Grapevine

It's late season, or is it mid season...... I can't quite tell. And here's what I've been hearing, second hand of course! Speaking to Nick Bullock recently it seems like he has been getting in new routes in Chamonix with Pete Benson and others in the Rive Gauche area. I just heard from my buddy Roger Strong that he and Rob Owens sent the second ascent of the Shadow WI7 on the north Face of Mt Patterson in Canada.

Albert Leichtfried has also been busy after sending Centrecourt WI7. He and Benedikt Purner have done the first free ascent of Gorillas im Nebel M10 WI6 in Zillertal, Austria. And (via good old Facebook!) whilst Will Gadd has been resting out from WI10's he and Andreas Spak have been busy adding new long ice routes in the Eidfjord area of Norway. On the subject of Norway, the unusually cold winter allowed a team of Norwegian climbers to add some 400m WI6 routes to the Seven Sisters in the Geirangerfjord area. At this point I'd like to squeeze in a mention about my good buddy Manu Cordova, who along with Martin Elias sent a WI7 in the Pyrenees recently. Mega stuff considering it's the Pyrenees! and also great that he got it in between comps and his academic studies.

Also well done too to Dave Macleod and Andy Turner for completing their week long Marshall challenge back in Scotland. And to Ines Papert for making it over to Scotland for a week of climbing old and new routes, hosted by Mr Ian Parnell. Finally a mention to Rob Gibson who's been ticking off some big classics in Canada with Ramon Marin, like The Big Drip in the Ghost area (great tick list guys).

Also on the grapevine, the Petzl Ergo.


Added on 27/2/10:
Big up to Dave Macleod. This morning he posted the news on his new winter line on the Comb on Ben Nevis. It looks hard. I remember that last winter he showed it to me and we stared at its line. Gear options looked limited and the start was clearly the dictionary definition of bold. But now he's sent it and showed us all the way. Cheers Dave.