A Dark Hour for Bouldering

That's right, it seems as soon as the weather takes a couple of turns for the better. Which lets us look up out our soggy downjackets. We get all wistful and cocky with ignoring forecasts, and digging out harnesses from the back of pad stores, next thing you know the boat has not only been rocked but driven to the point of the mary celeste. We've been hemorrhaging core boulderers for the last 3 months, some have fled to the mountains and coasts with their harnesses and gear. But most have been seeking the sanctity of bolted cliffs. Luckily mike adams has been tending the fire waiting for others to return, with some inspiring new lines like the seldom seen kid, and hard seldom climbed lines like Sean's roof. Fear not Mike we shall return.UKC's hardest lists, show the extent of the situation. With the boulders list being over a month behind the routes in volume. And it'd be much worse if it wasn't for the stirling efforts of brothers Freeman, boldly listing and adding many a 7c-8a (a plethora of sends infact). The Stone and south lakes limestone link ups can't be tapped forever and at somepoint we'll need a powerful meme to be sewn to bring back regular summer ascents of things in parasellas, the pass and possibly even in sport strongholds like yorkshire and the peak.

I feel the loss of Big Malc to sport climbing early in the season prooved to powerful a blow. with 9a's emerging from blank stone after he got his fists on the Anvil (how manly a crag name is that!), only the iron willed boulderer could ignore the calling of the ropes. Now, I fear it would take a resurgence of The mighty G to stem this tide of ropes, or possibly a sacrifice of gary gibson to the bouldering gods.

I've even found myself bolting in the last week, with resins, it'll take alot of confession time to amend these sins. At the minute i'm kidding myself that i'm just bouldering on a rope, breaking moves down into boulder problems, it

feels less dirty that take. But with every shout of take and the tell tale signs of harness rash, i become more and more of a lost cause. Ned and I have been ticking routes down the dales from 8a+ to 8b+ all of which should kept hush so as to try and not make a bad situation worse.

I've also managed to track down a picture of the mental state of mind Caff is in whenever he pulls on (if you think its the man, think again...) well inspiring to say the least.

In many ways its been fun this year to do a few more routes. And when the veritable atlantis of crags, that is the cheedale cornice, surfaces it's just rude not to sample its fine underclings and soaring tufa lines (ok that bits made up) soaring sika lines is a bit more accurate. But bloody good anyhow.

Hopefully once i get shot of a few more routes i can get back to the boulders and start making amends.