New Climber Course 7-11 June

Mike from Corsham had done a little indoor climbing, but wanted to learn how to do it properly! He booked 5 days with me and despite day one being wet, he said he had "a great, life changing time"! To show him what to do, I took Mike to Halldrine Cove, Roche Rock, Hawks Tor, Pordenack Point, Gurnards Head and Bosigran. By the end of the week, Mike had led a couple of Severes and had successfully followed a couple of VSs, including the very steep Mexican Pete at Pordenack. Highlights of the week were climbing Right Angle in the evening gloom, finishing at 9.55pm, the beer in the Tinners Arms afterwards and Mike leading the whole of Bosigran Ridge (including the Armchair pitch).

The Lovely Lizard - 4th June

Climbing on the Lizard today with a doctor from Gloucester! Fab weather again. Nice easy routes, including Sirius (HS), followed by much steeper stuff on Hollywood Walls (Silent Movie VS). It has been a long time since I ventured this far South and it has been a pleasant change. Reckon I'll be back soon.

Big Waves 2/3 June

Surf Coaching for EBO Adventure at Penhale corner. A BIG swell made for difficult conditions, with rips and mountains of white water. The guys did well, though, with most people getting to their feet and riding to the beach. Good to see the nudists out too!

Boys Weekend - Bank Holiday

Went to Gower, South Wales with my eldest, Sam, for some camping, climbing and surfing. It rained on Saturday, so we walked over the low tide causeway to Worms Head to look for fossils after some lovely fish and chips. Sunday was lovely and sunny, so we went climbing in Three Cliffs Bay. Sam (12) did really well, following me on the two classics VS route, Arch Slab and Scavenger. We also climbed the East Ridge of Great Tor. Monday we scored 3-4foot Llangennith. Yes, it was busy in the morning, but as time went on, the crowds thinned out and it turned into a great afternoon session. Sam managed to get out back 3 times under his own steam - nice one kid!

Respect

Have been working with a group Armed Forces guys through EBO Adventure. Some of the guys are undergoing rehab for various ailments, but a couple of them are amputees from the Afghanistan conflict. Despite their situations, to see these extraorinary guys put on their artificial limbs and go kayaking and mountain biking is nothing short of inspiring.

Duchy Dynamos 20-21 May

A small expedition down the River Dart to Lukey Tor for some climbing and abseiling with a group of Public Services students from Duchy College. The weather was great and conditions on the crag, perfect. The students built their own shelters for the night, then did some climbing on top ropes. The next morning, those who wanted to were given the opportunity to abseil from the top of the cliff before we walked back to Dartmeet.

A morning with CHICKS 17th May

Had a great morning looking after young people from CHICKS at Vitalise Churchtown. These guys come from Inner City areas and are blown away by the sights and sounds of the Cornish countryside. Running a climbing wall session and seeing these guys achieve their goals is just great.

BMC International Sea Cliff Climbing Meet Final Day

Its the last day of a fantastic week. Everyone has been saying how good it has been and how great the climbing is in Cornwall. Marco and I headed over to finish the week by climbing Right Angle (HS), then heading back to Bosigran Main Cliff to climb Autumn Flakes (HS) and Paragon (HVS) before food and beers over at the Tinners Arms in Zennor. Full reports of the Meet willbe published by the BMC over the coming weeks.

BMC International Sea Cliff Climbing Meet Day 5

Another day, another climbing partner. This time it was Marcos from Croatia. Unfortunately, it was wet in the morning so I took him on a cultural visit to St Ives. Not tempted by art gallerys and pasties, we drank double expressos (not strong enough, according to Marco) and ate ice creams. By the afternoon, it had dried up enough for us to venture onto the rock. It was lovely in the late afternoon sun down near the start of Bosigran Ridge. Marco led Variety Show (HVS) then the immaculate Gallipoli (E1) before we soloed up the Ridge in the evening sun.

BMC International Sea Cliff Climbing Meet 4

It was sunny today, Yippee! With the tides being favourable, a big crowd of us went over to Pordenack Point near Lands End. Christos was still happy to climb easier routes, such as Economists Climb, but soon we were hauling ourselves up the steep and juggy "Friends", a toughly graded VS. Christos did well by leading the top pitch. Then it was off to do battle with Lands End Long Climb. Again, I let Christos lead it all. Fish and Chips had been organised for everyone, so once we had got to the top, we headed off to St Just for tea.

BMC International Sea Cliff Climbing Meet 3

I know its taken a while to to get round to updating this blog, but here goes! Day 3 of the Meet and it's all change! Not only has the weather taken a turn for the worse (its got colder), but we have swapped partners. I am now climbing with Christos from Cyprus. His experience of trad climbing is limited as climbing on Cyprus is sport related, so we spent the day on the main cliff of Bosigran, just climbing easy classic routes such as Alison Rib, Big Top etc so Christos could concentrate on placing gear and building belays then, just to finish, Christos stormed the superb Little Brown Jug (VS).