Epic TV paid a visit to North Wales and came to see what I do at home, mainly involving climbing, creating, cafes and chilling.
“Climbing is ingrained into the soul of North Wales. With needle like peaks, intimidating blank walls and hundreds of boulders it’s a paradise for adventure seekers. It’s also Katy Whittaker’s home…this is her North Wales climbing love story.”
A topic rarely spoken about amongst climbers, as we seems to have an unspoken rule that you must be “the most psyched”; first one at the crag, last one at the crag, most number of routes in a day, hardest route, most tired from training… I could go on… So when that fire isn’t there you feel lost and guilty that you don’t want to go climbing. However, it seems to be a feeling that effects everyone from time to time, whether it is temporary or long term; a few days, weeks, months or maybe even longer.
Mine started lagging a few years back, I’m not sure there was a specific point, it just seemed like a gradual build up. Four years ago I hurt my back and since then it has been emotionally and physically challenging to get better, with constant set backs and some life changing decisions. I’d like to thinking I am coming out the other side of it now but I am quite a different person, hopefully much wiser and more well rounded.
I have climbed my whole life and it is something I have always been incredibly passionate about. I did it because I loved it but mainly because I loved the moments I got to share and experience with my family and friends, from competitions to adventurous trad. It is not something I am proud to admit but I now can see that somewhere along the way internal love and passion got muddle up with externally driven motivations; grades, achieving and being the best. Externally driven goals have a small pot to pull from and eventually them become not enough and the psych and passion dwindles.
Over the last year or so I been picking apart this complex web of emotions I have with climbing, muddling my way though and actually talking about it for the first time. I made a few changes but ironically I still went to Spain this year with a goal to climb 8c (not really knowing why apart from the fact that I thought it was a life goal of mine), I failed, I was pretty devastated at the time. However, injury and failure is only an opportunity to learn, something I now can only say a few weeks afterwards. These two things have been my biggest teaches over the years.
Taking a step back and looking in from the outside I can now see that there is a much bigger world out there than just climbing. I am extremely proud of everything I have already achieved with my climbing and I also know that physically I could do much more and climb harder. It might sound daft, but the biggest turning point was realising that there is much more important things in my life and that there is too much I’d have to sacrifice to climb at my maximum. I have full respect for those that can dedicate their life to training and being the best but that is not what I love nor why I started climbing.
Don’t get me wrong I still love climbing but I don’t want it to be the soul purpose of my life. Instead I’m going back to my roots, which is in fact just enjoying being in the outdoors, in what ever form that may look like; climbing, scrambling, walking, biking, surfing, swimming etc and most importantly having these adventures with the people you love. This is what is makes my heart sing and gets me most psyched.
Realising this, I am now the happiest I’ve been in years.
This year Alex and I are lucky enough to have 5 months away travelling in the van. To escape what can be a grizzly, wet winter and hopefully enjoy some warm dry weather on the continent.
We had four days to put some finishing touches on the van in-between Alex finishing work and our ferry to Calais.
Van update highlights include:
Shower (on the back of the van)
Running hot and cold water in the kitchen
Heater
A safe!
To keep our bouldering ball rolling (so to speak) we headed straight to Ticino, Switzerland. I’d never visited Cresciano, Chironico or Brione before so knew I was in for a treat. We spent the first few days in Cresciano and Chironico, it was pretty warm and not necessarily ideal temps but it was perfect for starting the trip. We enjoyed lazy breakfasts in sunshine and afternoons exploring the boulders.
Brione had to be the highlight for me though, everyone told us how world class the granite is but you can’t believe it could get any better Cresciano… then you arrive and see it! It is beautiful, amazing shapes and colours that look like they’ve been painted perfectly onto the rock by an artist.
Next up was a long 15 hour drive to Albarracin. We called in here last year but sat in the rain and cold for three days and I was reluctant to return after this experience. My fears were confirmed after we spent the first day dodging rain between dripping caves but luckily the weather perked up after this and we were treated with a few days of sunshine. We visited some classics in the forest and were also lucky enough to be shown around a new(ish) area by the wonderful Jorge (of Don Pepo’s Guest House).
The original plan was to boulder until the end of the year but the beautiful long limestone crags were calling and it had been far too long. We haven’t sport climbed in over a year and the dripping tufas and sun kissed orange rock was too close for comfort so we bailed on the bouldering and drove south again to Andalusia. We arrived just a few days ago, the psyched is high, our knees are bruised, forearms burning and I can’t wait to see what the next few months bring.
I have just returned from a trip to the Rocklands with what seems like most of North Wales and Sheffield!! Rocklands isn’t exactly off the beaten track these days, with thousands of climbers from all over the world visiting the area each year. So, I won’t bore you with too much information about the area, the photos can do the talking for this.
Three great things happened this trip.
1) It was my first ever proper bouldering trip (other than short odd trips to Font) and I was unsure how my body would hold up to this style of climbing, especially the repetitive impact of falling onto mats. However it took it like a trooper and I climbed as well as, if not better than pre injury.
Roof on fire | Credit: Will Oates
Yosemite Slab | Credit: Charlie Woodburn
Up Top | Credit: Charlie Woodburn
Alex cruising the classic Cedar Spine
2) Number two follows on from having a functioning body in that I climbed my first font 8A. I have learnt a lot of the past couple of years about managing expectations, what I want from my climbing and what makes me happy. I knew I wanted to try and climb 8A but not at the detriment of the trip or my sanity. Trying hard, not succeeding, then letting go and moving on is a hard but good lesson to learn and I have had plenty of practice. Climbing something hard gives me a sense of achievement but not fulfilment and besides there will always be something harder and better to climb. With this in mind I know it is important for me to visit new and beautiful places with people that are special to me as this is what makes the lasting memories. So I went into Rocklands feeling pretty relaxed and happy about the outcome… what ever that may be. Luck was on my side this trip though and I managed to climb the incredible hatched egg shaped boulder aptly named “The Hatchling” first go of my second session.
The Hatchling | Credit: Will Oates
3) I got to do some new climbs. Unfortunately I arrived just a few weeks too late to join in with the initial development from the British and Tennessee team who opened the “Skyline” area. However, there is a life time of rock in the Cederberg so there was still plenty for me to do. The “Skyline” was initially found a few years back but due to access issues never developed. This year American climber Jimmy Webb noticed the area on google maps and walked over the back of “Fields of Joy” to check it out. You drop in off a plateau to an expanse of huge boulders quite tightly packed together. As you walk through the corridors of boulders it is impossible not to be impressed by these highball aretes and technical walls.
Team stood ontop of the Skyline area
Will Oates’ new problem Poison Arrow | Credit: Derw Fineron
Just outside of this main area Alex and Will had found another section with a perfect arete which luckily they hadn’t got round to climbing and left for me. A perfect “gritstone” arete climbable on both sides and just high enough to keep you on your toes!
We also found another new spot when we took a detour to Skyline and the cherry on the cake was finding a beautiful cave painting.
Making the first ascent of this beaut arete on both sides. Left is around 7a+, right 7b ish
A first egg ascent on the way to “Skyline” | Credit: Will Oates
Alex’s new problem Cuttlefish Crack | Credit: Alex Haslehurst
Cave painting!!
The rest of the photos are just some of my favourite from the trip. Enjoy!
Will Oates climbing the classic Rhino
Nice clouds!
Alex getting close on Eye of Sauron
Highball up at “Fields of Joy” | Credit: Will Oates
One of the many beautiful evenings
Bouldering is: Grovelling around trying with all your might to pull your ass off the floor. As so beautifully demonstrated here by Charlie Woodburn
Snazzy lizard
Walking home
My annual trip to Scotland is always one of my favourites. Having already visited quite a few of the islands; Orkney, Pabbay, Mingulay, Skye and Arran. Lewis & Harris were an obvious next choice. They are the biggest of all the islands and located in the north of the Outer Hebrides, known for their beautiful golden beaches and tropical looking turquoise waters. Alex and I headed to the south west of Lewis to an area called Uig, which promised big sea cliffs and four star classics. Having just said in my previous blog that I was dedicating a year to bouldering you may wonder why we decided to go on a trad climbing trip. We were kind of asking our selves the same question on the drive over and had to admit we were a little nervous having not trad climbed at all since our previous trip to Scotland – that same time last year. The pull of Scotland is always too much though and I am always happy to drop everything to go and visit this beautiful country.
The weather wasn’t particularly playing ball but it gave us a chance to check out some of the beaches and go surfing. If you are interested there is some pretty fascinating historical places and artefacts to see, including an old iron age house dating back to 400BC and an amazing beach where a Viking chess set was found!
Our fears about trad climbing however were confirmed on the first and only day we actually managed to get out climbing. We abseiled down into Torasgeo to climb the classic E1 “Palace of Colchis”. I started the traverse out over the sea on pitch one with Alex telling me, not to place any gear yet as I would get rope drag and the worst that would happen would be I fell in the sea! I was in a high footed bridge in a slight corner with good hand holds just about to pull across to a side pull when the hold I was pulling on pinged off and fired me straight into the sea…. I wasn’t very far along, nor very high and luckily with no rocks underneath. I was surprised more than anything and I popped up from under the water to see a shocked looking Alex, who kindly reeled me in like a big fish. On dry land we proceeded to laugh our heads off! Unfortunately the escape out was still a soggy two pitches of climbing. Luckily Alex saved the climbing day with a smooth ascent of the beautiful “Painted Wall” in the next geo over.
All in all not the most successful climbing trip to, but rather amusing. See you next year Scotland.