Operation Beastmaker commences and Thank you Berghaus!!!

It seems like yesterday that Greg and I decided to make plans, to take a year out and go pursue our burning desire for bouldering (see Climbing Jargon Buster page for explanation). At some points it seemed like it was never going to happen (well at least for me! Those who know me closely know what I'm talking about...enough said.) but through all the trials and tribulations, here I am packing my bags ready to jump on a boat. I really hope they allow me to sail...I've got so much baggage.

When I arrive in France we need to sort a few things out (get stickers placed on the van) and then we will be heading out. The first ascents will probably be made mid-week.

I would just like to thank Berghaus for donating us 2 of their ,high end, water-proof jackets at the last minute. We really appreciate it and they will help us more than you know.

I would also like to thank our families, friends and anyone that has helped in some way. Your support (and continued support) means alot...look after yourselves.

Every adventure or goal starts with an idea and a step...I'm taking that step today and in the process leaving all my concerns, anxieties and fears behind. Maybe you should too...as Bruce Lee once said, "Be like water my friend...be like water"...

Chris

I know...I know...and GO COTSWOLD!!!

Operation Beastmaker Update:

It has been awhile since I last posted but Greg and I have been running around like lunatics trying to finalise everything for the trip. The bottom line is 99% of Operation Beastmaker  has commenced. Greg left for France on 16 Jan 2011 with 1 x Van containing all our possessions for the trip. He is currently being forced to landscape his parents extensive chateau using a knife and fork...sorry there. I leave this Sunday 30 Jan 2011 with Operation Beastmaker graphics to be placed on the side of the van. If you see us on the journey then please come over and say Hi. It will be great to meet you!

Cotswold Update:

Cotswold Outdoor, Hedge End, have seriously gone out of their way to help us and we can't thank them enough for their kindness. We have pretty much received £1000 worth of essential gear for around £400! We're going to do our best to make this an unbelievable trip and get some excellent photos and video to show how grateful we are to Cotswold Outdoor for all their efforts. It goes without saying that if you need any outdoor related clothing, equipment etc...they should be your first point of call. Friendly and knowledgeable staff are ready to greet you.

Climbing Update:

I can't really say that I have been climbing much of late. Most of the time I've been lying low trying to conserve the rapidly vanishing money...however I can say I completed another one of my long-term indoor projects at Fort Purbrook which was awesome! It was a + 12 month "love affair" but it received the ascension that it deserved.

I also went to the Reading Climbing Wall yesterday with my good friends. To say it was busy would be an understatement! There was some quality route setting and some high calibre climbers crushing the problems. It was nice to see some familiar faces (Stu, Peter and Mark - drop me a line on FB or something) and meet new people (Sofian - if you're reading this you are a monster and should be fined for having guns the size of my thighs).

I'll add some more updates before I go but that's all I have to say for now. Hope everyone is avoiding those injuries and pushing their own boundaries as much as possible.

Speak soon!

Chris

Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!!!

As the title suggests...Seasons Greetings to everyone! We hope you have a very successful and memorable 2011. We most certainly will be!

Right, hold onto your hats kids as Operation Beastmaker will be commencing shortly!

Greg sets sail for France on 16/01/2011 with me being in hot pursuit on 30/01/2011. Our fingers will be caressing the fine sandstone of Fontainebleau from 01/02/2011 and so the CrushFest will begin from around 02/02/2011. Exciting Times!

I visited the newly erected Reading Climbing Centre on Thursday of this week and 6 hours later I was dragged out of the building, by construction workers, wondering how they were going to piece my broken body together.
I haven't had a workout like that in ages! I managed to do 2 "World Cup Standard" problems (orange coloured) which falls into the V8+ range and a whole host of blue coloured problems that range from V6 - V8. I thought the colour grading system is very user friendly and is reminiscent of a "Font like circuit" without the dramatic rock-hugging top-outs that most of us know all too well! The problems were quite interesting and worthy of a return at some point after the trip.

I have also handed in my notice at work which was a sad occasion for me as I will miss all my friends and colleagues.

We are eagerly awaiting more gear from Cotswold so we can tie up the last few ends of the trip, ready for departure.

We are also going to be speaking to Panasonic and PC World / Curry's to see if they could assist us with regards to a laptop and HD camera...Fingers crossed!

Cotswold Update

It's been several weeks since our last post. We have been occupied with the logistic side of the trip - e-mailing various contacts, chasing leads and making sure our chariot is in good condition for the expedition. We have also been training (mainly indoors) as usual, making sure we stay in decent shape over the Festive Season...
"Do you really need to eat that - insert food of choice? When you fall off the last move of your project, dropping to your knees, screaming and crying, you will ask yourself...was it worth it?"

The van is going through somewhat of a metamorphosis in preparation for the "expedition". What started out as a lowly ex carpenters panel van has now been transformed into the epitome of mobile living. Well, perhaps not, what it does have is ply lining, carpet, 2 windows a leisure battery and a travel fridge. Hardly a "HYMER" recreational vehicle but should offer the practicality we need. The newest and most recent modification is that of a set of roof bars and a 900 litre roof box. Yes you read that correctly "900" litres, should be ample room for everything the traveling boulderer requires. Other than this we have just had to make sure that the vehicle is mechanically sound and find an insurance broker who offers 12 months European van insurance..... no easy feat I can personally confirm this! After many hours spent trawling through the internet and being shot down time and time again, success rained down upon us. For anyone who is having difficulty with this I would recommend checking out HIC. They are certainly worth looking into.


Anyway, I went to Cotswold on Tuesday and met up with a good friend that I hadn't seen in ages. It was great catching up with him. He then went to see if Ben (the Man himself) was available to see me...he came out however he was not alone...some shiny new gear following suit!
The gear comprised of a new Podsacs bouldering pad and North Face bag. Inside the bag were fleeces, t-shirts, chalk bag and chalk! I was immediately faced with the realization that the trip was most definitely happening and that the time of departure was fast approaching. It only seemed like just a few weeks ago that the idea for the trip was being conceived and here we are now almost ready to head off. The New Year should bring with it new gear and equipment and the vital warm clothing that we so require.

Just a few loose ends now to tie up before we go now...namely a laptop and HD camera. DOES ANYONE HAVE CONTACTS THAT CAN HELP US WITH THIS???

If you can then please e-mail us at board_rider2001@yahoo.co.uk . Your generosity wouldn't go unnoticed!!!

Look after your skin!

I went down to Portland, this weekend, to try and see if I could make further progress on the project I started last week...

...Driving down, I knew the conditions would be excellent for climbing (if you could stay warm enough to perform at your peak!) as Dorset was blanketed with light snow and the temperature was baltic!

After a short jog, Martyn and I, joined a group of boulderers (nice to see other people climbing in the field, besides myself, for a change) to warm up on the Cracked Boulder. The friction was incredible but it took a lot of effort to pry the fingers open and attach them to the rock. After repeating all the problems on the Cracked Boulder we decided to move on to the Toll Booth Arete (V7).

I initially struggled to repeat this problem as I could not clamp the right hand pinch hard enough to throw for the left hand crimp. The warmth had left my hands and the cold had settled in and was not going to dissipate without a fight! Martyn thought I could probably do a massive move directly onto the crimp therefore eliminating the need to use the pinch. I gave it a few goes and I managed to land this. This eliminate version probably would probably go at V8.

I then decided to try the project I had started months before. After linking most of the moves together, I decided a direct finish would be wise as the traverse tends to restrict you. This particular move was quite difficult and requires 1 more session to complete then the new line will be realised. This will probably go at V9 which would make it one of the hardest problems in the field. Exciting times!

We finally gave in to the cold and decided to beat a hasty retreat out of the boulderfield. I wanted to have a couple attempts at the difficult project I started the week before. My finger hadn’t completely healed but I thought it would hold up long enough to stick the crux move…bad decision! Within 3 attempts of placing my weight on the razor crimp, blood began to appear. I tried applying finger tape to stop the flow (note to self - should have done this beforehand – not the sharpest knife in drawer) to no avail. I had to call it a day and come back when my finger had healed fully.  Reluctantly I packed my bag and left...

Lesson learned – take more warmth when conditions are freezing, tape finger before pulling on katana-style edges and look after your skin (you tend to need it)!!!

Chris

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What a day! Cotswold Outdoor comes through.

So, we decided to head to Portland to get some more bouldering mileage behind us and work some of our projects (Greg - Guy Fawkes, Chris - My Chemical Romance).

We warmed up on our usual traverse, which covers most of the New Cuttings area and spotted some high ball (6m) problems which ignited our curiosity. They were not bolted and with the crux moves nearing the top this made for some fluttery and nerve-racking moments. We then decided to move onto our projects.

Greg was suffering from the last effects of "man-flu" and was slightly hampered by this. Nonetheless he "manned" up and made some good progress on the first difficult moves of Guy Fawkes. By the end of the session he was established on the undercut and moving with control onto the first heinous crimp on the vertical face. After working Guy Fawkes and attempting the top moves on MCR, he made the astute observation that it would be wiser to work a V9 problem before entering the realms of V11!

My intention was to try and work the last move on MCR and then possibly complete the problem today however the step ladder I brought (the latest in bouldering technology!) was too short to reach the penultimate move. My reluctance to put on a harness and top-rope the move had led me to use this unconventional method. I decided to begin work on a new project in the vicinity of the area which I'm very excited about however the razor sharp crimp has chewed a hole in my left forefinger.

We decided to call it a day and upon returning home we noticed the view counter on our blog had increased significantly! I jokingly said to Greg that maybe Ben @ Cotswold Outdoor Southampton(www.cotswoldoutdoor.com) had placed a link from their website to our blog which may have increased the views...we checked and low and behold this was indeed the case!!!

After falling out of our chairs through disbelief, the reality began to set in...we had a sponsor! Not only did we have a sponsor but we had a very reputable outdoor company backing us every step of the way...speechless.
We feel very honoured to be backed by Cotswold Outdoor and most of the concerns we had surrounding our trip have been dispelled.

Cotswold Outdoor you've done us a solid and we can't thank you enough.