Delivering The Goods

I was tempted to post the classic Judas Priest track (there's numerous versions on YouTube) but this is about that most aesthetic of UK crags White Goods. Having said that Rob Halford intoning...'You better watch out and hold on tight...' is quite good advice.
There's not really too much to post about the day - the most impressive part of the which was the drive down into Ruthin with a spectacular display of vivid double rainbows - unfortunately I didn't stop and get the camera out.
Good news for us mortals is there are now some more moderate routes at the main crag.

This is 'Don't Tumble' (M6+) which felt quite Scottish.

Dave G on 'Bold Start' which seems to be given M7...ahem!

As usual at White Goods I did the usual struggling, screaming and bleeding...

But after seeing Dave A put in a big fight on Tumble M9

More Dave A fighting on Tumble. 

After his effort I managed to drag my sorry large behind round the lip of White Goods (M8+). 

So I guess that is a fraction of progress - yipee. What with rainbows, redpoint success and Judas Priest that's plenty of inspiration to keep the training going. 

It's that time again

The Foundry are starting their indoor dry tooling routes tonight. They've set 8 routes this year - so I'll report back whats the score. In the mean time here is a vid of me on the first set of routes they put up 2 years ago.

Ian Parnell Dry Tooling at the Foundry Climbing Centre (M7+) from Foundry Climbing Centre on Vimeo.

Autumnal Bliss

Today was a perfect blue sky warm autumn day and I had a free day to go ...Yes Climbing! So where did I choose ...Cloggy? Scafell? Gogarth? er, no... the quarried tip-face of White Goods.Rich giving Jazz some beef!Rich lowering off - Jazz having returned the beef with interest

Start of the summer

Well quite obviously the summer is nearing it's end but today I finally managed to go climbing outside. The first time in 5 months since my knee injury. So where did I choose - some quality gritstone? a classic mountain crag? er... no the dry tooling hole known as White Goods!

The arrival at the crag was classic White Goods, with a huge rotting carcass dumped by the parking spot. I met up with Rich Simpson best known as a 9a sports climber, but whose interested in turning his considerable abilities to the tools.

The day went about as well as you would imagine having not climbed for 4 months and then visited a ridiculously steep pumpy crag that leaves me broken even when I'm going well. But it was good to finally get out again, and get preparations kicked off for the real season coming up.

Building Up Motivation Again

I'd kind of written off the remainder of the season as I had a pretty packed diary of work and family but I got a good kick up the derriere recently. Rich Simpson, of Action Direct, sub 4 minute mile and 100 one arm pullups on each arm fame, got in contact to see if I fancied a spot of dry tool training at the Foundry. It was great to be dragged out after a couple of weeks of inactivity. A few possibilities have also surfaced in the diary for a return to Scotland with some big plans afoot. So with a reason to get fit again, and inspired by Rich I'm trying to make more of an effort. Running yesterday, the start of circuits with the Alp Kit Fig Fours at the works today and hopefully a run round part of the Edale Skyline tomorrow. Piecing together a training loop on the Works circuit board with the Fig Fours.

Sheffield winter training facility

This afternoon I managed to check out the new "dry-tooling" routes that have been set at the Foundry Climbing Wall. At the moment there are five routes with many variations possible. While that doesn't sound like a lot it was enough to get hefty pump pretty quickly. The three in the Furnace area have a more "Scottish" feel to them as they are only just overhanging, with grades perhaps ranging from M4 to M6+. Then there are two through the roofs at the side of the comp wall. Here's some pics of me on one which felt M7/M7+

The plan is for these routes to be available Friday to Monday (you have to book in advance at specific times) with the cost £10 for a session. Considering its almost £7 for normal climbing and the Foundry is including all gear hire in the price, it seems pretty reasonable to me. It's certainly felt about time that climbing walls began to cater for us winter climbers. Great to see the Foundry taking the bit between their teeth on this I'd recommend anyone in the area wanting to get their winter guns tuned up to go check it out. Depending on the up take there are plans for more routes, including one up the 15m prow of the main comp wall, now that would be spectacular. More info here http//:foundryclimbing.blogspot.com

More White Goods

With the warm and wet weather of late rock climbing and accessible winter climbing are out so Jon and I returned to the dry tooling crag White Goods. To cut a long story short I got my botty literally spanked. Both of us felt completely knackered before we even started Jon with a chest cold and me battling sleepless nights as a Dad. After warming up I tried Power Pact an M9+ that I was hoping might just be a touch harder than Jazz, the route I'd done last visit. I ended up bailing from the third bolt as I just didn't seem to have my head on straight. I was a little bit thrown by the obligatory fig 4 needed at the start which I found really hard to get into and then it only took a few wobbly blocks up higher to give me the excuse. The bottom line is I need to get stronger before trying something like this. Dropping my ambitions I headed back to the main crag hoping to try Doorstep Challenge an M8 with a large finishing roof. Unfortunately I didn't get anywhere near that, pulling a sizeable flake off and bashing my bum on a nasty upside down fall. On a day like this you have to know when its best just to go home. Jon making more of the day than me with some worthwhile laps on one of the M7s.

This is the main crag (complete with White Goods!) Jazz takes a line just left of the righthand tree, Doorstep goes just right of the lefthand tree (you can just see a sling on the lip of the roof)

One of the many odd finds amongst the tip at the base of the crag.

Something a little different

I was hoping to be up in Scotland climbing steep hoar frosted cracks but the cold but dry weather means there's very little in condition up there I'd like to climb. To keep from going stir crazy Jon and I headed down to the Welsh borders to check out an area a friend of mine, Ramon had told us about. White Goods has been developed as a specific dry tooling crag one of the few around. One of the difficulties is finding steep rock that no-one would want to rock climb on. White Goods manages this thanks to muddy shale bands between the roofs and a popular fly tipping site. Aesthetic it is not. Infact all that seemed to be missing from the ambience was a stereo blasting out Industrial Noise by Skinny Puppy or perhaps the less gentle tunes by Pantera.

Never the less we had a fun trip, climbing the easier angled Kitchen Garden routes (D5-D7) and then I surprised myself by hollering my way up Jaz a steep D9 (although I suspect pretty soft at the grade). Dry tooling in some people's minds is about as low as climbing can go, but Ive found it to be fun and the perfect option to get the guns reloaded for when conditions kick in again up North.

There's more info on White Goods here http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=3826 and here http://www.drytooling.co.uk/articles/files.display-4.html. I think its a very worthwhile venue and certainly more enjoyable climbing than Birnam, the other major UK dry tooling venue, which is almost entirely drilled.