Christmas Festive Frolics

 

December 22nd 2022 

to

 Jan 1st 2023

All set for arrivals

Pete and Vikki travel 22/12 via Newark rendezvous

Fabulous curry special all ready on arrival

Friday M & V to Headlam for pool leisure and pamper session

Pizzas ready to replace all lost calories

Xmas Eve Bowie-opoly

Finished off Xmas day.  Big win for Vikki !  (birthday luck!)

25th December

Happy Birthday Vikki!

Merino Xmas Andy!

Gifts Galore

Merino all over!

Kitchen Crew in action

All set for some serious Christmas Dinner

Followed more seasonal fayre

And of course the Birthday Special!

Might be room for some on Boxing Day

Festive Flamenco......

Live at Briar Walk

Early Boxing Day Dazzle

A bracing walk out in the Tees Valley

Wednesday trip for Lunch up in Whitley Bay

More exchange of assorted goodies!

Except no pictures taken  😕

New Year's day river walk

Banks burst

All set for 2023!

Late Scot

 Friday 4th November

Forecast sunny and mild, caight CB before he booked his appointment with a job, so squeezed in a short session at the ever ready 

Scot Crags Scugdale

Dazzling morning 

Golden walk in

Rock in pristine condition

CB opened up on a Vdiff, AT jumped onto Pet's Corner.

CB declared the crucial friend placement as bomber.

Finally got it right!

Cerebus Crack is only very short but it keeps you busy all the way and worth 4c

CB clipping in, before heading right to Defying Gravity up the harder finish.

AT spent a while trying to figure out a variation leading to the RH Arete on the same buttress.

CB took over and figured it out, turns out to be a hybrid of a 5a and a 4a .

Variation start/finish, take your pick.

Sun gone, wind getting up, called it a draw

Inappropriate advances

 October 30 2022

For some unknown reason it occurred to me that I just needed to have a look again at my electronic ignition settings.  Workshop manual says 2 degrees up to 1000 RPM, rising to 33 degrees at 4000 RPM.

So I looked up in the manual to see where the correct setting for the T3 advance curve is.

First off I lifted the seat to have a peek at the installed setting, here's the picture.

So it looks like the arrow is pointing at #8 (red dot)

Here's the settings chart.

It's blindingly obvious that the correct setting is the curve highlighted by the  green arrow, which corresponds to setting 3 as far as I can tell, or possibly 2.  

However the current setting is at #8!  So the engine has been labouring (?) with the wrong advance curve.

A very wrong one!

So priority job for Spring 2023 will be to correct this and see how the engine runs.  I'm expecting to feel some  difference given that the motor is behind the curve, by as much as 5 degrees in the main operating range (2000 - 4000 RPM).

How did that happen?  I have obviously failed to pay attention to which way the arrow is pointing.  The only consolation is at least the setting is the same at the low RPM setting (2 degrees BTDC).

Raven's Return

Saturday September 24th

Heavy rain out west on Wednesday so hung on for a couple of days for better weather to dry things out over there.  Early start and a 1 hour fifty minute drive to the inviting walls and arete at;

Raven Crag Walthwaite

Back in late March AT and NB had to abandon and head to Scout Crag (nesting restrictions).  So a repeat visit was always on the cards. Once again time restrictions in play so wasted no time getting on with a warm up lead up Route 1 at S 4a.  Steady climbing with not much gear at all.  

Route 2  P1 and P2 (left)  and Tritus Protus (right)

AT takes a turn to lead P1 on Route 2

(HS 4b)

Another angle reveals the angle  - some fine positions on both pitches

CB gains the blocky groove at the start of P2  ready to head up and right.

Bright sun on belay.

Glorious

12.15 and time for a spot of lunch.

Perfect weather.

Titus Protus combo

HVS 5a

Steep

Good gear and positive holds all the way

Below the groove leading to the roof

AT followed without too much of a struggle

An airy finish

Good hand holds arrive and the heart rate eases off despite the angle.

© Keith Sanders UKC

One more route, Enterprize 

(VS 4b)

AT wandered into the neighbouring route before coming back to join the arete.  Route finding seems to have taken a holiday of late.

Open climbing with some bold bits.

Walking out at 14.30

All go!

Route 2 (L)

Tritus-Protus

(R)

The Peel Deal

Thursday 15th September

  Back from the Riviera to the Côte D'Arlington.   Missed a week on the crag but time to squeeze in a day out, a quick confab with CB and we settled on a return to the quartz dolerite of the Great Whin Sill at;

Peel Crag

A 90 minute drive and a short downhill walk led us to a start climb time of 10.35.

A NW breeze, much cooler than our last trip here a month ago

AT sets off up Meridian (S) - the route crosses Sunset Buttress diagonally right to left.

Should have headed left at this point to join Twin Cracks but couldn't find the move.

The crucial hold was discovered later by CB, hiding behind that bush.

Cue a mini epic up the red line. 

This route now known as "Meanderin" (S)

CB takes a rare turn to lead Sunset

Some excellent positions in between ledges lead to a fine finish up and left

Still gets Severe.

AT wonders what the Greeks ever did for us on Ulysses (VD)

Very amenable slabby climbing, not all that common at this venue

The finish provides plenty to write home about

CB ups the ante with an excellent lead on Jester (VS 5a)

The overlap is no laughing matter but succumbs to a fine layback sequence.

AT follows without (much) drama.

Saving that for the next route.

The lower third of Overhanging Crack (VS 4c) demands precise footwork to make things stick whilst moving up on small holds and side pulls.

A  #6 finds a good home

A few seconds after this image AT's efforts failed to meet the required standard and gravity took over.

Single point of failure (arrow)

Fortunately, the protection is excellent.  As is CB's click-up belay technique.

Nice to know the system works Wing Commander!

Back on the horse and things go much better second time round

After an awkward foot swap the base of the jamming crack can be gained with a tricky move rightwards.

Good gear and solid jams take care of things for a while.

AT looks at the RH finish 

CB suggests hand and toe jamming up the 2m finishing crack on the left

OK Boss!

AT amusing himself trying to get the 360 cm sling into some sort of shape.

That elephant's head of a boulder made for a walloping belay!

A tough route to finish.

Tiger's Overhang VS 4c

And the rest!

If Jester is VS 5a then this grading is a joke.  AT needed more than a tight rope to follow. (Should have read this from the previous attempt).

"For future reference, commit to the rh high foothold and reach for the good spike handhold"

I

I wish I could climb

Like CB

CB can climb

But we can hold it together

Just for one day