Margalef

Our time at Siurana was short lived. A group decision that although a great place it didn't fit our climbing style very well and this wasn't enjoyed by all. We stayed for a week sampled most of the more popular crags & I got to do one of the climbs I had really wanted to do on this adventure, Anabolica.

Long move shut me down a lot!

Shortly after our week was up & our short but sweet time in Siurana came to an end.

Fires are cool + spanish love fires = spanish are cool

Next up on the hit list- Margalef. Due to reasonably bland & uninspiring comments on Margalef such as "It's all just pockets" & "there's not much there" & "its not very good" we at one point thought we might only stay for a few days….

Margalef is Frickin' Awsome!!

We stayed for 11 days (I could have stayed for a month!) On our very first day we did some exploration and found this fully awesome little church carved into a hillside, right next to a shit ton of climbing. On further inspection we found more and more rooms behind the church carved out of the rock it's self. I'm not normally that bothered by this sort of thing but it was totally amazing, looked beautiful & all open to let you wander about. People were even sleeping in some of the rooms and on the section of the church roof that was flat. I planned to join them for one night but are time was up just too soon.

Outside

Inside

On days where our legs were tired but our fingers weren't hurting enough, we went to 'El Lab' I get to call it that as I have climbed/hung out here & seen Chris Sharma. For the rest of you mere mortals, you may refer to it as 'El Laboratory'

Google to the rescue

By visiting this crag you are draw to First Round First  Minute, it's distinctive look and shinny petzl quickdraws being something of a give away. It's crazy short and looks crazy hard. I used to wonder how a route so much shorter could be so much harder than Realisation or La Rambla, seeing this in person is a good answer.

Another serious tick for Margalef is the free-ish camping (it says to stay for one night but no one seems to mind…). There are these car park type spaces dotted all around that you are aloud to pitch up and stay in, some have water (you can drink it but it makes your drinking water last so long) they often have tables & benches made from the surrounding stone & the pice de la resistance is the stone BBQ that are everywhere, one man's BBQ is another warm shower shed.

I ain't going hippy

With all of this amazingness & a vast potential for new routes that goes on for valley after valley, coupled with a new guide book in the works from Pete O'Donovan. The popularity is sure to rocket. Most of europe seems to already be aware but if your not go and check it out before the secret truly breaks….

Sátiva Patática 8a

One caveat to this is the shop. Theres only 1 and its open 6-8. You may be thinking that most of the day whats the fuss. Well it's 6pm-8pm. Totally crazy, this is the reason spain is still a third world country! Nobody wants to make money. Maggie Thatcher & therefore also Jon Partridge(who still hasn't forgiven the miners) would be appalled.

As we leave Margalef, I've lots more to do here, things I've tried and failed & things I've failed to try. I hope we return but for now we are onto the next location. No idea where its gunna be but Robin is out in a week so properly wherever he ends up cranking.

Team.

From The Ritz to the Rumble

This should be actually be entitled from the Morgue to the Ritz, but I like the Arctic Monkeys. This due to our relocation from Santa Linya to Siurana, via Terradets.

Top to bottom Terradets, Santa Linya & Siurana 

This dramatic relocation ment leaving the car park that had become our home & de-pitiching the Morgue from the near by hillside where I had hidden it from view SAS style. The last day at Santa Linya proved to be a good end to that chapter of the trip (we will be going back though). Jen, having sent her nemesis a few days earlier (a tricky 7b that had resided almost 20 times over three trips (think these facts are correct she's off being northern somewhere right now)) spent was snap happy whilst Marco got his first ever 8a in great style.

This had been Marco's project for 3/4 days now, on the 2nd go of the last day it all came together, with every hold and move looking sweet. By putting in a serious amount of effort it looked like Marco had fully earned this route. Battling his way through the crux and keeping it all together for the balancey top section.

Similarly I decided that I needed to fully commit to trying as hard as I could on the climb I'd been trying sporadically (Iraq Attack). I'd been experiencing weird levels of psych on this route for some reason. I feel that normally I'm ready to give it my all every go and really try my best, but this had not been happening, the only possible reason I can find is that the other person trying the route at the same time as me was Dick & pissing me off, taking my psych at the same time. Anyway these psych levels had ment I either hadn't been trying the route (literally) or getting on the route & still not really trying to climb it. This go the 1st of the day I (and this may sound weird) just told myself I was going to have to try really fucking hard to climb this thing, but that I could. I did.

Edited to have the correct horizon, check the quickdraw

That chapter truly closed as we left that afternoon in search of new rock, new homes & new adventures.

All of these were found In Terradets, the knowledge is to camp near the disused train platform (or bivy on it), right next to the brand new one! It seemed fine though as from our very isolated home of the car park, this place was positively metropolitan with maybe 7 other groups staying. Here the Morgue was a little warmer, a lot flatter & not pitched on stones. Not the Ritz but not far off. The plan was for Me & Marco to Frag & Clear the crag whilst Jen had 2 days rest. For Me at this crag I planned to get warm and then look for classics in the 7c/+ area to hopefully flash or get 2nd go hoping to rack up as many routes as possible. Efficiency. I should mention that Terradets is one of the most amazing walls I have ever seen, 25-35 meters high, bulging out of the hillside, overlooking crazy scenery with a beautiful lake at the bottom. It comes with tufa's streaming down it allied with blank sections between them that yield hard face climbing. It's frickin' great! Oh and there must be 20+ routes in the grades I mentioned earlier, everyone as good as the next.

Found on google

Day 1 was a good day learning how to climb on these very different features with good results coming from hard work battling up thin parallel pipes whilst looking for rest on the face climbing (there must be holds). This is the complete opposite to every single local it seemed. Never the less routes were ticked.

Jam sesion	7b	Flash
Pasta Sin Agua	7a+	Flash
Red Bull	7c+	2nd go
Occident	7c	Flash

Day 2 started with a similar warm up, which showed the style was definitely making more sense & with that the crag was just looking better & better, I seemed to be settling into the notion that if I tried really properly hard, climbed by instinct & arrived at the chain pumped out of my tree I could get away with flashing 7c with next to no beta. So I did. due to the temp climbing in the shade isn't really an option this combined with the length of the routes means that it is hard to get to much done, so we just climbed as much as we could. I managed to get two routes done & fell off the last hard move of the third Xarop de Basto on the flash, a strange routes whose grade ranges from 7c+ to 8a depending who you talk to (I think hard 7c+is fair). I was done. The Terradets leg was done. (again however we will be back.

L'Ansie	7a+	Flash
Avant Match	7c	Flash
Orient	7c/+	Flash

Roll out the red carpet, we have arrived at the Ritz. We've pitched up in Siurana campsite, & there was no frost in my tent this morn. 1st day ever. The artist (tent) formally known as the Morgue is now the Ritz. We have showers, sinks, a washing line, tables, chairs & we sit down to defecate. All very foreign things (I think my bowels work better when squatting). Are stay for the 1st is also legal, meaning we don't have to try to be so fully subtle that we are actually living were we're parked. Amazing. Hopefully the climbing here (the stuff I haven't done on previous trips) will be even half as good as our new home & twice as cheap. Bring it on Siurana.

Efficiency

I like efficiency, I get a strange pleasure from it. I try to find it everywhere, when I cook I like to plan my time way to much, so whilst I am doing certain tasks others are doing there own thing, with the hope (more like expressed certainty) that all will be finished at the same time. Meaning speed & efficiency, then I'll eat with the cutlery used to cook & nothing else. Another example is when Im running my Bia-t-ches or dealing my crack, I like to plan my route around town (normally a circle). This allows me to not be zigzagging across town using up all my gas n' shit. Apart form this one hoe; Shazale, always all up in my grill and jumping on the dog and bone (phone) screaming & hollering about this and that. Screws my efficiency when I have to zoom on over in my whip to bust some caps.

I digress. Sorry.

So I like to bring my efficiency to Climbing, obviously flashing a climb is a nice thing in its own right, but to me theres more. I like the efficiency that it represents, energy, skin & time efficient. All great things. It means you have more of everything to get more done that day/trip.

In terms of flashing the trip started very well & good progress was made around the cave, getting the easier (this is a relative term in this place) routes done. Now things have stepped up a bit with red-pointing being the norm. There is however still efficiency to be found, relatively important on routes. Apart from the obviousness of finding the easiest way from A-B….

I really enjoy the challenge of trying to dial in a sequence quickly & then progressing through to the red-point stage. 

On my first red-point project in the cave this didn't go quite to plan. Hueco boulder head was engaged upon seeing seeing some holds with a rad sequence that I new I could do right at the end of the crux. I could. However a whole 2 red-points were wasted trying what I was reliably informed by 3 people (one of them Gaz Parry who seems to have solid beta on every route in the cave)was the hardest sequence they had ever seen some one adopt on that climb. Finally agreeing that my totally RAD sequence might not be the most effect, I worked on the conventional sequence. It went & it went easier, dam! I climbed the sequence again & again in different overlapping sections until the sun dropped behind the distant tree's, taking the caves burnt orange edifice and replacing it with an altogether darker icier facard. It was time to go.

Upon the moro I returned, I warmed, I had sugary treats, I climbed from the bottom to the top without falling off. Success. Can't say when it went it felt easy but at least the process was reasonably efficient, especially after the new sequence.

Here are some photo's of me working the route (Pigui Nocturno) curtesy of the aforementioned Gaz Parry

Sexy Beast

It's as easy as 1

2

3

Since completing this project I haven't really settled into any other climbs as moving on is looming over at the moment (when Marco sends too) however I did have a little play on Rollito Sharma, and when I am a LOT stronger will come back for more, over the next few days I shall try to sink my teeth into something.

Onwards and upwards,

Grant.

The Morgue

The Morgue is the affectionate new name for my tent. This is due in part to the coffin like restrictions that are placed on ones movement, with the analogy being finished off nicely by the frost covered interior that greats me as I open my eyes. It's times like that I'm extremely happy with my purchase of a rather expensive, extremely warm Rab (keep the sponsors happy) sleeping bag. It means that while every surface (inside & out) of my tent is frosted over, including the aforementioned sleeping bag & often my woolly hat on my head, I'm snuggery warm in my cocoon of downy goodness.

The mornings probably are the worst part of my day thought, as no matter how warm it is in the bag, at some point you have to get out, fight through the wall of frosted up zips, find your shoes & run into the distance to find the van, sleeping bag over shoulder (not forgetting to re-zip up the blessed morgue). NB. I bring the sleeping bag with me to let it dry out in the van during the day.

So the climbing… me, the van, the moorage, Jen & Marco are living in Santa Linya car park. I am reliably informed by a french aquantense, probably called Jean-Pier, that what I am doing is called 'Camping Savarge' in french (I like this term).

Santa Linya is frigging amazing! The crag is just one big cave, but what a cave!!!!

Found this on Google

I guess a list is the most efficient way to share my recent rock climbs

09/02/12

Bouludo                    7b+     Flash

Airline                        7b+     2nd Go

Meneo Canario       7b        Flash 

10/02/12

Devora Hombres     7c+     Flash

Arqueologico            7c       Flash

11/02/12

Trio Ternura              8a       Flash

12/02/12

Kanotero                   7c       2nd Go

El Ejecutor                7c+    2nd Go

Today the 13th we rest, wash clothes & ourselves, been very productive on all fronts.

The climbing has been going surprisingly well, I feared that my complete lack of route training would hold me back. However it has seemed that my Hueco boulder strength & me really wanting to get to the top is dragging me up things. Crazily. For me the three stand out moments (this may be as they are the most recent ones) have been: 

Trio Ternura 8a I was told it started right off the deck with the 1st move putting you right into a hard & long V6/7 boulder problem, to a marginal rest, another 5 marginal moves to a massive rest. From here you finnish up a 7c that I had flashed the day before (having been widely pumped out of my mind trying to throw my hands in holds I new I could climb it but wouldn't say I had a confirmed sequence). Hearing all this I new it was a good route to go for, hoping my boulder strength would drag me through the boulder problem start & after the rest I could just cling on through the 7c (big holds with bigger moves). On the flash I arrived at the rest pumped out of my tiny mind. I tried to throw in hand jams, arm jams & only fell a little short of trying a head jam. Having recovered all that I could I set off up the upper section. Brilliant climbing, throwing between good holds getting more and more pumped, as the chains came into sight I actually thought I might do it and with a final updraft of warm spanish wind I was there. Truly mental. As a little icing on the cake this was my first ever 8a Flash (2nd ever 8a) & came 8 days after my first ever 8A. Happy.

Kanotero 7c A normal santa linya climb leaves you pumped and ready to fall into the waiting arms of the rope, when you reach a wicked 1 move boulder throw of about a meter from a crimp rail to a flat jug. Missed It first time no mistake second time.

El Ejecutor 7c+ Different from all the others as its on the 'flatter' side of the cave, meaning much smaller holds & no feet. Amazing moves throwing from side pulls to two finger pockets, resting on 'sign of the vulcan' holds & actually using a mono in anger. truly different & truly amazing.

To end here are some photos of me on Trio Ternura

Perhaps I should have worn a T (I'm on the right, middle hight)

Upper Crux

Finished & very happy!

Hueco, The End

Free Willy

we arrived at Free Willy to find another guy working on it also. He was psyched for us to get involved so me and Will Boot'd & chalked ready to get started. It turned out we were all at the same place, we had the problem wired apart from the seriously hard last move. (I was also struggling with the first move but being able to do it 3/5)

The last move is more something of a two move combo. The first move is a relatively easy big lock up to a razor small crimp probably a 1/4 of a pad. This hold you have to totally bone as you jump your right foot in & up to a good spike, from here you sag as low as you can to allow for maximum propulsion skywards, hoping you get somewhere near the finishing jug & have the presents of mind to hold it when you get there.

Pre-Jump

Post-Jump

Needless to say you only get the climb if you can take your top off mid move.

This move was giving me real trouble but I had seen great progress on it, having gone from thinking I couldn't hold the crimp to high-fiveing the finishing jug. This buoyed me and I started to try from the sit every go, fearing I would only get the move once & that I better make sure that it was on the oner!

I'll let you watch the video to find out if this was in-fact true or not. (Watch all the way till the very end is my advise)

With that video, My Hueco adventure has come to an end. It's been one of the best trips ever for many reasons way beyond the climbing. Taco Bell, IHOP & thrift shopping being just a few of the highlights!

At the time of publishing I think I'll have around 15 hours left in the UK before hitting Europe and getting silly pumped (maybe I should have spent more time with Chris 'training' on Desperanza).

Anyway I hope who ever has been reading this has enjoyed the updates & video's from Hueco. I will try to keep the information coming & hopefully you guys will keep enjoying it.

Peace out Grantz

(Ha only joking I ain't that guy!)

Next update will come from hopefully a less snowy Europe than we currently have.

The End Part One

It's been a while since my last blog. Well actually only 5 days, but in that time much has happened.

For us, this time, Hueco has come to an end. The ending has occurred in a swirling mist of success, failure but most of all good times.

Convention says to start at the beginning when telling a story, or in this case to pick up where the last blog left it. Never been a fan of convention.

The last day in Hueco was spent trying to close projects, hanging out in an RV playing Uno & finished with a slap up meal in El Paso for Chris' birthday. The attendance of the meal was a myriad of different climbers. There was Me, Jon & Will representing the southerners, Chris & his gang representing (for the moment) the northerners, a gaggle of strong europeans (who's names I definitely can't remember/spell properly), a man only ever introduced to me as 'Fred Nicole's mate', a baby & Dave Graham.

The level of climbing talent around the table was only surpassed by quality & quantity of the grub that was served in this 'burger come steak, brewery restaurant'.

It was a very nice way to end our Hueco trip & since then all that has happened is sleeping, flying, sitting, sleeping, plane food, movies, flying, driving, home.

For me that pretty much sum's up the last day, Jon's Blog will give you some insight into his last day I'm sure as I believe he had a slightly different experience for the climbing element. I only climbed one climb, (due to being totally beaten up from the day before's antics) Baby Martini V6 very nice, quite long, pretty dam hard for the grade. 

The day before, The penultimate day, The day that came before the day that came after that happened yesterday.

To be more explicit (as if it was needed) the day was Friday the 3th of February in the year of our lord 2012.

I received the enviable task of choosing were on North mountain I wanted us to go & what I wanted to climb this morning (Jon's 'bullet hard' skin had not lived up to its name while trying 'Bleeding Brother's' which unfortunately did, so was taking a skin growth day & Will was chill to go play on his project later on in the day). On the face of it this could be a very hard decision, North Mountain is covered in stunning problems at every grade. If you don't like bouldering here, you don't like bouldering!

For me however, not so hard. Having come so close to El Techo after having done a project earlier that day, I had vowed to myself I would get back on it at the start of a day with fresh skin, plenty of burl & the beta all tricked out. So I did, after a few goes warming into the holds, with time also spent trying to do weird angled pull ups to expedite the warming, I felt ready. I brushed every hold, I squeaked my boots, I chalked my mits, I set off & I fell off.

This sequence of events was repeated for a couple of goes, until one time I found myself at the lip, my hand had stuck, I threw the heal, it stuck, I just had to fire into the hold with my other hand to have finished the hard part. I didn't but somehow I was still on, with no time to question the paradoxical situation of knowing what I had to do to stay on, not doing it & staying on anyway, I pressed on with getting to the top with a sequence I didn't really know and hadn't worked.

To have any idea what I'm talking about I suggest you watch the video

Although not one to hungrily consume grades at the expense of all else (like some sort of american gobbling down there 'triple deluxe cheese bacon burger', whilst looking disdainfully at the side salad)

This Bloc mark's something of a mile stone for me, being as it is my first Fb 8A. I'm very chuffed to have done one, It may not be the pinnacle of the trip (Equally it may) but it does help to show a progression in my climbing & give a good feedback to the training volume that I put in, it also gives me a warm feeling inside when I think back to it.

Having got my banker for the day I was open to any & suggestions for climbing related antics, Will fancied a play on Theatre of The Absurd so up we went. I too really fancied trying this so jumped straight in with Will to figure out a sequence. The moves, angle & style were not dissimilar from El Techo so I though I could give it a fair bash. I was wrong. Turns out I'd left every ounce of tension & burley bicep-ness at El Techo. Had I not had sent it that would probably have been annoying but as I had I enjoyed myself trying to put together 2 move combo's hoping to store some beta for the next adventure out west.

After our relaxing play/ sunbathing time on Theatre, Will remembered his desire to get Free Willy done (A problem that I too wanted to send a large amount!!), so true to our new found american sensibilities we walked down to the Whip, drove round to the relevant car park & hiked back onto North.

The events, shenanigans, high-jinxes & possible sending around this Bloc will have to wait for another entry….

Be assured though It'll be with the wait.

Singing From the Same Song Sheet

Today was a GOOD day!

Rock climbs went down, Spirits went up, fun was had & we didn't run out of fuel.

The day started with a win for me. (the best kind of win quite frankly)
I've been trying Choir Boys sporadically over our time here, never with fresh skin though and always at the end of the day. This approach was leading to me getting nowhere. I had however worked out most of the Beta and thought nipping in for a quick send before Jon jumped on his proj would be a great way to frag & clear.
I was wrong, an hour and a half later I was still punting around. By this time Alex had found us & joined in the general team effort of trying to cheer me up the climb. In between attempts highjinks & Harry Potter scenes were acted out, with occasional cameos from the kid in Gladiator. (Me, Will & Jon had watched part 1 & 2 of the last HP film in bed the night before)
Finally (when Voldermort was about to kill Harry, or was he…….) I stopped being rubbish and went from the bottom to the top in one go, what we in the business call a send.
Much jubilation was expressed from me & my comrades. Im not great with grades at these levels but to me Choir Boys felt like the hardest V9 I have ever done, I was probably just punting but JeeWhizz!
Little Vid below.

Having wasted quite enough of his time already, I hastily packed up & hustled over to Jon's proj. We arrived and found James & Shauna, the wolf pack was complete minus the Terminator (more on him later). Group psych was high whilst James & Jon did battle on the wall.

For details on how Jon did check his Blog *Hint Jon is bloody amazing.
Like wise for James *Hint James is also not shit.

After all this action we smelt the overpowering sent of burnt burgers & charcoal, this can only mean one thing… Chris was bouncing towards us, although always a happy chapy he seemed especially happy today. He was and to find out why, guess what…. Blog

Not wanting to sit on our laurels Jon found himself a new Proj that apart from trying to eat his hand alive looks brilliant. (even if it is a blooming long walk & he made us go twice on the same day (I'm not bitter))

I confirmed El Techo de los Tres B as my most coveted goal in the park having the ill sense to fall of here:

Video Still

Having started way back in the cave, not over by any mean's but close enough to warrant another session to get it done (hopefully).

The climbing day ended by making lose plans to get a commercial tour too East Spur tomorrow, for some unfinished business on all fronts.

Then the real fun started.

We climbed back into our car, neh Truck! And remembered that the Range 'O' Meter thing had been saying 0 Miles for the last 10 Miles. Being as we were 30 Miles from our Motel, a good 20 Miles from the nearest gas station & in the middle of the dessert with night falling, having this engine could be a problem.

Hopping in the car and setting off I for one felt this was very Top Gear. Sticking with Top Gear mentality we took a short 5 Miles detour for some random unimportant & unrelated shiz. After this we really started to think we were going to have to push our 50 Ton (probably) goliath. Pressing on with a militant eye on the rev counter we finally made it to the high-way, this filled me with a sense of relief. As although still a way from the nearest gas station I was buoyed by the knowledge that with this smile and some english charm, hitching to the gas station & back would be a formality. Thankfully this was not put to the test as the luminous fuel price sign came over the horizon. continuing my Top Gear antics I had convinced Jon to floor it as soon as we could see the sign to see if we would make it. He agreed. We did, I suggested that we should double or quits to the next station, he said no. We filled up, had MacyD's for dinner & I saw a S.W.A.T instructor with a gun.

Great Day!