The Quarry Man

This route is the stuff of legends! And climbed by the
legend Johnny Dawes. Blasted into fame in the film Stone Monkey with a Zappa
sound track that elevated the route above every other in the quarries. Even the
simple name blatantly indicates that this isn’t just another slab or wall. This
is THE masterpiece, climbing out from the biggest hole via the biggest
challenges.

Malham (Again)

Lucky for us this is such a good cliff, as we don’t have
that many world class sport venues. This isn’t Spain.
But we do have a few. This is the most important confirmation Adam Ondra has
made, the fact that he’s returned for a second week means he must like it here,
after all, he could go anywhere in the world for sure.

pic - Alex reaching past all the hard moves on everything!

 As a fine wine gains in taste and quality, so do the Petzl
Rock Trips! There have been some pretty good ones; Red River,
Squarmish and my favourite so far in Kalymnos; all fantastic and each a trip of
a life-time, but this year Petzl really extended themselves with a
rollercoaster ride to Mexico!

 Photo - Matt Heason

September and October are my favourite months. The air is
clear and the temperatures start to drop and everything looks a little more
beautiful. And friction goes up and all those little holds feel so much better.

Out with the old and in with the new! Need I say more? I
remember the day I climbed harder than my dad; it was kind of confusing rather
than an achievement. I wonder how long I’ve got before my daughter passes me?

Picture - Ivo Ninov - Five Ten 

The team gathered on Saturday morning and boarded their
coach. 24 climbers, including some of Britain’s
best, Nick Sellars, Ryan Pasquil, Neil Mawson, Paul Smitton, Sam Whittacker and
Myself. That’s a fair collection of E9’s and 8c’s in there. The destination?
Not a day’s climbing! Too hot for that, and way too humid. Instead it was an
all day dance festival – ‘Cocoon in the park’.