild Blue Yonder at 6b. He soloed the first ascent of this, he's fucking nuts. It's filthy and loose. Pete bolted and led Man in Motion which is a bit more trad than sport. Can't see me going back but good effort Pete anyway.