A Short Winter Climb to Revive Jaded Spirits
After a night out in Penrith and with winter still having its icy grip on the Lake District; what better way to take advantage of a low pressure day than to grab a quick trip up one of the classic little ice climbs around Thirlmere. I couldn’t track down anyone to come out to play, so it had to be something fairly easy going and quick to access. This was clearly the excuse I needed to have a look at Launchy Ghyll. This is one of those under rated mini classics that I’ve been meaning to get round to for years, but had always been tempted by higher places. Launchy Ghyll is rated grade III but is one of those amenable climbs that lulls you into thinking it will be perfectly OK for a quick morning solo. As Launchy is an SSSI (Site of Special...
Crunchy Frog Video Finally Edited – Thankyou Virtual Dub and Camtasia Studio 7
Anybody would think I’d set out to make a proper movie! Back in June when the sun still shone – when there was a hint of strength in the arms; Tim, Dorine and myself warmed up on Brown Slabs Corner before Tim had a poke at Crunchy Frog. It was one of those evenings with warm sun, perfect warm rock and azure skies. Where did they go? While Tim led, Dorine belayed and I just leaned back against the tree and caught almost the whole climb on my little cheapo video camera as Tim cruised up. Like a smart arse though, I decided to hold the camera portrait style to get the (foreshortened) perspective of the whole route, and when I first tried to edit the movie on Windows Movie Maker, discovered that WMM squished the aspect so the the movie would have...
Time Flies When You’re Getting Old! Unless You Decide to Become a Photographer
It’s a sad reflection on our advancing years that we don’t feel like accepting the arrival of a certain degree of “maturity”. Last weekend my old mate Phil hit the ripe old age of 60. As has been his habit for many years, he had the mandatory party. Phil’s parties are a bit of a legend. He’s one of those unsung consumate musicians. So there is always music and this time, his 2 daughters were about. Now these two ladies can sing! With 2 other musicians and a couple of Bodran imposters there was a great wee session. I was blown away by the way Phil and his two girls worked their way through an encyclopaedia of classics. Most of the geriatrics disappeared after midnight, but Phil, myself and the 2 ladies didn’t...
Dodging Showers at Castle Rock South Crag
Out for a quick blast away from the rectangular screen this afternoon, and for once we just timed it right. Walking up to the South Crag in the drizzle didn’t exactly feel like getting it right, but once we were at the base of the routes the wetness quietly vanished leaving us to a deserted, drying crag. I was with Ben and Kath Daines who were sticking their necks back into the climbing game again after a long absence. So some easy reintroductions were the order of the day. Slab climb, Wall Climb and Gangway were dispatched quickly with the seconds climbing more or less together. Then Ben decided he fancied a bit of leading on something easy, so we got him pointed up that easy ground further right where Noname goes. Don’t know how many times...
Scotch Mist and Scramble in Sandbed Ghyll
As the summer holidays approached, it was obvious the monsoons were about to kick in. The steady drizzle of scotch mist on the windscreen as we headed down St. John’s in the Vale confirmed that the day’s options were indeed the wet wander or the even wetter scramble up a ghyll. What I couldn’t believe was that for a couple of the day’s gang the concept of the “Ghyll Scramble” was a completely untested idea. We set off in pretty crappy conditions with much chuntering going on and Martin upping the ante with tales of upgrading and “… it’s a 5 now!” “Never fear!”, replied I. I’d been there before, I well recalled its November, pre annual dinner, pushover nature!! Thing was though,...