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UKClimbing.com News - Ben Nevis Navigation Cairns Buried In Snow

2010-03-10T00:00:00Z

1.8m High Cairns Hidden Under White Blanket:

Climbers topping out on The Ben and hoping to find the three newly erected 1.8m high navigation cairns are being warned that the snow is so deep the cairns are almost indistinguishable from other lumps and bumps.

TheLowDown - 8b+ by Florence Pinet at Buoux, and more

2010-03-10T12:09:37Z

Florence Pinet, French difficulty champion, has made a rare ascent of Bout'Chou, or Chouca direct, 8b+. It's also very rare for women to climb at this level at Buoux. In fact, Florence is THE first woman to reach 8b+ here. Chapeau!
Her team mate, Guillaume Glairon-Mondet, meanwhile made fast work of the classic Minimum, 8c, commenting the crux was roughly 7A bloc. Others has suggested 7C for the crux, but to Guillaume, who's a member of the French bouldering team, it felt easy, like gym move. He also said that he found the route as a whole easier than La Rose et la vampire, 8b. Ok...
Source: Kairn/Grimper
Photo: Planet grimpe

TheLowDown - Conny Matthes, FA of Der Antagonist ~8A

2010-03-09T15:54:11Z

Conny Matthes has made the FA of Der Antagonist, 8A, at the Schirradorf boulders in the Frankenjura. The problem was an old Michael "Meggi" Schenzel-project that climbs the hardest parts of Andre Behr's Crashpad dummy-traverse (8B+) in the opposite direction, before exiting through Deluxe, 7B. On the first part of Der Antagonist, the holds are mostly small crimpers and pinches in slightly overhanging terrain, wheras the second part is entirely different with powerful, dynamic moves through the roof.
Conny needed three days, and roughly ten tries, to piece it all together. 8A is just a suggestion. Others who have tried it has mentioned higher grades. Time will tell... Now the race is on for the FMA (first male ascent)!
Source: Felsensucht/ Boulderrausch
Photo: Conny Matthes on Der Antagonist, by Thomas Hocke

UKClimbing.com News - Adam Ondra - A Muerte - F9a

2010-03-09T00:00:00Z

From Bjorn Pohl's Blog: "Adam Ondra has returned to Spain and Siurana. This time he crushed Richard Simpson's bouldery two finger pocket horror, A Muerte, F9a, in 3 tries, for its fastest ascent to date." More Info: Bjorn Pohl's Blog: RELATED VIDEO BELOW: Cedric Lachat Climbs A Muerte F9a

TheLowDown - Ondra goes A Muerte

2010-03-10T07:26:42Z

Adam Ondra has returned to Spain and Siurana. This time he crushed Richard Simpson's bouldery two finger pocket horror, A muerte, 9a, on his 3rd try this year (5 in total), for its fastest ascent to date. When Adam was in Spain last month, his goal was making the 2nd ascent of Chris Sharma's Golpe de estado, when he was shut down because of bad weather and a small tendon injury he suffered while trying Demencia senil. Better luck this time?
Source: Czech climbing/Kairn
Here's Cedric Lachat's ascent.

Dave MacLeod Climbing - Tempest in a teacup

2010-03-08T10:24:00Z

The Tempest, onsight. All photos: Steven Gordon. More photos on Steven’s blog

About 9 years ago I was struggling my way up Crest Route in Glen Coe. Stopping to fiddle with gear in iced up cracks and shiver on belays, I was transfixed my the sight across the Coire on Summit Buttress. I was watching Neil Gresham toprope practicing what was to become The Tempest M9. It looked amazing seeing him in the distance swinging from hook to hook, dangling about working moves before lowering down to the comfort of a belay jacket.

Shortly afterwards Neil’s redpoint lead on pre-placed gear was announced. As is normal for doing anything that stands out in Scottish winter climbing, he was in the firing line of some serious flak for the style of ascent. But Neil had the courage not only to do the ascent, but to defend his own vision that for world class standard winter routes to get done in Scotland, this would the style that would bring them.

Predictions on the future of climbing never quite work out. As it happened, the standard of winter routes in Scotland rose by a good bit in the intervening nine years without redpointing, although by climbers gaining their fitness with plenty of redpointing in other disciplines. And it rose firmly holding onto it’s place as the home of many of the hardest mixed climbs on the planet. While the redpointed routes of Haston and Bubu’s era were repeated often, graduates of M12 and M13 redpoint would still find Scottish IX ground up a considerably harder proposition.

So things move on. And the obvious challenge was to make at attempt at The Tempest in more traditional style. Along comes Andy Turner, with lats that eclipse the low winter sun and the kind of confidence of a trad leader up to the job. The big problem with the Tempest though, was the rotting fixed gear left behind by the redpoint action years earlier. Andy was forced to abseil down and remove as much of the melted in wires as he could. Then, after a couple of sessions wandering about on the open wall, fiddling in wires in verglassy cracks, he committed to the thin overhanging ice finish, heart in mouth no doubt and took the tempest a step closer to the grade X,9 that Neil projected for an onsight ascent.

After Andy broke down the aura of going on the wall without working moves, and proved it was possible to place the gear on lead. I was pretty keen, no, desperate to go for an onsight attempt. And so I set off, washing vast quantities of rime off the wall with my hands to excavate the crack underneath.

After 2.5 hours, I was 6 metres from the top, but had run out of gear. I’d managed to take plenty of gear I didn’t need and not nearly enough of what I did. I didn’t fancy a major peel from the final moves without gear but was desperate not to lose the onsight either. Solution? Downclimb the whole thing taking the gear back out and come back after a rest. A day later I was stuck for a partner but an emergency Tweet and gracious response from Iain set me up with Matt and Nic to finish the job. After the alpine sun of the last month, it was Scottish business as usual, getting lost in the Coire for an hour just trying to find the route through the mist and snow. Various rubbish wires were found underneath the ice smear, as I waited for the constant dousing in spindrift avalanches to let up for just a bloody minute and allow me to gasp through the final moves.

A fantastic battle, the greatest winter of the century rolls on...

TheLowDown - Instant Iker action

2010-03-08T08:10:43Z

Last week, Iker Pou once again visited the Lleida crags. Andoni Perez reports, he first made quick work, as in two tries, of Full Equipe, ~8c, at Oliana, a route bolted by Victor Fernandez, before moving on to Margalef and the Hermita sector, where he polished off the pocket race Abanico de cristal, 8c, for its first repeat. This one was bolted by Jordi Pou, and first climbed by Ramonet in 2007.

Also last week, the ex boulderer now turned endurance climber, Nalle Hukkataival, fought his way up Identification y placas, ~8c, at Oliana. Not bad for a power house!

UKClimbing.com News - ShAFF Next Weekend: A Preview

2010-03-08T00:00:00Z

The Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF), being held at the Showroom next weekend (12th-14th March), has now matured into its fifth successive year and is set to be the biggest and most diverse yet.

Simon Jacques gives us the low down.

UKClimbing.com News - Scottish Storm: The Tempest X,9

2010-03-08T00:00:00Z

Andy Turner and Dave MacLeod Repeat Neil Gresham's test-piece The Tempest:

Back in 2001 Neil Gresham caused an ethical hurricane by creating The Tempest, a savagely technical route in Glen Coe.

The route has now been repeated by Andy Turner and Dave MacLeod.

TheLowDown - Alex Puccio crushes Diaphanous sea

2010-03-06T08:19:14Z

Alex Puccio has done Diaphanous sea, ~8A, at Hueco. If my calculations are correct, this should be her umpteenth problem in the 8th grade (give or take). Last week she made a quick ascent of Tequila sunrise, 8A+, for its first female ascent.
Photo: Alex Puccio on Diaphanous sea, Hueco Tanks, by Gustavo E Moser.

TheLowDown - A Brazilian in Hueco

2010-03-06T07:10:53Z

Maybe some of you still think the Brazilian high end boulders don't have to be taken seriously. Well, think again. Rafael Passos, went on a roadtrip to Hueco last month. He sent several V10/7C+ to V12/8A+ problems, as well as Diabolique V13/8B and also opened Homework, proposing V12/8A+. Rafael has been being an active "first ascentionist" in Brazil, mostly in Cocalzinho - a world class bouldering spot.
As always, a big thanks to Yuri from Escaladacafe for the news!