Froggatt Edge..

Morag and I were at Froggatt Edge today climbing in the 'Downhill Racer' area of the crag. Despite the drizzle early in the day the crag dried quickly allowing us to get plenty of rock climbing done.

The weather looks like it could be good over the weekend, despite being a little overcast according to the Met Office. I will be in the Outer Hebrides for a few days climbing on the island of Mingulay. This fantastic island, arguably has, some of the best sea cliff climbing in Britain.

(The picture to above is from a previous trip - Graham Stein on 'Okeanos' E2 5c,4b, with the North Atlantic crashing in below!)..

Stanage Edge

Morag and I were at Stanage Edge today, with much improved weather in comparison to the last couple of days. Climbing on dry rock was a bit of a treat!..

The crag was busy with lots of teams making the most of the fine and dry weather. There was a gentle breeze for most of the day keeping the midges away. However, there were a few about suggesting that you might get eaten alive if the wind drops.

Fingers crossed for similar weather tomorrow..

Harborough Rocks..

Morag and I were climbing at Harborough Rocks in South Derbyshire today. This small crag of Dolomitic Limestone provides some unusual climbing on small positive 'pockets'.

Unfortunately, we didn't escape the rain and had a fairly wet day. Hopefully the weather will improve tomorrow...

Birchen and Windgather..

Morag and I have been climbing in the Peak District for the last couple of days, as an introduction to the grit. With visits to both Birchen and Windgather we have managed to tick a good number of routes as well as consuming plenty of cake. It has been quite windy and overcast for most of the time, with the weather deteriorating today into showers.

Despite this, we managed to get a generally dry day at Windgather Rocks on the western edge of the Peak District. A good choice with plenty of shelter from the north easterly winds, unless you were at the top!

Cooler Conditions on the Grit..

The weather has been cooler of late, making ideal conditions for rock climbing and bouldering on the Eastern Edges. Many folk have been out and about in the evening making the most of the cool easterly breeze. Rich Cross is pictured on the left making 'Definitive 5.12' (British 6b or V5 if you like bouldering grades) look very easy..

Climbing at Stanage Edge..

George, Sarah and I were at Stanage Edge today climbing around the 'Popular End'. Conditions were again good with a cool breeze and a busy crag as a result.

We looked at runner placement, belays and associated lead climbing skills while climbing a handful of routes between "Moderate" and "Very Severe".

Sunny spells are expected for the duration of next week, so it looks like ideal evening cragging conditions...

Rock Climbing at Froggatt Edge

George, Sarah and I were out at Froggatt Edge today climbing in the area of 'Slab Recess' (D). We looked at a variety of techniques for both ropework and rock climbing on gritstone as Sarah and George are more used to Portland's sport climbs.

The weather was mixed today with light showers in the morning, although the rock dried quickly allowing us to makes ascents of 'Slab Recess' (D), 'Slab Recess Direct' (HS), 'Gamma' (VD), 'Nursery Slab' (M), 'Sunset Crack' (VS) and 'Sunset Slab' (HVS).

Tomorrow looks to be a better day. cloudy but dry in the Hope Valley...

Evening cragging at Millstone..

It was another hot day in the Peak District yesterday, although slightly cooler in the evening.

John Allen (pictured left), joined Pat and I for some climbing at Millstone Edge near Hathersage. This is sometimes a good choice in warm weather as you can often get some shade in the bays of this disused quarry.

Unfortunately for us, we decided to climb on perhaps some of the most sun baked sections of the crag, and unsurprisingly things felt a bit slippery.

There were lots of folk at the crag knocking out some classic route product, including one team who made a smooth ascent of 'London Wall' (E5).

It looks like it may be overcast for tomorrow, with finer weather on Sunday. Temperatures should be a little lower than of late which should make for much improved friction...

Another hot day on the grit..

It has been another busy day for rock climbers and outdoor enthusiasts in the Peak District today.

Paul and Kieran were out again today on the Eastern Edges with members of the John Lewis Climbing and Mountain Sports Club. The team were ripping the crags down again, climbing everything in sight apparently.

I was inside at Rockcity Climbing Centre in Hull, doing some training for visiting staff. After leaving I did manage to get some soloing in at Burbage North in the blistering heat.

Unfortunately, the day was not without trouble. Edale Mountain Rescue Team attended a serious climbing accident in Horseshoe Quarry near Stoney Middleton, when a climber fell the height of the crag, while treading his rope through a bolt lower off.

For the first part of the week it looks like the warm weather is set to continue. It might be worth checking out some of the shady north facing venues such as the northern edges of Kinder Scout, Wimberry Rocks, Burbage South, and Staden Quarry to name a few...

Rock climbing at Stanage Edge in the heat..

Peter and I were on Stanage Edge today for a day of guided rock climbing. We started at the 'popular end' and worked our way along to the 'Dovers Wall' area, climbing and coaching as we went.

For Peter today's climbing was provided as part of his prize for raising the most money following Edale Mountain Rescue Team's Nine Edges Endurance Challenge.

You may have noticed that we have been to Stanage Edge a lot in recent days, but it is difficult justifying going to another crag when you have arguably the finest on your doorstep!

With this in mind Kieran and Paul were also out with the John Lewis Partnership Climbing and Mountain Sports Club (CAMS). They climbed on most of the crag with Robert, Sam, Simon, Hanh, Adam, Jane, Faye, Jeiff, and Pandie.

It looks like it's going to be another hot day tomorrow..

Introduction to Outdoor Climbing at Froggatt...

Matt, Dan and I were at Froggatt Edge today for a second day of Intro Rock Climbing. Despite the frequent rain showers we managed to do some classic routes as well as practicing anchor selection and belay construction.

Many of the routes were slightly trickier in the wet, but were all climbed in style by Matt and Dan.

We also bumped into Morgan and Ian who were heading out to Stanage Edge following a good day at Millstone Edge yesterday. Hope you had a good day out guys?

Light showers seem to be the order of the day again tomorrow with an improvement forecast for Tuesday..

Intro Rock Climbing at Stanage..

Matt, Dan and I were out together, at Stanage Edge today, for an Introductory Rock Climbing course.

The conditions were good, being dry and cool for the majority of the day. Although Matt and Dan were new to the 'grit', they are fairly experienced indoor climbers and adapted quickly to the unique gritstone technique of the 'tricky topout!'

During the day we climbed a variety of different routes, as well as looking at anchor, belay selection, belaying from the top and bottom etc. We finished the day by climbing the superb 'Heaven Crack' VD, which was quickly "ticked" with some determined laybacking and jamming..