Since My Return

Since I returned from the Alps it’s been non-stop for me.  For the first month It was pretty much just tractor driving and road biking. But this I was pleased about as the huge work load that I was undertaking was filling my pockets with money for the up and coming winter season, and the obsession with cycling would build an awesome base fitness also good for the winter.  Which I intend on having off so I can focus totally on my climbing and making the most of what bonny Scotland has to offer.

A couple of weeks ago I rebuilt me training wall that was up at my old house, this has been really good for getting the fitness and psych stacked up to the max for the pre winter sessions at Newtyle quarry. 

This year Mike Tweedly and  I are trying to do the extension to “Fast and Furious” which takes the steepest line all the way out of the cave. The route is called “Too Fast Too Furious” and is supposedly only half a grade harder than the original route, which makes it M11. At the moment I’m finding that a little hard to believe, as it feels like it is another harder “Fast and Furious” stacked on top of the original, with the crux being the end section.

 I’m not sure if it is the fact that when it was originally put up, it was done with heel spurs or not but I think the grading might be a little off.  I’m not saying it’s harder than M11 (I wouldn’t know, I’ve never climbed that grade). I’m just saying that it definitely feels like more than half a grade harder than “Fast and Furious” which is given M10+. But then again, who cares, the climbing is awesome and mental whatever the grade!

On Saturday I did a lecture for the STS round at Glenmore lodge. This is the first time I had presented a talk about my climbing career or in general, and it seemed to go down well with the audience. Not only was it my first lecture on Saturday, but I had to do my second one the very same night for the Braes O’Fife mountaineering club. This was also very good fun and it was cool to meet and present to new people, faces and friends.

Then on Sunday it was back to Newtlye with a load of folk from Saturdays STS comp for some more mixed climbing shenanigans and action. This was an awesome day and it was good to get a bunch of people into the cave to climb and have a laugh!

I am looking forward to doing more of these lectures and I’m also looking forward to getting back to Newtyle, so watch this space for more info and updates soon.