Camp Butters

Been down to Camp Butters (formerly known as Rubicon) for the last couple of days. The hardest Font 5 in the world is getting easier and while it is still nowhere near a certainty every time I did manage to chalk up half way through it. A minor success as linking into other stuff still seemed a long way away but I felt tired yesterday so not that disappointed about that. Also had a play on Dragonflight Traverse - the moves don't feel that bad but the pain in my feet was excruciating - hopefully this is down to the shoes needing to break in a bit more.

Back again today and warmed up, did the 6a+, some variation going direct to the penultimate sidepull of the former problem and then played about on the Three Tier Traverses to the right. I had thought that these were all 6b but a quick look at the Peak District Bouldering website soon knocked that idea on the head - from the top 5+, 6a and 6b+. At least that would explain why the lowest one feels monumentally hard and the two above not quite so bad. Finished off with a couple of attempts at Miller's Dale - going again to the crimp with the left not a great idea when your skin is trashed - it hurts - a lot!

Rubicon 3, Butters 1

With the aid of the new shoes I finally got the warm up traverse done today - the difference a pair of climbing shoes makes over a pair of Turkish slippers is amazing. Got through to the usual point where I would be so pumped that I would just fall off with something left in the tank and grabbing a quick half rest before proceeding to the end of the hardest Font 5 in the world. Now I have finally done it the plan is to to get it a bit more wired and then there are a few options - reverse the problem, backtrack into the 6a+ or carry on through one of the three obvious lines that carry on from there. The possibilities while not being endless are many.

Then spent a while belaying the Broken Beagle on Salar which I gather is quite hard to judge by the commentary and probably used up his quota of expletives for the week in the progress. Once Broken Beagle had got the draws in and lowered off we then spent time going backwards and forwards between our main events.

For me it was the second proper session on A Millers Tale (I am discounting the last session as that was more getting the sit start wired) which made short work of my theory that it was going to go in two sessions from a stander. Am I disappointed? Not a chance - I now have the bottom section wired pretty much to the point where the moves up to the go again with the left hand is better than 50\50 every time now so progress can be measured in real terms.

Will it go in three sessions? Possibly but I am refusing to put a deadline on it now - I am just going to enjoy the problem for what it is - bloody hard but really enjoyable at the same time.

Rubicon 2 Butters 0

I dragged Broken Beagle down to Rubicon on Sunday after giving the idea of spending the afternoon belaying him on red point attempts of Lockless short shrift. Was a reasonably good session actually - felt OK on the traverse of doom though I have yet to complete it but it will go with some new shoes. The faithful and much loved Verde's are a fine pair of shoes for climbing on grit but when it comes to lime I have no doubt that a pair of Turkish slippers would probably offer better support.

Having said that I managed the rising traverse (given 6a+ in the guide) so well pleased with that - feel like I should probably have flashed it but got the final moves wrong and I was back on the mat. No repeat second time around - reach up, get the big sidepull\pocket and pull to glory.

From there it was back to a Miller's Tale - gave Broken Beagle the beta along with a caveat that it was possibly junk as it was "Butters specific beta" and showed him the rather improbable but ultimately awesome flag move and we were off. Me being me I decided that instead of concentrating on the stand up version and getting that in the bag I would take a quick look at the sit start which was being touted about as something like 6c reasoning that it was going to be too hard and therefore I could try it and then move on. Obviously that plan went to ruin pretty quickly as I found I could get off the ground and while the footwork wasn't obvious it was all there and so a new siege was engaged. Thankfully Broken Beagle wasn't making things look easy which the evil part of me was pleased about as it meant that time was on my side to have a good go at the sitter. Managed eventually to get one move from the standing start and that should fall into place with a bit of thought and then into the meat of the problem proper - I really am my own worst enemy at times.

Broken Beagle sent it from the sitter with one last gasp effort that I honestly thought he was going to drop on the last move after skipping a move going for the final hold. Not sure who was more amazed that he held on to be honest but he did and then we all retired for beer, Sheffield Tapas and talking rubbish - a good end to a good day.

A Miller's Tale

The weather was actually good enough to go climbing today after the spell of Northern summer that we have been experiencing since I got back from my brothers wedding. Given this unseasonable spell and wishing to take full advantage of it, it was off to Rubicon with the Flipper to see what was what.

Ran into the Lagerstarfish at the crag and had a chat with him - got a recommendation for a 6b to look at sometime soon and after the usual sitting about and cogitating it was onto the "easy" traverse to warm up. It actually felt OK today which was nice - the last time I was on it I just got beasted and it felt hard as nails but even with a better feel to it, it is still nowhere near the 5 (or 5+) grade it gets given as far as I am concerned. Sat about some more and got chatting to a guy I met at Owler Tor a few months back - turns out his name is Chris which he probably told me last time but since he couldn't remember my name either I refuse to feel bad about it. More dossing ensued while we watched three guys make Rubicon Wall look piss and then it was off to have a look at A Miller's Tale.

It is just one of those problems where you look at it and think it will be interesting. Felt the starting holds and tried a few different ways of starting it before settling on a method that allowed me to be pretty static and then it was a matter of sticking my right foot on the huge but a bit polished foothold and trusting it. The first couple of times I slid off the side of it experiencing a rather painful knee\limestone interface in the process but once I had gained a bit of trust in it then it was just a matter of trusting it some more. Semi static move to the good sidepull, compress across the shoulders to stay on and then drop a huge flag out to the right with the left foot - just one of those moves where the more you do it the better it gets - it's truly beautiful. Once you have done this and you realise you are still on the wall then go with the left hand to the slot as static as possible which if you have done everything right should feel relatively easy (well easy as it can anyway).

It is at this point where the hard work kicks in - it feels (to me anyway) that the obvious move is to go again with the left hand which contradicts the "accepted science" behind climbing movement and the fact that I am blowing the foothold when I hit it backs this up. The solution? Ignore "accepted science"! Compress some more on that sidepull and pull that bit harder on the "good" crimp you hit with the left - sometimes you have to ignore the science and just go with what feels right. Plaster that foot back on and get stable then strike the next crimp with the right hand and that was about as far as it went tonight - I held the crimp with the right once and it feels pretty good but probably more important is that I feel the problem will go.

Roll on Friday when round two commences - as for the fact that I seem to be enjoying the perversity that is polished Peak Limestone? Just treat it like "accepted science"...