ben bransby

Spent 10 days over Easter on Kalymnos. It was awesome. It was a mixture of a family holiday and also climbing and it worked spot on – the crags tended to be in the shade in the mornings and then became too hot mid afternoon so there was plenty of time for chilling on the beach. I haven’t been on many sport climbing holidays since I was a kid – probably only 3 or 4 and I had forgotten how much fun and low stress it is.

Did lots of climbing, mostly on sighting stuff and also 4 quick redpoints when the on sights had failed. Nearly all the routes were great, things like Marci Marc, Gaia, Priapos and Super Themelina were some of the stand outs.

The climb which I enjoyed the most was probably the one I failed on: Irox on Telendos. Gave this a go on sight and after battling through the whole cave (which was also wet) I blew it on the last hard move up on the headwall. There was one point – part way through the roof -  when I asked to be taken but after shouts of encouragement I managed to push on for a few more bolts. It can be hard, especially when hanging on a wet tufa and looking at another one, to give 100% but you can often surprise yourself when you do. I tend to find it a lot easier to try really hard when red pointing – this is partly as the majority of my on sight climbing has been trad stuff and as much as you try hard on trad it tends to be in a more controlled manner with lots of shaking out and fiddling around.

spot the turtle.

Had a really fun trip skiing in soll the other week, went out with a few family’s from Hathersage and stayed in a catered chalet – ooh posh. The snow and skiing was pretty much perfect for what we were after – it was a little limited and warm for my liking but it meant it worked spot on for the little uns. May was in ski school until 1.30 so we got some time blasting until then (whilst the snow was still good) and then skied with her all afternoon.

May has been skiing a fair bit in the last year – we have joined two ski clubs in Shef, Sharks ski club which is pretty fun and also PPS which is all race training. Pretty humbling when 8 year old kids have your pants down round the poles (although this is probably what I was like at climbing walls as a youth).

During the week away all the kids ability rocketed, May started to use her edges and carve turns a little – still a way off being parallel all the time but getting it on the blues and steady bits of the reds. She managed her first black on the second afternoon in a very controlled manner – big snowplow turns and then traversing the entire slope. Took a long time to get down (although we overtook a few people who had given up skiing and were sliding down on their bums) but she really stuck with it. Had a few bits of fresh snow especially on the friday (no ski school) when we all went off piste for the whole day.

Little vid containing lots of children and not much skiing!

Got back and it had been about 10 days without climbing. On the mon went straight to Dog’s Dinner to get on Pedigree Chum with the hope that with all the rest I would cruise it. I didn’t. I was shit. Even as I was going along it I was think this would be it and it would be easy. Took until the 3rd time for me to realise I was probably a little less fit. Went at it quite hard the rest of the week – 5 days on cumilating in a day at Malham on Bat Route which was ace. Took the ride from the end of the runout to the pocket (not on a link from the ground!) onto the old bolt (very rusty) managed not to scream mostly because Caff was watching and he would take the piss out of me for years to come if I had. Would be good to get some new bolts in this…

Had the weekend resting and then yesterday back to Dog’s Dinner. Different story this time around. Had a go when my foot popped and then next go did it (ish – only climbed the first 2 sections up to the point it goes up really high, it seems natural to stop here – the climbing up to this point is very continuous, difficult and close to the ground. It then gets a lot easier and much higher to then get the final tricky wall. I was never really inspired by the last section, I would be keener to push on with Steves version instead (which carries on low at this point) but this would obviously be desperate)

I think the original (full) trav got F8c+? I don’t know what this version is, When I did the last bit on its own I didn’t feel it was that hard but after 30mins of hard climbing (that’s how long it took me, I had my ipod on so I didn’t get bored on the rests) it could be pretty tricky. Whatever the grade it is probably the hardest piece of french grade climbing I have done.

I just need to transfer all this shuffling fitness to going upwards.

Had a few good days climbing and training since the day at Robin Hoods. After doing so much on the plastic in the last few months I wanted to get out on the rock and see what – if any – improvements had been made. Went and had a couple of quick sessions down at Dog’s Dinner Buttress in Cheedale trying Smittons excellent Pedegree Chum. I had been on this a bit two summers ago and had been struggling on the bigger links but straight off this time it was feeling a lot closer. Things are still a bit wet on it so the full ascent will have to wait (may also have to wait for me to get a little fitter) but I definitely left feeling positive.

Although I had just had three hard days climbing and training I ended up heading over to Llandudno yesterday for a cave session. I had some unfinished business from last year – Petes link of Lou into Bonnie (F8c+?) but when we got there it was just a bit too wet for a proper go so switched to trying Rock Atrocity into Bonnie. After a quick play on both to refresh the sequences decided to give it a blast and managed to spanner it off the last move – been a bit of a punter and forgotten to dry the last right hand hold. Escaped into Dyers van to refuel and rest for an hour or so and then, a little tireder than the first go, managed to get back to the last move. Even after drying the hold was still a little damp and with visions of another slam down starting to enter my head decided to get on with it and things just stuck. Don’t really know the grade but a text from Pete: “p.s, got to be F8c” and “split grades are whack!” probably means I should up it from the F8b+/c, Font 8A+/B and stick with F8c.

Got some video of it all:

An excitable 9 Toez was up from London doing his roped access qualification at access techniques this week and was around at the weekend for some climbing. I was assured it was going to be ‘big Sunday’ at Robin Hoods Stride and when the weather was so nice on the morning we all headed out to meet up. May had a party to go to in the afternoon but was keen for a bit of climbing first. Unfortunately she has got some blisters from her ski boots (lots of skiing over half term holidays at the ski slope in Shef and the snow dome in Manch) so couldn’t handle the pain of her rock boots – I think her feet have grown a bit, so she ended up clumping around in her snow boots.

A big crew turned up and it was really nice cruising around enjoying the banter. May and Kath headed off to the party but I had a bit longer and joined the rest of the crew at the Green Boulder and did and then watched the antics on Zaff’s Mantel – a bit too much indoor climbing I think Harry!

Ended up getting involved in a project up the scoop to the left. Ned ‘the champ’ did some good work with his brush and after about an hour we had cobbled together some kind of sequence for the start.

robin hoods scoop photo adam long

The sequence was pretty palm dependent! After a go each where we were both stood up in the scoop it was looking like it was going to go down, decided it was time to show the champ whats what and dispatched (rather shakily) next go:

robin hoods scoop top out photo adam long

Champ then walked up it after. Probably in the 7B+ region and don’t have a name yet (you will probably be glad to hear)

Did a bit more over by Grizzly Arete including a novel outwards facing ascent of Mock Beggars Wall E4 from Adam.

Made another little vid from the day – don’t get too excited as most of it is from the gopro strapped to a tree or on the end of a long pole!

There is also another little vid from the day (with a bit more of the project on it) from Nye cooper on facebook.

Cobbled together a few photos into a short video. Thanks to Adam for, as usual, providing most of the shots.

Had a day’s work for DMM at the weekend attending the GROWL (Great Rockover Winter League) final. Here’s me working hard:

And a few hours later, still giving DMM good value for money:

Thanks to Chris Fox for the pics

After the frustration of missing most of the snow at the weekend I found some time to nip out mid week. Prob fair to say conditions ‘on the face’ were not as good as they could have been but it was still nice to use the tools.

Decided to man up and go for the solo on the mighty North Face of:

Ended up getting over excited and thinking I was Ueli Steck and going for the speed solo, little video of the ascent below. Obviously I am taking the piss.

We have had, were it not for last years mammoth dump, a decent amount of snow here in the Peak. Snow is always exciting and probably more so when you have kids. Unfortunately, I spent most of the weekend lying in the snow pretending to be unconscious whilst stuck on a two day wilderness first aid course in Hope. I knew I would be missing out on sledging and skiing with May but the text from Adam suggesting a quick Back Tor hit was almost too much for me. A lot of people complain first aid courses can be a bit dull (this one was pretty good though) so to make things more exciting for my fellow attendees I decided to faint half way through a particularly gruesome bit (actually just talking about insulin pens) to give them some real life experience. I came around safely in the recovery position covered in an emergency blanket. It was only the instructor who had done anything as everyone else thought I was getting down to do some push-ups (in the snow in the middle of a first aid course??). I did manage to pass and only the one faint.

EDIT: video of the sledging. May is in blue.

On the climbing front had a nice couple of days last week. Went to two crags I had never been to before: Running Hill Pits – quality but icy, needed ice axes to top out Scoop de Grace and Anston – nice venue but it hurt my fingers. Also fitted in a trip to Eastwood with Benpy for some unfinished business from last year. When Caff was over in the peak we headed here one (very very) cold day and tried Lip of Fools but not only was it hard but we were also absolutely baltic and had no success. This time things felt a lot better and I got to pretty much the last move first go – wasn’t really expecting such a big move at the end! Dispatched it next go. Ben had a good couple of goes but didn’t really have the psyche for a full on go. Rubbish little video here all from gopro strapped to the tree with the side runner in:

Moved on to Stanage for some nice pottering only to rush off to pick May from school just when BP needed a decent spot. Will have to get him out again as he has held my ropes plenty in the last couple of weeks.

Finally found and put together some footage I had from doing a ground-up ascent of Superbloc. This was either last winter or the one before!

I did this the same year I did Careless Torque and this took a lot more effort – I fell off the undercut move near the top 16 times in a row before I had the go you see in the film (did have all this on film but can’t find it at the moment) It doesn’t have quite the same purity of line as Careless, it is also (probably, ask Nigel) a bit lower but the climbing is absolutely superb.

I first tried this a fair few years ago before the landing was improved, I only had a couple of goes that day, there was a big team trying it; Gaz, Andy Earl, Ben Moon and others. No one was making much impression on the hard move except Ben, he was doing it most goes but was lacking the balls to commit to the top – or at least that’s how it looked! I was really impressed with Ben’s climbing that day, it’s a pretty subtle move up the arete and he had the body position just right to hit the little pocket almost statically, we were all slapping wildly with little chance of holding it.

The year I came back and did it the landing had been built out a bit (we had 15 pads that first day) and as soon as I had good conditions I started to feel pretty close – I was getting through the hard move most sessions. The two sessions before I did it I got past this crux move every go but fell of just after every go – a little slap up with the left to a good hold. No one I spoke to who had done it (or fallen off the top) had found this move tricky. I think I just got convinced I was doing it wrong or was just gonna fall off every time. The day I did it I was on my own (had Klem but he was no help) and I just decided to satch it up – I didn’t really bother warming up – yes what you see in the video was it – but I felt conditions were good and I had nothing to hold me back.

As there was no young child to film and Klem doesn’t have opposing thumbs the angles not that exciting – it is all off tripod.

The last few months have seen very little rock climbing. Through a mixture of poor weather, work and other commitments the majority of my climbing has been indoors. For once this hasn’t bothered me to much, my motivation has been to try and keep fit over this winter for some of my objectives in the summer but after a glorious weekend a bit back (when I was in London working at the outdoor show) it all became to much and I skived off some work and went out.

First off I went and played around on some things at Brook Side at Froggatt. I hadn’t climbed here before so it was nice ferreting around stuff. Did Old King Cascade which was quite nice climbing in a lovely position – the waterfall and stream were all semi frozen. Bumped into John Welford up at Les Grand Doigts and after various falls and scrapes John got up it but I couldn’t. Went over to The Screaming Dream a classic Mark Leach route from the ’80s. John had made the 4th ascent of this a few weeks earlier and gave me all his beta – I was keen for a go.

Went back again the next day (more skiving off work) with Ben P and set up a top rope. The moves came together pretty quick – Welford had been talking 8A for the sequence (Welford 8A gulp) but I managed to find a little bit of heel and got it almost straight away on the lead (I say ‘lead’ both me and John opted for pre placed and clipped cams rather than pre placed and clipped wires as the wire slot is getting pretty worn so it is essentially a boulder problem)

Got a little video from a return visit with Dave ‘the editor’, my daughter (May age 5 1/2) did a fair bit of the filming so be kind. Filmed on my GoPro so it isn’t as small as it looks, honest.