Icons of an overhanging church. by Stevie upside down Haston.

Gregor and his climbing Wall in Cologne (Koln) have donated to my climbing project on Gozo , I'll be buying some Titanium, and glue for the new year. Thanks to any body who donates, Donation button is on right top of page.

 A street car named Desire, no it's a route called Bernd!

Gregor wants me to call a route Viva Cologne to celebrate their donation and I will do so! If any body else who has donated wishes me to name a route for them, please tell me. It's the least I can do, and some of my names can be a bit crass!

 Gozo remains beau even now.

Visiting the crack of Bernd, it felt a bit easier. Storms this week might stop play. My old stomping ground in north Wales had record rain and floods, 1100 cm of rain! It's not like that here, you can climb because we have over 300 days of full sunshine!

A fairly typical photo of Fruit Cake Land, this is an easy passage, believe it or not!

Tempus Fugit, and all that, use your time, climb if you like to climb. With the death of Motorhead head man Lemmy, an age seems to have passed. Men deceive themselves into thinking they are important. Climbers have some of the largest egos, more in proportion to a Blue Whale than a small weak Ape! Congrats to the Slovenian girls for knocking down 9a lead, and an 8c onsight. Inspiration is always welcome, thank you. 
For this new years resolution I will give up cows milk, do an 8c, and grow a Mullet. Failed last year, need support this year!

The Abyss stares back. by Stevie Wall eyed Haston.

Freddie the happy fisherman, fishing at the top of one of my routes.

I dislike Nietzsche, primarily because I can't spell his name right, but hey the guy could string a few words together, right! You know the old chestnut "do not stare into the abyss, or the abyss will stare back", climbers like that one, or pseudo pullers. It turns out Nietzche was a bit of a fraud, or like Freud the psychologist, a bit of a psycho with a penchant for the perverse.
  

The Abyss quietly doing nothing!

Spent a few days exploring cliffs and rocks, and angles of dangle!  And did a few other things bolt related. Did a few pull out tests on some bolts, which was interesting. Some of the local stone is very soft. 

A beautiful easy new route, with stone immaculate. A classic, 30 meters.

The MCA (Malta Climbing Association) is giving/ donating 6 tubes of glue, thanks very much Ken and the guys. I really appreciate it, as other sources have dried up!  

Scarpa  Furia, its a toss up between this, and the Drago, as to which is the best boot of the year!

After the recent storms I went on an old project and it felt a bit easier, maybe I am climbing better, I certainly can't be stronger. Possibly it was that the fierce waves have cleaned the rock. Above is a photo of a shoe that makes me climb harder. People don't want to understand that a good shoe will add two grades to your climbing, over a bad ill fitting shoe! Wake up guys pay the cobbler!  As Nietzsche said "its all about the Cobblers".

Climbing in the sun, flooding in Uk. by Stevie Haston.

Donation button to help me make climbs etc, on top right of page, thanks everybody who has contributed. Should be doing a bit more work soon, some belays on a few popular climbs will be changed to Titanium as well as finishing sector Titanium.  Thanks Rob Fox for Donating.

  

This is the web site our little web site, click on and have a look it might be helpful if your planning a visit;    http://gozoclimbinginfo.com

 Sopu tower, home to lots of grade 5s and 6s.

I have two daughters living in flood prone Llanberis area! I have loads of friends living in the aptly named Lakes, can we blame it all on the rain or can we blame some of it on bad planning in these areas? I have always tried to live on hills because I like views but clearly you might be safe from flooding on a hill!

 local cake, modelled on a weapon, it was a hoop filled with chemicals and sticky inflammables, thrown over soldiers or sailors. Big hoops that would catch a few people at a time. Not nice as weapons, nice if you like cakes!

My fellow islanders likes to eat cakes, so we are often fat! We are the fattest in Europe with the highest rate of Diabetes, perhaps we need some education, some moderation, and some sport consideration!

 xmass present of brushes to my self.

Climbing is a good sport, it's varied, and promotes self reliance and fitness, with problem solving thrown in for good measure.  Personally I am looking foreward to another year. Last year twice to the Americas once to east Germany, this year I won't sadly go ice climbing-well, I'll just have to suck it up, and climb in the sun!

 follow these to climbs.

A Welsh team will be visiting Gozo, my Daughter Kate will come over for a week also, climbing with her ancient creaking father. The Gozo Climbing Association Web site is up, take a look please, like it if you find it likeable. The most important thing the Gozo Climbing Association has done is to switch to Titanium for a longer lasting and safer material. A small measure of progress is taking place. And some of this is due to all you- so thanks for being there, and reading my blogs.

 sunset, sun rise at the moment, always colourful.

Each day seems very precious, it should be. As the old saying goes, this isn't a rehearsal, it's the only life we got. Go climbing, be good, pick the weeds out of the holds please, trim the verge on our paths, leave the odd flower to brighten our passing. Help create climbs for others.

 a big block with two routes higher than it looks, the routes start three meters further down by the farmers pond, don't drop rocks into the pond please!

The sea is 19 degrees C at the moment. The air temps for climbing is perfect, perhaps too hot in the sun without a good breeze!

bees still alive, local strain of honey bee is ancient and more healthy than common honey bee!

Thanks every body who has helped me, and the Gozo Climbing Association.

Once a future King, by Stevie Has Been Haston.

It's hard being a has been, but at least you were a once been! The public, I hesitate to call them people for humans should be kinder, seem to take cruel pleasure in a fallen sporting "hero" or celebrity caught drunk, fallen over, ass over breast, on the pavement, with their knickers visible. Occasionally this mean spirited, ungenerous trait floats to the surface inside my retina, and I have to blink really hard to get rid of it.

The great boxer Prince Nazeem, in slightly less svelte pose.

I remember, for I am old, many quick slips on the slippery slope towards ordinariness. But the above seems like an avalanche. Maybe it's better, or way better than the slurring speech of the great Mohamed Ali, once Cassius Clay. The disturbing German tendency to laugh at other peoples misfortunes Schadenfreude , seems to be spreading. So we can laugh at Nazeem gaining some buoyancy, but not some one hitting the ground, and going splat! After all we are English, perhaps it's Sharon froide we have caught not Schadenfreude! 

But only those who have risen to great heights can fall a long way! Although you could perhaps argue that its only the heavy that can really splat from any height at all.

There must now, in our modulated, politically correct lives, be an ideal weight, perhaps an agreed level of sporting prowess that we must not exceed, and a regulated clean toothed smile that we must flash. Where are the UIAA regulations penned by this Uber Mensch in his Union of International Associated of Alpinists, because I truelly wish to conform. What after all is an Alpinist? The Americanoes do not have Alps, so can perhaps not have Alpinists. An Alpininst is not, as one of my intellectually impaired girlfriends said, a man who is "all penis"! She picked up the huge volume entitled how to become the Complete Alpinist with a wicked dirty grin. Alas she was disappointed with the bland, boring content!

And the moral of this little piece of gibberish is, hope you didn't over eat at Xlarge portion Xmass, for gravity is cruel my heavy friends. Welcome to Schadenfreude.

Happy days to you, by (from) Stevie content Haston.

 Gozo  Free diving is brill.

Donate if you can, or want, to good routes on Gozo. Donation Button at top right.


The Balmy weather continues. The climbing is if anything too hot in the sun. Yesterday after a quick two warms up we were in the shade. We met a young British couple climbing on a 3 month holiday, how clever, how wise of people so young, to do the right thing. Your youth is precious. And so is the sun. The suns power and glory is being squandered by the government here, as elsewhere, More Solar Power next year please, less reliance on wars, and killing, to turn the Establishments profit.

 Ah, the Sun.

I am gratified to note that four people have donated to helping me make routes, and use better materials. These are Mr Ashton, Mr Gore, Claudio Cecchin, Paul Sammut and Ian Parnell. Thank you all.  It is interesting to note that Ian Parnell is the editor of the UK  climbing magazine Climb! He is the second editor to donate, Ian Smith of Climber Mag has already donated twice! It is immensely pleasing to me that these two people, think I am worthy of their gifts. Indeed I took Ian Parnell up a route called the "Gift of Small things", Gifts that are well meant, are big things!

 the 50 meter abseil into sector Calypso.

Paul gave me some money, he is my NewYork "cuss" and we climbed among other things the Last Rhino. This big route of three parts took 5 days altogether, Paul has donated twice and given his time also. 

Sopu tower, grade 6, pleasant, delicate, perfect.

So yes the year in passing has been mixed, and I am very thankful I live on a small (tiny) island with peaceful folk. So Gozo thank you for giving me a home in troubled times. The Sun I salute you as I do every morning, the yoga Sun Salutation should be done by us all! Sadly Malta is now officially the most Obese country in Europe! It is also at the top of the Diabetes.  So next year Government of Malta please consider Climbing as an interesting cure for these two Big problems. Because Climbing is the Gift of Small things!  

Summer is coming, by Stevie sunny Haston

 the view from the 17 th Century sentry box on fungus rock.

Pay Pal button is working at top right of page, donate if you want good climbs and good bolts.

It's very warm today, a big El Nino will ruin the ski season I suppose, who knows now a days.  I was enjoing very warm conditions, and went soloing, and to do a bit of work. The work was to lever off a big flake of rock on one of my routes. A bit dangerous, glad I got rid of it, more than two meters high, and a meter wide! I watched a climber pull on it a few months ago, it's off route, but people will wander around! Any way it's gone. Then I did another, that one took me an hour, it moved, and rattled but wouldn't come out. Soloing stuff afterwards was easy.  

 BerndArnold, East German route developer, and ace climber.

The year is nearly out and gone, just a religious festival, and a weird arbitrary new years day to go! Solstice is my celebration. It felt good to know every day will be lighter now.

 A little rainbow, rainbows symbolise hope, we all need a bit of hope. Good luck to you all.

This year will be climbing, climbing and more climbing. 

 Titanium bolt and rams horn lower off. good stuff, not cheap but it will last.

Next year there will be a festival in Gozo for climbers, and before that I would like to do a fair few routes, and make a few things safe. Please donate to my bolting projects, button at the top, they promised it will be alright now.

 A beautiful fossil on one of my routes, a giant worm I think!

We seem to live in changing times, the next few years will be a fight for various freedoms. Democracy and the rule of law are almost dead. You are lucky if your governments pay lip service to anything. So climbing for some people will be their big escape. 

sector Titan, brilliant stamina routes for the winter.

Any way putting out the feelers to all my mates, all the old climbers, all the vets, and all the young climbers who like exciting climbing, and a nice chilled place, Gozo Climbing Festa, Festa Tal Biceps, 2016. Give me feedback guys, and girls.

Ginger bread climbers and climbers dog.

In 3 weeks I got a bit of work, I,ll be pulling the stops out to do a hard route before then, you got to be positive, you gotta train hard, you mustn't get injured, and you can't drink! Well perhaps one for Auld Lang syne.

Help me create climbs. By Stevie Haston.

 local fishing boat with basket traps.


Right my Pay Pal button is up and running, I expect to be overwhelmed by contributions. If you have climbed on Gozo and enjoyed it, or whether you expect to come, and have a good holiday with some rust proof bolts, please think of adding to our great climbs.

 Mr T, and a strange mythical creature taking his light image!

Gozo has gone Titanium and this will take a lot of work, one way or the other. We hope to make some climbs that will benefit the climbing community, increase tourism, and cause more fun, and success for everyone.

 The kind of route you can expect, 35 meters of slightly overhanging rock.

Today Mr T was red pointed by Martin, it was very impressive, and while he was on the top crux, three dolphis where lashing about hunting, very cool.

Mr T is a very pumpy 7a, its extraordinary.

A very nice day was passed, I was in the company of a nice man, and no horrid people, no social chit chat, or unnecessary pleasantries were exchanged. Just rock, sea, and sky.

The view from the top of Sector Titan.

What can I say, one more good climb done, one more little journey for climbers in serene ambiance, one bit of peace in an increasingly at war planet. Peace and love to you all, except for the cnuts, death and transfiguration to them. Sorry didn't mean that last bit, it just slipped out. Peace to all, even the Cnuts.

Precipices, Portraits, Pirates,

 Just crucify me, love this photo.

Just found out that one of my all time favourite climbers is coming here to Gozo, so I am Stoked.
Steve Maclure is famous in many ways, but in some ways - he is so casual about his great climbing, that it misses people.

 Steve Maclure stealth climber.

The editor of UK climb Mag came over recently to interview me,  and as we were talking in the auditorium of the inner Underworld cliff, you could see Ian Parnell eyes light up as he could imagine Steve Mac eating the rock. I enjoyed it too. It was nice to see a UK sea cliff climber like Ian, appreciate my cliff, and my climbs. Oh my precious. Yes its personal.  I get so fed up of people coming to the Underworld, and they just get grossed out by the thugginess of the place, they miss the beauty, the fossils, the singularity of disappearing perspective of the routes in the Time Tunnel. Yep it's wasted on Plonkers, it won't be on Steve Maclure.  

70 meter pitches at this cliff, far out and funky!.

 Freda Kahlo

 world champs they are invariably Grivel athletes.

I keep promising to do a dry cliff here, for the boys and girls to play around on our softer than cheese rock, I,ll try and get some money together, and do it for next year, when we have a Gozo climbing festival. Big overhangs for Mixed climbers, yep should be fun!

 Master of the Universe.

Official rope testers are auditioning here on Gozo. We will be testing a few bolts this week, we will test some glue, but above all we will be placing Titanium as part of Gozo Climbing Association policy.

Stephan and his Red Chilli team enjoying our sunshine.

Lots of people climbed on Gozo this year, I am happy, things will get better. I had a bad day when I let the CNUTS of this world get to me with their egos, and nonsense, guys who climb 5+ and 6a. Gozo is great, me and my mates will try to make it better, promise. Plus got a bit of work in Germany at ISPO so will be able to eat, pay my electricity, and climb. Thanks Grivel I needed the money.

Bad day at good Rock, by Stevie Sad Haston

 Alas poor stoic I was once well.

I saw a turle, about a thousand barracuda, and it looked like Tuna hurding lots of fish, finally a very big dolphin fish appeared. None of this did its usual trick of making me feel special, and lucky. I can't actually believe how some people have let me down recently. You probably feel that I shouldn't off load onto you, and you want your usual entertainment, but hey I'ave had a shitty day. Clearly not a serious Syrian kind of day, but I really am fed up with certain people on Malta. They are holding the sport back. We have no kids and the general level of climbing is lamentable.

 A fossil, I think its a tube worm, but if you actually know, please tell me.

Right whinge over. Today was ok, it was a perfect day, a new route called Sissyfuss 6a, and a bit of scoping out. I am a bit loath to share this cliff with horrid climbers, because it's rich in fossils, and I don't want them broken. I saw litter from climbers today, I picked it up!

 Sissyfuss, 6a 40 meters, very nice.

Cant wait for the winter solstice to be honest, the lac of light is making me glum. You probably think this is whinging of a high order, but I really don't like the dark nights. That's why I am here in the sparkling light.

 looking at a 7b?

The overhanging wall I was looking at today was very nice. It will provide a lot of fun.

A silver Dollar fossil, there is always a silver lining with a silver dollar.

Good times ahead, good routes, blue skies, azure sea, pleasant kind company. Lots of yoga for me to keep the CNUTS at bay. I need to retreat into my yoga climbing bubble, and be selfish for a while. 

Celerbrate life, climb. By Stevie Haston.

 Matterhorn Boulder, route Matterhorn 6a+. Sopu Labyrinth.

Teamed up with Didi, and Alex, and kids, and dog again, cleaning paths, and doing a few routes with Alex. 

 Matterhorn 6a+ a bit pumpy, wonderful generous holds, in the sun in December with daffodils.

Didi and I did a lot of path work, and he then told me that Scottish Ron had died. Scotish Ron was a bloke we played pool with in our local boozer. Our age, chest infection, coma, and gone, sorry Ron, and thanks for being convivial, and jovial, good bye mate.
   

Sector Titanium.

Enjoy yourself celebrate the good things in life. Do a few good, beau things, share them with others. Enjoy the sun. Especially if your flooded like all my friends in the Lake District. The Sun is here for you. Routes are here for you, like the Matterhorn, which I guess is the opposite of the Matterhorn, it's in the Sun. Hope you have a sunny warm seat with a good view Ron.

Mistra rocks and Sopu Towers complex. by Stevie Simple Haston.

 man eating brambles.
A little day trying to distract my self from the problems of the world. Two meter high black berry bushes, and hedges of local Devils thorn can take your mind off anything, I assure you.

 A wall of nobs and stuck on things, perhaps a few little climbs.

The Nadur cliffs on Gozo have the most routes in the Maltes Islands now, with over a hundred routes! It's got routes up to 8c+, and a few novice routes. It's a lovely maze of big rock pinnacles, and cliffs with strangely a lot of stamina routes for its short height. The longest pitch is 40 meters, but they are generally around 22, or so. 

 a bit tired in the daffy down dillies.

Went out "en famile", a dog also, the two young girls sometimes becoming lost in the labyrinth of blocs and holes and the maze of thorn bushes. The poor dog, a small one, suffered the most, having to be carried occasionally by me. He enjoyed snuffling out the large rats however, he loved that.

Prickly pear eating, with the White Tower in the background.

Thanks to Jeff and Ken for being supportive lately, man you need mates sometimes. It rained today, found a new wall, messed about, looked for crystals and fossils. Spotted a few of the blue Black Rock thrushes, the national bird of the islands. All nice. 

big up to Jeff and Ken, this is 21.12.12. the strange numerical name of a fine 8b.


It's been a beautiful day. Among the rocks and flowers, despite the troubles of the world, and my total inability to help any one, a little peace was found.  I hope that these few photos, and the knowledge that there is little oasis of calm in between the horrid people and turmoil,  hope it gives you a little pleasure. Remember climbers we are one, we fight without a victim, we war against our selfs to be better, to be calmer, to have more fun and success among the rocks, or if your lucky among the mountains. Peace and serenity to you.