It's the 8th of January and I have done 13 8a's! Not bad for a fat old bloke who can hardly find his silver grey boring ordinary car in the car park full of ordinary silver grey cars!
This is an 'Easy bar', I don't know what's easy about it, it's comfy on the wrists, and elbows, and allows different hand placements, but easy it is not. It is with some amusement, that I have seen two Mixed climbers say that, 'easy ice isnt easy' this week. It would actualy be funny except that Ramon Marin (who has a brill blog) had abit of a tumble, and pranged himself. Get better quick.
Now then, I'll say something, ice is a very fickle medium, and it takes some learning, it's like snow, and loose rock, that's why you dont see many people really playing with these challenging mediums. Magazines, and the media do not do these grey areas of climbing justice, and watch out retribution is swift. I have been really excited about snow recently, and am taking it easy, even though the snow pack in the south west is much better than the Alps. Just because you think you are good at something dont underestimate the reality, ask Schumacher.
