The "Goods" bootcamp

Winter has finally arrived, time to dust off the ice axes. I have to admit I've been putting it off as much as I could, the summer has been way too good to let it go that easy. The decision to start training for my winter climbing projects was made for me when I snapped the A4 pulley tendon when crimping too hard on a boulder problem. Luckily a ring tendon is not that important for hanging on axes. So instead of being miserable of the nasty injury, I thought this was the message I needed to start specific training for winter. What's so wonderful about being a polyvalent climber is that you can change discipline when you need to, maximising your options and always being able to get out on the hills.

So my training had officially started, and with a vengeance, despite the delay. I had one session on the chalk down in the Saltdean cliffs, which went pretty well, focusing on stamina, but I always get blisters on my first session there, and this was no exception. Swiss Cottage climbing wall has equipped a few drytooling routes, so we have now finally a training facility in London where we can get strong, a few visits have been paid to this venue so far.

Some poor birthday boy lost his balloon. Nothing to do with climbing, but you have to entertain yourself when you are training alone on the Saltdean chalk cliffs

Hard landing bouldering. Normally is a pebble beach, not bad landing if your fig4 rips

The 4x4 cave, great for fig4 your way across and back... and repeat... and repeat...and...

But the real action has been happening in North Wales, at the best drytooling venue south of Scotland, White Goods. My partner in crime has come in the shape of Tim Emmett, who is looking at getting strong for his lastest installment of the "Spray On" project in the Hemleck Falls, BC Canada. In my case I'm training specifically for my first project of this winter, which is "Mission Impossible" a classic benchmark M11 in Haston's Cave in Valsavaranche, Italy. I've never climbed that grade, and despite not being "hard" by today's standard, is still a great challenge for a part-time punter like me. Tim had never been to White Goods before, it took me a bit of convincing that this crag is where it's at, in terms of getting strong in the UK. Finally we found a weekend we could both make the trek to North Wales and the game was on!

The beautiful valley of Pwnglass, home to the White Goods crag

Tim enjoying the triple espressos and the blasting tunes

Tim totally loved The Goods, he was like a kid in a candy store. He flashed or onsight every single route he would touch. "Mental Block" M9+ offered a bit more resistance to him, it took him two attempts, but after all 9 routes of grade M8 and above, we were tired. I was very chuffed to flash "Mental Block" on the first day. In fairness, I've seen Dave Garry working the route once before, so I sort of new where the hooks where. it's a route I always wanted to do, but always saved it for a good day, and this day was certainly it. This trip I was feeling strong from my summer sport climbing, despite being my first real outing on the axes this season, so to get a flash of an M9+ was very much a good sign. I was even more pleased about my "have it" mentality, snatching the flash ascent almost in the dark and after having gone hard all day. I think Tim's approach to climbing had a great effect on me. We scoped out the harder lines and noticed that Rob Gibson's "Lip project" was now fully bolted. After a few text messages, it transpired that no one really knows if it's an open project or who's the secret bolter. So we vowed to return and give it a go.

The mandatory morning bonfire

A few days later we were driving again in the dense Welsh rain. Are we going climbing, really? Yes, drytooling will sort you out in the grimmest days. My day started with hardly any sleep, London's busy-career life has its pitfalls after all. Tim's Audi decided to stop working right in the middle of the M6, the accelerator just wouldn't work! So we pulled on the hard-shoulder and try to figure out what was going. It seemed that the electronic system was cutting off the fuel supply. After a few tries we were back on the road, but certainly apprehensive now that the weekend would be interesting...

We got to the crag and the triple espressos started flowing from the two caffetieres on the go. Tim sorted the gettho blaster churning up some sick tunes... and the psyche was up! After a couple of mandatory warm up laps on the M8 "Jaz", Tim jumped straight on "The Finnish start", an M10 put up by Rob with a fierce reputation. Tim had a good go at it before passing on the baton to me. I took all his beta and climbed fairly smoothly up to the crux. That route packs in some awesome moves, specially the inverted crack layback with a full-span reach to a tool cam in a parallel crack... So good! Then pulled a few fig-of-4 tricks out of the bag and i was through the hard bit. I dispatched the top bit with composure, and felt great to flash such a cool and stiff route. Tim got it next go with ease, making it look like piss, it goes to show how difficult to onsight mixed climbs is. Which takes me to the next point...

Tim doing work emails between crags

I took a look around what other routes there were left to do. "Ready steady hook" M11 is in dubious state as the bolts haven't been checked since the big fire that happened underneath. "Left over goods" M9+ was the only route left for me to do at this part of the crag. So i decided to go for the onsight, I thought it would be a good fair game. Some panting, screaming and what seemed like bleeding forearms, I got to the anchors... Just!

Myself onsighting "Left over goods" M9+

So we called it a day, or we thought so. The Audi decided to have a bit of giggle with us. A few hours of playing with the electronic system again, we gave up and call roadside recovery. The only option was to be taken back to Bristol. As we get dropped off in Wrexam to swap trucks, the Audi decides to incomprehensively work again. So what do we do? Abandon roadside recovery, drive back to Ruthin, order the usual winner curry take away, and go for a pint! The bizarre night was topped up by the fact that the only pub open nearby whilst we waited for our curry was a totally empty Conservative party members-only club. Do these things exist really? Well, we found one! After convincing the gorgeous bar tender to serves us a pint (the owner was Labour apparently), we collected our delicious curry and head back to camp, not before stopping at the White Horse pub for a few games of pool. Life with Tim is certainly entertaining...

Tim with his Salomon comp boots prototypes for the world cup in 2002. 

Morning by the bonfire, more warm-up laps on "Jaz", and more triple espressos. We turned our attention to the main event, the "Lip Project", at the Power Pact cave. Now, this route looks quite intimidating, bolted at the edge of the hanging lip that traverses left pretty much the whole length of the face. Tim, being the psyche-machine he is, was mad to jump on it straight away. Finding the invisible hooks was the trickiest part, and Tim made very good progress for an onsight attempt until he came off. He got back on the route and worked all the moves, the best being the bridge across to the tree, which looks totally insane! But the fight is not over, you still have to climb the headwall to the anchors high up. Tim figured all the moves out and it was now my attempt. I was totally fired up, and as Tim would say, I pressed the "up-for-it button". But as soon as I got upside-down on the main affair of the roof I just run-out of steam. I need to be fresher to tackle a route of this calibre. It was Tim's chance now to dispatch the route, and with the quickdraws in place ow it should be a lot easier. He looked very steady across the roof and I thought it was in the bag, but just a couple of moves from the tree rest he dropped his tool. Game over then! He was gutted, but he'll send it next time. We reckon it might go around M10+. But the route is such a cool creation that left us totally mad for some more. Unfortunately I won't be able to get back on it until the new year. I reckon Tim will send it way before that.

I love this game of fools!

Good skills of make-shift stick-clip for the Lip Project

A fig-of-9 well executed by super-pro climber Tim Emmett

The first hook on the face is the hardest to find as you can't see it from below

The next hook is very marginal and I think it's probably the first crux

The coolest rest on a route, but beware, the tree is dead, so don't rest for too long...

Me flailing desperately on the Lip Project. I've got a heel hook on the head of my tool in this picture