Website

blocspenwith is now to found here

http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk/


http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk/

http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk/

http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk/

http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk/

http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk

http://www.blocspenwith.co.uk/

Training wall....details

This new training facility needs members. Currently there are five of us, more would be better.Its located a couple of miles outside St Ives. Its not a public wall. What we are looking for is people who will commit to contributing to the weekly rent. Its £45 a week and there are five of us so far, so more people will mean it gets cheaper for all!

We so far have two boards (details below). Realistically it's for climbers who want to train/get stronger...access if you come on board is anytime!


For those who are interested, our Moon Board currently has Setup 01 and Setup 02 giving us 12 graded problems from the Moon Climbing website in the Font 6C to 8A range. the Moon Board is 40 degrees off vertical and the other board is an Uncarved Bloc board (same as the one at Porkelis,for those that have been there) that is 50ish degrees off vertical. Electricity and use of on site toilet/running water is a good selling point too.

If you want more details leave your email address and i will get back to you...cheers

Training at the Studio...members wanted!

This new training facility needs members. Currently there are four of us, more would be better.Its located a couple of miles outside St Ives. Tuesday evening is a good time to come along. Contact me through the blog and I'll give you directions etc.
For those who are interested, our Moon Board currently has Setup 01 and Setup 02 giving us 12 graded problems from the Moon Climbing website in the Font 6C to 8A range. the Moon Board is 40 degrees off vertical and the other board is an Uncarved Bloc board (same as the one at Porkelis,for those that have been there) that is 50ish degrees off vertical. Electricity and use of on site toilet/running water is a good selling point too.

News

"Barney Carver, with Helen Pardoe spotting, making a successful ascent of 'The Groove' V8 6c at Clodgy Point, St. Ives." Tobi Carver/UE Images.

News from Barnaby Carver.

Andy - As you know I succeeded on my long-term project at Clodgy Point on Bank Holiday Monday (28^th May). I’ve called the new highball problem ‘The Groove’ and think it’s V8 6c. When I did it I used two normal pads, one extra large one and one extra small one. I also used two normal sized spotters! The full description of the problem is as follows…

"** The Groove V8 6c X. One of Clodgy’s most serious and best highball problems takes the undercut overhanging groove in its entirety. A hard start leads to a technical and tenuous sequence of bridging moves up the groove, which is exited leftwards at its top. The arête on the right is used but not the chossy hanging blocks further right."

Also at Clodgy (on 24-07-07) I climbed a full anticlockwise traverse around the Australia Boulder which links ‘Northern Track’ into ‘Work in Progress’ and continues to reverse ‘Stainless Steel’ before finishing upwards at the starting point. I’ve named this link-up ‘Circumnavigation’ and think it justifies a grade of V9 6c as it takes in all of the hard climbing on ‘Work in Progress’(V8) in addition to lots of strenuous V5 climbing and is a demanding 20 metres long in total.

Oh! And I reckon that new traverse I climbed at Godrevy on 29-06-2007 should be called ‘The Poacher’ because I nicked it! It’s probably easy V7 6b but on the tiring side!

hurrah a new problem

After months of rain, I managed to get out and do a new problem. What made it more special was that I think its a new discovery. A small crag and cave made up of tufa like formations, the calcite deposits have bonded the weaker rock underneath. There are a few things there to do, also great snorkelling and plenty of elimates and link ups. I'm not sure of the grade, it was quite a few moves long for me and it was very hot!......

Oh yea the edited video is made up of two takes!

Godrevy short movie

A useful video for locating problems and some beta!....let us know what you reckon of the grades? French Toast is probably harder than V6, maybe 7 or bit harder, I just checked the rockfax grade comparison chart http://www.rockfax.com/publications/bgrades.html and as a move its defefintely hard 6c!

On the video I mistakenly called James problem 'evening sunset' which is wrong it should be 'perfect evening light'....evening sunset is another problem on Carn Brea.

recent activity

This info related to the graded list previously posted click here for list!

New repeats not listed -
Carn Brea: 'Blown Away' has been repeated by Barnaby Carver (9-10-06) and Andy Whall (?-03-07)

Godrevy: 'Providence' has been repeated by Mike Adams (?-??-06) (this was reported in Climber);
'Piss Pot' repeated by Max Dutson (18-03-07); Pictured left. After quite a few repeats 'Piss Pot' seems to have settled at at V6.
'Pockets Into Trigonometry' repeated by Barnaby Carver (24-03-07). Barnaby also made the second ascent of LTP left with extension on (19-04-07) confirming the grade of V8 ish...also BC and AW did LTP right and thought it was maybe V7 after all and not V6.


Clodgy Point: 'Salad Fingers' repeated by Chris Hall (03-03-07);
'Andy's Link Up' repeated by Andy Whall (?-12-06) and Chris Hall (10-03-07).

Zennor Hill: 'Agony Aunt' repeated by Andy Whall (03-11-06).'Foreign Affairs'repeated by Andy Whall.

Note your ascents of 'Andy's Link Up' and 'Agony Aunt' and 'Foreign Affairs' are second ascents.

New problems climbed since the original list was written: 'Snoopy' at Carn Brea, V7/8 6c. First ascent Andy Whall (21-12-06), repeated by Barnaby Carver (02-02-07).
'French Toast' Godrevy V7/8. First Ascent Andy Whall

you tube/mobile phone experiment

just testing how easy it is to go out with just phone and get video on blog...pretty easy really. Anyhow this boulder is getting really worked out. Problems described left to right.

slab V?
SS the one in video V4
SS jug to crack as on 'gone west' V5
SS jug to patata* reach to crack V5
SSjug to patata* with right and then left to crimp and top avoiding crack and arete V7
SSjug to patata* with left right to crystal and top 'foreign affairs' stiff V7
SS project jug str8 up
standing up arete and slab V0
hand traverse right V?
hand traverse from right into arete V4

*patata potato like protuberance (sloper)

Foreign Affairs

http://www.ueimages.com/
Photos by Toby Carver of C.H and A.W on Foreign Affairs. Originally given V7 by C.H. Sunny Sunday best conditions this year enjoyed by a big posse up on Zennor. Best admit that this problem still awaits a second ascent and confirmation of grade!

oh what terrible weather!

Australia boulder about to get a soaking, yet another day of rain and wind!

Snoopy project no more

In cold temps this morning finally after six sessions I pulled over the top of the boulder.

'Snoopy V7/8' (as I guess it should now be known as) is the line under the highest bulgiest part of the boulder.

RH in crack left to a sloper and RH long slap to a fairly good sloper in the dip at top of the boulder. Left foot is slung up and a long reach into the rightmost part of the crack with LH......Right knee swings onto the vertical flake and RH jam and pull over!...then mop up the blood!

Initially the green slime on the top of the boulder made it feel very hard, now its clean it should be a little easier! my guess for a grade is V7/8. In comparison to other problems on Carn Brea it feels harder than Pond Wall V7 and Yep V7, but in the end its one move and then a thrutch!

Carn Brea (minor addition)

In between the showers I scraped across some very slopey slopers to complete "Gordon Brown" on the Snoopy boulder. Grade wise probably around the V5 mark, although it felt harder!

It starts on the right arete, reach across to the crimp and then onto the slopers, finishing in the crack.



Of course this line may have been climbed before. Variations exist and a harder finish would be to avoid the left hand side of the crack.

Clodgy

Andy on starting moves of 'bloodlust original' V8, bit warm even tho its November! Barney found it easy tho and managed to take some pics!

West and mid Cornwall hardest!

click here to download to desktop and open as pdf

West and mid Cornwall hardest! a list of problems v7 and above

Originally appeared on Dave Hendersons Javu web site. Barney Carver has submitted it to the blocs penwith blog. Grades are a mixture of font and V, (with the font grades for the problems down at Gwynver, Its worth pointing out that they are the grades given by first ascentionists and judging by some of the views of repeaters are a little soft). Most of the other problems are a concensus grade.

Any views on grades or significant repeats, I would be glad to hear of them.

It also makes a good tick list!

Anyone who wants to begin a V6/font 7a list get it on!

wire brushing at Godrevy

It's been noticed that 'Providence' has been wire brushed. I had a look today and sure enough all the holds have had a good scrubbing. There is no need for this and the rock at Godrevy is too soft to sustain such tactics. It's a fragile rock and wire brushing is not a good idea!. A tooth brush with a towel/chalk should be fine.

Peace.

Font 8a at Godrevy

As reported on ukbouldering.....http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,5678.0.html

"New 8A in Cornwall
«on: June 14, 2006, 10:02:17 AM »
Dave Biggs has finally climbed his project at Godreavy...

Providence is proposed to be V10/11 (Font 8A) and takes an incredibly steap line up a short arete from a sit-start well below it. It's only about 3-4 moves but has an evil dyno at the" end.

There are more pictures in the Godreavy section of his site:
http://www.dbcs.org.uk/

bowling alley LTP (left) extension

Nice conditions today at Godrevy, suprise really as heavy rain was forecast, dry, cool and windy gave me the chance to finish the direct/high finish to LTP. same as original ie from the low pocket, move left to crimps, long move with right to a crimp slot, then instead of going left to the ledge, use a small crimp above the slot and make a deadpoint with left to the top and share....of course don't top out!!....not sure of a grade....its harder than the V8 LTP left gets, so it seems to me its probably 7b+.

'barrel of laughs' new font 7b, Clodgy

A.W does a new problem and calls it a 'barrel of laughs' font 7b. Photo of C.H. on second ascent, and Barney on first move. It starts on low undercut and rh sidepull, then lurches upwards with difficulty

Salad Fingers V8 major new line! squeezed in on Australia boulder.

A.W climbs a major* new line on the Australia boulder at Clodgy.

To find this boulder, walk from St Ives on Zennor footpath, when you see the large blocks on headland, head down towards the sea, the bouldering is below you, Australia boulder is further on and down below, all easy to find hopefully!.

'Salad Fingers' starts as for 'boomerang', moves directly up Ulurulu V5 and then powerfully left on slopers to the finishing jug on 'bomerang',thought it was harder than Boomerang, so maybe 7b, thus V8 till someone says otherwise!.....of course it probably isn't this hard, but seemed so at the time!

*of course it isn't a major line, but nor is it an eliminate! name derived from www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/salad+fingers/

Carn Brea

click to view short movie of Ade flashing a V2 traverse and Andy doing Pond Wall V6......it started snowing shortly after!, but lovely conditions!