Some things you just don't see in climbing DVD's

I awoke yesterday morning to the sounds of nature. What could be better than the Spanish sun slowly warming the earth and illuminating the world as it burns off the last of the mist to reveal the golden limestone crags that await us. This is truly wonderful. Unfortunately today it was preceded by a herd of goats passing by, each one with a bell attached to their neck. Of course with goats comes a farmer, who to compete with the bells has developed a baritone that Luciano would have been proud off... and with farmers come dogs. Possibly three by my guess, two were big and loud and one was small... with a piercing bark. All this commotion stirred up the rest of the wildlife. A bird thought he would join the chorus. "AIEEE AIEEE!!!" Put these things all together and you have a wonderfully effective alarm clock.

Viejo Amigo 7a+ - the start to the route
'Via Des Rudolf 8a' and also the warm up

I met with Silvia Fitzpatrick later on. For those who haven't heard off her please check her webpage,  her climbing credentials are extensive www.rockclimbingcompany.co.uk. Silvia always makes me smile, she has an attitude to life and climbing that is so refreshing. Her work ethic is incredible but her passion for routes is just as relentless. After feeling like she had worked too much she wanted to join me for a day of hard climbing to really wear herself out. I thought I knew the route for her.

Silvia demonstrating her
skill, ability and all the rest

The previous year in Spain I managed to push my grade considerably. In 3 months I went from 6c+ to 8a+, a jump in grades I didn't think would be possible to achieve. One of my top climbs was 'los senoras des asfis - 8a'. It is located in a cave so overhanging the rain never touches the earth beneath
it.  I had managed to work the route fairly quickly and had noticed that a line of bolts headed out left from the start. This route was 'Via des rudolf 8a' and I knew it would be a good climb for Silvia. Little did I realise it would take Silvia and me about 3 hours just to get the route ready. When you are dealing with steep unknown territory, it takes a huge amount of effort just to clip the route up, let alone climb it. On my first attempt I pulled a huge hold off the start. I screamed 'BELOW!' but of course this is futile. Everyone was standing beneath me. The rock dashed the floor narrowly avoiding their heads. My belayer and good friend Patrick Pearce was surprisingly unshaken by the experience. Shaken up and more than a little tentative, I continued my ascent, only to fall.

Tackling the unrelentingly steep Via Des Rudolf

Silvia with her superior technique, skill, ability (the list goes on) managed to fight up her way up and clip in the rest of our equipment. She used a piece of equipment called a clip stick. It is a long pole you can reach up to clip in the next clips a.k.a quickdraws to you. As the light was failing the clipstick decided to also. Every time she reached up, the quickdraw would fall of the stick and the sun would sink further. Eventually she managed to make the top and shouted for me to "take the rope tight!", at this point her three dogs thought it would be great fun to jump on top of me... thus making lowering her difficult and Silvia slightly angry! It was then my turn to ascend. Climbing at night on a route near the peak of my ability was far from easy, that's an understatement. We finished the day unsuccessful on the climb but happy that there is always tomorrow, falling rocks don't ruin everything.

A satisfying finish, otherwise known as "Thank god that's over"

On the walk home we got deep into discussion about how best to train a dog. During this Silvia got so involved she did not notice the large rock beneath her feet, one moment she was next to me standing, the next 4ft in front, face first on the floor. She got up and we laughed so hard I thought I was going to suffocate. I got back to the Olive Branch feeling beaten, my spirits were down and my lack of sleep had taken its toll. After all we had been through you could think we would be put down, but I felt strangely warmed by them. I told the stories of my 'interesting' day to the other climbers over dinner. Instead of reliving the despair I had at the time, we laughed. These moments are part of the fun, its the extra 'challenges' that all climbing DVD's should include. The cock up's and mishaps, running to a bush to pee before a route, forgetting your water and surviving in 30c degree heat with only salted nuts, these are part of climbing. It is the price we pay for having fun, living free and enjoying the sounds of nature more than just once in a while.

Spain so far

'Dream of white horses' a welsh classic

Climbing in the UK is very different from climbing here. The UK has its climbing steeped in tradition. Nearly every route you step upon has been climbed back in 1962 by a Brit with a level of fortitude, confidence and pure gristle that allowed them to reach the top no matter what the heavens would throw at them. They would don their rough woolen jumpers and attach a set of nuts (as in nuts and bolts) tied on rope to their harness. Then add to these a set of steel carabineers, a hemp rope tied around the waist thirty times and a set of hob nail boots. Then these men would climb up routes even now we struggle to comprehend. There is not much tougher in this world than raw iron or a climber of that era. I am friends with men like this, they still do it well today.

Chris Roberts and me on the dream belay
- maybe not showing enough fortitude

Me on the crux pitch of dream

Times have changed but climbing remains the same... only harder and safer. I have come to Spain with a selection of the most high-tech equipment you have ever seen. My harness is super-light weight, the manufacturers even went to the extent of removing some buckles. My rope is dynamic, it stretches, and is as thin as floss compared to the ropes of those who founded the sport. My shoes are made of what seems to be the stickiest rubber ever invented, able to stand on the smallest of edges. Despite all this, climbing stills holds difficulties to challenge us all. Although the equipment is now up to date, the climbing has come a long way also.

Showing my new found resilience on
Memoirs of a lunatic - e5 6b'
another route done far before it should have been

Spain has an ethic of bolting all their climbs, they drill incredibly strong bolts into the wall for you to clip to. Although they are safe climbs it is worth me mentioning that those bolting the routes are not the richest people in Spain, the bolts can become very spaced. Despite this the challenge is now in difficulty... who can bolt the hardest route. My love of climbing has changed over the years, it is no longer just a passion of the open air, but also a true love of the movement required to reach the top. The finite difference between reaching the next hold, or not.

So I have set myself my first project of the season: 'Mama Endika - 8a+'. It is a challenging 35 metre blank face, leaning barley on the steep side of off-vertical. There is just enough holds to make it climbable. The moves are a constant barrage of micro edges, big pulls and pin point footholds. I am working it with a close friend who has a life most would only dream of, Tom Ireson. More about him and our progress later. These routes may be safe, they might also be a step up in difficulty for gristled 60's climber, but I still know I have to finish it before one of those old boys decides to have a go.

The best beginings start in the middle

I have been working as a climbing instructor now for around 6 years hence the title of this post, however I hope this is not the middle but merely a late start for me to embrace technology. I suppose this blog is here to give an insight into myself which most people hoping to come and climb with me will not already know and also for me to keep a record of my time spent in the outdoors.

Rock the Kasbar - El Chorro, Arab Steps

My first introduction to rock climbing was perhaps more full-on than most would have enjoyed. I was taken to a very high limestone crag in the Peak District, England, called 'Wildcat' with a partner who I believed at the time to be fully competent. It now turns out he was not exactly fully competent as a climber and certainly not as a coach. After fighting my way up a route far above my difficulty in trainers and only half understanding that a fall from that climb would have been near certain death due to my lack of understanding; I was about ready to quit. Then sitting on the top of the crag, looking over the sunset I realised this perch and perspective were both a place and view I would never have experienced were it not for climbing. I knew then I could never stop.

My first 7c - Sandokan, El Chorro, Desplomilandia
Photo Credit Mark Haley
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcodemalaga

I have now progressed to a standard where safety is no longer the issue, only ability. I have worked for years as an instructor and spend my free time climbing or wandering around looking for climbs. It is an inspiring way of life. walking up the footsteps of great climbers before you and finding the new routes to gain that perch and perspective no one has yet seen. This is my document to those travels.

My first real step outside of the UK is where I would like to really begin as this is where I provide my work from over the Winter. El Chorro is 40 minutes north of Malaga, accessible by train or car. It is a small town set in a stunning landscape. The sport climbing is unbelievably high quality and caters for all abilities. A car is not necessary as all the crags are with 1 hours walking... most only 20 minutes away! The two photos here were bench mark climbs for me. This year I am aiming to climb 8b+, this grade is well beyond anything I have climbed before. I suppose then this is not the middle of my story and by no means is it the end. The best beginnings do start in the middle, so this year is a new beginning for me.