Adventures in the Peak and beyond

Work, study, train, work more, train super hard, sneak outside for a climb, study etc.... and so has the spring gone!

Being a student in Sheffield is great. It takes 10 minutes on a car (or a bus) to the ever so famous gritstone (or little bit longer if you fancied the hard limestone!!) and you are bound to get strong if you have the energy to get out between the lectures. For us 'Sheffield'ers crags such as Stanage, Curbar, Froggatt and Raven Tor, are closer than our local indoor walls and therefore, it is no wonder that Sheffield is the 'capital' of climbing in UK.

For me this spring has been great. I am starting to climb comfortably on HVS 5a's and I have successfully onsighted three E1's (5b's). Big thank you goes to Lucy Creamer for training sessions both in the Foundry (my local climbing wall where I also work) and on the local crags! Thanks to Lucy I have pushed myself to climb stronger and harder, and finally broken into E-grades. Check out Lucy's excellent web page: www.lucycreamer.com. Amongst the great days outdoors there has been a weekend in the Lamberis pass and Tremadog in North Wales (thanks Alison for a superb weekend!!); sea cliffs in Pen Twryn with Lucy and Tim; and multiple visits to local crags of Roaches, Almscliffe, Millstone and Stanage just to name a few - LIFE IS GOOD!!! However, the biggest challenge is yet to come - and that is - to somehow manage to organise my first ever geography fieldwork season in Kyrgyzstan, and it is not coming easy. I still don't have the funding to go there nor the right scientific equipment, but I am yet to travel there by train in 2 weeks time and I hope my friend Dmitry can spare a day or two (or even a week!) to help out to sort out my field season. So challenging, but also very exciting times ahead, just watch the space for more news!

Many thanks to Jon, Jen and Adam for photos and being great company out on the grit! = )

Seconding an E1 called Hawkwings in Roaches. Photo: Adam Potter

Latest routes I have climbed and I highly recommend:

Pen Twryn: 

The Pirates of Pen Trwyn F6c+ seconding
Plumbline E3 5c seconding
Precious Metal E1 5b - really lovely route!
It E2 5b seconding
Pale Shelter E1 5b

Tremadog:

Merlin Direct HVS 5a very nice climbing!
Scratch Arete HVS 5a very nice climbing!
 

Lamberis Pass: 

Sabre Cut VS 4c SUPERB corner but bring a large cam!!!
 

Stanage: 

Step-ladder Crack VS 5a
Hell Crack VS 4b classic!
Robin Hood Cave Innominate/ Harding's Finish HVS 5a
Kelly's Overhang E1 5c bloody desperate!!!! 

Millstone:
Embankment 4 E1 5b

Lyon Corner House Direct HVS 5a
Great North Road HVS 5a - Superb!! 
Svelt HVS 5a
Mayday HVS 5a
Piccadilly Circus E2 5b seconding

Roaches:
Saul's crack HVS 5a - JAMMING CRACK and needs a revisit!!!
The Sloth HVS 5a - superb overhang!!! 
Valkyrie VS 4c - gotta love the step, hehe!! 
The Mincer HVS 5b - seconding 
Wombat E2 5b -very cool overhang!

Contemplating for things to come.... on the Sloth HVS 5a in Roaches! Photo: Jenny Williams

Learning to crack climb - my first E1 5b onsight in Millstone called Embankment 4. Photo: Jon Leighton

Getting ready for a climb in North Wales!

Dinas Cromlech in North Wales. We climbed an awesome corner called Sabre Cut VS 4c. It was pretty scary for an VS (I forgot to take a BIG cam with me!)

 ....and climbing at the sea cliffs of Pen Twryn (photo from Walesdirectory.co.uk). AMAZING!! I did two good E1's there, Precious Metal (E1 5b) and Pale Shelter (E1 5b).