Not a bad week for getting outside, had two really good sessions at Shaftoe, just pottering about but after pretty full-on days at uni. it's been needed. Tuesday evening, headed out with Ged for a couple of hours and met up with James and Watson. Just spent the session playing on some easy stuff and shocking myself by latching the big move on Bloodsports - was told I was too short to do it, apparently not. Finished the evening off with Power is Nothing Without Control, a pretty long 7c - really nice moves along a lip to a hideous mantle.
Photo: Andy Porter on Vorsprung Durch Technik (Font. 8a)
AFriday's session looked in jeopardy right from the moment we left the ClimbNewcastle carpark. Massive black thunderclouds were rolling in from the south (feckin southerners) and dumping their load on us, Shaftoe and pretty much everywhere else. So with the optimism that only a man desperate to avoid having to do some work can rally, we floored our ark in the direction of the crag, just for a 'look'.
Was still a bit wet when we got there, but what we were otherwise left with were pristine conditions following the cooling from the rain and awesome evening sunshine - and the crag to ourselves. After we couldn't be arsed to walk any further we set up under Vorsprung Durch Technik and with Andy giving me the beta, it was in the bag in a few goes. Probably quite soft touch at 8a. Later we just ticked off Main Wall sitter (7b+) to the right. New Chili's arrived that morning and were surprisingly good straight out of the box.
Got home to the bottle of beer I'd had to stop myself drinking on about 6 of the 7 evenings in the last week and scrapped the training session I had in mind. Woke up today with feelings of guilt...
