Trip Tales: 2010

Desertscape - home for next wee while

A while since the last post, and a lot has changed! Now in the United Arab Emirates, working with the local military and providing adventure training in the desertish landscape. Currently two and half months into an 8 month stint, back in the UK at the start of May, where hopefully there will be plenty of dry crags to be climbed. Winter will be missed this year, but it's a nessesary evil...

Before heading out here at the start of September, a wee trip to the Alps proved entertaing. Main objective, 'The Cassin Route' on the Piz Badilie, was too snowy at the top to go for, however, there is plenty of alternative entertainment to be had in the Alps!

Motley Alps crew

Pitch 3 Steinfresser - an amazing E2 5b/F6a/b

Piz Palu col

Bivi spot

John descending from Flatiron

Smithy

Terry coming up Flatiron

Obglitory broken down car

Moody Bregalia

The Flatiron

Descent from Piz Palu

Approach to Piz Palu

And plenty more.

Also managed to get some nice trad trips in before heading to the desert. Highlights had to be the Bullroar on Ben Nevis, a great adventurous route climbing Carn Dearg in 12 pitches, and a few days in Reiff and the north, getting some great late summer sunshine..

The Bullroar pitch 4, Ben Nevis

Reiff village

Reiffscape

Which leads on to living in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. Plenty of loose sketchy rock out here, some ok sport routes, and enough scrambly/trad to last a lifetime, which may not be a very long lifetime if your not carefull with the rock...

Hanging out on Justice League, Hatta

Massive wall in north of UAE

Shisha Time

Omani cooking a fish, Kashab

Musandam, Oman

Fossil Face

About to ab for some gear... Junction Crag

Sarah at Zombieskull

Ralph seconding the 1st pitch of Weapons of Mass Distruction, a new 3 pitch HVS

View from home

The mighty Burj Kalifa

Shababs in the desert

Wandering the desert

Desert sunset

Will post plenty more plus some thoughts on the UAE - it's a weird place..

The Link Boulder, Cairngorm

Line of The Executioner E2 5b, Reiff

It's raining now, as it's July, so the summer monsoon has arrived right on time. So time for a brief (photo) roundup. May and June were roasting, the way it should be.. Trips to Reiff, Etive Slabs, Creag Dhu, Ben Nevis, Aonach Dubh, Lakes, Glen Nevis, The Cobbler, The Buachille and North Wales were all productive due to an abundance of sun, which we are paying for now..

Highlight Routes:

Inbred HVS 5a on Creag Dhu, wanted to do this route for years, quality.

The Excecutioner E2 5b at Reiff, and many more at this great wee out of the way place.

Swastika E2 6a Etive Slabs. Last of the Etive classics falls! Aid may have been used on last pitch..

Crack Attack E3 6a and Edgehog E3 5c(ish) at Wave Buttress. Good leads from Dougie.

Power of Endurance E5 6b, Cambusbarron. Top roped clean - now for a lead..

Yo Yo E1 5b, Aonach Dubh. Wet, classic, sustained climbing. Awesome. Hard E1.

Ressurection E4 6A, Dinas Cromlech. Belaying Irish John whilst he decided to lob off the top was interesting. What an awesome climb, clean on the second, should really lead this..

Diagonal HVS 5a, Dinas Mot. Great to lead all pitches on this hard rock tick, and topping out just as darkness fell after starting at 8pm.

Gladiators Groove Direct E1 5b, The Cobbler. Cobbler sketching at its best..

Torro E2 5c, Ben Nevis. On possibly the best possible day to do it on. Bone dry, immaculate rock, one of the best routes i've done.. Hard 5c crux though..
The Chasm VS, The Buachille. Classic day out, great adventure, very dry conditions but still got a little wet..
Aphasia E2 5b, Sergeant Slabs Crag. Awesome sustained slab climbing, with supper grippy rock.
Terminator 2 HVS 5a, Sergeant Slabs Crag. Another awesome route on a great crag.

And many, many more..

Have picked up a wee tendon injury on my left arm, probably due to bouldering without warming up properly, so we'll see how that goes. Also in the middle of all this was the MIA training at PYB, which filled my head with more ropework senarios that you should ever need. Now for an assessment..

The Evidence: (some of it)