Newtonmore this weekend

So hope you're all ready for some action this weekend, looks like we're getting a mix of snow and melt this week, which should bring in the mixed and hopefully some nice ice as well. To early to really tell what the weathers doing tho, so could still be rock.

So who's up for it then, can we get a car or two?

Spoke briefly to wee mark who was very no-committal, will give warren a shout as well.

Climbless

Bless me father for I have sinned, it has been 4 months and 16 days since my last rock climb.



Monday morning brought joy in the form of a fresh and functional body, the shoulder of doom was feeling less melted and the weather was looking fine for the coming week. With pysche levels rising rapidly I felt an ascent of an ice covered mountain with spiky things was required to get the head working after my fruit scone and butter style walk up Ben Chonzie on Saturday.

I must say, Comrie is a lovely little town, although the sign in the Baker shop window was a bit 'local'.

it read:-
Todays Special--
Bread.



Genius.

Andy and I decided to head for the hills on Thursday, the plan being a winter route of some sort, but then, all the way from the carribean or somewhere, some highly unethical tepid fronts rolled in and all the routes fell down.
So we decided to go cragging to Craigmore.
On arrival we thought it looked like a good bet but the closer we drew up to the crag the more the moss began to blind us with its mossy greeness and the more the cracks appeared to be actually spitting at us.As always, Andy was keen to get on a route whatever the conditions but after a quick discussion about moss, coldness, rainwater, mud and other such stuff we eventually decided to head to Dunkeld.Its definitely one to go back to though, some good looking VS', E1s and a lovely green HVS corner thing, theres also some bouldering for the lassies.
On the way to the 'Keld the rain battered the windscreen and we knew that cragging was going to be off the cards
so we done the only thing and steered the wagon into Newtyle quarry for some dry tooling. It was my first time trying out this dark art of the topless fairymen, but after a shaky start and a few takes I began to enjoy the moves and the metal grinding.
I think even Tim might enjoy the axe work on these technical climbs.
Andy sailed up a couple of the M4s then we headed home, with talks of Fontainebleau, cleaning up Ratho and of future mountain routes....

A wee break from winter...

So could have been up north hacking up gullies with the masses but for various resons there has been a lack of winter action for the punters. This wee break has been filled by my second love trad and two weekends of climbing in t-shirts in the sun in febuary, it's been awsome.

So first weekend we head for Northumbria, an early start an a rude awakening for winter tuned boady's and heads; soon got into the flow of it tho and tim romped up "stretcher wall".


Had a lie in on sunday and headed for somewhere closer to home, Ratho Quarry beckoned and we got up a few routes. Nice climbing but in need of more traffic, come on you Edinburgh locals get yourself out there!
It appears some access issues have been resolved over winter, a couple of staff members came over and warned us of the dangers of lose rock, duh its a quarry! Much better than 4 months back tho, the signs saying no climbing have been taken down and staff were very positive, with talk of a gated system and out door leading courses in the future.

I had an entertaing struggle on "up the creck".


Reinhart nailed his first HVS no bad for pussy sports climbing forginer. :p


This weekend we had the same deal up early and down south, we went to cliff ton crag in Dumfries's a wee gem of a granite crag, steep and powerful just the way I like it. Great climbing and a beautiful out look greeted us.


We had a good day nailing some hard routes with neil leading his second e1, "main wall".


Couple of e2's looked very tempting so will be back soon. But maybe not that soon looks like the high pressure that been giving us all this sun is breaking up Wednesdays, so crossed fingers for some more snow and a return to winter.

Slide show

Trying to make a slide show of all the photos we've put up here but Goggle is making it very hard. Every one who uploads photos atomaticly has aPicasa account and an album in there called Punter's Krac, however for some reason the sideshow can't go of album names for multiple folk.

So only solution is to make sure that all the photos in you Picasa web album for Punter's Krac are tagged ("Punter's Krac"), that's with the "'s btw, seams stupid to have to name them twice, ah well get tagging.

Dates for trips

I'll be up hame first weekend of next month 1-2 march, my folks are away so I'm minding the hostel. Get it booked there ill be some nice ice or rock to be had.

Was reading a bout fairhead in N irleand and a 50m continuous crack, think that would be worth a look sometime.

Neil was saying sumin about some NW plans, anyone got anything else up there sleeves?

lost ma phone again!!!

orite chaps!! got some good photos that ill get round to putting up soon from our trip to lochnagar and then the hawcraig.... had some good photos from beinn dearg but then a nasty white snow drift swallowed my camera and i only realised it was lost when back at the bothy :-(

also lost ma phone over the weekend :-(

also condititions lookin crap for the comin weekend :-(

on the plus side, we just got a new 42"TV and wired it through my power amp for some serious home cinema action!!!

but more to the point: Lewis is comin up saturday night for a day craggin sunday.... nothumberland would be a treat, or the souter.... whos keen?

also me and andy aregoin to the followin talk on thursday evening if anyones up for it:

Scottish Geographical Society Lecture - “Heart of the Sahara”.

George Square Theatre, 7.30pm Thursday 7^th February 2008

Writer and broadcaster John Pilkington travels down the Niger from Bamako to the home of the Dragon people, then on to Timbuktu to join a camel caravan on a 450-mile desert journey to the notorious salt mines of Taoudenni.

and last of all messy night out on fri! be there or be square!!!!