Super Tango photo shoot and La Croix

Found an email in my junk mail from Roman Bayon with those photos of Super Tango at Deverse Satanique, here in the beautiful Gorges du Loup.

Awesome tufa action on Super Tango (8a+) here in Les Gorges du Loup (photo by Roman Bayon)

At the strenuous "rest" on Super Tango (photo by Roman Bayon)

Just spent a week at one of our favourite crags, La Croix in the Tarn et Garonne department. The climbs are very long (up to 50 metres), on fantastic tufas and the walk in is about a minute! The new Anaconda secteur offers more fingery and sunnier climbing which makes a nice change. We had fantastic, warm weather and the cliff was totally dry. Perfect!

Yannick on the superb "Anaconda" (8a) at La Croix

It was nice to settle the score on another of my Mesa Verde bogey routes before we left for La Croix, Petit Poucet has been added to the tick list (at last!). Back to work tomorrow....

To quote Porky "It's nice to have a little bit of success".

It's weird how things can come together when you're least expecting things to happen. For most of this year I've been climbing with "golfer's elbow" and it's been really painful at times. Luckily, I have managed to climb but I haven't been able to push myself hard. Since being back home, there have been more rest days and it's been possible to do some quality training (including working on those important antagonistic muscles). The elbow is slowly improving.

Elaine's injection has been very successful and she's feeling no pain in her finger anymore, so we've been getting outs lots and making the most of the cooler temps and quiet crags. Three weeks ago I had two fantastic back to back days. On the Wednesday I set off on my latest project, a great 8a+ tufa at a secret spot, which I'd tried the previous weekend (expecting to have another dogging session)). There was no pressure, amazingly it just happened and I just kept climbing all the way to the chain. The next day I was back with Stephane Quefelec and exactly the same happened with a 7c+ I'd worked a couple of weeks previously. It made such a nice change to have a couple of no-falls days and just climb. It was amazing to just turn up and do both climbs, as they felt utterly desperate when I was dogging them. Thanks to the equippers for creating such beautiful routes, you know who you are.

After that it seemed a good idea to revisit Deverse and try Supertango again. This is a short but tough 8a+ (there are easier 8b's than this one!) which climbs two parallel tufas up a wildly steep overhanging wall. I last tried the climb eight years ago and could hardly move on it, eventually I gave up when I aggravated a knee ligament and left it. This time all was going well (I was very inspired by a local friend, Seb Mueller, who'd done it last year). Petr gave me great beta and Roman even took some photos (which I've yet to see). However, last Wednesday I felt the same ligament (the MCL) strain whilst doing a big drop knee. Instinctively, I let go and saved the ligament from tearing. The sensible thing has been to leave the climb alone, yet again, rather than risk a serious injury which would need ages to recover. So, sadly Supertango hasn't been ticked off the list!

A couple of days icing, resting and taking ibuprofen and we were out again at the weekend. Saturday at Mesa Verde falling off every move on one of my bogey routes, Pizza Party, a tough bouldery 7c. I left my draws in over night. Next morning Elaine wanted to go to Jurassic Park, so we had a good work out and I managed my favourite 8a+ again (that's 42 times now!). Cayenne and Shakti were too wet so we headed down to Mesa Verde to get my draws, as it was going to rain for the next couple of days. We arrived at the crag at 18h 27 and there was nobody there, all the other climbers had all gone home by then. There was just enough time for one go before it got dark. I was expecting to fall low down and then dog up to get the gear out but it just happened. The start went perfectly and I got to the shake out below the bouldery finish feeling fresh. After a couple of minutes of positive mental rehearsal (thanks to Hugh Mantle) there was much whooping after sticking the crux dyno. I've never been so happy to get a hold as that one! So, an old score has been finally settled. Result!

La Rentrée

Well it's business as usual now we're back home. Our year's sabbatical is finished but we've got so many wonderful memories. We're back at work but at least the Cali is getting fixed (it's been at the garage almost 2 weeks now and it's going to cost a lot!).

Being back home means we get to climb tufas again, yippee! We seem to have spent a lot of time climbing on fingery crags this summer, so it's nice to get back on bigger holds and on steeper routes.

We've been going to La Sanctuaire (which is a really nice cliff equipped by Guillaume Ciais in the Vesubie valley), Le Parcour de Sante (equipped by Alex Mege and Aurel Gelot up at Gourdon) and a secret spot somewhere along the CENSORED. Lots of great routes ticked up to 7c+ (including a possible 1st ascent of a 7c+ at La Sanctuaire, as Guillaume reckoned nobody had done his project).

Psyched for climbing locally at the moment as there's still lots to do. The only problem is Elaine's finger has started playing up again. She's going for another injection next Monday, so hopefully it'll be better soon and she can get cragging again.

Elaine climbing Shivas se regale, 7a at La Sanctuaire.

Pippa climbing Princesse 10 tetes, 6c+ at La Sanctuaire.

Jean-Luc climbing Les filles de Las Vegas, 7b+ at La Sanctuaire

Roman climbing Guere Sainte, 7b at La Sanctuaire

Amazing views in Les Alpes Maritimes

Hot Ruff at le Parcour de sante

Up and down and round and round in the Dolomites

Funny how the choices we make affect our lives so much. Take this example from the awesome summer of 1976.

One of my regular climbing partners way back then was Pete White. He was so much older and much more grown up than me, or so I thought at the time! He was 23, whilst I was a mere 18. He had a serious job as a maths teacher, whilst I was working on a building site. However, Pete had a car, whilst I hadn't even had a driving lesson, let alone passed my driving test. That summer we were on fire, working our way through the routes in The Pass and Cloggy and we were keen to try anything. We set our sights on going to The Dolomites, in Italy, where we intended to climb on the famous Tre Cima di Lavaredo. I even bought the Dolomites East guide book to get us really psyched. Then for some reason that I can no longer remember, we decided to go to ...... The Lake District instead! OK, don't get me wrong, there are some lovely climbs in The Lakes but the place doesn't compare with The Dollies.

Pete White at Gimmer Crag, July 1976, where we did Kipling Groove (so called because it used to be ruddy'ard)

Could you imagine this bloke teaching your children Mathematics?

Anyway, we bimbled around carrying my copy of "Hard Rock" as our guide book and ticked off some of the classics. We had a right jolly time camping in Langdale and drinking beer in the famous "Old Dungeon Ghyll" after cragging. One particular day (after we'd just ticked off North Crag Eliminate) we discovered the Scout Crag boulders and set about working our way through the many problems. Being as it was summer (and 1976 was an amazing one) we were topless and strutting our stuff. (Is that a resounding "Yuk" I can hear someone say?) I was 110% focused on climbing and didn't notice, but Pete had a 6th sense when it came to the opposite sex. Low and behold, we were being watched by two pretty young ladies (though they later claimed they were watching a "fit looking" instructor teaching some kids how to abseil). It didn't take Pete long to get into his chat up lines and we found out that they were called Elaine and Suzanne. They had just done their first climbs that day and just so happened to be at the crag after their climbing partners had left. We got chatting and they asked us all sorts of questions about climbing. We drove off in Pete's Triumph Spitfire, feeling very chuffed with ourselves, as we'd sort of made arrangements to meet up for a drink later on. Meanwhile, Elaine and Suzanne reported back to the two blokes that they'd climbed with that day that they'd met a couple of blokes who climb "extreme". These two other blokes were obviously very unimpressed and said "No way! They don't climb extreme".

Anyway, Pete and I didn't make it to The Dolomites, but I did meet my future wife. Elaine made steady progress and we have been climbing together non stop since then. (I hardly ever climbed with Pete as a result, sorry mate.) Also, that was the first time I met Mickey J (legendary Lancs climber and one of the other blokes along with his brother Ian!).

Now, fast forward 39 years. Elaine and I have just been to The Dolomites armed with our copy of the excellent new Dolomites Rockfax by James Rushforth. We didn't do any of the famous multi pitch routes that Pete and I had intended on doing so long ago (having a dog is such a good excuse to get out of that mullarky). We visited some of the best sport climbing crags and we were amazed by the stunning scenery. We also got to meet up with Dave and Rhian Cross and her parents, both of whom are still enjoying travelling and climbing in their seventies. (Rhian's father, Barry Webb, is famous for his climb called "Gael" on Cloggy, which he climbed in the sixties, and his appearance in Crew and Soper's compelling read "The Black Cliff".) However, we weren't impressed with how expensive everything is there (eg. the access road for the Tre Cima is a toll road, you have to pay 36 euros in a camper van and a brown loaf costs around 3.5 euros!!). It's so hard to find anywhere decent to buy food, plus you have to pay to park when you do find a shop! The campsites are mega expensive but we were able to camp wild in some beautiful places, no problem. The cheapest campsite we found was at Malga Ciapela, where we paid 32 euros just for one night. It rained or stormed heavily everyday at some point and we had to have the roof down on the Cali every night. Also, we've had enough of negotiating so many hair pin bends and slogging the Cali in 2nd and 3rd gear, as we drove up to high cols and down into deep valleys to get to different crags. On the plus side however, the crags are quiet (apart from Eiszeit), the routes are not polished, the crags dry quickly and the temperature was perfect for summer (between 15 and 20 degrees C). Whilst the climbing is generally very enjoyable, the crags are not very impressive and the style is always fingery and technical. It was great fun doing lots of on sighting but I have to say,  I didn't see anything that I wanted to project (apart from Fottiti at Eiszeit, which was always occupied).

Ruff training Uncle Dave and Auntie Rhian again!

Barry Webb in "The Black Cliff" (Crew and Soper's compelling book about Cloggy, published in 1971).

Right then, we've been there, ticked that box and had a good time but we're glad to be back home for a couple of days. We still have a month of our sabbatical left and there's still lots of fun to come! Bring it on.

A rare sunny breakfast near Saas Dlacia.

Come on, hurry up I'm ready!

Dave Cross climbing Mittersteiner, 7b+, at Eiszeit.

Climbers on Paprika (7c+) and Fottiti (8a) at Eiszeit, the day before a mega storm caused a huge waterfall over the top of the crag!

Unusual cairn at Saleras, girls looking super cool.

Dave Cross climbing Zinnentraining (7b) at Salares.

The view driving down from Passo Pordoi, so many chuffing bends!

The closest we got to the Tre Cima due to unreliable weather and too many people. Seen from the Val di Landro.

Summer heat in the south of France

We actually fancied doing some climbing here, in France, as we've spent most of the last year climbing and travelling abroad.

Ruff making short work of her new football!

Some great friends from our Liverpool days were in the Vaucluse so we met up and drank quite a bit of wine, ate some great Provencale food and did a bit of climbing at Malaucene. It was fantastic to meet up with the Hewson's, Stewart's and the Brown's. It was wonderful to see that we haven't really changed much in the 35 years we've known each other, we're all still fun-loving, grown-up kids.

Jim and Anita get shown around the Cali by Ruff

A yobbo, Lew, Margaret, Barbara and Al

Al and Lew still having plenty of banter at the crag

Ruff watches Al taking aim

the camping municipal in Vacqueyras ("Honestly, it was this big" - thanks Ralphy!)

Lew Brown at 72 and still cranking

warming up for Mt Ventoux

Lew didn't know that Mike was given a very large piece of the cake!

We wanted to go back to les Vercors and climbed at la Presqu'Ile, despite the horrendous walk in. The crag was a bit disappointing but there were some very good, fingery routes up to 7b. I had a look at le Trouble (8a) at l'Auberge Espagnole. Such a great route with 2 tough sections (a thin smooth wall and a big roof). Unfortunately, it was too hot really, it'll be worth going back for in the autumn.

Next on the list was a hole in the ground, called la Precipice du Corbiere (also in the Vercors), which is guaranteed to be cool even in the height of summer. It was worth calling in to do a nice, tough 7c called Requiem. Not the best crag, not many routes and there were loads of flies. Whilst in that area, something to put you in a very thoughtful and reflective mood is a visit to the Resistance Memorial and Museum nearby in the infamous village of Vassieux-en-Vercors, which was totally destroyed (and the inhabitants massacred) by the nazis during WW2.

view from col de la Pousterle

Next up was a visit to Briancon. We've climbed there a number of times over the years and never been impressed. The climate is great for climbing on north facing cliffs in summer, but basically the rock is pants! We returned to Tournoux where, once again, I didn't manage to finish the job on Cost of Freedom (a gnarly, polished 8a with a very slopey crux). But we did go to one of the supposed good new crags called Grotte d'Oreac. What a pile of shite that place is, I'll tell you! The whole cliff is held together with tons of red sika, so it's ugly; the routes are very over graded and they're much shorter than in the useless topo. However, it's always nice to park up at col de la Pousterle, where we spent a few blissful nights completely on our own (oh, along with thousands of flies!).

The Gorges du Verdon was calling us back south by then, with the prospect of some newish shaded crags above Moustiers St Marie. We had 4 great days with the crags to ourselves. No surprise really, due to the 40 minute up hill slog to get to Grotte du Monstre and Baume Blanche. Unfortunately, Baume Blanche gets the sun around 13h and Grotte du Monstre is still a bit dirty. However, we did some really fantastic routes, such as "100% Halal" (a very intense 7b+), "Lou des subis" (7b), "Pour toi j'ai bacle" (a 50m 7c), the much harder "Pour toi j'ai beche" (7c+), "Walim" (a 50m 7a+) and an unnamed 7a+. We got hopelessly lost the first time we went up, as we turned of the GR path too soon, even so the path was very hard to find. Subsequently, we made lots of improvements to the path and erected many cairns to show the way (which was desperate work in the full sun). Ah, yes, there were loads of flies in the Verdon too!

lavender field near the Verdon

so hot!

Whilst our colleagues at school were celebrating the end of the school year, we were eating apples and rice cakes at the crag!

Elaine trying to hide from the flies at Baume Blanche

Now we're back home again and there's no flies! It's hot, of course, but it's not too hot in the Gorges du Loup. We climbed at Jurassic Park (2nd time this year) and Cayenne (1st time this year) on Thursday, where I did my favourite 8a+ for the 41st time and "Cayenne" for the nth time/1st time this year. Yesterday, feeling a bit tired, we went to St Martin Vesubie where I dogged my way up "le 7eme ciel integrale" a couple of times; a fantastic 50m monster with a very Malham like crux. I'll definitely go back for that, when it's cooler.

Now, we're making plans to head off towards Arco (heard there's a 40m 7c called Abissi that sounds great), the Dolomites and on to Buzetski Kanjon in Croatia. Loads more fun to be had and we'll be wild camping again, as the Italian campsites are such a rip off!

Inspiring news from the UK climbing scene (and some punter action in Spain)

Shocking how quickly time passes, but that 's nothing new or surprising. What I mean is it's so long since I wrote on this blog.

We've just returned from a nice long journey through Spain, meeting up with lots of great friends and climbing in some ace places.

However, I'd like to mention some truly inspiring news from the UK climbing scene, which Stu Littlefair summed up so perfectly on Facebook by posting something like this:

"Everybody stop what you're doing. Ben Moon has just climbed Rainshadow. Now, carry on."

Most climbers will understand the significance of this news, but non-climbers will need some help. We are talking about a 48 year old bloke succeeding in climbing one of the hardest climbs in Britain. The climb is graded 9a. Ben did his last and only 9a (which has since turned out to be the first climb to be given that grade anywhere in the world) 25 years ago. Ben was the fourth person to climb Rainshadow yesterday. So, there you go. A really amazing achievement by one of the sports legends throughout the last 4 decades. Well done Ben Moon.

Rainshadow is the long extension to the classic Raindogs, which is a very popular and slippery 8a above the Catwalk at Malham Cove (which I did about 50 times before leaving Britain in 1999). I think I'm right in stating that it was originally equipped and tried by Mark Leach in the early '90's. Several years later Steve McClure took up the challenge and finally climbed it in 2003.

The view on a very cold March day from Ager. 

Ben and Caryl looking so happy after a year travelling and going back to the UK with loads of wonderful memories (photo by Elaine Owen).

A bright and crisp morning at Ager, wonderful and totally FREE! (photo by Elaine Owen).

All the flowers were coming out towards the end of March.

Ruff experiencing some difficulty whilst trying to train Dave and Rhian Cross.

Meeting up with old mates is always great fun, even if they're Porky and the Colonel!

Falling asleep with a pine cone in my mouth and my mum is trying to give me the squeaky ball!

2 photos of Guillaume Bouloumie on his own route, the brilliant Naranga, 8a+ at Super Devotas.

Steve Crowe on Peril Jaune, a very steep 7c+ at Super Devotas.

Me at (more or less) the same place as Steve in the previous photo (photo by Steve Crowe).

Lowering off after a successful red point, Super Devotas is really steep (photo by Elaine Owen).