voll kraft voraus

first off lets smooth things over with a wideo off wimeo.

mehr aus Deutschland from beastmaker.co.uk on Vimeo.

Since we've been back we've been trying to organise ourselves, and we're beginning to get on top of things, hopefully we can stock some shops in coming weeks as well as get some good R&D done on a few things which are still stuck in the virtual CAD domain. Ned's been in Leicester helping out and pratting about with bits of aluminium. As well as project scouting etc.

end of days

Right, Ned's back in Blighty tomorrow night and is currently trying Zerberus as it has rained pretty convincingly for the last 3 days so it's pretty much the only thing dry that he wants to try. Hopefully by the 10th this should correspond to us being better at shipping stuff out as he can get his wobble buns down to Leicester to ship out some more fine pieces o' timber (tulip wood). Ned briefly came out of "retirement" last week and did 2 rarely repeated 8a+s in a day here. Violation and Fueurzange, which was rather spiffing. It was on halloween too and there'll be a retrospective video uploaded when i get home. But for now you'll just have to use your imaginations. We've been sampling some fine beers over the past 48hours too and it can be confirmed with many a hiccup that oberailsfeld "Heldbrau" (hero-brew) is officially 'da shit' with the dark beer basically being liquid caramel. Bring on the plauzen (sp?) I haven't been upto too much except fingerrecoveryfying which is an intricate game of head vs body. Anyway enough waffle as the locals are starting to look at me funny (am parked in a non too inconspicuous place).

Holidaymakers

Oh guten tag, hope you all like the slightly awkward self service website, unfortunately this has made myself and Ned a tad redundant for now, honest, so we are searching for new customers in the DENSE forest of Der Frankishe Sweiz, aside from having an incredibly Horse-killable land lady, our nice German basement accommodation is purely belter, waking up each morning to miniature deer skulls on every wall along with Doris bending over outside picking her veg from her bushy garden. We've been getting shown round by Fabian Chrishof and his girlfriend Mona, whom win the nicest people in Germany award, and the other night in the pub was golden memory central, with our friend Ben arguing with Marcus windisch ( the quiet 8c crusher whom was sat next to us for half the night, of which we were unaware, as we thought he was just a jolly local villager) about the german music scene, apparently techno is dead and metal core is where it is at for hard Jura sends. Nevertheless times are good and some good boulders have been discovered, a few of them have even been climbed, like V2, Billiard, Some huge highball 8a, Knochenmuller, and the worlds hardest 7cs (harder than the 8a's round here).

The Jura is no place for vegetarians and everything contains meat and sausage, and if it ain't then it's pickled. which pretty much sums up how our fingers and backs feel right about now. The G rectification process has begun but is only in its fledgling stages, by the time we leave things will be straighter than an ironed metal rule.

apologies if your boards take a day or so longer to come than normal, we're working Dave to the bone honest, he's pretty big boned though so can take it

auf wiedersein

Scottish streams of consciousness

So i popped to Torridon for a few days last week (a mere 5 and a half hour jaunt), i am unsure whether to write a trip report or a holiday guide/article as i feel alot of people won't have a clue where or what i'm on about. It is the armchair explorers paradise, as the first boulders are roadside, it soon turns into a haystack as you search the hill for Queen lines ;) as you can't see the problems for the rock. Fuvvamore it is also a good place to chill out as the youth hostel/ camping is 2 minutes walk from the nearest boulder problems. Basically i had my eye on 4 previously spied lines. I arrived to warm temps which would usually have most people complaining but my dry skin was just about coping ok, i got stuck into the really steep arete project after warming up on & around Vapour Trail, this had culminated in me finding my pant filling zone at about 7m with 2pads and no spotters, (resulting in emergency crimp being unleashed on holds far too big to warrant its official use) Classic! my trip had been made already.
Anyhow, said arete was steep and bulbous, she was big on the footholds but was scrimping back on the grips. After trying to use all the beautiful holds for about half an hour i settled for skipping most of them and firing to a slopey pinch/sidepull at full extension and waiting for my heel to bite, the rest is compression wobbliness off bountiful pleasure. That's jolly nice i thought, so i packed up and walked home; yeah right, i took five and smashed it in the goolies whilst enjoying every second. 'A fridge too far' was the first victim of the trip and i doubt it warrants more than 7c+. For peak aficionados it's basically a longer and harder version of the well known 7b+/c 'The Terrace'
I then hurt my finger a bit trying to repeat it for the camera, so i sacked things off for the day and pondered what tomorrow would bring. (pics from Richie Betts and Mike Lee, Cheers guys)

a series of fortunate and unfortunate events

The last week was spent trying silly moves on projects outdoors, a move which i've stuck 4 times now, but unfortunately its followed by a rather spicy boulder problem. Ned is super close to said spicy boulder too, so that's our main focus at the moment. For me its like a stop cap on spring. I want to get it done so i can try all the other things i want to try. That and the fact i'm overlaying all my training at the moment with specific training for easter means that i am catching my body out quite a bit. Which makes things a bit ouchy...

BUCS (the national uni comp) was a good laugh, and the comp wall was really well set. Ned was kicking my arse, which took the pressure off me so i relaxed and stopped over gripping everything. Ned then fell alseep on the roof problem whilst cruising it, conveniently placing me into the lead, but we hadn't worked this out (as score cards were arbitrary at this point) so i was still pretty chilled. Ned then dropped the last move of the hardest problem in true English style. the wide pinch on this was shutting me down so i nipped over to try the power problem up the 50 which was actually getting me psyched as i got to pull hard. after fumbling the flash i then managed to hack out a sequence to the finish. I'm pretty sure all the other Uni's hate us now after winning the team comp for 3 years in a row. But hey ho, like i said if anyone needs anymore persuading that our fingerboards work then check the BUCS results. That'll probably be my last comp for the forseeable future so it was nice of Ned to let me win (there really was bugger all between us) Rae also came in 3rd in the ridiculously tight women's event (3 points for 3 places)

For anyone there competing on a sports bursary you'll be glad to know that we recieve absolutely NO support off Sheffield University, Ned gets shouted at when he has to leave to compete in world cups and we can't even get into the Uni wall for free. Cheers Sheffield! its amazing city to climb in and a really active scene but the Uni is being farely falsely represented as one that cares about sport, quite clearly it doesn't. Which goes head on with my belief that we are educated to become intellectual geniuses but physical retards (watch this to hear Ken Robinson's opinion) leaving people to develop their bodies in their own time.
As far as i am aware Newcastle, Durham, Loughborough, Nottingham and Bangor all seem to be the places to go if you want to progress physically as well as academically.

Or you could just whack a beastmaker up in your doorframe in first year and dangle like there's no tomorrow. Then build a board in your room in second year and train on that 4 times a week. but for that you need an abnormal level of psyche.

A big shout out to The Works for hosting a really fun comp, its a pretty good bastion of what bouldering is all about, both indoors and out.

Compo-titious

Well The CWIF was a great event to watch, and Team Beastmaker just got pipped by Team WAD and Leah Crane's team as they were a little too casual in qualifying. No Worries mate... as more was being saved for later. Ned and Gaz just missed the finals placing 7th and 6th respectively, there really wasn't much in it though. Mina and Jerome cruised through. Jerome qualified in 2nd behind Dave (this is what psyched looks like) Barrans, who demolished every semi final problem in a world class display of crushing, no falls! Jerome decided to let loose a bit in the final and showed what world champion style looks like. power with serious control; that'll be first place then. He also took his new Beastmaker board into the final with him to keep it safe and to taunt the other competitors with (Nice one Jerome, much approved!). Barrans put in a brilliant but slightly more fatigued display to come second. Tyler XXL Landman straight up jived his way into a comfy third, whilst looking a lot more relaxed than some of the other competitors.

Mina came out crushing in the finals and after problem 1 looked like the one to beat. Maud recovered on problem 2, being the only one to top it despite some quality Gunnage from Leah and Mina. The last problem sorted the girls from the women, combining horizontal dynos and on off climbing. Fore-armed and Dangerous turned into Forearm flameout for Mina as the tank ran empty half way up the problem. Maud topped it with french professionalism, even waving to the crowd. Leah topped it in true english style, fully battling her way to the last hold putting in an amazing effort, then throwing it all away at the last minute by being to buggered to match. Now there's a true English winner.

So 1st, 3rd, 6th,7th. Not a bad wrap from a company with an office in a garden shed run by students. A massive thanks to all our team (except Ned who was contracted on as the token ginger)

We are now supplying boards to the Dutch and French National Teams. And they are all super psyched to be getting them off us (we're also super psyched to help them out too)

So basically if a bunch of world/european/national champions can't persuade you that these boards have been designed and thought out with the utmost care. And that they are designed to really help finger strength progression quicker and safer than in the past. Then we'll have to try harder to hammer the message home i guess...

As it happens is another Comp this weekend, This time its the British Uni climbing champs at the climbing works. Ned is representing again as token ginger/ guaranteed crush factor placing (cough winner cough cough). Rae Cowie is our girl member, font7c+ darkhorse and PHD crusher she's been at Sheff uni long enough to be insulted that she's never been asked to compete before. Bringing up the rear, limping and whinging into the Team is Me, Mr Varian, this is the only comp i do as i quite like attending the best Uni in England for climbing, and I intend to keep it that way, my little finger had snapped last year so i had to settle for 2nd behind some 12 stone muscle bag who climbed way better than me. It'll probably be the same this year, except i can go on the board afterwards to make myself feel better (which got its first grade 3 last night... just)
I generally prefer to tussle little bits of rock not volumes, but am not adverse to the odd triangle

New batch of 40 boards arriving on friday

A'malc'gamation.

We'll my last week's been interesting and pretty hard for me. Sometimes you realise there's more to life than just climbing. Then you also quickly realise how great it is at whatever grade and how rarely you regret spending time on such an abstract pursuit (to the general public).
The board has gone from my room now and i can fool people that i'm a relatively normal person again, as explaining a 12ftX8ft "bed" is never easy, even if your landlords hammer screws into walls and only speak in single cyllable words.
Coincidentally The Works is now sporting an almighty beastmaker/works "motherboard" and we've taken pride in our setting, we'll probably be tinkering a bit in the next week or two so don't get too attached to your problems just yet, changes will be small though. I.E. perfecting the symmetry etc.
I did two problems up it today, a 1b and a 2a, i got close to some 3's but they ain't easy. I also scoped out some future 4's and 5's. 5's representing some serious power.
If there's complaints that its too hard feel free to use the rest of the UK's biggest bouldering wall where your time will undoubtedly be better spent, you'll then be thankful that there is a nails board there when you can do all the set problems in the centre footless (as a certain beastly spaniard found today). Climbing is all about progression and the works now has facilities which cater for 3yr olds upto font 8B crushers, i'd say thats pretty awesome under 1 roof.
I'm looking forward to the board scene developing there and tasting other peoples beastly creations as well as putting alot of effort into some of my own.
I'm getting over the lurgy now and only have 5 days worth of antibiotics left. I can't wait to unleash on the board and start training for some of the stuff that means alot to me, both in sheffield and Northumberland. My mind is on easter now and a french seige at queens, nuff said.
A new delivery of 12 boards is coming tomorrow, things should increase volume wise after this as we have sorted initial teething stuff out like cutters blunting out and engravings being variable.

Enjoy the new board at the works if your a sheffielder, i'll be in there under it alot now so just shout at me and Ned if your keen to discuss some training or for a general chin wag.

Board rules (these will be written up by it): Feet on X-marked wooden holds only.
For symmetry problems you have to do both sides in a session for it to count.
Be cordial and take turns etc, there will be a few bench mark beastmaker problems written up in the book to help show the way with the board grades and if your struggling on the 1's then its probably good to find a quiet time to work stuff on there, if you get our drift.

Dan.