Month: May 2012

Had a pleasant week, spent most of it working on the computor producing various new features for the icoach website. Although a few fails along the way, but everyday is a school day for me with PHP. Also a day spent looking at some ways to add to the functionality of the whole thing.

I spent thursday running around getting food prepped for a ML assessment expedition. As well as planning a route that took in the ground we needed to cover. I did managed to squeeze in a nights climbing up the Sunchaser Wall in Vivian Quarry.

Friday saw me and three candidates start up from Llanberis Pass before traversing Lliwedd to camp in Cwn Tregellan. We then did arounf 4 hours night nav before heading down to teh south ridge and up across Snowdon Summit, before heading to Carnedd Ugain and down into Cwm Glas.

We headed back out at 7pm for some more day nav before hanging out to watch the sunset, before embarking on a second night nav exercise to find our tents. The group did really well. We had some good navving conditions (poor vis) on the second day. The group managed really well, and it was good to see them all pass their assessment.

I was working for Peak Mountain Training, so thanks for them for having me assess. As hard as they are for the candidates they are also reasonably hard for the assessors. However we were rewards by a beautiful sunset and some remote areas. I joked to my team that I no longer wild camp for fun, as I often get the chance to do it whilst either training or assessing people on there ML qualifications.

Not to sure if its an early night for me or whether I shall celebrate my friday night tonight!

I had rather an abortive day ‘climbing’ at porth ysgo. Actually was more just me lying in the sun with a hangover after getting too invovled in the highjinx in the Heights on Friday night. So I resigned myself to team photographer at chief of hogging the crash pads for sleeping purposes.

Llion, Katie and Matt climbed loads though. It was part Matt’s doing my state, although I was in the pub a few hours before him. Really good to see Matt back in the UK for a few weeks holiday. Unfortunately he doesn’t seem to have brought the sun with him!

Then today after looking at the metoffice new site, which to be honest is some ways is better than the old site, however in many more ways it is utterly uselesss. The animations freeze, the data takes much longer to load and a whole host of other bugs including patently wrong weather predictions.

Anyway Si thought Craig Doris was the place to be, and I couldn’t find a reason why we shouldn’t go there so we headed down to the looseness. Si fired up Cripple Creek, a lovely line that I climb a few weeks back. Still nice to get out in the sun. After that it was my turn, and having backed myself into somewhat of a corner at Doris with only hard routes remaining. I ummmmed and errred, before racking up for a ‘look see’.

Now first of all, I had forgotten to bring my rack, which would have help swell our number of cams. Something which many of the routes need down here. Secondly, we only had the Ground Up selcetive guide. Which I have done most of the routes I can do in. Instead I looked at a line with a short steep start and a slabby finish. With absolutely no idea what its called or its grade.

I errred again, this time on the side of caution, and took what I thought to be the easy line. Basically up the left edge of teh slab before move right towards its centre. This is either Corned Dog a Stevie Haston E3 or a variation on it. Although I ran out of gear, and had to belay just below the top, forcing Si to do the top. Great route though.

Alastair Lee from Posing Productions, has made a video from footage he shot at Crafnant. Apparently this is footage that has been on the metaphorical cutting room floor.

I have in my time climbed cream on a couple of occassions, although never believe it or not as a whole climb. I have cherry picked either the amazing 2nd pitch in the rain. As it remains dry. Similarly I have traversed in from Grim Wall to to the top. Today, I headed out with Si Lake who hadn’t climb the route before, so I offered him the harder better pitches, and I did the easy linking pitches.

What struck me today was how good the route is when you do it how the first ascentionist meant it to be climbed as a whole route. As unlike any other route I have climbed at Tremadog, it has a really big feel about it. Whilst at any point you could rap off it, the winding nature of the route, makes it feel like a journey rather than the usual roadside action.

Anyway Si did really well, and he only just failed on the crux headwall. Taking a lob in the ‘usual’ place! I knew his pain when he lobbed, as I faced exactly the same fate when I first tried it. After that we did Grim Wall Direct, as Si had to go back to being a dad.

On a bum not, after being warned about our behaviour at Tremdog. It seems that some climbers were not interested in being sensible. Deciding to have a fire and a few beers in the Vector Buttress Car Park. All well and good, but they could have tidied up after themselves!!! This mess was not there on thursday.

Tremadog was the crag of choice today, headed there with Lakey, who is a new father. So I suggested we climb Daddy Cool, a great route that see’s few ascents. Probably because its goey for E2. He stormed up that, and I climbed the top pitch. On the descent I was reminded of Heartline an E2 on the Oakover Buttress.

I only climbed it at the tail end of last year so I let Simon do that. It was then my turn so again went for a less esoteric, but still not as popular as many route of its grade First Slip. I last climbed this with Tom, when I was at University the first time. Some 15 years ago now. Was a bit of a alzhiemers onsight until I got to the upper groove. Where I remembered the horror.

I opted for the less well protected balancy moves up the right arete, rather than trying to split myself in half by bridging up that blank looking groove! Great day out.

 

 

Well, the North Wales Rock app, has been available on iPhone for around 6 months, and continues to gain momentum as people are paying to download this great new way to access topo and route information. In the back ground the app developer Steve and Laurence have been building the same app for the Andriod Operating System.

All there hard work is hopefully about to pay off, as the Andriod version is going through the last tweaks. So much so that the screenshots have been realised onto theSends facebook page. If like many Andriod users you have been waiting to see what all the fuss is about the wait is coming to an end. Hopefully this can be measure in weeks or days, rather than months.

If you’d like to know more visit the facebook page or theSend.co.uk. In the pipeline is a another app for North Wales Limestone, and Steve in collaboration with others is working on other projects. So if you needed an excuse to get a smartphone then this is it!