when rains stops me from holding rocks

i try and hunt out something interesting to photograph.  I spent ages looking through a wet windscreen at Polzeath beach rammed with what looked like fish out of water learning to surf (and a very few others riding long waves across the shoreline) deeply envious of how much effect the rain was having on their sport.  As the sun dropped lower I wandered across the gently sloping sand thinking of some type of surfer sunset shot then I met a group of people holding long L series lenses at the waters edge.  Luckily my lens was too short to get any surfing shots.

(a Flickr Set on my blog)

Beautiful Istanbul

north coast

here are a few climbing shots that i have accumulated over the last month or two....

Justin Timms on Diamond Smiles at Sharpnose

John Mcshea on Out of the blue at Sharpnose

John cruising Culm to Mother
(North face, Middle Fin, Sharpnose)

Me on the north coast (Rob Butcher)

Pressure Drop at Spekes Mill Mouth behind the photographer
(cheers Rob B)

Ramon Marin on a new/re-discovered line
.....UPDATE.....climbed previously!

Rowan Spear-Bulmer after a cool ascent of
Black Magic at Pentire

Rowan getting amongst

Rowan on a new problem (probably?)

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Video - north coast 1

hopefully there is going to be more bouldering videos soon......

north coast 1 from rob gibson on Vimeo.

Cross Training

So this is it ...... I have bitten the bullet and hired a personal trainer.  After years of messing about climbing I have decided to take it really seriously.  Following on from this winters holidays I wanted to get in good shape for climbing rock during the good summer conditions.  So after much deliberation I decided to sell my car, scrape together my remaining funds and move to the hub of UK climbing: Devon.  I have invested my last savings to attend the Kirby fitness and well being spa in the certain knowledge that the guru in charge of this establishment will make me climb harder.

Ian

Taking Ian's sound advice I have been doing huge amounts of cross training, not your standard running or weights, oh no. This is much better. Scrubbing tiles, digging drainage, lifting slate floor slabs etc. Ian has told me that to convert the finger power that I have developed during the winter by holding on to axes in to much more useful shoulder stamina for the North Devon slab routes I need to keep busy renovating the farm. Not that I have had much time or energy to get on many routes after all that cross training.

Ian and I moved the three hundred kg slate tabletop from it's brick base by hand but when 4 of us couldn't carry it from the old dairy he was finally persuaded to get some mechanical assistance.

Fingers re-exercised

Sometimes good things happen..........





(a Flickr Set on my blog)