euro trip

After my exams finished I headed off to Europe with the Masonator and the gangly Tom Newman.

First was magic – Dave and Tom crushed while I battled to keep up, but still got some cool problems ticked.
We then went to Fionnay (an area Dave Graham developed) which has a cool cave with loads of horizontal problems on amazing granite. We all got some problems done – especially gangle who was dispatching left right and centre despite being injured!

I then had a comp in Montauban (one of the last rounds of this years world cup) so we drove down to meet the others. Gaz was taken ill and had to go to hospital and get scanned and fed some funky drugs. He didn’t get to compete in the end which sucked a bit.

I managed to do ok and surprised myself (and probably the others) a bit by coming 23rd overall. I was close to getting into the semis which would have been really good fun, but I was pretty pleased to not come at the bottom of the field for the first time! The party afterwards was ok but the band sucked and they ran out of beer (probably because team austria (Fishuber and Lama) had got to it first judging by the state of them!)

After this we drove up to font to chill for a while before heading home. I had so much fun pottering about on easy stuff with a bit of carpet feeling all old school (but without the woolly jumper and high trousers), but also got stuck into a couple of harder problems.

fata morgana

Overall it was a really fun trip with us all getting some good problems done especially the other two who were dispatching despite old or new injuries. I managed to flash a 7c+ which has been a goal for a while as well as doing loads of cool problems at loads of venues.


This is my ticklist from may til now: -

Peak district:
Mutton busting – 8a/8a+ first ascent
Recreational violence (LH) - 8a
Candyman – 8a first ascent
Hard Candy – 8a first ascent
Neil’s wall (sit start) – 7c+/8a
Mint sauce – 7c 2nd ascent
Candy Kaned – 7c 2nd ascent
Hand candy – 7c First ascent
Candy floss – 7b+ first ascent


Switzerland:
Left hand of darkness – 8a+
Right hand of darkness – 8a
Mutter tag – 8a
Rhytmo Brachial – 8a
Unnamed - 7c+ (flash)
Sneestrum – 7c+ (flash)
Unnamed roof - 7c+
Man of cow – 7c (flash)
Campus problem – 7c
Some river boulder - 7c first ascent
Back bloc – 7c
Sheep fatale – 7c
Welcome to jamrock – 7b+ (flash)

Font:
Fata morgana – 8a