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Over the last couple of months i've basically been getting out on projects and training.

The route at the Head i've been trying feels like a bit of a step up for me as a new line. It's been just a wee bit more epic than other new routes i've done at the Head. It took about 6 trips to get it cleaned and ready to climb on. It's pretty steep and traverses out underneath that massive roof. To clean it I basically had to down aid sections going right under the roof. Dropping hooks onto edges and trying to step across and down on them whilst on a big loop of slack on the abb rope. Pretty funny actually. Craigy didn't seam to appreciate me asking him to belay me on the bottom section while I aided the lower wall and through massive blocks over his head!

So for the last wee while I've been climbing on it. Which has been slightly epic too. It's a bit of a ligistical nightmare when it comes to shunting the tricky bits. Mainly because it's under that massive roof. Nice though to get up there by yourself and get totally absorbed with figuring out how to climb it. Can't express how good this route is. Feels like a hard safe 30m E7/8 into this friggin wild E7 groove onto that arete. Got most of it figured out now. The climbing is so good. Really bouldery crux then really techincal insecure 3D goove. It feels completely wild. Been doing loads of stretching – getting the old hips lubed up for it. It's pretty safe but it's just so massive. I want to climb in one pitch because it would be amazing and there's no real obvious or natural belay in the middle. But climbing it in one pitch just makes it feel a wee bit more epic all round. Just a bit more to get right really.   

I've been working a bit too. Just kaning the access out while it was on. Been pretty quiet this summer with access work - so i've basically been taking it when it comes up. Finished the most horrible access job I've ever worked on in Belfasts wild west with Craigy and Jk. Then did a bit of work in the city centre which was nice. Nicer coffee anway.

Because the weathers been pretty sketch this summer I've been mixing it up and climbing on a few different new lines instead of just focusing on one project. Just because you have to go to where ever the conditions are best.

Had a funny one at lower cove in the mournes with Craigy. We bivied under the east face - one of the coolest walls in the country. Got woke up at about two in the morning by Craigy shouting " Ricky, it's going for your face!" I woke up to see a fox running towards my jaffa cakes which were by my head. I freaked out. It looked mad like some kind of crazy ghost fox with Craigy shining a head torch on it. Then it grabbed Craigys loaf and ran off. 

On the East Face i'd been trying a new line that finishes direct on Andy Marshalls route Eazy Lover. It follows Eazy Lover to the jug in the middle of the wall then a 20 move boulder problem to the top of the wall. Safe too which is nice. Really powerful undercutting section with has been good for me to climb on. It’s burly.

Was making good on both the projects at the head and on the east face of lower cove.

So every thing was going well then....... pop. i tweaked a finger bouldering at the head about 2 weeks go. Nightmare! I was completey depressed for about a week and a half. Then I decided to wind my neck in and get positive and get it sorted out. I used to get sore shoulders when I was younger but nothing too bad. But this is the first time I've properly tweeked a finger.

I think I've just tweeked a pulley at the base of my ring finger. I've been doing all the right things with it. icing massage etc. It was still pretty frustrating. When I was asking mates for advice on it, at least 3 out of 4 of my climbing mates suggested sticking it up my bum. I didn’t think much of this at the time but now can see that this was mildly amusing to them.

It’s not too bad though because it’s got me to sit back and look at what I’ve been doing recently. I was worried that I’d got a bit fatigued and caused myself to get injured. But thinking back on it I think I was just unlucky. Over the last 6 months I’ve got progressively stronger and in what feels like the first time for a long while. So I think I’ve gotta be happy with that. I also think that in my situation (Ireland – no bolts! ) it’s hard to get strong for climbing harder routes. I can see strength gains that translate well bouldering but its a bit harder to translate this to the routes I want to climb.

I’ve gotta push my luck a bit with training. Not in a reckless way but what I mean is that knowing you body is a bit of a learning curve. If you know what I mean.

So I’m going to take a month or so at least off climbing. The plan for the next wee while is get caught up on some work so I can climb for a while once this finger is sorted and try and work on other things in the mean time. I’ve been beasting some core circuits in the house with PT Sammy and stretching loads.

Also be out checking out new lines on crags in the Mournes. So much potential…

 Stuck up some pics from the last a few months.

Their all taken by my hero..... Craig Hiller www.hillerscapes.co.uk

April has been good.  

Did a bit of access work in Dublin on this big cool new build that leaks. Managed to get out after work to look at a line in Dalkey Quarry that my mate Ron put up years ago.Lush E7 6c.It’s a 10m leaning wall above a terrible landing with a boulder problem to get to a jug then a smeary high rock over to get some good crimps then jugs at the top. There’s no gear so it’s pretty much a solo. I had a play on a rope and practiced the top crux a few times. Figured I could make it a bit less insecure by pulling harder on this small flaky crimp for your right hand. Pulled it off. Felt a bit guilty like I’d broke Rons route. But then glad the hold came off then because I was thinking about trying it after a wee rest. The sequence has changed slightly now but it’s not any harder. It’s really bold though. Decided not to have a go and sacked it for a pint.

I climbed one of my projects at the Head. The Big Skin. Basically the full bottom half of a big green wall into an E7 called A Bad Skin Day. It’s a really long wall about 55m. First time I’d climbed a bold route in a while and found it a bit weird getting psyched to tie in. Craigy kicked an entire loaf of stale bread of the top of the crag which was pretty funny and broke the weirdness. The route climbed really well. Got that trippy little head point experience. Didn’t remember anything once I was at the top.

Went to see Richie Hawtin in the Ulster Hall and bumped into the Cattel’s from North Wales!

Had a wee visit from the Scots. Boo Boo, Niall McNair and Iain Small. They came over and stayed for about a week or so for a bit of trading. We made a pretty meaty hit list for them and they pretty much did everything on it at the Head. Onsighting E5’s and E6’s everyday and drinking 8 cans every night. The Mournes was a different story altogether. I climbed a few routes at the Head that I hadn’t done before like The Hustle in one pitch, this amazing 60m E3. Craigy climbed a lot and I took a few photos and gave him a bit of banter when he was getting it tight on Salango. We saw a really weird sunset where the sun went into a massive mushroom like in Mario Bros. On a more serious note, my exhaust fell off again. We only managed one slightly epic day in the Mournes. Boo and Sammy went to Binnian to fart about with tri-cams while Niall, Craigy, Iain and Me went to Buzzards Roost. Niall walked this pumpy E5 called Spirit Level. Diffinately one of the best routes in the country. Totally amazing crag. I onsighted Plumb Line, this Eddie Cooper E6 that hadn’t had a second ascent. Felt a bit sketch on it. It’s was a wee bit scrittley. It’s a bold little arete with one short hard section high up on the crag. Really good line. Then we walked on up to Binnian and soloed some little slab routes with Boo and Sammy. Noticed Sammy had misspelled some Bruce Lee quote that he’d wrote on his bouldering mat when he was young and keen. Pretty funny “Have no LIMITJON as Limitation”

I was up at the Head by myself at the start of the week before starting back doing a bit of access. Starting working this amazing project that I’d been cleaning. It’s one of the best lines I’ve climbed on. It’s this huge arching arete at the left hand of the Rathlin Wall. Loads of really diffenert styles of climbing on it. Massive pitch 60m. The first part is this corner covered in think lichen then some crimpy wall climbing to good gear. Then a hard bouldery section and a bit of a run out to the arete. Then the top half of the route gets pushed out onto this amazing arete groove then onto the arete where you do this cool barn door jump to a juggy side pull. It’s the coolest line and the climbing is amazing. Managed to do bits of it. Psyched to have a proper project again.

photos by Craig Hiller www.hillerscapes.co.uk

I took the good ones!