Next Thursday I’m doing a lecture in Holmfirth near the Peak District. I should have some good wee bits of video and pics of new climbs and a couple of really big projects for this year I’m working on for y’all. If you want to see the lecture it’s quite important to get your tickets in advance for this event, from the Cragrats theatre. Just give them a call on 01484 691323 to get tickets. Full details of the event are on my lectures page.

You might be wondering why I’ve had nothing to talk about except work and bouldering on Dumbarton Rock for the last wee while. Well, there is a reason other than I just like climbing there and have slight workaholic tendencies at times. I am planning to move to the highlands quite soon, well, June to be more specific. If all goes to plan I’ll be leaving behind my wee basalt climbing playground. So much work needs to be done to earn cash for the move. But I won’t bore you with that. The main deal is that I try to finish some wee niggling projects on the boulders before I leave. There is one problem in particular I’d like to do, but I reckon it’s too big an ask right now and some commuting back south may be required next winter to see it off. However, it’s not the only project left to do. So hopefully I’ll come away with something for my efforts over the next month.

I sneaked out to the boulders after work tonight and straight away felt the benefit of the Anvil day. For sure the Anvil is an excellent place to get in shape. It probably matches Dumbarton in this respect actually! I completed a new problem I’d looked at last week and tried a few days ago. It starts in the Mugsy roof, left of ‘Spam’ on an obvious three finger incut. If you know the roof it’s the one you use for your foot on Mugsy traverse. Anyway, you do three desperate moves on crimpers to get the Mugsy Traverse rail and finish up this. I’ve not idea what grade it is as its ages since I’ve done a boulder problem that only took two sessions to complete! Let’s say 7c for now and I’ll point Malcolm in its direction if I see him down there. There’s nothing like a boost of confidence and next up I repeated Malc’s new problem ‘The Serum of Sisyphus’. As with most things it felt OK in the end but reckon its still Font 8a+.

The rest of the night was spent dodging neds and trying moves on some other things. It’s unbelievable that these boulders keep yielding new lines to climb, but they do! Now I have another burly line to keep me busy for the rest of the good spring conds, maybe 8a+ again but we’ll see? This one has six or seven British 6c moves one after the other. Better get some good nights sleep over the next two weeks…

The new prob:

Set in Motion Font 7c

Sit Start at the incut three finger crimp in the roof under Mugsy Traverse, in the middle of the passageway underneath the boulder. Crimp desperately upwards to grab the Mugsy Traverse slopers (hard to hold the swing). Finish up Mugsy.

The rest of the day was spent refamiliarising myself with the the line formerly known as 'project mcfuck'. Now that its secrets have been revealed it might have to be demoted to 'project a wee bit nippy' at a mere 8c. Once again I was noticing the absense of my lost half stone, and the holds were feeling a touch bigger than last September. The psyche is on.

Kev, Steve and myself headed to the Ben for some work and play. We needed to take photographs of some new Bivvy Bags for Mountain Equipment, so we trekked up into Coire Leis at midnight and bivvied out in pissing rain for the night. Next morning the slowly receeding Nevis ice was briefly refrozen. I soloed up Tower Scoop as I waited for the boys to follow me up the long slog of Observatory Gully and reminded myself how to climb ice.

Rise and shine big man

The ice is still good for Easter