River boulder, Laramade

Leaves are falling, autumn has arrived.  Three or four years ago I found a really good boulder  in the Vicdessos valley, near the popular and developed area of Laramade. I was very surprised no one had found it before, being about 45 degree overhanging some evidence of cleaning or chalk would have been visible, but…

cornwall, rain and reading

I’ve had a FB exchange with a climber, who has been visiting Cornwall and has been in touch for details and directions for the problems in the ‘Treen’ video. It felt strange, for it’s the first time since moving to France in March that I can honestly say I missed Cornwall. At the time I…

in between the rain

Amazingly it was dry today! I nearly missed it, such has been the unrelenting regularity of shit weather. Filmed a couple of classics, a lot else was covered in damp glowing wet lichen. I also saw for the first time the damage on the classic arete boulder.  It does look like it was intentional. I…

cold granite

‘Arctic blast’ says the weatherman…this means granite projects…muddy paths, not a soul around, slate coloured sky and steel clear sea.

Zennor

Bright and breezy day out at Zennor. Ed wanted to try Zennor Fool, this problem is over three years old so I was pleased someone wanted to try it. Initially we were a bit shocked to find that the large undercut had been knocked off in a storm, Incredible really as it is quite a…

boulder being

I’m often moved to question what bouldering is all about and what it means. So much of my time is spent bouldering in isolation. This is when the intensity and focus becomes greatest, yet it can also makes me question why I’m engaged in such a solitary pursuit. Bowling Alley, Godrevy, Photo by Rowan Spear…

boulder being

I’m often moved to question what bouldering is all about and what it means.

madeleine eats cake

I’ve written a few times about this project specifically here between-the-see-er-and-the-visible/ I got back from the States and had a good run of getting up things, the sticking point of failure and nerves seemed to have disappeared. I’d done AWOL 7C at Tintagel the week before and on the 28th May, I turned up with little…

between the see-er and the visible

Early January. What does it mean to have a project? I want to call this a curve of possibility. This experience occurred on the project I was on today as I added a move to what was already an existing problem. ‘I really don’t know if I can do it. So much seems to go…

serpentine

It’s amazing how exploration around West Cornwall can turn up new problems. I wouldn’t suggest that this is a great problem, but it would get stars if it had a top out, was accessible for more than a couple of hours at low tide and wasn’t either in the sun or wet! I’ve also been…