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Scottish Bouldering Spring Updates

Claire Youdale bouldering Arran

It's been a vigorous period of good conditions and boulderers around Scotland have profited from the dry spell now rapidly coming to a soggy close!

On Arran, Claire Youdale finished off the headwall of The Mushroom to give 'Invasive Species', a true and proper Font 6b+ finish to the Rock Lobster problem which jumped off at the jugs. Now only the big pocket project remains!!

In the northwest, Ian Taylor repeated 'The Mission' and has been beavering at the problems on Ardmair Crag, completing the imaginative 'Ian's Problem' Font 6c, see the pic. The steeper walls here stay dry in light rain and have some good traverses and natural straight-ups. A topo will follow soon.


Ian's Problem, Ardmair

In Glen Nevis, Dave MacLeod has continued to develop the Pine Alps boulders, completing the true Bear Trap Prow at Font 8a+, hardest in the glen, Dave? He also did the attractive crack-line to the right of Waterfall arete, at 7b, which appears on his blog in an amusingly constructed video. He also did a direct to the 'Dude' problem at Ruthven, at about 7b, with a hangover (Dave!).

True Bear Trap 8a+ Pic Claire MacLeod

At Dumby, Stewart Brown and Niall McNair repeated Pongo Sit with a new 'Australian' grip on the crux hold, which brings the grade down if you can manage the handhold. It was discovered by Tom Charles-Edwards' Australian friend, who thought all our 'Scottish' methods unnecessarily brutal and proceeded to knuckle-jam the niche and do the first crux move entirely static!

Ben Litster returned from Magic Wood, uber-psyched and went straight up to the Lost Valley, climbing a good looking 7c wall called 'The Grass is Greener', just up and right from the leaning bloc. He also repeated King Kong at Dumby, a reward for a lot of hard graft, well done!!

Grass is Greener 7c Lost Valley

Luke Fairweather completed his project Twilight Princess 8a+ (Kayla linked to Pit Left Hand) and repeated some new classics such as Shameless 7c and Optimus Prime 7c.

Twilight Princess 8a+, Portlethen

At Torridon, Richie Betts climbed the wee cave wall behind the Ship on the left, reminiscent of a miniature 'Dreamtime' he called it 'Snoozetime', it's not quite as hard as its Swiss muse, but a good 6c+ he thinks.

Snoozetime

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