Matthew's Journal

2015 looked like it was going to be a good year for climbing. It didn't quite end up that way...

Despite the weather, naath and I managed a good weekend trad climbing in Wales in April - 5 climbs on Saturday before the crag became a waterfall, and then the multi-pitch Pulpit Route on Milestone Buttress.

Then in May, atreic and I had a trip to Brassington, picked for being a sensible day-trip from home. Despite the nettles (which were pretty bad - I dread to think what they'll be like in the autumn!), we had some fun here, 5 short climbs up to HVD; the protection was a bit hard to find at times.

In the first week of June, diziet and I went to France for a week of sport-climbing. I regret not writing this up at the time (other than in my ukclimbing logbook), as it was a great trip! We took the train to Carpentras (where we stayed) and hired a car there to get to the crags. Much of our climbing was on the Dentelles de Montmirail, an amazing chain of limestone crags that jut out of the landscape, and really dominate the skyline. Over the week we attempted 30 routes, and I got 20 of them cleanly (repeat or onsight), at grades up to 6a (I didn't get anything in the 6s clean, only up to 5c). UKClimbing notes in places that the grades in this bit of France are a bit "traditional" compared to other venues, and it's fair to say that they felt much harder than the equivalent grades at Harlow climbing wall! I noted against one climb "Never mind sandbag, this is an entire flood defence!".

That said, I'd not done any sport climbing before, and did have a really good time, despite it being rather too hot (even on north-facing crags, it was hitting the mid-30s in the afternoons, so we were starting as early as hotel-breakfast allowed and stopping when it got too hot), and sometimes getting a bit disheartened by the rather feeble grades of the climbs I actually got up. Perhaps a highlight was climbing up to the very top of the ridge, and standing admiring the view - really on top of the world! diziet managed to stitch together some pretty impressive panoramas.

At this point, I was looking good to beat my record for number of outdoor climbs in the year. And then I broke my foot (5th metatarsal) in an accident on a waterslide and that was it for outdoor climbing :-(

Indoors, I got to Harlow 36 times, climbing one-footed after breaking my foot. This coming week I'm going to try climbing gently on both feet again, and see how it goes. And buy some new shoes! My big toe nails are still damaged from the compression of the current pair when it was hot in France (the rubber curves over the big toe, meaning there is no-where for the toe to expand).

Best grades indoors (clean ascents): 7a (top-rope), 6b (top-rope, one foot), 6a+ (lead)
Outdoors: S (trad, onsight), 5c (sport, onsight)

I really hope my foot is good enough to climb on soon, so I can start planning 2016's climbing fun!