Northern Norway Part 2

My recent trip with three friends to Northern Norway was one of the best I've ever had. We've only been back 48 hours and are already planning next years visit. I'll probably write an article for Climb in the Autumn so I won't witter too much here. Instead here's a few pics of the climbing (see Part 1 post for some scenics).

There is a huge amount of ice, most of my pics are of steepish stuff but there is plenty at every grade. This was a fine 180m IV+ - V

A closer shot of Kenton on the V, called by some Cathedral, others Goldrush but with no doubt other names.

 This crag was called tongue in cheek called Roadside but was worth the hike. The red line was a great WI6, M6 the yellow a WI6+-7 and the Green a WI6

Here's Neil on the WI6, M6

 There were a really obvious pair of ice lines up high which we had no info about. I ended up climbing the right hand column in this photo as a 55m WI6 pitch the central of 3 pitches. It's the best ice pitch I've climbed.

Neil and Garth climbed this beast to our right at a surprisingly amenable WI5+, M5 

Here's Garth topping out on that line.

As well as fjordside climbing there were an interesting series of gorges. This 3 pitcher had been climbed by Kurt Astner but the central pillar had collapsed leaving a big roof. Garth sussed it out and then I shook myself across and Kenton cruised it.

 This was our final route in the Lyngen Alps, and one of the routes that had attracted me to go - Gullyvers Reisen WI5 - a total classic.

 We only managed one route in the Southern part of our trip - but what a route Flagbekkan WI5-6.

 Zooming out gives the true scale.

Northern Norway Part 1

I'm sat in the cheapest hotel in Tromso (£45 per person per night for three sharing a room) after an incredible two weeks ice climbing in Northern Norway. I've been posting daily on my facebook account images from the climbing so I'll give those a rest for a bit and come back with some more considered reflections in another blog in a few days. In the mean time I thought I'd share a few shots of the unique landscape and light here.

Holidays

These winter months have been fairly frustrating - reading about Guy Robertson's superb run of new Scottish routes, Pete Harrison's outstanding Welsh testpieces and Nick Bullock's fantasy ice in New Hampshire. Let alone the turkey shoot down Patagonia and even Mr Kirkpatrick forgoing the book rights on yet another epic and actually topping out on something! But now is MY time. Finally, my big trip has arrived. Well 2 weeks is big for me nowadays. Flying to Tromso in Norway on Tuesday for some northern ice. Yeah we'll be going to two areas - Lyngen and Stordalen. Here some pics from a trip by Albert Leichtfried that inspired me. Hopefully we'll find similarly tasty looking challenges.

Gullyvers Reisen (might be called something else locally)WI5

Storrfossen WI7- (gulp)

 Flagbekkan WI5/6

Stalker WI6 M6 (this is top few hundred metres of 700m line!)

Proper climbing

Yeah! Went climbing and it was good. Walked in on Monday to the Black Ladders (which was in great nick) to find Llech Ddu looking nicely wintery, so seized the moment and did the 2nd ascent of Nick Bullock and Tim Neill's Central Grooves (4 pitches plus 100m grade 1). The first pitch proved pretty scary (or wiggy as Mr Bullock would say), poor hooks, very poor gear in the first half but then some nice moves past a fixed wire over a little overhang. I managed to link pitch 2 and 3 and this is the highlight of the route with a beautiful corner followed by some outrageous zig-zagging through roofs on overhanging turf. After the chimney pitch of the classic traverse I finished direct(ish) halfway up the obvious turfy corner then a delicate traverse left to glory. The route reminded me of a more committing version of Against All Odds the classic Glen Coe route. Luckily the forecasted afternoon snow didn't arrive and we walked out under a clear moonlit sky. The only other people we met were surprise surprise Nick Bullock and Tim Neill, who did Flanders summer direct - which according to half of the party was all a bit easy. Due to be cold all week - go get it!

 Llech Ddu with Black Ladders in the distance.

The line of Central Route

 Jon pulling through the small overhang at the top of pitch 1

Tilted pic but you get the idea. Me on the groove of pitch 2 

 Evening light from the top

 Moon and the Ladders

Confessions of a Gardener - Part 2

Gardening for me at the moment involves hiding bulbs from squirrels and collecting endless amounts of leaves from the big oak trees that hang over the end of our small plot from next door. So here's a few more photogenic things from the garden over this last year.

Wood Panoramics

I'm lucky to have sizeable local woods less than 5 minutes from my house still well inside Sheffield's city boundaries. I thought I'd try out the panoramic mode of the Sony RX100, it's a neat function - in some ways easy to use, in others not. I'll give some proper feedback in a review post in a week or so. In the mean time here's a few images from a walk with my daughter this morning: