PHOTOS: Wales is AMAZING!!!!
Some photos from the last few weeks of climbing:
Wales has been very Alpine in terms of weather and conditions, with beautiful blue-sky days giving birth to fat ice falls and sun-kissed coastal rock. The ice conditions have been well reported on the internet and the popular venues have been swamped. Instead of queueing for ice routes on the weekends I made the best of the weather by hitting the coast.
Perhaps the best day of all was a trip to Porth Ysgo on the Lleyn Peninsula, which was a great, fun day climbing, with sunny weather, perfect rock, a lapping sea and a great team. It really was T Shirt weather.
Jack flashing Fast Cars at Porth Ysgo
Tremadog was also in super condition with a golden glow hitting the crag as the sun started to dip behind the hills.
Tremadog 2010 - Sarah zooming up One Step in the Clouds as the sun sets.
The living legend at home on the rock!
I also managed a few trad routes over on Holyhead mountain and the Ormes too.
But the Ice did call eventually and I ticked the Appendix, but not after a failed mission with Jon and Simon when we thought it was just a bit thin. Jon is pictured below.
When I did finally tick it, Ray and I walked in and thought “No way it’s too warm” as the whole crag was melting fast. We nipped up the Devil’s Kitchen and then started heading back to work.
Halfway down the hill we looked at each other, knowing that the Appendix would be gone by the following day and decided to go for it, as we had seen another team on it and they hadn’t died.
We did it in rather soft conditions, it had a few ‘Slush Puppy’ moments…
(Thanks to Neil Dickson for the photo of me).
Jon Ratcliffe looking sexy on the lower section of the Devil's Appendix
Jack just above the crux of the Devil's Appendix. Every hold was a jug, I thought it was like E4 5b/c.
A fitting end to all this action was of course a night in the Fricsan with Raymondo and Wraith for my birthday…
Dub Ska were playing and the pub was packed out – perhaps a little too full. It was an almost perfect end to an almost perfect season. The room was so full it was as if there was an elephant in there… perhaps there was.
The Fricsan - Jan 15th - Dub Ska playing.
