March 21st-->25th (Merseyside & Sheffield)
We had a good day out at the Breck with Mike where he bouldered out overhanging wall direct at 7B+/7C, In the Jungle Direct 7B and some other line on the left at about 7A (all highball with 3 pads and a ropew to the side to get down!). I flashed In the Jungle Direct on a top rope but didn't try the highball as I wanted to keep my legs intact for font! I had a play about on the Haston Dyno on top rope and can confirm the moves are amazing and that the final dyno is nails - definitely felt like 7B+/7C on it's own as I couldn't stick it.
We were in Sheffield from the Saturday till Wednesday and had a day out at Stanage on the Sunday where I got Deliverance done and then Mike made the most amazingly static ascent of The Ace (8B) the day before he got married to Debs. It was great to be there and witness it from a couple of metres away.
On Monday me and Tom went to Crag Y with the ex nicest man in climbing and showed him the problems and he crushed everything in his path save the sitter into Fallen Idol and Speedway. He got all the moves into the standup wired on FI and am sure he will get it sent on his return! The wedding recepti0on in the evening for Mike and Debs was a nice event with good food and lots of familiar faces from Merseyside and Hull.
26th March -> 5th April (Fontainebleau)
This was my 3rd trip to font and I came to crush a couple of old nemesis from last year, try some new projects and get as many new 7's as possible for our 'friendly' competition versus team Hull. It was me and Mills against the combined decades worth of experience of Gibson and Jennings and it proved to be a lot closer in the end than anyone would probably have expected with Hull winning 50 - 40 in overall points (7A=1pt, 7A+=2pts, 7B=3pts..etc). Next time should be different as father time catches up with the ageing Hull pensioners!
The highlight of the trip was getting Carnage done as I had tried it last trip in October and struggled to make the first move (dropping across into the crimp from the non jump start). I had a few good efforts on it at the end of day 1 and returned to send on day 7 in about 4 attempts. I also tried a new problem in Salle Gosse and surprised myself in slapping the top after about 5 goes (from the low left hand mono start). I can't wait to return to try it later this year as it felt surprisingly steady for a forest 7C.
It was good to see other people sending new problems too with Tom pathing Fleur de Rhum static at Apremont, Ben getting Aerodynamite on his last day and Scott crushing Infidel on the last evening as it went dark.
I also managed to momentarily drag myself away from the hunt for new 7's to try a classic problem in Duroxmanie and can say it is the finest problem I have ever done in the 6's.
At the end of the 10 day trip I had managed 27 7A and above new problems and had a great time in doing so. My only regret was splitting a tip 3 days before we went on the Storm at Stanage and then another 2 tips 2 days into the trip on sharp things I should have avoided with my imfamously poor skin! I think next time I'll swerve anything grit related or sharp before we go on trips abroad.
I think font will have to wait till October now and I'll be saving for trips to Italy and Switzerland in the meantime to try out new venues. Time to get training again.
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