Ricky and.... 'The Thing in the Forest'

Got out yesterday with andy and climbed a new route ground up. The Thing in the Forest E7 6c - was well psyched. I'd tried it before about a year ago and fell near the top. Came very close to the ground. Had a bit more composure this time and kept it together to the top. there's a wee video of me an andy bouldering out the bottom of it there http://www.vimeo.com/7915834

The route then continues up and left. I sent the route info into www.climbing.ie just becasue there's been a bit of a brushing issue at this area that i think would be good if some attention was brought to it.

Katie’s road trip report

Me and my friend Rob decided to have a UK trad climbing trip down south. Shockingly I haven't done hardly any trad down in South Wales and Devon/Cornwall.
First stop was Pembroke, I haven't done much/any limestone trad climbing. First route I did was Pleasure Dome (E3 5c), i got stuck for ages at the end of the traverse, it must of been about half an hour I was stood there. Then literally stepped a couple of steps to the right and found some good holds!! Amazing route.
We were on a three star routes mission, so next we abseiled into Huntersman and I did Bloody Sunday (E4 6a). The bottom was scary, really green and slippery and gear was tricky to place. The route felt easier than pleasure dome though!

We were meant to stay in pembroke for about 4 or 5 days but were unlucky with the weather, managed to get one more days climbing in at Mother Carey's Kitchen. I seconded Rock Idol (E1) and onsighted Zeppelin (E3 6a) both amazing routes. Then I onsighted Just Cling On (E5 6a), this route is on space face an slightly overhanging wall. It was more like a 7a+ sport route, big holds on a steep wall with in-situe threads... then it rained...alot.


So we sacked it to Bristol to stay with a friend for the night and got a bit of climbing done in the Avon gorge that afternoon. Next morning we headed to Cornwall where it was raining so much that the water was bubbling out of the drains. Finally the next day it had stopped raining and the sun was shining, we met up with another friend called Rob and headed down to Sharpnose.

We did the most amazing E2 in the morning called Out of the Blue. Then we walked round to the main 'fin' which is awesome, its only about a couple of metres wide in some parts, and starts slightly slabbly and gradually curves so at the top it is slightly overhanging.

I onsighted a couple of routes here before the tide came in, I did Fay (E4 6a) and Pacemaker (E5 6a). Next day we went to Pentire Head which was pretty licheny and damp, we did an E3 called Eroica then went over to Berryhead and did some DWS for a few days which was cool!

A big thanks to Rob Lamey for allow us to use these images of Katy in action.

Come meet Lu and Steve at Kendal Film Festival

Marmot is offering the chance for all climbers attending Kendal Mountain Film Festival to come and meet Steve McClure and Lucy Creamer up front and personal.

Get your picture taken with them, pick their brains about route choice or simply just chat with the UK's best male and female climbers.

Lucy and Steve can be found in the 'Planet Fear' retail tent/climbers interview booth on Saturday 21st of November between 11am – 12pm and 3pm - 4pm.

FREE CLIMBING POSTERS signed by Lucy and Steve for everybody who comes to greet them in the retail tent.

Don't Miss Out!

Gritstone Friction at its best!

The cold winter conditions seem to have finally kicked which means that the friction on Gritstone can only get better.

Grab the bouldering matt, rub your climbing shoes until they squeak and trust that friction baby!

(Image Credit: Tim Glasby: Climber Lucy Creamer)

Ricky goes to Font

And relief…I can climb again.

Basically the mild insanity that was starting to set in is now gone. Three months off climbing altogether since I tweeked my finger. The longest continuous break I've had in what feels like a long time. I know that’s not a very long time in the grand scheme of things, but it felt slightly epic at times. Missed out on climbing some things that I’d been trying but my main fear was that my finger might never ever ever get better. Obviously this was completely irrational.

Went to Font not expecting to climb, but when I got there, I found those little slopes helped my tweeky finger. It was class. I've always had a soft spot for font. It was my first climbing holiday 'sans' folks when I was 16. I've some funny memories of that place. Went back ever year for the next 4 years then sort off forgot about it.

So to go back there after having a wee break was just perfect. Climbed lots of classics and messed about in that social little forest. I love the place. Had a slight epic getting back to the airport which resulted in Craigy leaving a bottle of urine in the hire car.

Been back a few weeks now and been working 9-5 doing access work in the City Centre. My finger feels like it’s getting better now. Just going to be aware of it and start getting back slowly onto my some lines that I’ve been thinking about.

Gritstone Classics with Lucy

Lucy has been getting some early season Griststone action in this week at Chatsworth Edge in the Peak District.

Lucy can be seen above making light work of Don Whillans classic route 'Sentinal Crack' E3 5c which is a route to very much be respected. Most people who attempt this route normally end up with a distinct lack of flesh left on their hands afterwards. You have been warned!

A big thanks goes out to Tim Glasby for allowing us to use this image only 3 hours after it was taken.

Will Sim: Alps Update

After bailing from part way up the "Desecures -Robach" on the right hand side of the Jorasses north face due to warm temperatures, Jon and I were doubtful as to what to get on next. The ice on the route was a another freeze-thaw away from becoming useable, but when walking underneath the Croz spur to start the long walk back to chamonix we noticed good looking white stuff snaking up the Slovenian start and in to the top icefield.

Two days later we found ourselves digging out a bivi ledge near the bottom of the north face and at 3.30 the next morning we were busy melting snow and packing up to be over the schrund of the Croz by 5am. 10 hours and 1000 metres of toffee-like ice and interesting mixed climbing later we were on the summit ridge. The hellish descent in to Italy was made extra time consuming due to poor conditions on the glacier which required careful navigation in the dark and some dicy downclimbing.

By midnight we were at the Boccalatte winter hut forcing litres of water in to our dehydrated bodies and enjoying the view over a moonlit northern Italy.
Check out the shots on-

http://www.alpineexposures.com/blogs/chamonix-conditions

Cheers,
Will

Neil Mawson: Cry Freedom 8b+

Cry Freedom was always one of those routes at Malham that I thought I'd never do. The old yorkshire limestone book that I had when 1st started climbing had it as the hardest route in the book! I got on it for the 1st time earlier this year at the start of the summer. I made quick progress and managed to redpoint upto the top boulder problem crux on about my 3rd day, probably hard 8b to here. But then made no more progress over the next few days so decided to leave it as it was getting warm and wait for cooler conditions in the Autumn.

About two months later after spending another couple of days on it refreshing the moves I managed a good link from the half height shake out to the top, pretty much all the hard climbing. Psychologically this was a massive boost to my confidence that I could do it. After two more days falling so close to the top I postponed my trip to Spain for two days to get one more chance. I was lucky and got perfect conditions, clear and cold and did it. By far the hardest route I've done and I'm now looking forward to my 3 month trip to Spain.

Layed back day in the Alps

With temperatures remaining relatively high the Mont Blanc range is a good month behind where it was this time last year. Goulottes aren't quite consolidated and icefields are still looking very black.

After getting prematurely excited and scratching around on out of condition mixed routes last week i decided to suck it up and head for the Dru.


The "American Direct" is on the left hand side of the west face and was fairly unaffected by the huge rock falls which have taken out the majority of the face over the years. Climbing as a three with spanish friend Oscar Lopez and Mark Stevenson of "Hard Rock" fame made for a very layed back day and we were on the crux diedre just after mid day. The quality of climbing on the route is exceptional with the 45 metre lay back (about E2 free) and the 90 metre diedre (about E4 if freed) particularly standing out.

Some good weather and drop in temps forcasted so lets see what happens....



A big thanks to Oscar Lopez for allowing us to use these images.

Hot Chocolate anybody ???

Will Sim and Jon Griffith have recently been getting some acclimatization in on Mont Blanc Du Tacul with an ascent of what they hope was the line of ‘Hot Chocolate’.

The line was found to be very mixed with limited ice and hard dry tooling moves required to complete the line.

A big thanks to Jon Griffith for allows us to use these images of Will in action.
Be sure to check out Jon’s great website: http://www.alpineexposures.com/blogs/chamonix-conditions for additional photo’s and reports on current Chamonix conditions.

The Walker Spur with Will Sim

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At long last things are starting to look autumnal in the Alps, the month and a half long dry spell which saw que's on summer classics such as the Freney and Dru has come to an end. I spent most of that month trying to snatch routes in on Scafell and Gogarth between periods of rain!



By the time I arrived back in the valley the top half of the Jorasse was starting to look rather white which made for an interesting ascent of the Walker Spur? Half of the route was climbed in big boots and crampons- which ultimately made for a more interesting ascent.


A brilliant but windy bivi on the top of the face gave me a good opportunity to try out the excellent new Alpinist Bivi Bag and the surprisingly robust Ellsworth jacket. The next day provided a torturously long descent in to Italy, tiptoeing underneath the 40000 ton serac which is predicted to release in the next few days.



It was nice to climb this classic summer route, and i'm now left full of excitement for the next few months, bring on the winter!

A big thank you to OSCAR LOPEZ for allowing Marmot use of these images.

Extreme locations for photgraphic needs.

Recently we put a call into our very own sponsored photographer Tim Glasby requesting action images of Marmot sleeping bags being used in extreme locations.

Tim did us proud by shooting an excellent image of Lucy Creamer poised on a ledge in North Wales.

Grab yourself a copy of Cotswold’s new winter catalogue to see the final action shot by Tim.

A big thanks to Tim Glasby for all his hard work on this project and another big thanks to Craig Hiller wfor the shot of Tim in action.

Scottish Dry Tooling Climbing Competition 2009

(Image Courtesy of Tim Glasby)

The Scottish dry tooling series is back for its second year running!

The Scottish dry tooling series is back for its second year running! Last year the competition was a huge success and we promise that this year will be even better.
In addition to the five venues we had last year Inverness Leisure are joining us. The format of each event will be unique to the host venue but scoring will be standardised across the whole series.

Each venue will host a final on the day and at the last event the overall series winners will be announced.

Routes are set to provide a challenge for experienced climbers as well as those looking to try out tooling for the first time.

Booking in advance is recommended as there are a limited number of spaces available at each venue. Some venues will accept booking on the day but you will not be guaranteed a place and will have to pay an extra £5.

For further details check out Glenmore Lodge's webiste:

http://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk/tooling.asp

Marmot athlete Gavin Pike putting mixed climbing skills to excellent use in Chamonix

Steve McClure repeats Hubble 8c+

Steve McClure has just confirmed with us that he has completed his long time objective to climb The Raven Tor test Piece Hubble which is graded F8c+.

A huge congratulations to Steve for this extremely impressive repeat.

Marmot signs up new UK athlete

Steve McClure, one of the UK’s highest profile and most influential rock climbers, has become the newest addition to Marmot’s pro climbing and mountaineering team.
Steve reputation has been well earned over the last decade through his constant pushing of standards and ground breaking ascents.

Steve was the first Britain to onsight F8b and then F8b+; climbed the first F9a in England in 2000 (Northern Lights), F9a+ in 2007 (Overshadow) and has been British Indoor Champion four times. Steve has also onsighted more than 100 routes graded F8a or harder within 12 months; climbed over 500 sport routes at F8a and above, established a ground-up F8b+ deep water solo, climbed 8c+ very fast and climbed E11 trad in 2008 (Rhapsody).

Climbers of Steve’s ability are very rare, and we are delighted that he has chosen to work with us. His plans of continued landmark ascents and endorsement of our products will give us exceptional brand exposure. We believe our range of clothing and equipment will play a pivotal role for Steve as he undertakes all his climbing in the future.

About working with Marmot Steve said:

“I'm extremely pleased. I'm lucky to be supported by the best equipment companies in the world (Petzl, Beal and 5.10) and Marmot fits perfectly alongside these. I used Marmot equipment exclusively in Greenland a few years ago where performance was paramount and was impressed. I couldn't think of a better company to forge a relationship with. Within a day of getting some new clothes I was wearing them at a high elevation crag in Wales. A long sweaty walk in, followed by hard climbing in cold windy weather needed high performance stuff. I'm used to typical cotton clothing, but the difference in performance under testing conditions, and thus my overall climbing performance was massive!”

In addition to his role as Marmot’s newest athlete, Steve will also be working closely with us on our new retailer support strategy. He, and our other athletes, will visit our key retail partners to meet shop staff, communicate real world product use, and deliver inspirational presentations.

Katy Whittaker on sights two 7c sport routes in one day

Katy Whittaker has been on excellent form over the last couple of days and the news just in is that on Tuesday the 7th of July she onsighted two 7c sport routes.

Only a handful of women in the UK have onsighted 7c and Katie’s on sight of two 7c routes in one day certainly mean that she is a force to watch over the next couple of years ahead.

The two 7c routes that Katy climbed were Dominatrix 7C and Biological Need 7C which are both found on Kilnsey Crag in Yorkshire.

In addition to this Katy also repointed a 7c+ last Sunday at Lower Pen Trywn in North Wales.

Keep up the great work Katy!

Awesome Mawson: 3 8b’s in one week

Neil has been on a serious sport climbing mission recently having recently climbed 3 8b sport routes here I the UK.

The routes include: Melancholy 8b, Full Tilt 8b and Steal the Show 8b.

There is a reason why he is called Awesome Mawson.

A brief view into the life of Marmot athlete Will Sim

Our UK athletes are always keeping t busy with various projects and expeditions. Every so often it’s nice to sit them down for just five minutes and gain a better understand of whom they are ad what they do.

We recently fired across number of mountain orientated questions to Will Sim our Marmot UK alpine athlete and Chamonix resident.

Here’s what Will had to say for himself:


How did you get into climbing?

I guess from living in the Lake District and seeing mountains all the time I wanted to do something which involved them. For a few years before I knew anyone who climbed I read FRCC guidebooks endlessly and aspired to do every route in them.

Who are your climbing hero’s?

Colin Haley for being so motivated and having the balls to ignore weather forecasts, and Jude Spanken for not knowing the meaning of forearm pump.

What is your favorite UK route?

Probably either Astral Highway on the Ben, or Saxon on Scafell.

What is your favorite Alpine route?

For elegance and position something really easy like the Kuffner would be hard to beat.

Do you ever get scared on lead?

I'm usually always scared on lead...

What routes do you aspire to climb in the future?

I'd like to do some big Alaskan lines which can be done in long pushes. Other than that the Brenva, Freney and Brouillard faces of Mont Blanc really interest me.

You’re stuck in an alpine hut during a storm. What three luxuries would you like to have?

Three sleeping pills.

What advice would you give to climbers coming out to the Alps for the first time?

Climbing in the Alps is so far removed from climbing in the UK. So although it’s much more fun and rewarding to throw yourself in at the deep end you have no base of experience to shape the judgments you make, and in climbing judgment is everything. You can skip years of the learning curve by spending time with an experienced alpinist or even just observing how things are done out here.

When the student is ready, the master will appear.

We love hearing from Marmot customers who have been out using their clothing and equipment deep in the heart of the UK’s mountain ranges.

Dr Simon Beames from the University of Edinburgh Outdoor Education Section can be seen above teaching students how to create snow bollards on top of the Cairngorm plateau.

Simon has selected a perfect choice of clothing system for the spring conditions which consists of Marmot’s Genesis Jacket, Tour Pro pants and Work Gloves.

For more information about the outdoor education course offered by the University of Edinburgh click on: http://www.education.ed.ac.uk/outdoored/

Lucy Creamer: The first UK woman to climb 8b+

Lucy Creamer has just become the first UK woman to climb F8b+.

On April 5th Lucy became the first UK woman to climb a route called ‘Kalea Borraka’ based in Spain. The crux of the route is found in the very last couple of moves at the top of the huge 40 meter head wall. This caused havoc for Lucy’s attempts of linking all of moves together due to heavy rain storms soaking the final moves each time it rained.


Frustratingly Lucy had to be patient and wait for the line to dry each time it rained to allow he to then get back on the route and rework the moves. Finally on April 5th Lucy managed to link all the moves together in one go and complete her aim to be the first UK woman to climb 8b+.

Congratulations Lu !!!