STRESS!

Times are hard here in Penrhyn Bay. Projecting a route at your limit on the Diamond is proving to be extremely stressful! I'm happy with my efforts and progress on the route what i'm not happy with is the external factors that are beyond my control! Having to contend with the tides is one thing but conditions are so fickle at the bloody place its becoming infuriating. Yesterday i was feeling good but was just greasing off. Any kind of dampness in the air and your buggered! And now it gets dark at five so you get even less time down there! Ahhh!! Deep breaths, must stay positive. I think i'm just gonna train even harder and get the best shape i can then when the good day comes along i'll crush it. I know i can do it.
Tomorrow People:

Nodder making a speedy getaway:

Hysteria Re-equipped

Was at a loose end yesterday morning so went down the Diamond on my tod to glue Hysteria 7b, Pete Harrison drilled it and left a rope in situ making it easy for me. Looks like a fun route, very steep! The weather isn't good for the Diamond right now, hot an damp, yesterday was gopping! Then i jumped ship to the Great Orme to meet Tony S, made a redpoint ascent of Fawcetts testpiece Needle in The Groove 7b+, very nice if shortlived route on mayfair wall. May the lord of the ormes bless us with some good conditions please!

NO Overnight Sensation! (Doth Nemesis Slain)

Most climbers have a nemesis, a particular climb that they just can't crack no matter what. Mine has always been Overnight Sensation 8a+ at Malham Cove. I don't recall when i first tried this route but it was a while ago thats for sure. Having dropped the last move half a dozen times i'd begun to lose hope. The start is a fingery long and hard font 7b sequence but then you have to finish up a French 7c headwall. There were times where i was strong enough to piss the start but lacked the fitness to finish it and vice versa. A bit of luck and i probably would have done it years ago. The problem with it was that efforts were never continous because i've always lived a few hours from Malham. I'd do well on a particular day but wouldn't go back for weeks, this kind of disjointed effort was not the way to get stuff done. With the tides being in this week i quite fancied climbing a bit more on rock and Malham seemed a good choice so i teamed up with Ted and we headed north. Even if it was just for training purposes it would be worth it but in the back of my mind i hoped i would be in good enough shape to crush something. Afetr warming up i got on Overnight, i was still familiar with it and i got through the start by the skin of my teeth first redpoint. It had taken to much out of me though. On my last go i found myself at the big long move at the end and for the first time in the history of my Malham career i latched the move. I was however knacked and couldn't close it up. Joy and despair in equal measure. I was however confident for the next day. After a few duff redpoints i got the big last move again but this time i closed it out and boy did it feel good. I was very pleased, not just because i'd ticked my nemesis but also because i knew my power endurance had improved. Ted ticked Vogue 7c+ and some other 7c on the left and we left happy chappies!

Back to the Training Board

Another tidal window passes and as the weather and the nights draw in, the opportunities for outside rock climbing in Britain will become more limited. Me and Tommy had a last minute dash to the Diamond yesterday. I got to the high redpoint crux again but was stronger this time, like i said, a matter of time. With work prospects looking ever gloomy looks like the next week will be spent in the Mill cranking up the power endurance! I wouldn't mind a Yorkshire hit too (Malham) if anyones keen? Would be nice to keep the rock training going too and see where i'm at on other stuff.

Onwards and Upwards!

I'm not gonna keep boring you all with detailed blow by blow accounts of the Diamond. But today i got 6 moves from the finishing jug. Was fucked but it felt good getting so high, only a bit more fitness stopping me now. My life has revolved around this crag and this project for a while now, i'm getting poorer and poorer as i haven't been working but it will be worth it. Soon i'll be a tramp living in a cardboard box at Craig-y-don but at least i'll be a happy tramp. A couple more days left this tide, then training and maybe an excursion to a big white crag far far away.

Jon r doing a spot of bolting:

Relief!

Diamond time is upon us again. Went down earlyish with Dave Redpath yesterday but was pleasantly surprised to find it dry. First go fell off crux, ended up meddling with it some more and finally i think i know how to do the crux. Next go got through the crux but was powered out again, couldn't even clip - lob! I was starting to get disillusioned. Had got here maybe 4 times now and every time i hadn't been able to move. Maybe i had bitten off more than i could chew. Next go once i got the flatty i dropped my feet down a bit lower and i could hang on with a straight arm, instantly it felt better. I clipped fine and then made the next move out left, i fell off going for the half decent shakeout. Progress and finally i started to believe i could get high on this route. We didn't get long as the sea raced in.
Today was shit, there didn't appear to be much difference in the conditions but the route was basically to greasy to climb on. Very frustrating. Spent most of the day just watching the boys on Never get Out of the Boat and had a quick go of Tommy's proj, super bouldery! Hope for better nick next time.
Jim on the newly bolted Rub a Dub Dub 7a:

Blimey!

6719 views in 9 days. Thats more than my youtube stuff thats been up for over a year. The feedback on the whole has been pretty positive too.
Anyway i'm not a filmmaker i'm a rock climber and a vey excited one at that. This week i hope the get higher on the Diamond, the forecast is looking good too!

One more training session today, i'm really keeping my fingers crossed that this fitness training has been worthwhile and i'll be able to tell the difference. But if not i'll keep going until i've been chucked out my house for not paying the rent and living in a carboard box under Craig-y-Don. By the way if anyones looking to move to Penrhyn Bay i have a spare room and a big tele.