Stevie Haston

Film stuff , North Face by Stevie Haston.

2012-01-30T01:37:00.001-08:00

This film by Philipp Stolzl is so good I have watched it several times. Over the years I have been to a few film festivals and seen way to many bad films, this is the opposite. It is a little a propos, if you followed the last blog, this film is about Alpinism and tragedy The film is a superb rendition of Toni Kurz and Hinterstoisser attempt in 1936 on the celebrated Wall of Death, AKA the Eiger. It is so well done you feel attached to the rope and can feel the cold and heartbreak. The stunt work on this film was also done by great climbers so its also the work of real climbers as apposed to celluloid ones. It is a love story between people and mountains at a time when events were rapidly overtaking the world and for once again climbing ceased to be sport and became used as propaganda.
The edition I watched was in French and was great but in is viewable in other Languages. I cant praise this film enough, accurate and wonderful, tragic with the majesty of the mountain, and the frailty of us little humans, scratching our little acts, and plays on the mighty stage of time. Maestri and Eggers tragic time on Cerro Torre will have mirrored this in some aspects, so this might be useful for armchair critics and Web Wannabies to get a clear idea of old time Alpinism.

American Alpine Imperialism, Stevie Royal Haston.

2012-01-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

Cerro Torres South East arrête gets climbed in goodish style and the ascenders chop some bolts on maybe a different route, result internet mayhem! Shall we look at it for what it was, with that little gap that is so often necessary to make a more reasoned judgement, instead of the internet twitterings of the insane.
Lets start at the beginning, and believe me the start is not Maestri, or the so called Compressor route, the start is in what you think of alpinism. For this you will certainly not get a good, or an unbiased definition anywhere, because stupidly alpinism like climbing, doesn’t have easily definable rules, and that is why there is so much shit going round. The Web now fans any, or even the slightest disagreement into an intolerable inferno, because it desperately wants clicks on its forums of ferment. Clicks mean money, doesn’t matter how you get them, so lets get them any old sly way we can eh!
The news was broadcast around the world when it had hardly happened. I read about the first free ascent before it had happened in fact, was the Net clairvoyant? No the web broadcast incorrect news, you could call them lies if you want. The first free ascent happened after the so called atrocity of the American Alpine Imperialists by the Swiss Liberation Front. But it turns out if you read closely, that it was series of variations on the Compressor route. Now then the Maestri route has always been a slight puzzle, but now the Web has solved it for me. This is Cognitive Imperial Conjecture of the first degree. What do I mean, well they stated in black and White that Maestri lied about his first ascent of this mountain. I have my own views on this ascent, private ones, because I am not God, and Maestri as far as I know, didn’t ever go to court. Not being Omnipotent I reserve judgement.
Back to Alpinism. What is it? Even I am unclear and I have been an alpine climber since age 16. I think Alpinism is a romantic ideal, its fighting without a victim, plus a view, its being a warrior without weapons, plus a view, its defiantly about seeking out the best, and it has something to do with mountains, I think. The Maestri route has/had an estimated 450 golos (bolts) drilled with a construction compressor, and in finishing below the summit, was it a route, or was it a publicity stunt, and a future Via Ferratta for Tourists? Is it really the best we can do to honour the iconic beauty of the Torre? The Maestri obstacle course was always an odd thing, a bastard child, but there are many odd routes, aren’t there? The Japanese bolt route on the Eiger’s right flank. The American aid routes on the Dru, the French aid routes on the Dru, oh and quelle surprise, the Italian aid route on the Dru, It’s a free for all, without the free, wasn’t there one by a hippy and his guitar? Some of these went free, and then fell down, possibly due to all the ironmongery and fat aid climbers in situ. And then one more nationality added its via des Pitons, les Russes. The Eiger by the 1938 route, is not the route it was, it is much easier due to much more fixed protection, many routes have fixed ropes, cables and ladders on them to facilitate the tourist trade to bag summits. In fact there is a whole industry to help tourists to the top of mountains. Do Alpinists or climbers from different countries have a right to chop redundant bolts in others countries. Well I don’t know, I don’t know which law they broke. Can climbers chop bolts on a different route that they didn’t free climb, in their own country or any others for that matter? To me, having grown up through this period of the Compressor route, and having been exposed to the great and less than great Anglo American Alpine conspiracy, I don’t know if those American lads did the right thing. Bridwell showed what was possible on this route years ago, said it was an easyish route, and that it might go free given dry cracks to each side. He even did it in a wet suit, if I remember correctly, and took a huge rib crushing fall on a bungy like single 9mm rope. Today it is imperative that you should only work with websites, and have supporters lined up in advance, don’t risk it being put to a vote, because votes go any which way. Much has been made of a vote about this route, which said the bolts should stay in. Lets look at voting, shall we. When there is a show of hands, it’s always a risky process isn’t it? Most people don’t want to loose, they would rather win, or be on the winning side. When there are weird arguments on the climbers web, it’s the same. Lets look at how fair and just voting is. Bush was cheated in by an electoral scandal, this was not squashed by the Senate, and he seems to have had the oil industry needs fairly high. In Britain we had Blair, and the weapons of Mass destruction false doctrine, he was voted in all fair and square, so that was Ok, right? Voting isn’t what you think, Clinton was voted in by women, who liked his smile, and he reduced women’s rights on abortion. The people who vote are called the public, years ago they were just called the Mob. Climbing is now ruled by the Mob, who are manipulated by …….god knows, but it’s possibly the Web masters in this case..

Two alpinist talking crack...Stevie consulting Nick the Guru Colton

My Alpine climbing has in large part been influenced by a huge number of American Alpinists, some French, and the idea of fair play was defiantly from the free climbing ethic that’s was pushed in America in the early seventies. However it was always clear that expediency took precedence over reality. ‘Alpine’ climbing needs defining, and solidifying, so that the standards of today can be used on the routes of the future. What the Maestri route did was rob the future. Cerro Torre is a great mountain and this route was ill conceived, but it has now been baptised, and was ultimately freed a few days later. If you think that both parties weren’t that strained to do their job, because of good conditions, and great expertise, and could climb harder, you must realise that Alpinism is the most open ended part of our great sport.
Far from thinking the two lads were Imperialist in their attitude, I see them as continuing a fine tradition of tidying up, which is going out of favour by the politically correct pole dancers of today. But to agree we need to define. Kurt Albert did climbing a great service a few years ago, he defined the rules for Sport climbing and we are all better for it. Sadly Kurt is dead, because we need some one to do the same for Alpinism. Kurt did the Walker Spur when he was 17, I think! Alpinism was too ill defined for him, so if you freed something, the next party would still aid it. And claim the same route.
Alpine climbing’s very name will have to be changed soon, because to-days youth might finally understand that the big mountains aren’t just the Alps, or Patagooniacs, but are the Himals. Himalayists is a bit of a mouth-full, maybe good respectful climbers will suffice.
I would like to mention a few American Alpine Imperialista who really impressed me, Greg and Geof Lowe, Bouchard, the super religious Tobin Sorenson, Bridwell. Some Frog Republicans; Robert Chere, Turbo Renault, Fine. German/Austrian Ubermensh; Paul Preuss, Heckmier. Italians Cavaliers; Gervasutti, Cassin. Out of all these, it has to be Preuss who seems so Fundamentalist and wonderful. Preuss was the first Profit of Purism, the Iman of the Mountains. And what a time, the Alps almost empty. And now that I think about it , yep he wrote it all down, he dictated from his high rocky pulpit, his six precepts, or regulations, and verily they are very, very strict, and in their time they caused a storm, a storm that is worth opening the shutters for, to let in that fresh alpine air and let yourself think, instead of reacting. We all cheat according to Preuss, and of course the Maestro was right.

Is it an Alpine route, 5.12 in the Himalayas.

Paul Preuss advocated pull-ups and no aid climbing which I happen to agree with, but I am not strong enough to follow his precepts. Preuss was half Jewish so luckily he died before the Nazis really took over. However his thoughts and beliefs were expunged from German/Austrian alpine thinking, and ironically were kept more alive in Italy. In Italy a young climber called Maestri took up some of the thoughts of Chairman Preuss, but obviously not permanently. Isn’t life strange?
So what if Maestri and Egger (possibly Egger&Maestri,, as Egger was the ice Ace) actually did the great Torre in ’59! Very strange things have happened in climbing. I’ll just mention one. When Anker on Oxygen tried the first free ascent of the Chinese Ladder on Everest, it had somehow escaped his mind that this piece of mountain had already been free climbed before, by a bare footed Chinese man!

It's not in the Alps so is it an apine route?

What is clear to me after reading a lotta stuff, is that nothing is clear. The line of the Compressor route does not seem to be free, but very interesting variations are, and they should become the accepted way.

Last thing, Laurent Grivel produced and sold the first climbing bolt kit in 1927, so you would perhaps think that we might have a few solid guidelines to work with by now. But you would be wrong.

Grivel 360 ice screw, by Stevie Haston

2012-01-27T01:16:00.000-08:00

Grivel's 360°, that's meduim and small

The Grivel 360 is my favorite screw, its not the only one I use, but it’s my favorite for nearly every situation. All Grivel screws are good screws but they are all a little different, for slightly different end use. The tube and teeth of all the screws is the same, and its smoothness rigidity, and sharp teeth are all that Grivel can screw out of material and design. The efficiency of the tube and teeth are all affected by misuse and wear. If you want all your screws to work well, try and understand how a screw works and this might help you pamper your screws to lengthen their life and keep them working to their maximum efficiency. Ice screws are very expensive, sorry I wish they weren’t, but they are more than worth it when you trust your life to them.

Meduim good size for everything.

The 360 is my favorite because it is the fastest and can go where no other screw can! If you want to maximise speed of screw, always try to think about placement before you place it. Pick your spot to make it easier for yourself. You are looking for a foot ledge with a good bit of either flat or concave ice at about waist height. The easiest place for screwing (man I am laughing because I am thinking about an old joke) is where you can push the best from a good stance and exert good pressure to start the thread on the cutting teeth. This is not above your head although it’s possible, its always really just above your hip. This position also makes clipping easy. Another tip is to look for a tiny groove or bubble to jam the end in, it’s not necessary but I always do this. Don’t angle your screw to far down or too far up, 90° to the slope or two degree up is good. Try not to place belay screws in the same square meter of ice if you can.
When you are placing a screw in anything apart from pure water ice, try and feel the screw going in. If the ice is thin as soon as you contact rock stop, don’t keep madly trying to screw it in, it wont screw into rock! If you are on alpine ice, the ice will often have rocks, or gavel in it, so the same thing applies.

The screw comes with a clever cap (absent in photos) for the tread tips, keep it on when not in use. Take it off when you climb or ski so you are ready to use it.

Shorty very good for Scotland and mixed climbing in general.

As with everything practise makes perfect and the best place to practise screwing (laugh) is in a safe place, not your first major lead. Practise at the bottom of ice falls, make it difficult and fun, try funky placements above or at weird angles from your body. Notice how much less pressure you can apply away from the ideal sweat spot by your hip! I can do it with my eyes shut, at any angle (laughs) but I still practise (more laughs) and always will. While your there practise your ice threads with your eyes shut, one day you will break your lamp, or your batteries will go dead, and dead is where you don’t get to practise a good screw!
check out www.grivel.com

What it's all about, 360° exposure.

Tommy Godwin Cycling super Man, by Stevie flat tire Haston.

2012-01-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

I did 3001 pull-ups today, and some people might say wow, or Wow. But, and this ‘But’, is a Gargantuan one, you have to understand perspective, and real standards. Real standards of hard athletes, and true pros relocate my performance to just what it was: a good, or very good session. Tommy Godwin born 1912 probably did the most any athlete can ever do in a year. Despite so called improvements in modern sports science it may never be equalled..
Tommy Godwin transcends what even great sportsmen think of as true work, and worth and it is probably time that the whole of British sport realized this and paid him homage.. You don’t know who Tommy was, and after reading this you will think his record is crazy, but we should all know by now things are never right and its only the magically inspired who become great. Tommy Godwin is certainly the greatest Ultra athlete Britain has had, and lets say, because we are all turning into Milksops, Tommy is probably going to stay that way for ever. If I may make so bold, he may be the greatest ultra athlete of all time in the whole of the world, but that is a big claim, and I am not sure, because of course history is never accurate, or complete.
Tommy Godwins record is to have cycled the most miles kilometres leagues, or bottom blistering bumps in a year, and then to keep going to take the 100.000 mile mark. It is rarely acknowledged and little cared about but a tiny moments reflection will stun you. 205 miles average for a year. 200 mile average for the continuation for the 100.000 mile mark. Only one day off to hob nob with the Prince, probably the least interesting fact. An average of 200 a day hides the cruel fact that you have to go much higher to cover your low days, your sick days and days of atrocious weather. This record is astounding, reinvent the word Gob smacking please, was done in Britain just before the Second World War. Tommys deferment to cannon fodder was delayed so he could succeed, perhaps they could have let him off altogether.. His bike, the best of the time was a good 28 lbs, but add on the extra few pounds for primitive light system and spares, and you arrive over 30. The roads weren’t that great, but were empty at least. He had to deal with blackout at the end of his record due to War regulations and seek out the best weather and avoid the wind. To this end he was constantly on the move traversing the UK.

I am a fan of athletes, especially the long events, but there are two athletes who do stand out over the course of time. Yannis Kouros the runner and Tommy Godwin the cyclist. They make all the achievements in mountaineering look pretty lame. When I train I have a couple of little tricks and they are of use when I am in trouble. One is the number 303 which is the record km distance for 24hrs, and the other only called in at times of desperate dire need, is 100.000 miles; its my secret mantra, and they work.
Tommy Godwin was a vegetarian and good on him for becoming one. His decision was taken after working in a pork pie factory, I am ashamed to say I am not a veg anymore having spent over twenty as one I switched back to being a carnivore when my body told me to do so. It might be time to become a lacto-veg again after having had a look at Tommy’s diet it might be possible to train hard and recover. The food was probably better then and Tommy was 27, so maybe yes he could recover but maybe not me.
Tommy’s later years were spent as a trainer coach for the ‘Stone Wheelers’ club of cyclists. There is a plaque somewhere in ‘the Potteries’, but it should be moved to Trafalgar square.
This last week I have looked for inspiration, cross Atlantic rows, Germany to Australia Kayak journeys; thinking about professional soldiers and postmen of ancient times, Rowers in the ancient Middle sea, the Kalahari Bushmen ‘eating the wind’ chasing animals and in all of this the image of Tommy holds firm. Keep on Rolling.
Tommy in layman’s times did a Tour de France, not for two weeks, but for over a year. I have talked to some of my mates who know more about cycling than I do, and they confirm the obvious, this record is gold. Most of the athletes I mention this record to just don’t want to believe it! The greatest distance ran over 365 days, was done by the great pedestrian Girad, who has run across all continents. He averaged 74 km a day on his last Euro tour. Converting cycling to running miles is troublesome, but it is clear, 200 miles on a bike is more than 74 on yer feet. Indeed this kind of super long term event might only be possible on a bike due to its low impact nature.
What a diamond geezer Tommy was and still is such an inspiration for toughness,. keep on rolling. A very interesting bit of sport, and more interesting for the fact it was done before cretins and creatine, composite bikes, steroids, fitness protocols dreamed up by also-rans, and all the rest of the Modern None-sense. Anyway think about Tommy’s prodigious fitness the next time you give up.

Some more facts for you, as this piece seems very popular.

There are two Tommy Godwin's who were cyclist, one born 1912, and one born 1920, both great athletes.
Why can we trust the record? Well it seems that the record was taken very seriously indeed, he was watched a great deal of the time, and he was supported by the cycling community of the time, this meant the cycling press and some news people kept track. He had a sealed mileomiter, and was often accompanied or he accompanied others for friendship. The record was a very big deal, probably more was made of it then, than would be made of it now.

Was he a good rider? Well the record for me speaks for itself, it is an Ultra record which although reflecting in some way the calibre of the man, it is more a measure of his metal. Tommy was very capable of riding over 20 miles an hour, for a half dozen hours. He won many races and a Century was obviously not a big deal for him.

Which was his biggest day? 21st June 1939 seems to be 361 miles, and was 19 hours. I think he had done big un the day before, up at 5, bed at 12, yes man, pass me the juice.

Vegetarian? Tommy was a Lacto veg, relied on eggs and cheese, not much veg, but some fruit. The foods value may well have been very high, less processing and contamination. In those days

Roads? They were not very good to bad, often with a bad camber. The great advantage, and something which would obviously affect you now was the absence of traffic. This is important at all stages but particularly for fatigued riders at the end of the day. Even my mate’s memory doesn’t stretch that far back, think Cobblestones in towns, even the good surfaces would be rough by today’s standards.

More info? Some great info on the Web, well thought out and considered, better than this rehash by me. Most was based on an article in a cycling mag long ago. For me he was a mythical hero mentioned by my dad, my dad cycled from Edinburgh to London before the war, when he was 14, living off turnips. I think there was a joke doing the rounds, during the start of the war, about whether it was better to get your balls shot off during the war, or wear them off like Godwin before!

Bike? His bike was very good for the time, four gear hub, total around 30 lbs. Shows you ‘it wasn’t about the bike, it was about the egg butties’. Both my bikes are better, even my mountain bike weighs less! He may have carried spares, butties, and odds and ends, because of the long days. Reports say he wore Wellington boots (on rainy days) but this is the only bit I am at odds with, There were shoe coverings even then, and his kit would have worked very well. The seat was leather and not very nice, but he would have worn padding.

What are the two toy cyclists in the photos? I live in France and they are very common little figures, Tour de France riders, cycling is still big here, Come Sunday even the grand dads are out, even me.

La Sportiva Mythos Ltd edition, by Stevie no Limits Haston.

2012-01-19T02:04:00.000-08:00

The post came at Xmass , and behold a gift of gold. A pretty pair of boots, to do a preety route in. The Mythos climbing shoe is 20 years old, and I have been working with Sportiva for about the same time. There is an old argument in our house about which of us has the most pairs of shoes, the Imelda Marcos award. Confession, it’s me! I have more pairs of shoes, boots and slippers, flippers, flip-flops, walking on water sandals, and other foot frippery, than any millionaire millipede.

Anyway the Mythos is a great shoe, and has a great history, it’s very comfortable and a great all round, all day shoe. It is still going. This Ltd edition is for the pros, and the Cinderella in us all, it’s in a very fetching golden sparkle, and could easily be worn by golden feet Johnson! The gift is very typical of Sportiva, who are very proud of this shoe, and their history. 1991 pairs only have been made, you can win a pair by going on the Sportiva site www.lapsortiva.com and answering 3 easy questions, I know the answers and for a small fee……..

Jack Roberts has left us, by Stevie&Laurence Haston

2012-01-16T23:51:00.000-08:00

Sad news today, Jack Roberts has left us, he died on Bridalveil Falls yesterday. He used to love his ice-climbing and big fishes, always smiling and ready for some adventures. We have fond memories of meeting him over the years in Boulder, Ouray... He will be missed, all our thoughts go to his wife Pam and his family.
Your smile will be enternal to us...

On Failing, by Stevie the Failure Haston.

2012-01-12T23:49:00.000-08:00

Stevie interviewing Adam Ondra for Gripped Magazine (c) Lorenzo Belfrond

Yesterday I read two great pieces on failing or more correctly about trying and not succeeding. One is from perhaps the greatest climber of this moment and the other from Scott Jurek one of the most able of the Ultra long distance runners. They are basically the same and to find them on the same day seems almost more than the coincidence it is. If you are like me and have an interest in both activities please read both they are very interesting. Failing is part of succeeding, up to the point you succeed or finish there is always doubt and the chance of falling or a DNF (did not finish in running), it’s never over till the fat lady sings. At the top of this page is a great climb I failed on, it’s there to remind me about many things, there is the always unanswered question, could I have done it if things were different? Will I ever go back? Do I need to? Read what young Adam says about his failings, or read about what Scot says about his. There are many ifs, buts, and perhaps, there are so many things that can go wrong or right, conditions, attitude, physical and mental condition. Sport is the metaphor for life, because without being able to try, and chance a bit many of us would not get out of bed. Thanks Adam and thanks Scot. I got out of bed today inspired at five, and started to train aiming to finish at 12, did I finish, did I succeed, for sure I tried.

Planet Mountain for Adam Ondras interesting chat http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=39015&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
Scott Jurek's Blog for his long chat about the very long TMB.
http://www.scottjurek.com/blog/
I highly recommend both.

Plans, Scams, and this Blog, Stevie Gollb Haston.

2012-01-11T02:37:00.000-08:00

The Med is full of plastic and chemicals, we eat plastic...

New year full of promise, but empty purse, replete with woe. I want to do some good stuff this year, it doesn’t have to be earth shattering, but it either has to be magical, or majorly monstrous, but always memorial. Bearing this all in mind and the empty purse, one would at first think this is all impossible, but the first step was yesterday. Let me explain. Yesterday I had a little run, I mean little really, it was 5kms! I have been injured since last October, a bad tear in my calf, anyway I been trying to mend it, but it has resisted, so yesterday I decided to Kill it! I signed up for a very long, nasty run, with 13000 meters of up & down, to concentrate my mind, and try and put some routine in. However being an idiot I forgot that I am going to go swimming and climbing for a few months in Malta - hardly the most mountainous place in the world. Still I am not cancelling Malta, which would be the sensible thing to do, I need the simplicity of the sea and a bit of sea cliff climbing. I want to go caving, and I want to spend some time with my wife, I also want to climb in North Wales, I also think I need to suffer more, and try for a good time in the Tor de Geants. Lastly I would love to climb a very great route; but it is unfortunately a bit hard, not super hard, but with the running, it’s probably too hard. Yep, tall order and as usual, no money Still……
This Blog has also become a problem. It was started off as a diary, a bit of fun, and be a counterpoint to a lot of the normal dross for my mates- all two of them. However it is more popular than intended, and it now doesn’t really serve most of you well. So what to do with it? Bin it? Make it more popular? Lower the Stevie content, and opinion? It should ideally become a web magazine, something I have thought about, but am unwilling to commit to. To serve really well you must be independent of pressure, but to get money you begin to serve a master, and here lies a big problem. A lot of you want good gear reviews but obviously these are hard to get. I work for good people whose product is good or very good, but it is ethically dubious of me to review competitor’s gear. I also don’t really have the time, still and all, there is a need. I will try to do something …..maybe a monthly round up of news, well actually how I see the news! And a few interviews of great athletes and practionners, climbers, cavers, runners, skiers, snowboarders….
There is only one paper mag that I know which is independent and has unbiased opinion in it, and they struggle really hard. This mag for instance had the temerity to criticise Messner for doing a plastic water bottle advert, they have a really valid point, there are plastic bottles everywhere, and the young in Europe think that water comes in plastic bottles. When I have swum in the Med, often you will see thousands of submerged slowly decaying bottles, even in the Indian Ocean…slowly becoming part of the food chain; slowly turning us into plastic subhuman vessels.

Anyway I want to run, I want to swim, and I want to climb and I have an itch to travel again. And I need money, so maybe I should advertise harmful things-oh shit I already do!

If I don't put my plastic into plastic I get fine and its not even recycled here...

Pete Minks is gone, by Stevie Haston

2012-01-09T23:48:00.000-08:00

Peter Minks otherwise known as Minks, died of cancer on the 7th. He was one of the reasons I fell in love with the North Wales crew and had such a ball in the late 70’s. As a climber he had nimble feet and was Whillans like in his physique, he did the second solo of the Walker back in the day and was very proficient at all parts of the game. The game of course wasn’t just climbing it was about fun and carousing. I can think of alotta his mates dropping a tear into a pint or ten. He and I did a very memorable ascent of Central Ice Fall direct and he was straight off the couch, we shared a pair of sun glasses I think, cos we both had a black eye. We also had a chillum just to take the edge off ‘as you do’, before the last pitch, there is a photo somewhere. I have to say he got me in alotta trouble, but it was all worth it, don’t rest in peace mate reek Havoc. Many a tale and not enough ale.

Pete had another life in America where he settled in the Tahoe area, he had a family, and seemed more content. There is a memorial service at Alpine Meadows (I think in Tahoe) this is on Saturday the 14th, -please check this.
There are some great photos of the old crew and Pete on Supertopo, check them out.
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=1714804&tn=0&mr=0

The biggest mistake, by Stevie, the accident Haston.

2012-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

Hydrophobia attack

You know every body thinks they are unique, but there is nothing unique about most of us. Do you have a tail? What you don’t! What makes you good at something? Is it hard work, or that special something? Let me tell ya, that special something is just hard work, it aint your inherent genius, cos you aint special. Hard work is actually the key, try planting a field, try harvesting, try ffing anything for that matter. I love running not because it is exciting, or ‘extreme man’, but because it is lovely, how do you get good, ffing simple-60 to 120 miles a week, and don’t get injured. When you start to think it’s you, you make ‘thee big mistake’. Yes climbing is skilful, (actually veeery skilful) but at the end of the day, you don’t have to be Nureyev or Nijinsky, and didn’t Mr Nureyev and Mr Nijinsky who were so so talented work really hard for years. Most climbers are prima-donnas, ego maniacs, take the big step, and love your sport and not yourself. The belief in yourself that is so important in sport, should be a belief in your training, the training that you have put in the bank! Take this ‘belief’, look at it, and relax, you will do well. Marcus Aurelius the great Roman leader reportedly had a servant whisper in his ear from time to time ‘you are only a man’, and this kept him in line. I used this line in Italy at a couple of lectures and they appreciated it, but only I think because they are so used to prima-donnas in their climbers The climbing media sells stuff thru adoration rather than thru worth, the industry sells stuff thru colour and specs, climbs and mountains, and mountain races, on the other hand just test your metal. They don’t care about the uniqueness of you, on a simple level they care how much force you can apply to a given hold, or in running your 10 km time!

I have made zee great mistake many times, but not for a long time.

It's grey and rainy, did 2000 pull ups yesterday

10 of the best Long runs, by Stevie Slow Haston.

2012-01-06T05:46:00.000-08:00

Tor des Géants, (c)Lorenzo Belfrond

Got alotta letters asking about great runs, and rather than keep wasting my time replying, and changing my opinion, I thought I’d set it in stone. There are many great runs, but there is only one that rules them, but more of that later. First this planet of ours is still incredible in its beauty and diversity, so we should as citizens of the world, take notice, take part, and do our best to keep at least. some corners of it immaculate, as mountain runners I hope we do that, and don’t drop those little energy wrappers around like I’ave been seeing lately.
It didn’t all start in Britain it started everywhere, but the list is going to start here. It's starting here, because I started here, and my image of mountain running and runners started here, because of people like Bannister and Brasher. Before Banisters historic run, the lads where in Wales doing the tops, to get some extra quad training in, and perhaps to clear the cobwebs of incessant speed work training. Anyway it worked. For this reason the list starts with the Paddy Round, the North Wales mountain loop. It is terribly scenic, terribly rough, and you have the terrible time of 24hrs to get under, it’s about 100 km with 8000m up and down. There is no organised race, but you cross five quiet roads, and it is relatively easy to sort out if you have a couple, or better 6 mates.
The second long jog has to be the ultra famous Bob Graham Round in the Lakes. This is a similar run to the first, mountain, more lakes and mellower, richer scenery, it’s the UK classic, and the pinnacle of many runners involvement in the sport. About 100km, 8000m up+ down, about an hour, or two faster than the Paddy. It’s Wordsworth country, so you wander like a cloud or dash like a little whirlwind, and don’t forget that the poet himself probably did as many mountain miles as anyone. Oh and as a last point when is someone with balls going to come and try to beat the course record, 20+ years and counting. Third race is the Ramsey Round in Bonny Scotland, rough, tough, mean, more grandiose scenery, a bit shorter than the first two, but around the same time as the Buckley.
I have to take an aside now and mention Helen Diamantides, who was the first to do them all in one season!

If you think three are two to many for a tiny island you are probably right but it reflects how I think of mountains and running.
Fourth is the Mont Blanc round, totally classic, a well run race, the only thing I don’t like about it, is it varies year to year, and of course there are way too many people in it. These two things aside you cant go wrong with it, its majestic, and if you are of elite standard unavoidable, because it’s the big one in terms of quality of field. 160-180km, up to 9000m of up and down.
Fifth is the Tor de Geants, this is the one that rules them all, and in the darkness binds them. It shares the Blanc with the last race but goes higher and stays higher for longer. In fact, length it has in plenty 330km, and 24000m of up and down. And it really is up and down. Many ascents and descents of 1000m +, its unbelievable. The contrast of different kinds of scenery gives breath to this race, as if it needs it! Wine and beer at rest stops, expect to see tears of pain and joy, very emotional, its Italy after all. This race is won in the dark watches of the night when others falter the brave strong and bold forge ahead.
Sixth is the Rond del Climes a mountain round in Andorra where I live, super rough, most of it is at over 2000m, true mountain running only just started it’s a cracker, small field, all good. Possibly the hardest 100 miler, go and try it and tell me.
The Spartathlon is Seventh, the oldest and for some the most important. 150miles only one big hill, all unfortunately tarmac. Jannis has run it on paths and small roads, and has done a there and back, but what would you expect of the worlds hardest runner. Its pedigree runs back to Classical times, and reminds us of the old Pros, the military couriers and postmen, of ancient, forgotten times. I like this one, because it always reminds me how soft we all are compared to old Infantry of less mechanical times, try a double march with full kit, and then a battle, as was common in Wellingtons time, or the time of the legion! No thanks, I’m a pacifist, just a little 10km for me, and no sharp swords!

Eight is the Diagonal de Fous on the French Island of Reunion, a combo of sea, Jungle and mountains. Its supposed to be unforgettable and I believe them. 160 km, rugged terrain, and fairly engaged as you can be along way from aid.
Ninth is the Sakuri Michi in the Land of the rising Sun, you will have to go with me on this one ; I know its all tarmac and probably boring, but it’s the spirit of who its dedicated to that wins it, and its on our way to the tenth. 150 miles, and Cherry blossom and traffic. The other reason for its inclusion, is you have to have a couple of races where real speed freaks can stretch there legs, and show the mountain goats what its all about.
Tenth is the Hard Rock in Colorado, the best 100 miler in all of America, it’s tough, and similar to the British runs, but goes up to 14000 feet, altitude acclimatisation is compulsory for this, and unfortunately there is a ticket lottery to get in.
Ok there’s my list, I left out lots of really good ones, mainly in the Himalaya, which has the most gobsmacking ones of all. If any body completes these 10, I think they can call themselves a runner, as there are fast runs in it, not just plods, good luck. I have a few French mates who did the so-called three poles, the South pole, the North Pole and Everest. When I asked them what they where like, one replied, ‘White and boring’, so its kinda for that reason I have left the 300 miler out in Alaska, but you can have it if you want, I am not picky. The last sentence is for Beat who is going to do the Big White, good luck mate ,have a good one.
If you want to make your own list subscribe to the French mag Ultrafondus it has the most comprehensive list of Mountain and road Ultras I have seen and it’s worth checking out.

Happy New Year by Stevie Haston

2012-01-01T04:21:00.000-08:00

Keep Real

Keep Safe

Happy New Year 2012

La Sportiva Electron GTX, By Stevie Swift Haston.

2011-12-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

Another great running shoe from Sportiva. The sole is a very deep, undulating waffle, wave thingy. The sole is the interesting bit, it initially put me off because it differs from more trad soles but I have learned how to enjoy it. The idea is that it will bend and conform to shapes and angles in the slope and it does do this very well. The rubber is very adherent and it has a very good grip on slabby rock. I sometimes don’t take a pair off for a week, as it is a good approach shoe and good to look at. It comes in Goretex in this model, and non Goretex in the Quantum, and a few colours, it is worth checking out. The best thing for me is it is polyvalent and will take a good distance on the tarmac in its stride. The sizing is a bit different, it feels more tight for a given size, so it might be better for people with a narrower foot, bear this in mind. I found this shoe to run well especially if the course never got super rough and had fast sections, not too icy, or muddy, good luck with it.

Check www.lasportiva.com for more details.

PEACE on Chirstmas by Stevie gone caving Haston

2011-12-25T00:10:00.000-08:00

IL MILIED IT-TAJJED

HAPPY CRISTMAS

JOYEUX NOEL

BUON NATALE

BON NADAL

FELIZ NAVIDAD,

GOD JUL

Wesołych Świąt!

HYVÄÄ JOULUA

Καλά Χριστούγεννα

Fröhliche Weihnachten

NADOLIG LLAWENL !

Recent La Rambla, ramble, Stevie Haston.

2011-12-23T00:32:00.001-08:00

The stupemdous Rambla and the great Dani Andrada

Enzo Oddo (French) does the Rambla 9a+, he is 16 now, not bad at all. Some good French lads cranking at the moment, but as with most countries the industry is not supporting the climbers, and climbing is not reflecting the standards of these fine athletes. Ondra continues to dominate the field but has unfortunately chosen to pursue bouldering for a short while. His success at this is not a great surprise to many given his brilliant background but his recent flash of a Font 8b+ standard is not moving the bar but breaking it. With his inevitable return to rockclimbing, 9c will come. It is a happy thought perhaps that 16 year olds are cruising La Rambla, and with that one I will leave you for a bit of inspired training.

1000 pull ups, by Stevie Haston

2011-12-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

Tools of the trade; pull up station, carpet, music is optional.

It’s raining, or snowing, or something disagreeable. My partner is sick so I don’t want to drag her out belaying (I must be getting soft) so training.

1000 pull ups all kinds, not too bad, in fact better than expected or dreaded. Was able to pull up on ‘Kirsty's pinch’, but only after listening to the song line, ‘Save me from the nothing I have become’. Right arm one arm up very bad, mental note, must watch more internet porn! Felt naffed off before, now feel totally energized.

Save me from the nothing I have become. There’s oceans I’ave never swum in, snow to surf(its dumping in Italy), there’s a project I need to do.

Yoga climbing, by Stevie novice Haston.

2011-12-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

Always listen to the guru, you can do it this way or

The Yoga breathing is working for the climbing, but its not working so well for my swimming, phooee! The problem with my climbing now is that I am relatively weak. The Yoga has worked because it has maximised my potential at this level of strength, but I cant do any better. In fact I think I am really lucky to have squeezed out my last few ascents. So in truth it’s back to some basic training because I lack the ability to do a long sustained sequence, or a hard powerful pull, or two.

or this way

In my underwater swimming its very different, much of the success of the sport could be in controlled by breathing controlling the mind, and therefore the success of the dive. In this respect diving is much more like engaged (or run out climbing), but whereas my ability to control fear in climbing is very high, my ability to control panic with diaphragm contractions, at half way thru a dive is very low! It’s depressing as my normal level of control within the fear department in different sports is high. Anyway I will keep trying hard at both my climbing and swimming. In climbing the correct form of mind control has escaped me most of the time for the very hard routes, so although its not doing me much good now, if I can continue with my training perhaps by the time I regain an optimum physical form I wont waste it!

or this way

For other people this ‘succeed mindset’ I think is a must acquire accoutrement because nearly everybody I’ve seen climbing in over forty years hesitates, and in climbing as in much else he who hesitates is lost. The problem with climbing is you are right to hesitate because you don’t want injury or death. However sport climbing is safeish, so clearly don’t hesitate ‘go for it’, venga, Dai dai, allez, good luck, clip those chains. For me its back to basic training, power pull-ups, and core, and timing. And if you think this is all guff, think back to some of your failures, or failures you have witnessed, and watch for the slowing down, and the stop in time, before the slump on the rope, or the harmless fall that seemed so terrifying. Good luck with controlling your inner voice or more prosaically stop being a scaredy cat.

or like that!

Grivel G20 Mono crampon, by Steve Spiky Haston.

2011-12-12T23:44:00.001-08:00

‘The Winter of our content’ is apon us and we must sling some spiky things around, upon, and anon. Anyway the G20 is the business for sure, it’s the best Mono around, but still manages to be useful as an ordinary crampon on more normal climbs. Its boot compatibility is the best on the Market and it is the lightest crampon that I have ever used apart from protos and personal weapons of Mass destruction. This crampon should be happy from Scotland to the Grand Jorrasses.

Check details on Grivel site http://www.grivel.com/

Zee Mystery of climbing, by Stevie the sage Haston.

2011-12-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

In 6 weeks I haven’t really been climbing but I managed 8a+ today. How is it possible? Some years I tried fairly hard, and never made it past 8a+, what is going on? I guess I am very fit, both Cardio wise and in a muscle sense, but this seems too good to be true. For the last 10 years I have been thinking that climbing is quite complex, but in some ways you might be able to say it is simple. Or is it complex and simple, depending on you, yourself, and more importantly the link between you and your mind. My mind and body are in tune at the moment (I hope it stays that way), my body is not very strong but it seems to know what it is doing without to much instructing from the computer, and more importantly I think the computer is not overloaded with info, or talking to the body. If this is too deep for you, don’t worry, don’t take any notice. If you think you understand, try following thru with it for your self. I am doing a lot of mind disassociation at the moment, thru walking, running, yoga and swimming, and success in climbing means very little to me. It could all be nonsense of course and that in reality 8a and 8a+ are not hard.

“The most important muscle is the mind”, Wolfgang Amadeus Gullich-muscle perfect climber.

Who knows? I have noticed that when I practise yoga breathing my climbing is always better, and I have been doing a fair bit recently. My wife Laurence who teaches Kundalini Yoga is helping me thru some scepticism, and laziness, with my Pranayama, and I am making a tiny bit of progress, I will continue with it because it helps me in other ways, rather than just climbing.

“Try to use the mind more, and not the muscles”, Jacques Mayol –free-diving legend.

I was recently thinking about not climbing for a while, but to days success cheered me up no end. Just before climbing I was thinking how my climbing was not rewarding, and how I just climbed in many ways only for duty, and other reasons. So when I arrived at the chain I actually felt pleased at how everything had turned out, it was just really nice, no stress, no fooking furries, so I’ll have some more of that , I think, yes please.
So a few months climbing and watch how things are going, and see if I can get up to a decent standard. Oh well here we go again, but this time we will try it in a more gentle way.

“The most important thing is not muscles or mind, but that far place where you are in harmony, it is not Shangri-la, it is within you, but finding it, you need more than Google, you need a guru”, Stevie the sage Haston.

And what is a decent standard Obi one? I wont talk about climbing because it is something I am too good at, so instead I think my journey will be 40 meters horizontal, 40 meters depth and over 4mins static breath hold. And perhaps I will never arrive, but I will try, and if you don’t try you cannot succeed, and if you fear failure, you will surely add to your burden. And of course the greatest journey starts with the first step, and everything starts with the breath, and you will surely die when you stop to breath.

“What is old age? Old is a shallow breath. People who take deep breath never feel old. They can be old but never feel old. Is your breath of life conscious and deep?” Yogi Bhajan

The Adventure Guide Book to the Maltese Islands, review by Stevie Haston.

2011-12-08T05:59:00.001-08:00

The Maltese Islands are a very short hop for Brits, or North Euros in general, and as a big plus, the flights are reasonable in price. For these two reasons alone Malta is worth thinking about for a week, or maybe two, a nice little break from rain. This small pocket sized guide book is a very convenient reference for climbing, deep water soloing, bouldering, hiking, and Diving. There is alotta climbing on Malta but with the addition of the other activities covered in this book, the place seems more attractive to me. The advice, access, and general layout of the book are great and very helpful. The part on deep water soloing is not covered in the specific climbing guidebook, so this book might be interesting for people who don’t know what to expect. The deep-water soloing thing is pretty good, and is getting better all the time. Young Jonnie Dawes has just paid a visit and did a knew E6, other people to have passed thru are Sonnie Trotter, every body likes it, so maybe it’s worth a try. Water temps can be a comfy 22 degrees in November, dropping over Xmass, and not picking up till after May, Anyway there you go, a very practical little book on lots of diverse activities. You might be tempted into taking a Diving course, as the visibility is some of the best in the world, and there are many wrecks, caves and lots of interest, mostly from the shore which can make things very reasonably priced. Malta and Gozo are defo worth a little trip of a week, things are layback, and not too serious, so check this guide out, and the more comprehensive bigger general climbing guide.

Maltese Climbing, Maltese Madness, by Stevie completely normal Haston.

2011-11-29T04:35:00.000-08:00

unclimbed cliff!

Just spent three weeks in Malta and Gozo, what can I say, apart from being very happy and comfortable with reaffirming my Maltese roots. I’ll be honest from the start, I did the tinniest bit of climbing and the maximum amount of free diving. The Maltese side of the family are reassuringly still doing their thing, a bit of farming, some work, too much eating, and family stuff. It was easy to drop right back into this life, talking serious one second, nonsense the next, catching fish and being mellow with the help of a few beers. My Maltese climbing friends were full of smiles and laughter, generous and warm like the climate. The editor of Pareti climbing mag was their doing a piece on the climbing, and it was reassuring to see at least one climbing editor-scribbler who can climb rather than just talk and copy/paste. Andrea climbs 8a regularly and has done 8c he was happy with his stay and we hope to see more Italians coming to our small islands. On the day I met Andrea, Simon Alden (Malta climbing club) and I re-discovered a great cliff, and we started doing routes, they will be very good. I also re-discovered the hard work involved in cleaning and bolting and have to thank Gozo Climbing association for the bolts- thanks Xavier. My tally of new stuff was only one new route, but it is the best corner crack on the islands, a gem that sparkles in my memory. I did a bit of bouldering, two new things, super good on the Boulder beyond Mars, again I was reminded how good and photogenic these are, these problems were hard or I am useless.

a Grouper, dead, in my stomach, I'm a non grouper friednly predator

Mainly though I just went swimming, wake up at dawn, cup of coffee, munch some bread, walk down to some rocks and cruise the water. I took a couple of Barracudas which was a first for me. Barras are very scary for a lotta people but in truth they are just fascinating. I swam in two balls of thousands of Barras this trip, and just can’t explain what it feels like. To be inside a swirling mass of these agile predators is just very interesting. The other way you see Barras are in long lines, this is maybe more menacing, they seem more alert and eager for something. The lines are half a dozen or more high and hundreds of meters long, and you can just swim straight into them. The biggest Barras are more solitary little groups of 3 to six, and become more than a little menacing, they are often hunting when you see them like this, and can sprint in unbelievably fast to kill. If you are lucky and I was, you might see ones of a meter or more, the biggest one I saw flicked towards me as we were both cruising a gully in opposite directions, I yelped silently! Anyway saw lots of fish, an Eagle ray, Dentex, Tuna, mostly I just swam with them, but I eat a few fish as I am a predator when in the water. My head is full of the colours of the sea, hard to communicate this too you, if you don’t know what I mean, or the muted way that colours merge, the lack of sound but the presence of something that takes its place, it’s so good! Anyway sometimes up to six hours in the water, and I don’t feel good yet, a long way to go before I become proficient. And I want to get good. My last days swimming was at the Blue Grotto on Malta, an Abseil in, a difficult choppy entry and then glorious caves, boulders and sandscapes, with cliffs above me in the air and cliffs below me in the water. Boats full of tourists came flitting in an out, but they took care with me, thank you. As they passed I’d raise an Octopus for their interest. To get out was a grade 5 climb which I started with a big pack of gear on, and trainers for footwear, tough like this! A lovely day spent in the company of 3 Malts, 1 Swiss, 1 Pole, and me, 1 GozoScot. Last night in the comfort of my mountain home in France I dreamt of Fish, quelle surprise.

GOZO Adventure by Stevie Gozotan Haston

2011-11-29T04:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Simon Alden&Toni Ann for the photos

Well Done on Century, by Stevie Gozotan Haston

2011-11-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well done boys, about time..sounds bold as brass, light rack indeed....Stevie from Gozo

Death and Transfiguration, a goodbye to two hill men, by Stevie Haston

2011-11-06T05:42:00.000-08:00

Two people who were members of the outdoor community died recently, and somehow have left a deeper hole in me than seems possible. In future I will try to keep up on this and publish something, nothing too personal, just a polite death notice. We are all freightened of death, but dying while doing your sport might be an appropriate way to go, as happened to the two individuals in question. The mountains are dangerous and our lives are precarious, and none of us can escape death. But, and for me it is a very big but, our lives can be transfigured by what we do in our allotted time. I love climbing I think more than being alive without it, so I am prepared to pay the ferryman, some of your friends will be the same and perhaps you are too. The price may seem high but we reach great heights so bare this in mind when you have the sorrow of some ones death, it might help. The two people who died recently both had an effect on my life and for this I am very thankful, and because of this they will never be dead in the sense of forgotten, they will never pass away into the mists of being absent.

In a previous Blog I published a photo of the cover of Studs on the summits written by Bill Smith, a book that the Independent in its excellent death notice for Bill reminded me sold out of print very quickly and is now a collectors item. It is not because it is a great book, rather it is a work of love, and for this reason it too is loved. Bill loved running the fells, he lived alone, and lived simply, he died alone, probably of the cold in a peat bog on Bowfell moors. He was missing for three weeks. In his sad death he has had more appreciation than in life, his work with fell running, much of it unrewarded, has helped the sport immeasurably.
The older climbing community of England and Wales was surprised to lose Ben Wintringham to an Abseiling accident, Ben was a friend to many and a husband to Marion. I think Ben would be surprised by how many people mourn his leaving this world. Ben was helpful to me personally and I know he was to many others. Ben climbed many knew routes and loved steep rock, take some time to say thanks, if you do one of his little treasures, you may not have known him, but without people like Ben our sport would be very poor. I am sorry not to be with his friends celebrating his life, but many of the people who knew Ben are maybe like me and live in a different country, so farewell Ben and thank you for your smile.

Bill Smith, runner. RIP.

Ben Wintringham, climber, RIP

Trad climbing’s survival in a material world, by Stevie umpayed Haston.

2011-11-04T01:23:00.001-07:00

this rack weighs about 8kg

Trad climbing is certainly doomed from what I have seen lately, the once and only way to climb is now just a circus side show! The free climbing ethic grew very slowly over many years until it became established in its proper form in the 1970s, there were many fight arguments and discussions along the way. There were also great climbers and some great impassioned ascents that showed that it was all possible. Out of the many examples I could use, I will highlight the Boulder climbers of the seventies as thee great standard. I do this because they are documented and where written about in great detail and I also know that most of it is true. So the ethic was basically to start at the bottom and make your way to the top with out hanging on gear or using it in any other way. Simple, very, very simple! If you fell off or had a slip or touched something it was called cheating and you had to start again, simple! If you had a lot of gear in or used a rope to protect you from above the ascent was invalidated, simple. One climber a man who inspired me and others, called screwing up on climbs tainting, as in your ascent was tainted. I always thought this term was perfect? These rules (you cant have games without rules) were established by the elite and where adhered to -maybe, sometimes, and certainly not always by trad climbers. The problem with this ethic came about with the escalating standards and the normal pressures of life, and worse nowadays the thirst for harder routes and controversy in magazines and on the internet. Today a discussion will take place on the internet about Trad climbing by sports climbers, or idiots or both!

The inconvenience of complicated trad climbing often precludes enjoyment and that’s why people take short cuts. Probably every body takes short cuts but and it’s a very big but some of the great trad routes have been done from the ground. You only need to think of Yuji on Salathe with two falls! When you purposely put all the gear in a complicated and hard to protect trad route it’s called cheating! The amount of nonsense I have read recently about this is astounding! In Indian Creek and most of America the ethic for cracks is strict, you must place all your gear on lead or it’s not an ascent. Some people only pay lip service to this but strict ethics have been used (apart from practising on many of the trophy routes, think Cobra Crack and the Meltdown. Examples of hard to protect climbs are easy to find, in Britain full racks of 3 sets of friends plus wires makes the going very hard. A crucial hard to spot placement changes the grade of a climb dramatically. A heavy rack makes the climbing of strenuous routes very much harder. A big rack may weigh 8kgs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The exclamation marks are for some people on internet forums who don’t understand that a rack can affect the grade of a route!!!!!!!!!!!! Try a hard rout with 8kgs extra! Jibé and Raboutou used to say that 200grams used to affect how they climbed. I once did a hard offwidth in the desert on a tower with a big rack (8kgs) and collapsed on the summit for half an hour. Inconvenience is just that, its inconvenient. It’s fairly inconvenient to wait four years for the Olympics, or to wait for good powder or good ice, but that’s how it goes.
Many good climbers bend ethics or rules (I have numerous times) but if Trad climbing is to survive we need to at least pay lip service to placing gear. In Britain Mcleod places his gear on his final leads, many people do not, if you make the difference you will understand! And so why do you think he does that because it’s easier or harder? And yes it might be a little inconvenient to do a very hard trad route on Ben Nevis or use good ethics on El Cap but some people do, so please make the difference.

A few things the internet has got wrong!

They accept any old shit because it’s free!

Not checking!

Talking about stuff when you don’t know what you are talking about! This last one could be equally levelled at presidents of the USA.

I will leave you with something a bit more refreshing and upbeat but is on the same lines. There is a sport called Free Diving and in it, the Divers recognise different categories of dive, because lets face it they are different! So we have the most sensational which is the deepest dive but using weights, this draws the most interest, it isn’t the hardest, its just got the biggest numbers. Then we have another category which doesn’t use fins or a wet suit, this you might be tempted to think is purer, and I might be tempted to agree. So if you really want to be cheered up by human performance, click onto William Trubridge free diving the arch in Egypt. Notice there is a guy with tanks, Its 50 meters down, 33 meters across, and 50 meters up. Now that’s free. And I’m off free diving now!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrXQbucZUDA

Century crack three, by Stevie Haston.

2011-10-21T00:37:00.001-07:00

So here’s a photo of a young climber being greedy and making a mess! Two people came onto my Blog last night from Iraq, and I was just wondering whom you were. A lot of people come onto my blog and don’t get it, and when they cant find the stupidity they seek, they don’t come again. That’s no loss to me. Some people come to my Blog and actually read, and gain something, which is a bit of plus. There are an estimated 4.5 million orphans in Iraq! The two blips out of the air-waves from Iraq, I guess you are soldiers, who are climbers also, if you are reading this, hello from me, and Laurence, and my three grandchildren. When I saw your blips I was very sad, sad for you, but very sad for Iraq, and horrified at the appalling list of innocent dead and injured. Peace to all.

Master bakers have opinions too, by Stevie Haston.

2011-10-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

I miss being in Italy, but its nice to be at home. Cats, and my climbing partner, a garden; and living without car noise! One of the great things about being home is the climbing, my favorite cliff is here, but it is upside down, and my old warm-ups are 8a. I have been there three times since coming back, and months since I went climbing, so it was a surprise to lead one of them, and so did Laurence. Wow, I can call myself a climber again, my legs were like bursting sausages and I am verry-heavyyyy! Went on a project, cos I felt a bit chuffed, and was brought back to reality, couldn’t do nothing, I mean nothing, Decided I am less than rubbish, will try again when ego has repaired itself. I love climbing, love running, love caving and swimming, but you cant do them all very well at the same time. It's automn here, the leaves are turning, it's blue, blue, blue, and I am happy.

The god of small gifts, by Stevie Haston.

2011-10-14T05:10:00.001-07:00

Young Jamie in Stevie's secret chamber.

Taking pleasure from other peoples enjoyment is one of the more groovy things in my life. Dave our Electrician and his son did a bit of caving with us and liked it, it was all Laurence’s idea. Over the years we and I separately have helped more than a few kids start caving and climbing. Caving is so easy for them to understand and love and its very evident that older people start to loose the ease of liking caving. The photos you see are in a my little village cave, the first part of which has been vandalized and the second bit is through a gate and is still nearly pristine. One little chamber was discovered by me and it was an odd moment to think that in all those ions of time it had waited patiently for me to stubble across it. Hope you like the photos, you would have to have something severely wrong with you to not like them after all. Some of the formations in the cave are aragonite crystals and flowers, there are cave pearls and a downward spiralling series that looks like Areo-chocolate but makes you feel like you are in the small intestine of a dragon with colon cancer.

.

Running Stuff, Lizzy Hawker by Stevie G.L.F Haston

2011-10-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Just read that Lizzy Hawker is going to do the Great Himalayan trail, wish I was going it looks Brill! At about 1,700km, its long, had a peek at their web site and I have been in about half of it, looks like a great adventure for Lizzy and wish her luck. Lizzy won the Mont Blanc trail in september, and followed it a month later with a 24hr record of 247km. Cheered me up thinking about her great form and this majestic run that traverses Nepal from one end to the other. I don't have a photo of Lizzy unfortunately so you will have to do with this one of a guy under Lhotse south face, running higher than the Mont Blanc and slower than a snail. Namaste.

Running stuff, ‘three swift lads’, by Stevie Haston.

2011-10-09T23:06:00.000-07:00

A running pal told me I was getting senile and left out the most important fact about Steve Jones, so I will add it. Steve Jones still holds the British marathon record! 2hrs 7mins is still the fastest time a Brit can do a Greek distance and the most important thing about Steve’s record for the man himself, is that he shouldn’t have it, it should be bettered! Steve Jones was (still is?) 5 feet 10 inches and his weight was (is?) 62kgs, he now lives in Colorado and helps people run swiftly. The whole thing about my blog was really to high light how at a tender age I had some very good athletes to impress me. When I think back to those years and the preceding ones it is even more impressive that people did so well with so little. Today standards have improved, but it is very different, maybe not as romantic. Having said that the marathon is very exciting at the moment, is not it? The continuing question of how fast it can go spins my head. There are 1970s winning times for 10,000 meters in alotta fast marathons. Anyway thanks ‘taffy’ for phoning me up, and correcting my omission.

Running stuff, ‘Three swift lads’, by Stevie Haston.

2011-10-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

Just chatting about running sometimes seems to be running. Anyway ain't done much jogging, slow shuffling, or running but keep thinking about it, which isn’t the same either. I am a bit crook, have a gammy abductor which I have made worse by climbing at my favourite crag. I have in fact worked with my injury, doing building work, run up my hill, gone swimming and diving, caving too, and they all hurt. Cycling is ok which shows you the value of having a pushbike. Anyway was thinking about three of my running heroes this week so I thought I’d talk a bit about them and my injury will magically heal.

Steve Jones a South Wales likely lad had the world record marathon time for a while and reportedly showed very little mercy in his training. It was a bit of a shock for people at the time as Steve enjoyed a pint or three and seemed to have came out of nowhere. He came of course from being a tough lad who wasn’t scared of getting stuck in. Anyway he brought up the fact (or some one did) that in 1984 there were 25 sub 2hrs 15mins marathons, and in 2009 there was just 1! That’s pretty funny, or sick, or indicative, or something! 1984 Orwell’s year! So another lad I was thinking about was Kenny Stuart, I saw this lad run a record Snowdon race which I think still stands to this day. I had pretensions as an aspirant runner in those days but Kenny payed put to them, I basically gave up. He was astounding, I mean it, his speed going up was murderous, him and another guy but when he turned around it was a hurricane. A few years later he did a 2hr 11mins marathon without of course to days benefits and easy options. He retired shortly after because he got sick one of my Lake District buddies told me. Kenny was from the Lakes like my other inspiration and shows you what little mountains and quite village life can turn out. Anyway what can you say about Billy Bland! The strongest of the Blands, our Billy always springs into my mind on a long run, especially when I am flagging, I see him scrutinising my weakness, and then he kindly says ‘come along now, get a move on’, it never fails. Billy is the course record holder for Britain’s best little round the Bob Grahame and again it was done along time ago. I often wonder what he could do in the Tor de Geants or could’ve done, I should say. Billy had a 2hr 15 marathon I think. Kenny Stuart weighed I think 50 kg for 5 foot five and Billy weighed nothing at all. They weren’t white Russians, they were white Kenyans. There you go Float like butterfly, fly like a swift.

Century Crack 2 by Stevie Good Job Haston

2011-10-08T01:04:00.000-07:00

WARNING : Don’t read this if you are not a nerdy climber!

Mine is bigger than yours!

I had a couple of Emails late last from America concerning the ethics of Trad-climbing and crack climbing, mainly from older climbers or people with a strong foundation in climbing on gear. Climbing on gear is very special in that it allows you to protect your route without anything being in place and thus ‘clean’, it is in fact termed clean climbing sometimes, and it also allows you at its best to do new routes anywhere in the world with some gear facility. That’s up to a point! And the point of course varies, from climber to climber and climb to climb, or area to area. In the late 1970s the Verdon Gorge was being developed in southern France and some routes where protected by long bolt ladders. In the Dolomites in Italy some routes where long lines of metal pitons and eventually these so-called permanently protected type of routes became more of the norm and a new ethic of climbing was born where you good basically mess around to your hearts content, pulling on gear, practising, as long as in the end you did a free ascent without falls or aid. Anyway this type of climbing in my early years was anathema to most of my friends and the worldwide elite, it was denigrated and termed cheating. Roll on a few years and most of the world doesn’t understand Trad-climbing and its intricacies, some people would say it has limitations. Some of the limitations are its strictness, the on-sight, is king in this game, and indeed when you fail you have the problem of protection left in place, which then precludes a strict clean ascent. Another limitation is the amount of protection you carry, it can be big! Big racks of expensive gear are maybe what the gear junkie wants and craves, but the free climber detests such constraints against his capacities. Another disadvantage is that gear is fiddly to put in, takes time and experience to use properly, so some routes become an exercise and a nightmare of gear placement and management. For this reason most people take the more amenable road of bolt protected climbing, I say amenable but should use another word, even simpler which is a good word might be misconstrued. I often think to myself that bolt climbing allows me more freedom of movement, and I can come much closer to fearless and less encumbered enjoyment. I hope you understand all of this, because most people don’t, and there is no best way, they are just different. Now there arises around the world problems of local ethics or even personal between different climbers. The polemic about Century Crack is interesting on a number of counts, primarily on whether you try to do it by Local (stringent) ethics, or a more modern and quicker way. In conversations I had with Americans over the years about Century Crack it was always very clear what they thought was correct. I have noticed over the years what you think of as correct is a best case scenario or what you would aspire to. I myself have taken great liberties with ethics, morals, and laws, bending, breaking, and simply not noticing over the years. Some of my climbs have been done in impeccable style while others have been a bit sloppy, some times I have been greedy while other times noble. Century crack posed many problems for me over the years, the main problem was ethics with gear. The climb for me, cracks (being very morpho) is hardest where your equipment burden is greatest, and thus it is here I wanted (but never did) bend the rules. Century Crack may well be flashed one day which would be the only real traditional correct way, but until then there will be easier options available to its suitors. I hope this helps people understand a bit more. A good long article explaining the ins and outs of various ethical stands on climbing is long overdue in the mags, from bouldering to the Himalayas, but of course magazine people take the easy way out.

Century Crack

2011-10-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

So the Century crack, a very good crack that is awaiting an ascent. I stopped trying this route years ago because the chance of me doing the route with this rack of gear seemed low, to verrryyyy low. I leave it to you to try and understand the absurd comment that it is ok to leave this gear in, and not carry it. Trad climbing is absurd nowadays, the climbers are good but their approach is silly. Ciao

A year out, by Stevie Haston.

2011-10-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

To take a year out between school and Uni was a smart thing to do among those who could afford it. Indeed I suppose for those who could go to Uni it must have been great, I didn’t go to Uni, I went to work! I am not grumbling, I didn’t learn much at school and would’ve probably learnt nothing at Uni. Still the idea has always appealed to me, a time to pause before adulthood, a time to enjoy, a time to mature, a time to gird ones loins or grind ones loins etc. So at the tender age of mid fifties I took over a year out! I did 2 months work, total time away from home and wife and Ariege was 14 months, it could have been longer, but it seemed right at about that length. Why did I do it? I needed it! I needed to get away from climbing which has turned into a shit sport run by internet jockeys. Climbing is so good, that to have thus tainted seems like graffiti in the Sistine chapel. So I ran in autumn, snowboarded in the winter, and ran in the spring and summer. I climbed to 8b but my heart wasn’t into it, and I stopped 3 months ago to try to concentrate on running. Did anything happen, anything profound? Maybe yes, maybe maybe! I have become adroit at staring at stuff and drifting, thinking, I can ignore a few things, and I can run, a certain amount of peace is accessible by being alone.

I lost my temper only once in 14 months! All these things cost a lot. I was poor, and often lonely, I didn’t accomplish much, but re-realised that most stuff is Lego building, or sand castles. I arrived at a place I was 20 years ago, running in the hills and doing a bit of climbing. More interesting was my wife’s time, she has become a yoga teacher and did very well with out me, which was part of the plan and point, but also one of the dangers. As a 50 year old in a world that seems to glorify teenagers I needed to re-acess my future (which could be another 50 years –my god!) I needed to find my path for a while. This may sound hippie or weird but its gotta do with how I see the quality of my time and not wasting it. Entertaining a climbing public while earning other people money isn’t that good, it corrupts my joy. And talking to many sportsmen, they seem think the same. Anyway it’s nice to have met some like minded runners who think like me, shame that they are runners perhaps and not climbers. And to finish there is one lie I must put to rest, age is not a burden, it is a gift. I am old and can run for 36hrs, I can do a good days work, and I can climb what I want. The tiring thing is the chaff, the parasites in climbing, the politicos, and the rabid profiteers, in short, the stuff that needs sorting. The young are learning to be users, it’s the way of the world they see around them Ikead to the ying yang, pre programmed robots.....make a break take that traditional year out. Go surf the Himalaya or run in Kenya.

La Sportiva running shoes which one? By Stevie Haston.

2011-10-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Telling people what to wear in running shoes is a bit off; in my opinion, but then again people do need a bit of help deciding. I work for Sportive but this doesn’t affect my choice of shoe, so please think about what I say. There is a lotta talk about bare foot running and minimalist shoes, and most, if not all is written by people who sit down for a living, and run about 30 miles of pavement a week. If you run on rocks you need to protect your feet, if you run on prickly shrubs you need to protect your feet, if you run down hill you need to protect your feet, if you are a clumsy runner or a heavy one. If you run on slippery surfaces, snow, mud or grass you should seriously think of traction and there is nothing like studs. Most peoples trail running normally combines a bit of everything so a shoe which can handle all these things is a good idea. You can have several different pairs if you like and it wont cost you extra money in the end, just at the beginning? I just did a long run and used a few different pairs, some times I changed because they were wet, and other times the terrain dictated a change. Also my speed for the last 10 hours was different, it all needed a bit of thought. Other runners were thinking too, some used light pavement type marathon shoes, and some used the biggest fluffiest cushion they could buy. I settled for studs with a small cushion or it might be termed a medium cushion, and was happy most of the time. I weigh at the moment 70kg and needed the padding especially going downhill, and on the bits of tarmac. I have a fairly economic and light style but after just a few hours it gets clunky and some of the lighter boys were the same. If you are my size and weigh 50kgs (Kenyan or just lucky) still think about giving yourself a bit of relief with a cushion. When you are tired it’s often the fear of pain that will slow your pace, not your inability physically to run. If you run short, say under 1 to 3 hours, or are really a racer, lighter shoes with a low profile will help you power and lessen twisted ankles. If you ran the same run in more forgiving shoes you might find you are slower but recover faster. Recovery is really the key to training, its not about killing yourself but about enjoying your run and making a little progress. In the build up to my ultra I ran some Hundred miles weeks in the mountains and shoes were key! My enjoyment in running is also key and shoes and my body weight are the answer. Its not a zen thing its just plain old common sense. And if you are kidding yourself that you run trails or run mountains but in fact run tarmac and concrete around pleasant parkland, maybe don’t take the stud’s dood, take a pair of road shoes.

Walter Grivel, my buddy, Stevie’s Haston.

2011-09-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Walter is the last Grivel to work with Iron, actually he is iron, and always has been made of iron.

So I have known him for a long time but Walter goes back a few years before me and used to work with the forge and the hammer. We were talking the other day about my first pair of crampons, that I had in 1973 and the chances are that he made them. It was he or his mate, working side by side sometimes. Anyway when I said they were a very good pair very stiff, he claimed responsibility, Walter is like me in that respect, he knows the value of his work. So I spent 14 months in Courmayeur and changed flat four times and Walter and his family finally put me up just before the Tor de Geants, and Walter and his family always gave me the nod when they saw me training and when they heard that I stopped because of cramp and stuff they just said ‘hard shit Stevie its like that man”. Walters’ genes are Walser that is from north of the alps and they are burly men not scared of working, sometimes they have red hair and there humour is subdued and slow in coming they are not typically what you think of as Italian. Anyway the Flat Walter gave me was great but it was ten yards from the original Grivel forge which of course was totally cool. A week or so before The Tor the Ultra trail de Mt Blanc was on, and the runners passed literally under my balcony, so I naturally set my alarm and cheered Killian the winner as he passed underneath. Killian looked fresh as a daisy after 80km! My original crampons were made from railway rails! They were maybe made from Krups railway rails, Krups made the best steel, as witnessed by all the lads who died in the wars! Walter was the only person apart from me who could lift a 280lb piece in one hand! Walter of-course used to walk around with it as part of work and not showing off as a trial of strength. I can’t pick that piece of steel up any more! I tilt it on my back sometimes and do a few squats after a few hours running and then have a beer. One of Walters sons has a climbing shop in Courmayeur, and they hire ski and winter stuff out under the lift, be sure to do some business with them because they are part of the mountain scene, and I like the family. The day the photo was taken was a Courmayeur day, blue, and people doing mountain stuff, mainly blackberry picking, but it was also the day Walter Bonatti died, a friend of Walter and a big climbing buddy of my boss Gioachino Gobbi dad’s Tony. I have soloed a lot of Bonatti routes and they have been some of my best days in the mountains. Anyway Walter thanks for my first pair of crampons, forged by an expert, a forger of young mans dreams and aspirations, a true man of iron.

Tor de geants 2011 report by Stevie dnf Haston.

2011-09-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

Anne Marie Gross 4th again 91h28mn only 9mn slower than last year!

Well this is going to be short because I don’t want to dwell on my own failure too much. The Tor this year was like the Tor last year a totally fab and fantastic experience. If anything thing the field of runners was of a better standard and more prepared with people like me having the benefit of finishing the year before. Last year there were 9 runners inside 100 hours, this year 12, but this doesn’t count the possible! For instance last years winner Mr Gross baled out almost straight away and number 2 Calvo mid wayish. There were many others who DNFd including me who were on for a very good time but were injured and naturally are a bit pissed. So why were so many good runners injured? Well the Tor is hard, maybe harder than I thought the first time and is now advertised as the most gruelling long distance race in the world. It is certainly a race that can easily hurt you, the paths are very rough, lots of loose stones and this year seemed very hot. The heat caused a lot of early cramp and the tougher field caused a tougher pace, both very dangerous things on a long race. People like me were not interested in finishing and were only interested in time, this caused lots of trouble. Anyway many runners also ran on with injuries which is pretty dumb, me included. You live race and learn, and I certainly learnt so am not too upset, I also saw and met some fantastic runners, so have been inspired again, so thanks guys!

this year Numero Uno Jules Henri Gabioud 79h58mn

The male winner was Jules Henri Gabioud who came in a few minuets in front of the Gross time for last year. And the female runner was Anne Marie Gross who came in fourth like last year in a remarkably similar time. There could easily have been another 10 runners under 100 hrs, and from what I have learnt there seems room for the time to go down by 5 hours, wow! The Tor was really really great I met lots of mates and made lots of new ones, a big thank you to the organisers and the people of the valleys. I will try to write something more interesting when I am not sulking, more info can be had on the Tors web site.

Paying your Dues, by Stevie ‘at your service’ Haston.

2011-07-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Steaming up hill

I am a selfish man, but I believe in community. I am a lazy man but believe in accomplishment, so like alotta folk I swing both ways. So the other week I had blisters and thought it stupid to make them worse by running a 100km mountain race, so I decided to be good by being at a refreshment station on the 55km race, and thus accruing some ‘Brownee points’ with that fictitious God that still lives in the back of my mind. Anyway there was a slight motive, as if I run in the race I wouldn’t see it as such, as I would be well down in the pack. By officiating I would see the good runners, see their condition, and judge them and myself. The refreshment stand was at three thousand meters staffed by three women, and served water, coke and some energy stuff. These women had walked up there along with another girl and a man who did the runner checks, in addition there was me, and all the stuff that had been flown up there by helicopter. There were alotta these check/point aid stations, and that’s why I decided to help, to be part of it all, not just a user. Anyway you understand, you have probably done this kindda thing yourself, you may have just taken home some litter climbers have forgotten, it all counts. So on the 55km the initial climb is a separate trophy in itself, it’s called the Pascal, named after a local guide who died in an avalanche. The climb is particularly gruelling, 2000 meters of very steep path over 9kms, it’s a mean montée, but if you have a history of alpine mountaineering you might understand it’s got an attraction to climbers, even if you cant do it! So the first lad got to the stand in 1hr 45mins, and I gave him some coke, 1hr 45mins, jee wiz! It was a humdinger of a race, cold with a very competitive field. In fact more than a few burnt themselves out, and didn’t finish the 55km.

Laurence resting

The 100km with 5000mts of up, was won in just over 12hrs, and the second guy was 1^st in the Tor de Géants last year, very impressive. Anyway lots of runners very little litter, and what litter there was taken care of by me. So that night I stayed at the hut, and was feeling great about myself, running, and humanity in general, until along came some youths, who proceeded to shit within a meter of the hut, and keep me up passed my aged bed time. If for some unaccountable reason you wish to visit their graves they are under the big cairn, and I have planted some Edelweiss to help their passing. Never hesitate to tidy the mountains up, keep em clean, stay mean!

Mid life crisis number 329, by Stevie ‘over ripe’ Haston

2011-07-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

Shiva and his own way of recycling.

There was a bit too much trash in my bachelor flat, and it was starting to smell a bit, so I very sensibly thought I’d take the trash out. Well a few days later when I finally did take the trash out it was raining, so I got the turn-ups of my trousers wet, as I wore slippers instead of shoes, and my bare back got an unexpected wash, which admittedly was a plus. Anyway, thinking about what a tosser I was, I then for no accountable reason threw my keys with the trash into the recycling bin. Didn’t even know what I’d done till I returned to the locked door. Double Tosser! I searched around for the keys, ‘like you do’, not wanting to face the fact that they were in the big, deeeep recycling bin, I patted each pocket and searched the path 5 times. No joy. Looking thru the squeezy slot-why is it not bigger- I spied my keys, it’s still raining, but there was a silver lining in the shape of a roll of wire left by some workmen. So it’s raining cats and dogs, and there I am fishing with my wire line for my keys, 4 people I know stop, and ask me what I’m doing. Great! Just as I am beginning to seriously think about posting myself to the fictious recycling heaven, thru the slot, I catch my Keys. And they don’t fall off the hook, then a big audible sigh of relief escapes my chest, as I hand over hand the stiff wire back out of the deeeep bin, I don’t relax as I have been fishing for about an hour. In fact, I don’t relax until I am back in the cocoon of the flat, after all a meteor attack could strike me down. I have always hated recycling bins, they are normally lies to make you feel good, and lies to make you fink that some one is doing somefink about all that fooking cardboard and plastic you use. But I gotta tellya folks, none of it is working, we are doomed, so get some trail running, or climbing done before we are covered in garbage.

Organic food in plastic wrapping is not organic, Dolphin friendly tuna is not Tuna friendly Tuna, and even if it was, it comes in a fooking plastic coated can, man! So I go back to the Flat soaking wet, dripping in fact, there’s a puddle around me as I strip off, and hit play on my computer. I have the film American Beauty on, do you remember it, it’s about how shit and empty suburban American life is, and I am such a sad looser, that I am watching it again, but this time with various smug commentaries, by overpaid grovelling actors, producers, and thankfully only one director. They are all doing the Dream Canyon Handshake. It’s a well done film, but it’s not really what they are all saying, the message is clear, everybody in the film is living an unrequited life, and it’s a tragedy, it’s really fooking depressing and terribly sad, there’s no bloody hope. It is just what I don’t need, so I attempt suicide by eating a whole loaf of toast-I am in Italy but the soya beans for my fru fru loaf are imported from china, WTF, anyway no butter of course, cos I am too fat and I am off animal products this week. The ingredients of the loaf start to freak me out, and I work out that my loaf is made up of ‘stuff’ from four different continents! Half way thru the film I realise that a Philosopher prof mate of mine uses some of the lines in American Beauty as part of his speech patterns, Jesus, what does that mean, and do I care, I just want it to stop raining, and there’s nothing in the fridge except some furry yogurt left. It’s funny how you need to have something to think about, but you don’t really want to think, and what do you do with the conclusions anyway if you are clever enough to come up with any. That’s why people have Kids, TVs, microwaves, dishwashers, jobs, haircuts, so called friends, climb Everest with oxygen,;;;:::===Every morning I wake up with a hard on, what for, I should’ve been neutered, like my dad advised. Everyday I think weird stuff, what for; I should’ve been lobotomised, like my dad said. I desperately need to get out of the flat, off this continent, off this planet. Yep I need to go running for at least 4 hours. But what for? Tell me oh great Guru what for? Guru speak to me, please. And that’s when you go in search of your Guru, swish through the bead curtains, and find him watching American Beauty, but with the sound turned off, the Finnish subtitles on, and a heavy scent of a suspicious smelling Jos stick wafting around on a non existing breeze. He turns to you and says ‘bro what's up, check it out’ and he Frisbees Suzie and the banshees album cover at you. Yea so you are transported back by that internal warp drive function you secretly have in your frontal lobe, and yes you are in Croydon watching Suzie nad the aforementioned §Bannnsheees, its 1978 or something. And you know what, you aint got no worries anymore, cos you just wanna get it on with this girl in front of you with the Mohican, it’s like a tequila sunrise plume crest. So that’s what the hard on is for, cross-pollination with extra terrestrial species lets get it on. Her name wasn’t Stella from the Astral plain, it was Sharon from Millwall.

The Guru breaks you out of your reverie with;‘The World is just a great big Onion’, title for a song, this is your starter for ten points, 10 points makes you eligible to win an inflatable family, ‘you'll never walk alone’. Please read the disclaimer tattooed on the inside of your helmet. What u don’t have a tattoo, well get one dude. Or jump the queue on next years fashions, and get a wooden disque inserted inside your lower lip, this with baggy trousers should ensure you only get laid by a giant Duck Billed Platypus named Pax Mobiscum.

The man and the slope by Stevie slippery slope Haston.

2011-06-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Man this week I’ve really regretted taking up running again. Why? Well it’s hard that’s why. Snowboarding in powder, I just turn my head, accept some fear and my body turns, and fast, fast enough to create an interesting cocktail of chemicals in my body. Climbing is the same, I was born to climb, and I’ve created routes that are works of art, they feed my need to feel proud of making something that give people pleasure. So here we are today, my thighs are full of lactic porridge, my hip girdle is out of kilter, and my little robust ego seems to be as full of holes as a little spiders web. Why is running so hard? Why is it so deceptively simple, and so damn hard, and why do I like it when clearly I am not suited to it. Yesterday I ran for 3 hours, took in a high col, a tricky ridge, and a summit. I turned around, picked up my buddy at a prearranged spot and did another col, and 4 more hours, flowers galore, a view to die for, and pain, lots of common or garden pain. Some of the pain is directly linked to my ordinariness at running, my aspirations outstrip my ability, I cannot link pride to my work, because my product is only fair. Running makes my mind easier to handle in some ways, but I need to relax about it, stop fretting. It’s what climbers need to do about their climbing.

My body and mind are really are in need of a holiday because of all the climbing I’ve done and really I should be doing Yoga not running, but there you go, life is short. Running is my Yoga.

The man and the slope, or it might be better translated as the man against the slope, the man verses the slope. It’s natural for people who live in the hills to think of the slope as the enemy, it does make your life harder after all. But without the slope there are no mountains, the world is flat, boring in the extreme. Instead of even the sea, you are talking of a placid dirty pond, a reservoir feeding ‘townies’. When you are a climber you learn to love the slope, it perks you up from your flat life of work, drudgery, and getting nowhere in a life, that you never understood was destined to lead nowhere. At the moment I need to understand that the ‘slope’ is not a spicy morsel, a tasty snack, it’s just the first ripple, a wave, one of many, that will just keep coming, inexorably and somehow I have to be fit enough to surf over them. And then after I have learned this lesson I will smilingly return to climbing, and find harmony, perhaps in the Himalayas the place of never ending slopes. Once a long time ago, I had a very long period in the Himalayas, which was built on about a years hill running in the Alps. I ran four of the popular treks, did numerous mountains, and could run at 5000 meters, it was a time when the slope was my friend and not my enemy. I had no money at this time, and thought of myself as a disciple of the late Eric Beard, but I had something ‘Vaster than Empires’, I had love for the mountains and felt that the mountains loved me, and looking back I am positive that this was true. The slope was my friend.

N.B Eric Beard was a British fell runner who did a bit of climbing and held some records for a time. He lived well below the radar, mundane jobs in climbing centres that let him be in his beloved mountains being the general rule. He was killed whilst riding his bike and another little shining star went blip and disappeared.

Recreational, Procreation and Excretion, by Stevie Pro Drugs Haston

2011-05-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

A while ago I did a blog about the first Tour de France winner and mentioned in passing that he was a cheat and was disqualified after winning his second tour. You might remember that I was not that down on the guy and the reason was that cheating is a human thing, a very sad human thing. So being human we should understand things that affect humans and show a bit of understanding for our cheating fellows. I also mentioned a couple of my heroes in the Tour and I will continue to have heroes in the Tour even if they are found to be cheating. The Tour is hard and you need drugs, full stop, end of story, about time you lot out there in La La Land understand. Lance Armstrong is not one of my heroes not because he may be proved to be a cheat but because he is a hypocrite. I prefer people who tell the truth, it easier for me to understand stuff when I have the facts, that way I don’t waist time trying to beat people who are ‘on full gas’!

In my own little sporting journey I have seen many people on drugs, some friends some enemies, and it’s much better when you know the truth. Competing against people on drugs is a waste of time and just leads to disappointment. Climbing has lots of drugs in it, they are mainly recreational, but they are still very effective because certain aspects of our sport are mental and not physical. Himalayan climbing is full of drugs! The sooner people accept drugs the sooner the playing field will be levelled. I don’t take drugs, not because I’m a saint, but more because I am romantic, and believe in the strength of Spirit. Records and high performance have nothing to do with spirit, just the way Quadruplets have a lot to do with fertility drugs. We live in a society where recreational drugs are taken by perhaps over 70% of the populace, we live in a world where some people who aren’t really that sick are on multiple medications, and even if you are like me and don’t want drugs you probably ingest them thru contaminated food. Wake up, enjoy the Tour for what it is, and climbers please don’t throw stones, cos your all on drugs anyway.

The Valdigne mountain race, by Stevie slow-feet Haston.

2011-05-22T11:25:00.000-07:00

The Coumayeur Trailers club of runners organise only a few races a year, but they are humdingers. As their name suggests they are based around Courmayeur and the Valdigne takes its name from the upper Aosta valley in Northen Italy were I am based at the moment. Last year the Trailers ran a short Valdigne of 49 and a long of 87 kilometres, with the appropriate amount of up and down. This year the short is 25, a medium of 55 with 3670 up and down, and a long of 100km with 5000 + of up and down. I tried a bit of the long today as it seems pretty tough and the high pastures are nearly free of snow. I ran out of Morgex the start and through some pleasant traditional Aostan villages to some flower meadows before a big big climb into the hills. I stopped at a hameau of very old farm buildings to fill my bottle and admire the traditional construction of these three story houses. First floor animals, second floor family, third floor hay, no satellite dishes, but a few painted murals on barn walls and buildings from the17th century. Any way I got going again and promptly got lost and found myself struggling up fifty degree pine needles, ant mounds, and fallen trees, I wanted to give up but luckily didn’t because after a hard hour I burst onto a grassy ridge with a 360 degree panorama of snow covered peaks. Wow, a carpet of flowers in short grass made perfect running back onto the real line and I was off again on a slowly rising traverse to a high col at 2600 meters. It was very fresh in and out of melting snow patches and I rapidly got very tired but it was well worth it. I did a bit down the other side but took a long glissade and called it good turning around and reversed my route. Getting lost again on the way down through exhaustion or stupidity I found myself on a trail helpfully called L' Homme et La pente. They have a wicked sense of humour here so I knew this was a sadistic joke. Very steep, a quad killer, a thigh assassin, an annihilator of the hip girdle, it went on and on. After 1600 meters of descent I ended back in the valley and ran 20kms home with a couple of little ups. And here is the final cream of the jest, 2 kms from home a friendly guy in overalls decided I was looking so cooked that he would jog with me! He was a strong runner and insisting I should keep it up, so I tried to speed up, he also insisted in yabbering on in Italian, so I stuttered a spluttered back in tired French. He finally left me in a steaming heap on my doorstep with a final pat on the back which lifted me back up. Thanks Georgio! This was about the Valdigne so to continue it looks great, I have done nearly all of it and it looks like a beast, they predict under 13hrs, but good luck its very tough and the ascents and descents are gigantic for folks not used to the big hills. There are still places left I think so if you have the quads go for it, I’ll be there.

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http://www.grantrailvaldigne.it/sito/

Super Mellow at Mellow, by Stevie Horizontal Haston

2011-05-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Having a chat with Adam Ondra

The day was hard, running on empty I went bouldering with a gang of lads and lasses on perfect rough granite, sat, sometimes lied in the sun, and enjoyed the company of young alive people. I interviewed the Prince of climbing Ondra for a Canadian Magazine called Gripped in the late afternoon, which was interesting for us both I think, and a pleasure rather than a trial. I said hello to lots of friends from around the world but most famously to Chris ‘Kinglines’ Sharma and his companion Dalia, they were mobbed by fans so I kept my conversation short, congratulated Chris on his finishing his route ‘First Round’. He said it had been a bit of a nightmare project, taking a lot out of him but finally worth it. I was a bit sad at the end of the day because I feel that the 9c standard is going to come very very soon, and I will be a spectator, just a fan, but there you go at least I have helped. Both the Prince and the King were agreed that the Kingdom was indeed very fair this spring and the harvest should be bountiful and the people be content and prosper. Long live the kingdom of Climbing, it is huge and diverse, and encompasses everything beautiful in the world, or so I thought at Mellow in the sun with young people all-around. Bliss comes rarely to my hard heart but it doth overflow occasionally and I thank everybody who made me happy.

The climbing festival of Mellow Bloc is over and was super good, super mellow....sympa as the French would say... a kind of Glastonbury music fest... but with a zest of Gorgonzola, and Mountains all around that should have been in the Lord of the Rings film. For those who where there it probably passed in a blur and they don’t need a report, it was hectic and peaceful in that crazy Italian way that I am relaxing into and growing to love. Of course the sun helped, last year it rained, which does dampen the spirits, but this year the sun pumped its energy into the people, and made them grow and blossom and smile. I had a job to do so it was a bit different for me, I had a slide show to do and was a little worried about it, it only had two bouldering slides in it, and the audience by definition was made up of boulderers. Indeed many people come to the festival who are beginners and come to learn, anyway you must understand my nervousness at my shows reception. It also came after the young prince of climbing Adam Ondra film presentation, it came so late in fact that I was inebriated, passed redemption, way passed ‘Go’ or ‘Stop’, but perhaps cosy in the arms of the night enshrouded gothic granite peaks. My work mates weren’t so confident or positive about my condition however, so five cappuccinos and a bottle of coke, were force fed into me. The show was over before I knew it, the slides a blur, clapping, happy smiley people around, visions of snowboarding Himalayan mountains, and bottles of beer. There had been some great reggae earlier and the night continued with more modern music in a huge crowded tent full of flashing light and young bodies writhing and jumping and throbbing. The only throbbing I did was in my brain, and it would surely get worse. But you know there is a price and I was going to pay it, this was a spring festival, a celebration as old as the history of people kind, shake off the winter, feel the sap rising, get going, Go big or Go home kinda thing. The night didn’t end for me, but the day did begin. The predawn is long at the head of the valley were I was, so I was up in the pale light all cold and fresh, and went running. I wove between huge Larch trees went through a tunnel between boulders a hundred foot high and went through flowered meadows, gawped at an array of waterfalls, and finally was at a high col, I sat down and surveyed my Kingdom, my big magic beautiful kingdom, the heavy cold breeze wiped tears from my eyes and told me to go back down. And so I did, down, down, down and finally croissants and a gallon of coffee my work mates were still asleep, all boyish and complain about being woken up.

special thanks to Lorenzo Belfrond for his photos
More on www.grivel.com

The Mirror of Simple Souls and the Sakuru Michi, by Simple Stevie Haston

2011-05-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

The mirror tells the truth! I don’t look like a runner; I don’t look like a rock climber! I am in deep trouble, a bog of treacle. I sacrificed a lot to become excellent at rockclimbing and it worked, I am trying to do the same at running and it’s not working. I became a bit depressed, so I took time off work to get on track with the running. It worked in a way. I did 100 mountain miles and alotta up and down. I had some tendinitis in the ankle and my patella was a bit stuck at the start of the week. At the end of the week the patella was fine and the ankle was very bad. However I was really happy, lost 3lbs and felt like I was running, then I woke up and couldn’t get out of bed. Even slept most of a day and felt like I had a hangover. It was hay fever but I didn’t know it.

Every year my hay fever gets worse but I am always in denial about it. Hay fever is one of the reasons I like high mountains, above 2500 meters there is normally no veg. It’s ironic that someone like me who adores flowers and talks to trees, has to avoid them. In Ariège where my house is I planted a Wisteria and it loved the south facing front wall of the house, now I can’t open the windows when it’s in bloom! In Ariège I spent a lot of time underground looking at rocks that look like flowers and grow without pollinating. In Italy where I am now the Spring is full blast, blossoms everywhere, it’s a riot of sparkling colors and I feel like I have a very serious illness. Anyway that’s life for you. I can’t do much about being disabled by flowers except laugh. So my other problem is I can’t shake myself outta my body at the moment, I can’t change it, I am just too big to be a decent runner. To become a good climber I lost a lot of muscle, and some of it seems to have crept back, behind my back as it were. It’s very annoying, as I really want to do a decent time in the Tor de Geants, and get a Lake District Bob Graham or a Welch Paddy Buckley. I have always promised myself a B.G and intend to get one, but it would of course be nice to get a good one. The trouble with this terrible desire is that I really need to lose about 10kg or more and I really don’t understand the how of it. To loose weight while climbing is hard enough but your calorific needs are small, to loose weight while doing 30 hours of running a week when you need to eat like a ravenous ogre is plane crazy. And at the moment because of the pollen I can’t run. So this last week I have walked to the super market twice total 8 kms and gained 3lbs!

The Sakuru Mitchi is a road race in Japan, and I always think about it when it’s on, but this year for obvious reasons I am thinking about it more. It’s 250 kms long and only a little up (1500m), it is supposed to be one of the great runs which is unusual if you think it’s not in the mountains or the hills. It’s a great run because of the spirit of the runners and the fact that it was inaugurated because an ordinary Bus driver planted 1500 cherry trees along the way! They do love their cherry blossom in Japan and so do I. Anyway it’s such a pretty story I thought I’d share it with you, perhaps you would like to do the run, or just gain some strength and hope from thinking of that lovely man planting those cherry trees along that bus route from one side of Japan to the other. If there were more Sakuri Mitchis and why not, the world would of course be a little more beautiful. It would of course have a bit more pollen in it, bad for me, but I would rather suffer than not have flowers and great inspiring stories like this one. I hope Japan is able to overcome its time of trouble and look forward to a better spring.

A bit of Cycling history, by Stevie Haston

2011-04-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

Stopping at a local pushbike shop to satisfy my love of fondling tubes and suchlike on a fancy swank velocipede, I was struck more than ever by the magic of bikes. It didn’t help of course that these bikes were Lapierre, sponsor for the last French team in the Tour. Lapierre bikes are works of art, I can’t afford one, but the guy doesn’t mind me coming in and dribbling over them. Anyway after this reverie of pleasantness it was out, and go climbing! But as a last delay I stopped off to put a few flowers at the little sculpture of Maurice Garin on the roundabout. Maurice was born here in Italy not far from where I live, went to France as an infant and won the first two Tours. Not many people know he was Italian and no one really wants to claim him as he was disqualified for excessive cheating in the second Tour, the first of many! Public morality being what it is, he is forgotten about, which I think is terrible. I don’t condone his actions and in later life he clearly regretted them, but there you go, it’s just a human thing. So the sculpture is simple and beau, it’s on a lovely verdant and attractive roundabout, and if you are a biking nerd I invite you to stop and have a look. In the first Tour the bikes were crap and the stages were way longer, sometimes no tarmac for long distances, no creatine, just sweat and saddle sores. I gave the brave little bronze cyclist a last fond pat, and went climbing.

There are many memorials along the roads in Europe commemorating dead cyclists. I stop when I can and say a hello. I have lived in two places on the Tour and know many of its tales, cols and epic cardiovascular battles, it’s part of my being in the same way that mountains are. Anyway among my many sporting gods that I sometimes pray to, are Merckx and Indurain, two former Tour winners. Indurain is my personnel favorite and at a Sporting meeting some years ago I noticed an old pro riders bike on a roped off podium. By all the gods it was the great mans bike! I immediately skipped over the rope and began stroking the master’s saddle, this odd behavior was quickly curtailed by a pleasant corpulent policeman, who on being told that I was a speaker and more importantly a fan went off and got me a glass of champagne. I have to report a failure to stroke Eddie Merckx bike. After tracking it down I am sorry to report because it was behind bullet proof glass! I hope this failure doesn’t disappoint you too much.

Grivel Ultra Light Plume carabiner, by Stevie Haston

2011-04-19T00:23:00.000-07:00

The Grivel Plume carabiner is one of my favorite bits of kit, its just plain useful and damn light. It is about 28grs, you can get biners a few grams lighter but they wont feel as ‘big’ in your hand, this is important if you have big clumsy hands like me or are just plain clumsy. If you use them in winter you will also find the gate open width very favorable to gloved hands. Nowadays people carry a lotta of very useful gear but in the end in all mounts up and things get heavy. The plume helps things stay light and real.

The Grivel Plume also comes as a screw-gate and which is so didi you just cant believe it! It comes in at just over 30grs for a screw-gate, so you might not even notice two of them at the back of your harness.

Each Plume is individually tested on a very controlled and computer calibrated machine. (check the video on www.grivel.com)

Melloblocco May 5th/8th 2011, May 6th slideshow by Stevie Mellow Haston

2011-04-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

The Melloblocco international bouldering event is staged in the incredible Val Masino on May 5th to 8th, it’s an event not to miss. The great –and I mean size of houses boulders- are a sight to see, and for the enthusiast a joy to climb. The often rough granite is an excellent medium to climb on, while the scenery is a feast for the eyes. Each year this competition and fiesta attracts up to 2000 happy visitors, some come to watch most come to boulder. I have been invited to give a lecture/slideshow which pleases me as I wanted an excuse to visit the valley again, so if you have time visit my

show on May 6th. My slides will cover some bouldering, big rocks, and bigger mountains and I hope it will please diverse tastes, it normally does. In the past the Melloblocco has attracted some of the worlds best boulders and believe me it is a shock to see what they can pull on, probably even more of a shock to see them do stuff way beyond your level first time around! A visit to the area is a must if you are a boulderer but do not neglect to go if you love climbing granite single or multi pitch. When I went to the valley I thought the climbing comparable to Yosemite but without the crowds. There will be crowds on the weekend of the competition but away from the boulders it will be tranquille. Likewise if you like running trails you will be delighted with the high trails in very wild mountains. The valley has been used as a Sky running comp before so it is an exciting place for running giving high rough trails and lower valley mellowness. My fondest memory is of doing the classic route which looks like a stuck on boot, it was in my opinion better than Astroman. There you go, you can’t fail to have a good time.

DESERT TOWERS a great book by Steve Bartlett aka "Crusher"

2011-04-14T05:54:00.000-07:00

Just got a book written by Steve "Crusher" Bartlett, a flash of some nice memories of Desert climbing, some epics, freeing quite a few towers!!!! A great book about the history of desert and towers climbing.. And if you haven't climb a Desert tower, in the Fisher or Monument Bassin you've missed something....Stevie will do a better review later...

Laurence

We look so young!!!

Crusher and Stevie, fully racked!

Sunset on the Fisher

Freeing the Hindu Tower.

Ruby's café

Honouree, and Honourable by Stevie Cry Havoc Haston

2011-04-04T00:34:00.001-07:00

Being an Honourable Member was I always thought a bit of a veiled joke, the stress, in my mind, was always on the word Member. Kinda appropriate when thinking of Members of Parliament for instance. Anyway the Malta Climbing Club thought they would flatter me by creating me a lifelong, Honoree Participant. Great except the engraver wrote Honourable, when I pedantically pointed out the mistake they were dully apologetic, and insisted on having it changed, I adamantly refused. I preferred the Honourable to the Honouree, in fact I would even like a few more words tagged on, like venerable and then venerated. So we would in fact need a scroll, rather than a plaque! Reminds me of those ancient generals with tons of medals, which they clearly didn’t earn. Or perhaps those climbers who turn up year after interminable year at international meetings, harking, and barking on about trivial things they did a quarter of a century ago. I am now over a half century old, and I am tempted to ask will I ever do anything that is note worthy again? Hopefully I will do a few honourable things and so the Plaque I had from the Malta Climbing club will serve as a reminder to be Honourable, so thanks guys. Plus I think I don’t have the energy to be even mischievous, let alone, cause dishonourable havoc ever again.

Personal reality check, Philip A Dick Haston

2011-03-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep? Maybe. Was Philip K Dick a sportsman? No he was an interesting an imaginative writer of cracking science fiction. I am a boring sports Jock, who unfortunately is stuck with reality. What is my present reality? Every now and then you have to take stock, so here goes. I am poor at everything! Plus I am poor! I am however happy, maybe that’s what’s wrong. I just had a great time in Malta and made some friends, but I did realize I was not very good at anything physical. Do I want to be? Yes. So access what’s wrong and change it. I have no ambition or goal! So make a goal! Last year was a great one, I did 2 rock climbs of the 9a grade, a mixed route called Cannabis, which is both one of the top for beauty and difficulty in the world, and did enough endurance to do the Tor de Giants trail race. I am not going to have another year like that, it was off the back of 2 years systematic training, and I work a bit now. Since the Tor de Géants race I have done a lot of endurance and neglected my climbing skills, but training has been all over the place, unsystematic and too unstructured. My pulse this year is much lower than last year, but my running is of a disappointing standard! What’s wrong? I enjoy my endurance rather than work at it! My rock climbing is as low as it ever gets, but I really enjoy it, and really appreciate it a lot. My snowboarding and mountain skills are back to where they were, but I don’t like the risk, and I used to love the risk. I have to make a plan, and try and stick to it, or things could get even more erratic! I am too relaxed and fat. I needed to put some weight on after two years of training to give my body a break, but unhappily, I think that holiday is over! So my plan is to get back to above 8a standard climbing, but more importantly to improve in the Tor de Giants race. I can’t really improve at climbing, but at running I am a baby! The rock climbing standard will be easy; lose some weight and just go climbing, 6 weeks max. The Tor is on September 11, 6 full months away, and time to get into a solid systematic training regime. I must try not to over-do it, and get injured. Wish me luck.

First day of the Tor des Géants Photo Lorenzo Belfrond

What is a realistic target for this race of 330 km and 24, 000 meters of up? It’s 3 Lake district Bob Grahams in one go! It’s such a demanding race that I wont put a number on it, in case I try too hard, instead I will be happy with an improvement, but it will be a big, realistic, possible improvement, that will give me something to aim for. There you go, plan is sorted. Now comes the pain, a mountain of pain ! An ocean of pain, I will bathe in its turbulent waters and cleanse myself of human weakness. I will become an Ibex, that tough imperial mountain goat, which is the emblem of this mountain region. A proud regal horny old goat, yep just like the old days. But it’s not the old days, don’t remind me. I am too old for sport, every body says so, I agree most days, and then sometimes, I know that old high standard is just under the surface. So, what to do? Running for three or four days without sleep is fairly tough, so it’s appropriate to take it seriously. I bought a basic heart rate monitor to keep track of my resting heart rate in the morning, as this is the only simple way of assessing if you are overtraining. Running is great, and simple. Running well, is on the other hand annoyingly difficult, and complex! Your max performance on a given day is asking for several different aspects of training and resting, to come together, like the wind and the tides, to create a personal tsunami of excellence. Running is like climbing, a divine pain in the arse!

Lost in Translation, by who gives a Bombay Duck Haston

2011-03-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Peuterey Integral versus Ben No comment!

I get some criticism about my work. Surprisingly I do a lot of work, so not surprising that some of it is not 10 outta 10. One of the funniest complaints I get is why don’t I climb in Scotland and do some climbs over there! I live in Courmayeur, don’t you square headed Jocks realize that it’s more beautiful here! One of these chauvinistic nincompoops complained to two of my sponsors and to another manufacturer who doesn’t even sponsor me, they all told the guy to get to Bombay Duck. For the record, I don’t like Scotland very much, and when it is raining, blowing a gale, or in the MIDGE season, I really hate it. I just came back from Gozo and Malta, lovely food, lovely people, interesting climbing and I felt sorry to leave, but as soon as I got off the bus, I went for a walk to look at the incomparable Peuterey Intergral ridge to the summit of Mont Blanc. Wow, Wow, Bow wow ffing wow, you can howl just looking at the beauty of that long long route, it’s a tadge more attractive than Ben Bloody Boring Nevis. God made the Peuterey route first thing Monday morning, when he was fresh after his second triple cappuccino. You can even see where he was shaking and his celestial brush slipped and caused the great gap in the ridge that is the Dames Anglaises, thank god for that over caffeinated miss-doodle, it’s the flaw that makes the ridge ultra perfect. So to that guy who keeps contacting my sponsors, I would call you an idiot but that would be insulting to idiots, if I have any spare cash or time there’s a couple or more places I’d like to go: The Dolomites for climbing and trekking, Norway for real ice, and before I die I’d like to worship the Himalaya again… Hey bonnie lad to be above 7000meters on a starry night with the moonlight sparkling, carrying a snowboard, de ya nay ken?

proper stuff

Oh yes by the way, when I write, Laurence my wife, sometimes finds the words where I’ve lost them in a computer somewhere, she then corrects it and adds some more mistakes-she is French and dyslectic and has a mind that Goggle fish are head hunting. Her ability to make my perfect English look like Serbo-Croate married to Cantonese is admired by the CIA. I am nominally Cockney. Sometimes my “work” then goes on to another web site, or a magazine, and is then corrected by an expert i.e. someone who has spent a couple of years at a state run comprehensive school, and who has failed to get a well paid job since. Once one of my pieces was corrected 15 times, before being inflicted on the public! That short piece earned me 3500 dollars, they could have corrected it more, they could have written it themselves, as long as I get paid, I don’t care. What I dislike is the writing that doesn’t mean anything, or the plain lies you get, like Scotland is Great, it’s not, just read the weather report, it’s ok if you like that sort of thing, you know dull over cast skies, poor conditions generally for ice climbing, flying kites and wearing kilts.

I read a mag on the plane the other day, it had 60 pairs of shoes ‘reviewed’, and not an article worth reading, triple wow! I think it has the biggest outdoor circulation in Britain, but it does have the commas in the right places, so I guess everything is ok then!

Joined Meditation, by Laurence Gouault.Haston

2011-03-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Just done a joined healing meditation for all those people in Japan going through such a devastating time! We are all affected by what is happening, we are all fragile, our planet is fragile, our world is fragile and we should all say a prayer for them and many others people in the world.

Sat Nam

Women, by the worldly-wise womanless Stevie Haston

2011-03-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

Laurence walking an 8a!

When I was young, I was brought up largely by women. They were tough, small and of a mixture, artistically and sensibilities wise. Although men were generally absent I didn’t need their so called male influence, as my aunties mother and grandmother had adequate amounts of all those so called male attributes like courage and strength and testosterone. My teachers were women and they were clever too boot, in short I was always impressed by women in general, plus and it was a big plus, they smelled better than men. Things have changed since I was a small boy, most significantly, men now smell like women. But these sweet smelling well-quaffed ‘men’ seem to lack the old masculine virtues and attributes. As a friend put it the other day ‘they still have cocks but they don’t seem to have any balls’, a bit harsh but then she’s a harsh ski de fond girl, tough and uncompromising. Just look at rock climbers now, bunch of hairdressers if you ask me. Gritstone climbers using bouncy play pen mats at the bottom of routes that were done sometimes half a century ago. Or alpinists not going into the mountains unless they have this years lime green super jacket with matching impossible to walk in trousers which costs more than the annual wage of the porter who is carrying their computer with its solar energy hook up to the latest world wide webpage of haircuts for big brave mountain bashers.

When I was young it was normal to hold stereotyped views about women because our society was more stereotyped and sexes were very lets say ‘type casted’. Now it’s different, we, ‘men’ that is, are encouraged to explore our feminine side and like fools we do. So we become pretend women or at best girlie boys, what we don’t understand is that women aren’t girls, they never were, and we have fallen for the oldest ploy in the history of Mankind, or clearly Womankind, cos we have been duped, and have happily gone on with it, cos our egos are out of control. That’s what women have always known, keep flattering us, and we are easy to control. There’s a good boy, good effort, well done, you're such a brave boy. And thus we are chained, thus we are controlled, relegated to watching formula one racing forever, and by god don’t we deserve it.

Laurence on fragile ice, no gear.

When I was young no women had ever run under 2hr 30 mins for the marathon, I didn’t even know that they weren’t actually allowed to run marathons cos they were reckoned too weak! Those guys on the Olympic Fed obviously didn’t know my auntie Rosa. Hey it was long ago, we wore heavy red gaiters and unbelievable amounts of facial hair so we have an excuse right? So what I want to know is whatever happened to all those gaiters and facial hairs? Anyway, understand it was like the dark ages, and women wore things called mini skirts, so no rational thought was possible. When I was young there were no good female climbers, it’s true, don’t ask me why? I loved climbing but you know how can I put this, I like girls you know, so it was a troubling time for me, I don’t like boys, you know the way I mean. So I had to climb with smelly boys and attend art, poetry, and yoga classes for extra entertainment, even though I hated that poncy stuff. But sport and society changed slowly but surely, until now when I can’t really see the need for the differences in grades or abilities between men and women. To use a sexist term climbing has been so ‘emasculated’, mats, gear, safety, that we don’t need to be Hector and Hercules, all hersuit and bulging with muscles, we can be Helen and Heather in a sports bra, if we even need that.

Laurence snowboarding down a steep and icy 6500m

Yes I knew it all along even though I was taught to climb by my granddad a fairly macho hunter type who had no feminine side and smelled of sour wine and cigarettes, climbing is for every one. And so is running. But there is a difference isn’t there, one 9a female climber? How many women under 2hr 20mins for the marathon? As men and women become closer in haircuts, clothes, and demeanor, is it time to stop thinking about sex? Oh I forgot there are no formular1 female champs, darts champs, or great serial killers, so we still rule right, us men I mean? There was a great female sniper as I remember, but we should probably forget about her, clearly bucks the feminine ideal, and there was that British prime minister, what was her name Gengis Plumber, Electrician, or was it Thatcher?

In the chair, Al Evans, by Stevie Haston

2011-03-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Who’s in the chair?

Al Evans is in the chair. In this case the chair he designed. Who is Al Evans, well he’s not just a frou frou chair designer, he’s a great sportsman; a runner, cycle cross loon, a climber, a friend, and most of all an inspiration to me and a thousand others.

I knew of Al before I met him cos I am a running nerd, I had read of him in a book called Stud Marks on the summits, if you have a copy of this book you deserve the nerds medal, with oak clusters covered in mud! Like a lot of people in that great titanic tome, he will be a faceless ‘hero’, and I don’t use the word stupidly, I know you need to sacrifice something for the greater good with disregard for yourself. Al has done incredible things and helped generations of runners, he has done this by the prosaic way of blood sweat and tears, by helping his mates attain their dreams and potential. By running hundreds of thousands of miles and cycling more. He has with the help of his wife Joy also run successful enterprises like a climbers café in the Lake district, and finally earned some relief from most of the rigueurs of life in happy but not un-busy retirement in the French Alps. When I met Al he was 56 and he was like a breath of fresh air, I wanted to be like him, Al is now 71 and I want to be more like him. He has now popped into a new age category so he’s a veritable youngster and is winning races again, like the 3Peaks Cycle Cross Race. He’s a very early member of the Bob Graham Club and my mate and owes me a favour. The only advice I was able to give him over the years was to rest more, he eventually took notice and got better, if he took some more rest he’d get better again. So pal get back in that frou frou chair of yours. And the favour you owe me is to get me off my frou frou arse and get me doing some speed work and some hill reps. See you soon.

La Sportiva Crossover GTX, by Stevie GLF Haston

2011-03-11T00:53:00.000-08:00

Crossover GTX

La Sportiva make great climbing shoes that look incredible, but they also make running shoes that are increasingly admired. Their running shoes are designed mainly with mountain and trail running in mind, but they also have an extensive approach shoe range. They should have a shoe that fits your needs one way or another, so try and look at their entire range.

The Crossover GTX is what I would describe in British terms as a Fell running shoe. It is ideal for steep very rough terrain with its clever studded sole and sleek lines. It has a very clever and neat integral gaiter which eliminates bits and bobs from getting into your shoe. Obviously the GTX is in Goretex which means this is an all weather shoe, and really that’s all you need to know except it runs very well so get one or ask about it from a user-they are liked a lot in the Lake District for instance.

The Crosslite is the same shoe as the Crossover without the gaiter. Its lighter but still has an over sheath to eliminate stone and debris entry. This shoe is better in dry conditions or were you enter and exit rivers and the shoe needs to drain, it’s a very good shoe. Both shoes come in lovely colours and look more than cool, they look the part.

Crosslite

Malta Marathon, Stevie slowboat Haston

2011-03-10T06:53:00.000-08:00

The Malta marathon was great as I expected, but had a couple of tricks up its sleeve. Most north Euros are a bit down in the winter, and need a bit of sun and warmth, so why not do the Malta Marathon? The marathon is on a week end in February, and is only a few hours from certain lucky cities in northern Europe. It’s a good time for jaded runners from Britain, or wherever, to hop on a cheap plane and have a weekend in more clement weather. So it was a bit of a surprise to wake up at 6am on race day with the palm trees bending over backwards in a gale! The night before there had been a rain and wind storm! The night before there had also been a Maltese dinner party to the small hours, and the night before along trip to new friends in Northern Italy! I thought the marathon would be cancelled and was half relieved for my headache! No such luck, the jolly race organizer who had a lovely Scottish lilt to his voice, had us lined up and ready to go precisely on time. He kindly warned us of a couple of puddles on the route, and wished us luck, and sped us on our way. The route started at the ancient capitol of Malta’s M’dina, which is a world heritage site and gorgeous, and follows tarmac via a big loop, and then heads downhill to the opposite coast. You run under the battlements of the biggest fort in Malta before, running or jogging around two bays, full of boats and festive people. Its great, and the marathon is supposed to be a fast one, so if you are interested in getting a good time, go for it. There is a half marathon run at the same time, and a walkathon, these do not interfere with the faster runners, and might cheer up the slower ones. There are lots of local bands on the way, lots of great happy volunteers, and basically everything you might need to help you run the run. I recommend this event more than most, and I will try and go again. Thanks to the organizers, sponsors, volunteers and of course the keen runners, and walkers.

At the airport the next day, I met lots of runners who were very happy with their runs, and their short stay on the island. By hazard I bumped into the winner Moroccan Mohammed Hajji. He was walking around the airport dragging a huge winner’s cup, his slight frame tilted to one side. As coincidence would have it he was on my plane back to Italy, many people were very happy for him and his fast time of 2 hours 18 mins. He certainly cheered me up, thanks for putting on such a great display of running skill Mr Hajji and you earned every penny of the prize money twice over. The two puddles of water that we were warned of at the start of the race, were in fact sections of flooded road! In some other countries the marathon might have been called off unnecessarily. Here in Malta most competitors ran along the top of the dry stone wall twice and happily splashed thru the sea washed finish with wet smiles, it added an ethnic eccentricity to the runs. The water may obviously have affected the times a bit, so that fast 2hr18, might have even been a twinkle faster yet.

The Bowline shop, by Stevie Haston

2011-03-10T06:42:00.000-08:00

The Bowline climbing shop is in Malta, so if you are visiting and need to replace some gear, it is possible. It’s a well run shop with very nice staff, check it out if you need to. While I was there Daniel the manager introduced me to Tendon ropes, a brand I was not familiar with. I was given a 10.5 which I have now used

Its very good, having a very robust sheath, which defiantly helps on Malta’s sometimes very abrasive rock. Tendon have an extensive catalogue of ropes some with interesting specs, one for instance has the core protected by an outer core of stainless steel weaving. They have everything from skinny half ropes thru an interesting 9.2 sport rope to caving and rescue ropes. There you go. Check them out!

1st Malta Bouldering Competition by Stevie Haston Photos By RONALD BALZAN

2011-03-01T05:12:00.000-08:00

SECRETARY OF SPORT MR PULI AND SIMON ALDEN

Bouldering comps are not my bag, but this Maltese meeting of climbers who used a comp as an excuse to pass a friendly day trying hard on some great stone, was very sweet. The Malta Climbing Club organized the event or happening with the support of some generous local sponsors and kind volunteers, they all need a big thank you but I think they know already. The event was held at Wied Hasan a very attractive wave of colourful rock just above a deep water soloing venue, it was ideal and idyllic. I can recommend the place for any visitor and you will pass a great day doing great problems, you won’t regret it. I am hard to please in my bouldering, and this wave of steeply bulging rock had me pleasantly surprised and smiling with a big grin. It was great to do some spotting and help and thus join in and share the joy. I couldn’t help it in the end and did many of the problems because they looked so good and colourful. The problems were stiff little bulges that were often climbed by a hefty heave and then a precarious mantle to finish. There were two different events an A category for the dudes and dudesses and a B which was slightly easier. There were people from Spain, Czech Republic, Sweden, Belgium, Turkey, Britain, Australia and one old Codger from the Principality of Gozo. I was also pleased to meet the Maltese Parliamentary Secretary for Sport Mr. Clyde Puli who was a pleasant chap, deeply interested by climbers and seemed willing to support future projects. B Cat winners were Martin Micallef and Tania Ellul and A Cat were Jeffrey Camilleri and Claudine Gatt. Jeffrey Camilleri needs a special pat on the back for being Malta’s best climber at the moment and a stalwart for cleaning and preparing new routes. Malta needs more climbers to help develop its stunning potential as a rock climbing destination and the main idea of the comp was to encourage the local climbing community to be a cohesive and productive group with this little festa of climbing and it succeeded marvellously.

Amongst the people present were the three Maltese summiteers of Everest who succeeded on their first attempt, a mark of their fitness and resolve. I was brought in by the Maltese Tourism Authority as special guest and speaker at a soiree which took place after the Comp. I was especially pleased to see 40 boy Scouts in the audience who were from the Sliema Scout group who are the oldest Scout group outside the UK. This Scout group was a cradle for budding climbers who were originally helped by the Royal Marines. Anyway the lecture I gave was enthusiastically received by the audience who were mostly unused to seeing snowy mountains, ice climbing, and snowboarding. Naturally I got to know some of them much more over a great group meal and a few beers later. The down side to this was that I was very tired doing the Maltese Marathon the next day, but such conviviality must not be denied at the peril of your soul. Out of our little group two people did the full marathon and one the half, which is quite a pleasing percentage I think. The next day I visited a new special cliff which is secret at the moment but will make the news soon - pull your finger out Jeff and get your project done - it’s a peach cliff. I also visited the neighbouring island of Gozo where I spent some of my childhood climbing. This was in the company of Simon Alden and his wife Doranne and we visited some great cliffs comparing notes and looking at each others secret projects. Simon is the president of the Malta Climbing Club and is keen to promote climbing in the islands for everybody but particularly to bring in new Maltese to the sport. I spent all too brief a time on the islands and very much regret leaving after such a short trip.

I promised my new friends I’d return and climb, and experience sunny days and sunny smiles. Long live Malta and Gozo, a place stuck in time and space between the Azure of the sky and the Turquoise of the sea.

Malta first bouldering comp, by Stevie Gozitan Haston

2011-02-27T01:49:00.000-08:00

Had a lot of fun yesterday, first Maltese bouldering comp, outdoor, well organized, nice people, and great venue for the slide show, thanks to Simon and all the climbers and scouts...

Now running the Malta Marathon, then more site seeing in Malta then Gozo...

Photos from Simon Alden
More photos on www.maltaclimbingclub.com

Maltese weekend, by Stevie Haston

2011-02-26T00:26:00.000-08:00

Just landed in Malta for a couple of days, they are having their first bouldering comp, slide show tonight then a Marathon and a bit of looking at crags around Malta and Gozo...

Grivel Avatar by Stevie Haston

2011-02-25T07:36:00.001-08:00

My latest tested Baby, she climbs like Maria Callas signs. An interesting head, ergo and beau… a strong shaft and the possibility to climb anything, any angle, anywhere.... Ice assassin or the claws of a heraldic beast legend?

www.grivel.com

Stupidity Flu epidemic strikes Britain, by Stevie Immune Haston.

2011-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

So the world is mad, right, you know this. But is it getting worse? Probably but certain things mask your ability to judge, or even your will to judge. Do you have a job you don’t like, or is it worse? Do you have a job you hate, with a boss who perhaps tweaks your tight buns, and makes evil suggestions about the weekend. Yes, you do, don’t you. I knew it. You acquiesce in your prickly predicament because you have a mortgage, you don’t tell your slimy superior to stick it where the sun don’t shine do you? You’re not brave your normal, most likely, your more normal than normal, you’re spineless. I live in Italy, we are not spineless, we are just too well fed, and we have mamas who love us, that’s why we can’t get a rid of shameless presidents with huge Viagra addictions and worrying connections with the underworld. The whole of North Africa is more than perturbed, its on fire, and we of course watch football!

Anyway the other day, or was it most of the last year, I did some writing for Mags, the net, and other nefarious, naughty, self interested bodies who would pay me. Get this and get this straight, I had no ulterior motive, yes my unworldly friends it was for gathering shekels, garnering guineas, gathering geld. It wasn’t to preen, I am past preening, I am a grumpy old sportsman, I don’t care about you. Or do I? Maybe yes, maybe no. Do you owe me money?

Anyway the other day I was too tired to run, and couldn’t be arsed to suffer the cold climbing, so went prospecting for attractive boulders to climb. Or do I mean drape my be-logoed, trim, muscular body over, and thus accrue a gaggle of grumpy divorced grannies, as a harem. So I walked down a cold valley, which had about a dozen unclimbed frozen cascades in, and was pretty psyched to think of those nice looking lines waiting for impoverished Scottish lads to swarm up. But I was looking for a boulder rather than a 200 meter waterfall. As I looked over a bridge, I saw eggs, giant eggs. They were clearly frogspawn affected by radiation, and had thus mutated into something strange, and subversive. What governments are not telling you is that earth has become a target, not just for extraterrestrials, but also for low forms of life. With the recent spread of the Internet, the universe at large is starting to understand how stupid humans are, and what an easy target they are. Not content with trying to kill each other for spurious reasons, like land, riches, oil for SUVs’ that they can’t drive, humans are now are trying to inoculate themselves against some fairly harmless viruses with more lethal consequences to themselves. The British government was conned into buying expensive flu vaccine, and then tried to inoculate an unwilling public with it. Pig Flu, Bird Flu, and now Frog Flu, but look what’s happened to the Frogs. Jesus, they are getting stronger, and bigger. Take care dear reader. But there is hope, a virus which was designed to make Anacondas smaller, and farmable, went wrong, thus creating a subspecies called Acconcaguares, these are very big snakes, and should we hope take care of the frogs. But what do we do with the Acconcagauras, surely they are uncontrollable being nearly 7000 meters long! Or are they 7000 meters high, I can’t remember, shit I am confused now, I better consult a climbing magazine for the truth.

My new ride , maaan, by Stevie Speed Haston

2011-02-22T07:09:00.000-08:00

So when the snow was high and joy was soaring, I realized what I needed to hit warp factor 5 was an old fashioned board the kind that aren’t made anymore cos everybody is too lazy. Lots of good designs in gear are shelved only too be replaced by shite that sells, no matter that it only does a reasonable job and not an excellent one, that’s why you get salopettes with 15 zips but you can’t actually walk in. In deep snow you need a long board, don’t let the makers tell you anything else. And it goes by weight, so if you are a big bloke you need a board with a lot of floatation. I ride 162 if there isn’t much snow, I go 175 for a lot of my riding, and I used to in the old days go bigger. People say you can’t ride boards that long but I do and what’s more I like too which is the point for me. I like being in the turn but love long curves rather than turns, and I don’t mind if I only enjoy the good snow at the top of the mountain. Anyway to cut a long story short I have a size problem! And I have a stiffness problem, if a board is too soft it bends to much in the turn and dumps speed. So what to do, I moaned and winged, couldn’t get what I wanted and then remembered I’d seen a display model, a bit of eye candy in a friends shop. So after appropriate Italian negotiations we liberated the board and I went surfing, and verily it was good, no scratch that it was great. So the board is 188, an old Regis Roland model swallow tail, never been ridden and is generally thought of as a difficult board.

Running high by Hugh Symonds

2011-02-22T02:58:00.000-08:00

This is the story of a great journey, the traverse of 303 mountains in Scotland England, Wales and Ireland by Mr Symonds. And of course I should mention his wife and kids supporting him for the 100 odd days it took. It’s a great book if not a great read, inspiring but exhausting, a totally fantastic reminder of what some fell runners in Britain have done and will keep on doing. This link or tour was done for his own ambition and to help a charity, please buy the book and find out more. The book starts off with the mountains in Scotland, a country I don’t like for its weather and midges but this book reminds you that there is a lot of pleasure for those who persevere. It almost tempts me back but somehow I think I might be better off in the Alps. The book has made me look at maps more and dream more and think that my life might have another journey left in it, so thanks very much Hugh. There are some useful appendices in the back which fell running nerds will find useful, but its Hughs general courage in the face of day in day in running and British conditions that is almost overwhelming.

VIVE LE TOUR by Nick Brownlee

2011-02-22T02:44:00.000-08:00

The Tour in this case is very obviously the Tour de France, one of the greatest if not the greatest sporting challenge there is for semi humans. It is a no holds barred frank account of the cheating, drug taking, and general shenanigans, that rich events will inevitably encourage. Drug taking in top class sport is more than common but to general readers this honest account might put them off, please don’t be, it’s just time we all grew up and excepted it. I have been in comps were I have competed against drug takers and been fairly pissed off, but luckily my life didn’t suffer when I lost. Some of the people who took drugs in the Tour also lost, they lost their lives! Anyway this book is the best read I have had for many a day, it’s a kind off verbal comic, lots of humour and snippets of gossip. It’s a great book and a quick read and might make you buy a bike! I used to do a great deal of cycling and have cycled many bits of the Tour particularly the cols. Long live the Tour, an incredible test, and incredible story of cheating and everything that is both great and disgusting about humans. The book is much more interesting than normal books about sport but then it’s a big story it’s a big circle of kilometers, it’s a colourful pageant that speeds around one of the most interesting countries in the world.

Off Road Running by Sarah Rowell

2011-02-22T02:27:00.000-08:00

This book is really for confirmed runners who like not just the outdoors but the mountain environment. Sarah Rowell has a good marathon time and writes for fell running mags nowadays, she certainly knows what she is talking about. The book covers cross-country fell running and multiday events, just buy it and you won’t really have a problem, it might open your mind to an interesting aspect of running that you never thought existed like Orienteering perhaps. It is crazy to think that until recently women were thought too weak to run marathons and weren’t allowed to run them, women like Sarah have certainly helped disprove this. One of the nicest aspects of this book are the small bios of good runners in each aspect of Off road running, this is delight and is in every case an inspiration, thanks to the individual people for being so good and thanks to Sarah for bringing them to our attention. Lots of training tips, facts and figures, buy it, and do it.

The Runners Handbook, by Bob Glover

2011-02-22T02:14:00.000-08:00

This book I recommend for beginner runners or people like me who haven’t run for years and want to catch up with modern thoughts about basic training, it’s not really for confirmed runners. It’s the kind of book to start someone off and perhaps introduce them to healthier habits of running exercise and health in general. I actually got more from it than I thought and appreciated the relaxed style and humor. There are some pretty shocking statistics about how unfit most people are how just a little running will help prevent a lot of heart attacks. There is a sequel book for confirmed runners which I have also read but that one won’t save your life, this one might if you are a fat over stressed city type, and so it’s here, and I recommend it, if not for you, then give it as a present to someone who desperately needs it, you never know you might save their life.

Racist Running Statistics by Stevie Sartorially Sozzaled Haston

2011-02-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

So, Pissed as a parrot, whose Mrs Parrot, has just pissed off with the Priatic Pompiers of Perpignan, I did some perusing of some perplexing physical philosophies. Needless to say you could perhaps interpret them in a different way, according to your particular prejudices or state of inebriation. As a prelude to this complex task I took a six pack of Ceres Strong Ale Export Alc. 7.7%, taken post work where none of my brilliant and totally practical ideas where taken note of. This delightful Danish brew taken prophylactically and to excess seems to speed and aid any mental task. On arriving home I ignored my normal methods of relaxation ie. www. Swedish Fetish Nurses Against Nuclear Disarmament, and did some surfing of other stuff. So I looked up the entries to a race I had entered and noted the numbers per nationality. These facts gave me some grave and enlightening information which may surprise and stun sober members of a more rational, non racial, and non-rotten minded member of Mankind.

Out of 500 entries to a one of the greatest trail races in the world which takes place in stunning mountain scenery, there are only 4 Brits! Brits are supposedly a great mountaineering nation with a great Fell running culture! The race takes place an Easy Jet flight away, cost half a pint of Bitter, plus tax! Contrast this with our Nipponese nibble footed Fell fellows. 13 Japenese will travel not across the channel, but across Asia and Europe. Naturally the home nation Italy, will raise 208 runners, but France its neighbor and our traditional enemysends 114, ‘a bakers hundredweight’to our 4. Our American cousins are sending across the pond, and not the channel 14, Canada British till only a few years ago and still across the pond manages 9, more than double the Brits, interesting again. Spain 48, tiny Portugal 6, Slovenia 1, Luxembourg 1, San Marino, who I previously thought of as a race of Sheep, are also sending 1. And least but not least, if I include myself as Gozotan and not French we get a few fantastic facts. Gozo with a population of 30,000 are also sending 1. Thus proving that Gozo, a tiny sea level island with no mountains is the greatest sporting nation in the cosmos. Long live the Gozotans we are good runners, brilliant drinkers and world famous for accurate statistics. Previously to this inquiry into world sporting endeavor I had thought of the Gozatans primarily as champions of cigarette smoking and wild and worrying hand gestures. Just goes to show how wrong you can be and the power of really strong ale.

Avalanche Non Awareness, by Stevie Haston

2011-02-07T00:46:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys, I got some nasty mail and had a few angry conversations with a few guides and people who work in the snow industry about my Avalanche blog. So to spread a bit more light, and give those guys a few more spitting fits here’s some more. Avalanche Bleeper’s don’t stop you being in an avalanche, it’s simple. Not entering avalanche areas will stop you being in avalanches, duh! You can either choose to be extremely conservative about your acceptance of risk, or be at risk to a greater or lesser extent. The Swiss ski Guides a few years ago decided to become much more careful about what they skied, and in consequence have had fewer accidents. They did this by not skiing loaded slopes above 30 degrees, this is my basic interpretation, please confirm it or disagree. Depending where you live, or what language you speak, it might be hard to get the information. I like powder and slopes above 30 degrees, so for me this is no solution, I would have to stay at home.

I thought I’d share a few facts to help you stay at home or venture out. If you are buried under snow your chances of survival are a lot less after 10 mins, and drop off significantly there after. To be found in snow debris, is almost impossibility without a bleeper. To dig two meters and retrieve a body in 10mins in anything but powder snow is asking for too much from one person. Brain damage is very evident after 14 mins, if you live that long. So first you must ski to the approximate location, if this is in a couloir bear in mind it might be stripped down to bear ice or rocks. Then you must locate the unfortunate and dig a very big hole. The hole is by necessity bigger than you think and will take time, possibly way too long. Many fatalities in avalanches are from broken necks and other severe trauma, you don’t just gently die a peaceful death. I am a fit man who knows how to dig, having worked on many building sites in my time, so I decided to do an experiment. I went to an avalanche, there are lots here to choose from, and we have had so called Spring avalanches from November. I assumed I knew where my partner was and decided to dig a hole to a depth of two meters. It took me twenty mins by myself. This was in hard snow with a very good shovel, a shovel that a few years ago was known as a Pisteur shovel and you are unlikely to be carrying one like this. The avalanche I was in a few days ago was windblown powder, and powder at altitude, so you would expect the digging to have been easy, but you are wrong. I travelled about 300 meters in the avalanche and by the time I stopped the snow was compacted and very heavy, it would have been easier to dig than my experimental hole, but still very difficult.

So you must have time get to the area, find the person with a bleeper, have a good shovel and dig a big hole, the victim then might need first aid, or flying out for major hospitalization. So you need a phone and a wilderness first aid competence, you need to know where you are. Bleeper’s shovels and probes are required by law in Off Piste skiing, but phones etc are not, why? And where do these requirements and regulations stop, most off the people I have seen recently with guides are poor skiers with no knowledge of how to help themselves in the mountains. So if the guide is taken out what happens. Anyway a bit to think about for you all. We live in a society that doesn’t think, and tries to make risky things safe, so really it should ban you from slippery surfaces in showers or make you wear a harness. And isn’t smoking still legal? Or maybe none of us should be born because, assuredly we will die. Good luck.

Three books by Stevie Haston

2011-02-04T01:36:00.000-08:00

Joss is the title of the book written by Keith Richardson about the eternal Joss Naylor. For those of you who don’t know Joss, particularly American Ultra runners, the man could be summed up as, a Lake District sheep farmer who ran prodigious distances. Of course he was much more than that, he was a legend, to many fell runners he was the man who optimized living and working among the fells. Anyway a nice coffee table sized book with lovely photos of Lake District landscape.

Wild Trails to Far Horizons by Mike Cudahy, is another must read running nerds book, probably hard to find and out of print. Again non Brits will probably not know his name, but Mr Cudahy was instrumental in stretching the boundaries of what was thought possible in long distance trail. One day a running mag might write some of the history of our sport without too much preference for one country or another, but of course that would be too hard and require them to read the above two books. This book is probably a better read than Joss but both suffer a great deal, don’t get me wrong, they are very interesting, but if you’re not a nerd they will appear long. It’s very hard to write about running in an interesting way that’s why I hesitate in recommending them but I obviously enjoyed them both, but I had no wish to be entertained, I simply wished to be informed and reminded of how great these two men were. So for me the books are very good.

King of the World by David Remnick is a great book by a great writer about a great subject. It’s not about running, it’s about boxing, it’s about Cassius and it’s about Ali, two of the innumerable sides of one man who was heavy weight champion of the world. Ali transcended sport and boxing, and became something else, he became a symbol for freedom. I can’t recommend this book enough, I just wish it was about running or climbing, but there you go, our sports are just not like boxing or are they? If you read the book, you will understand that boxing is generally fixed, a bit like climbing I think. The best boxers come from a limited part of the population who don’t have much to lose and something to fight against. Climbing used to be a rich man’s sport but was taken over by the workers, it is now back to being the province of the dilatants and myth builders. An interesting case might be running, a sport natural to all humans but now often done by IT workers in America and not sheep farmers. Anyway no real point here perhaps a mag could make a point or at least provide me with something worth reading.

Ali for me is most famous for saying, ‘I ain’t got no quarrel with those Vietcong’ not for saying anything about boxing. He was drafted into an illegal war and refused to go, good on him, shame on America.

Malta bouldering Comp, by Stevie Haston

2011-02-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Off to Malta at the end of the month to support their first Bouldering comp and give a slide show...
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=280707348840

Gasherbrun II, winter ascent, by Stevie Haston

2011-02-03T02:14:00.000-08:00

Moro, Urubko and Richards all submitted, well done. Gash 2 is thought of as an easy summit but nothing is easy in the Himalayan winter. Winter ascents used to be the preserve of hard ‘Poles’ and so it is pleasing to see lads from three different countries teaming up.

More news on http://www.planetmountain.com/

An Ordinary Run, by Stevie Haston

2011-01-30T07:18:00.000-08:00

my roommate

Yesterday was fairly ordinary. An ordinary day in a boring week, or a boring day in an ordinary week, I don’t know or care. So just before dinner I put my shoes on and went out into the dark fog. I was just going out for my very mundane ‘there and back’ little run, my filler in run, ‘my better do something run’. And you know what, it was great! As soon as I was out of the flat, watching my breath blow out like a small horse in the chilly air, I knew it was going to be good. Within a few breaths and paces I was doing what I call slow ‘breath of fire’ breathing. Breath of fire, from Kundalini Yoga, I find hard, but occasional, when running or doing Denivelé, it really clicks. Anyway its uphill for 400 meters, round past a frozen river, then the cable car station, then the woods and pillowed slow on chalets and hillocks. It was dark and cold and crunchy underfoot, I kept my eyes peeled for the two foxes who live up that road, but didn’t see them. Mostly I concentrated on my breathing and felt prime. Wow if it was this easy all the time, my god, it was really running, not jogging. So at the turn around I normally concentrate on even slow safe pace, and instead I just flew home. 10 mn faster than normal, nice. 3 plates of cabbage soup later, my legs felt worked. It was a very nice ordinary run, and I stayed awake thinking about simple, lovely things, in a bemused, full kinda way. You don’t know what you got, till it’s gone, and it goes because you don’t look after it, and cherish it. Be warned. Look after the little but great things in life, like ‘breath of fire’, you are never as happy as the child playing.

La Thuile bouldering Comp, by Stevie Haston

2011-01-27T08:04:00.000-08:00

Local Bouldering comp took place recently with route setting by Alberto Gnerro. Typical climbing wall meeting/gathering which was enjoyed by many. Nice to see Alberto Gnerro a master climber in attendance. Alberto was one of the strongest guys I’ve ever seen and was a 9a climber. Alberto did the fist 9a in Italy with a route called Ground Zero at Toit de Sarre, a route that is total power endurance. Anyway photos of the comp at Grivels website.

Alberto Gnerro
(c) Lorenzo Belfrond

Tor de Geants news, by Stevie Haston

2011-01-26T02:34:00.000-08:00

2000 years old Via Romana, part of the Tor des Géants

Bad news for runners who wanted to enter what some people have called the best mountain trail run ever. The places are all full, the race people say still apply as there might be hope with people who pull out, but basically the 500 places are full. The 330 km 24000 meters of up race has already reached classic status according to the ultra distance magazine Ultra Fond from France. Looking at the entries there are some good runners entered but with a disappointing 5 or so from Britain.

New Mixed Axes from Grivel, by Stevie Haston

2011-01-25T02:43:00.001-08:00

Two great axes, very robust, different performance. I am totally spoilt for choice at the moment, these make the choice worse. The black one is probably the choice weapon for Scotlands hardest routes and a bit more, basically bombproof, also a great choice for the harder mixed routes in the Alps and beyond.

The Orange one is a comp weapon and for the hardest mixed routes. I would still use this in all the more normal situations but some people will find its swing a bit twitchy, it’s really a bit too well bred for ordinary folk. If you think you can handle the hardest routes, this one is for you.

Both Axes come out of our Race department Reparto Corso, which is doing incredible stuff. Stay posted there are more axes, one my personal favorite, I can’t tell you about or they will kill me, but I am bursting to share. Ciao.

Free Ride World Tour, by Stevie Haston

2011-01-24T08:07:00.001-08:00

The Free Ride World Tour was set for Chamonix but due to a lac of great snow the actual riding was in fact done in Courmayer. Courmayer has had the best snow in Europe this year-guess where I am. And so I have seen a couple of great riders notably Jerome Ruby an old acquaintance from Cham-side, the best steep couloir slider ever, and Xavier de la Rue, MrFast. Xavier won the Snowboarding and you can check a vid out at the above organization, as usual he was fast and furious, a fearless man. He won 6000 dollars, nice one, and a pleasure to watch.

Marco Olmo, a lovely mutant. By Stevie Haston

2011-01-24T03:30:00.001-08:00

MarcoOlmo is a very down to earth Italian man who has worked all his life, he has also won a great many trail races. The most interesting thing about him for most will be that he won the Trail de MontBlanc when he was 59 years old. I had heard about Marco years ago but like most was shocked and stunned when this old geezer won the Big Trail. He rather confirmed what I had always thought about age not being the biggest issue in lots of sports but you do need theories confirmed. He went on to win the Trail a second time and has also a particular ability to win desert races, all good eh. I was reminded of all this the other day when I watched a film about him, if you get the chance watch it. The film is about a man without pretension, a simple man, who had a very boring job driving trucks, and yet he is incredibly special to me. One of his lines in the film, “I may have won a few races but am generally a looser in life”, struck a very resounding cord. The documentary film is sensitive to the point of extreme frankness, it is almost a great film in normal meaning. Apart from being a winner, it is very easy to understand his need to run, his need to be alone, his need for the simplicity of a long distance to traverse to give him some peace in this crazy world. Anyway make a point to catch the film or google his impressive victories, I am sure you will fall in love with him. He is of course an inspiration to older runners and clearly none of us are trying as hard as him. I am 54 this year it gives me 5 years to get good, thank you Marco.
Here the link of the film of Marco Olmo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayvGM6r3pIk
Photo who knows this painter?

Post Avalanche postualising, Stevie Haston.

2011-01-24T01:48:00.000-08:00

You can be very lucky with avalanches, but you only have to be unlucky once. I have been very lucky, I also have very good judgment, which I am still acquiring. Hopefully I will acquire a bit more, but don’t be surprised if I don’t, or if I get nabbed by an avalanghi.

Any way you can have the latest Avalanche transceiver, the latest carbon probes, and the latest lightest shovel, but how do these help you if you go out alone like I do. They don’t help you! The only thing that keeps you alive is avalanche avoidance.

Now then theres is a fine line between being careful and paranoid and thus doing yourself out of the joy of great snow. One day last week I was with a bunch of guys, some guides, a couple of top skiers and a champ snowboarder, the conditions were very bad. The guides turned round, while the snow slashers continued. I asked one of the guides what was up and he shrugged and said it was a group decision, I told him what he was going to miss and he shrugged again. We parted company and three of us slashed the slope like Zoro on amphetamine. It was great, where we lucky? Or where we stupid or did we even care?

I know we were right, however, theres always an if with avalanches, it’s a big if.

A few years ago I did a route and was kind of stuck with the getting off part, as a gale force wind, in the 5 hours I took to do the climb, probably dumped 3 meters in places at the top of the decnt gully. What to do? Sit there and wait a couple of days, phone for a rescue (no phone) or just snowboard the gully. Anyway I didn’t really have an option, no food, no pit. So I just snowboarded it and it was great. I cut thru the cornice and the snow was great.

So that was great. A few days ago I slid into a gully, clearly with a lot of snow in it and after a few meters the whole lot went. I was backside and for a while seemed to be going slower than the snow, so I kept using edge and hoping. More snow joined the fray, it went over the top of my head, I was under and could not turn into the fall line to try gaining speed, looked like it was going to be bad. I had a neck gaiter on and breathing was no bother but it didn’t look good, still I didn’t give up. I went over a little bump in the gully and a bit of a change in angle of my body put more snow behind me, this forced me off the bed, and then I kinda undulated my back and it brought me nearer the surface. Luck at this point struck again as the gully broadened, and my head popped out into air, but my board was un-turnable, stuck in honey as it was. Another bump under my tip turned the board for me, and I was away, safely under my own control. Happy, I enjoyed a great decent in bottomless powder.

If you don’t give up, you have a chance. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings. As an aside many experts and avalanche gurus have died in avalanches, I have lost friends and acquaintances, so clearly it’s not an exact science. The safest thing is not to ski, not to board and not to climb. You don’t buy safety, you pay for good days and experience, don’t pay too much, be safe.

Courmayeur snow sliding, Stevie Haston

2011-01-12T07:44:00.000-08:00

On a good day!

Courmayeur snow sliding, Stevie Haston

I have had a sad, pathetic life for the most part, bereft of true contentment, but one thing is sure, I have had a shit load of powder. Today I had very deep powder, albeit with poor viz, in the end I was the last and only one on the mountain. I tried to enter a couloir near the station and couldn’t get in because of the wind and deep snow, I tried walking to the normal entry down the long stairs and ended paddling on my board and admitted failure when my eyelids froze together. I thought I couldn’t even get back and indeed had no clear idea where back was! After a while swearing at the wind gods I regained the Helbroner steps and hoped over the steps with my board tied to me, just in case it was caught by the wind and decided to imitate a helicopter. I did a thing called the Passerelle gully for the second time that day, this time was different from the first, a tadge fraught. No viz, wind born snow dumping at a rate I have never seen before, and snow sluffing all the time. Some very doggie side slipping, some real uncontrolled slipping, and some extra fast elevate or slides where I didn’t know what was going on. Anyway 350 meters later I hit good snow, did some turns, then had to stop turning where it got deep, cos you just coudnt see ,with the spray.

At the station they said hello and closed, I skied down thru the trees alone, dreamily, lovely creamy stuff to whooptydoo over, yea, it verily was good and just.

A good day, at a great lift in great mountains. I hope you had a beau thing going on to.

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T04:36:00.000-08:00

Harmony and understanding

Crystal revelation this is the dawning of the Age of the Aquarius

Sympathy and trust abounding

No more need for superstition all your dreams are living visions

Happy Christmas from the Grivel Dear aka Stevie Haston

2010-12-24T02:43:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

New age Ice Axe from Grivel, Stevie Haston

2010-12-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Just tested this axe, big wow, or rather Big Wow!

Light, responsive, magic, very expensive, makes steep ice more pleasurable.

Allows you to understand ice more and therefore climb better. You can climb ice rather than smashing it to bits, you use features rather than creating your own ladder of holes. For me it makes ice a little more interesting again, and has rekindled my awareness of what is possible. This axe will easily allow others users to break into a new grade, but beware it doesn’t come with a full set of experience and survival knowledge. Maybe I’ll do a full review somewhere, but basically my advice is get some, and go somewhere, and climb something real steep an Alien looking.

Running stuff, and other stuff, by Stevie Haston.

2010-12-17T06:44:00.000-08:00

I like running, trouble is I like other stuff too. What to do with your time, how to divide time, share it, apportion it, is always a major problem. I try to keep a lot of time for myself, but seem to be running out. And of course the worst is that some activities are counterproductive, they don’t actually help each other or go hand in hand; you know all this. So the other day when I went climbing at a hard venue I couldn’t get my lightest harness on because my legs are too big! Too much pizza, too much running! So what? Well I like being reasonable at stuff, I don’t like being a total woose, and the other day at the cliff, I could barely lift my treelike legs to the appropriate footholds. Yes so I am ok at running you say, well not exactly, I am worse than a scrubber at running. I was a few months ago just below the top standard in climbing and now I have screwed it up. To become a reasonable runner I would have to do some serious redesigning of the Haston chassis, so will I?

I have some desire to enjoy this incredible winter, I live in an astounding place, with extraordinary mountains all around, but in which way shall I enjoy it? I was invited to race an 18km run over snow the other day and knew I would come nowhere, so declined. I could have done it for the camaraderie I guess. It boils down to ego and wanting to look good, and it’s sad that I am not over it at my age but there you go.

Big legs, alpine climbers legs are not compatible with hard rock climbing. Rock climber’s spindles don’t work well potholing thru sodden powder at 3000 meters. Flexibility is not normally encountered in runners, you just can’t seem to be very good at more than one thing, it’s a big pain, and my body doesn’t help, it wants to be big, it doesn’t want to be light. So much sport seems to be dependant (to me) on being an exact shape or weight. Anyway going back to when I used to do a little Marshall arts I only did well at welterweight, when I ran at my best I was 8 lbs lighter, When I did my best Alpine climbing I was 128 lbs, hard to believe when I look at myself in the mirror, but easy to understand when I look at my watch at the end of a run. So the answer is simple, get rid of zee fat, that’s right folks, I am going to chop off my head, 16 lbs of useless fat.

Volkl Cashew 162 snowboard, by Stevie Haston.

2010-12-17T02:55:00.000-08:00

This snowboard took my eye and opened my mind. Made in Austria by the reputable brand Volkl, it uses natural materials like bamboo and hemp in its construction, and also has an interesting curved base and a good flex for powder. The base is very fast and the board altogether is very light. Its well worth checking out, and maybe buying if you want to support this kind of environmentally friendly product which also rides very well. At 162cm it is very good for most people and also comes in a shorter length for smaller and lighter users. I have tried the longer version which suits me more in the deep snow we have (another foot and a half of fresh this morning), anyway all in all, an interesting board.

The guy with me is Lorenzo Belfrond, he is a master photographer and his work is much in demand by snowboard mags, apart from that he is very handy on a plank and is one of my few mates.

Memories...

2010-12-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

Fed up, fooked up...4ooom of up and down far away from home!

Remind me of a new route in Gogarth!

Skinny icicle, is it to skinny for a fat ice climber?

Ménage à trois!!!

Happy spliffmass by Stevie Haston

2010-12-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Xmass, from the International Jamaican Federation of Ice Climbers against Global Warming, please donate generously. At this precise moment in time (somewhere in December) we implore you to cut your carbon footprint by not exhaling, and of course by not using de car to go to work, in fact don’t work cos it is bad for the environment.

At this time of year many members of our community have trouble with frozen dreads. There is no easy solution, but it is recommended not to dance too crazily next to people without eye protection.

A big thank you to our brothers in Scotland who sent over those men’s skirts, we have sent over some banana hammocks over in our colours Black Yellow and Green, small size is not too big, we hope.

Finally Ali G came over to show some solidarity, he did some rye fooling and has shown no inclination to go back to North London.

Finally plus 1, we are urgently looking for more female members, no previous ice climbing experience necessary but must be fit if you know wat I mean.

Remember our motto dont worry about a thing, be happy.

Snowing in november by Stevie Haston

2010-12-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

It’s snowing, its dumping, and its only November. There’s ice, frozen waterfalls to be climbed, and a question that I need to answer. Will I climb in the mountains this winter? Yes or no? I am living in Coumayer, Italy at the foot of Montblanc and every day I stare at some great routes that I have dreamt of climbing and some I have climbed but wouldn’t mind doing again. Shall I stay or shall I go?

I left the Alps because it’s too serious for a man who loves mountains, steep powder, and wild ice. Somehow I am back here earning money and trying to admire from a distance, but I can feel myself loosing my grip, the urge is like the heroine itch, it’s more than a reminder.

Worse, is I am fit, fit for mountains. Anyway as they say over here, what will come will come. To be alone in a cruel winter, traipsing along those great ridges in splendid isolation is more than my heart can bear, so yes I guess I might do some.

But what and which and how, because I know why, because I never liked alpinism I always loved it. So I was up dreaming, planning and scheming, checking maps, guidebooks and photos. Making plans, appointments with destiny. Dramatic nonsense, overblown soliloquies with my own half listening ego. Yes ,yes, but there are routes that aren’t very hard, routes that are just exciting exercise, still memorable, and since the Tour de Giants I really feel the need for accomplishing slightly more grandiose things than short climbs beside the road. My time is running out, between earning money and pleasing other people I have hardly any time for myself.

I have been waking up at 6 at the latest every morning doing some yoga, and then either training or going to work. Its working in many ways, this routine. Discipline is key, a monks life, Spartan flat with wet running shoes, damp sweaty clothing, rotting in corners. How fit am I? Very, but not as fit as I would like to be, can I get fitter? Yes, more hard work, more discipline.

So what’s with the Yoga Stevie? Laurence my climbing partner is training to be a Kundalini yoga teacher and I had in many ways exhausted my own possibilities, so stretching is replaced with Yoga, as it’s my mind that needs to become supple and my breathing that must come under my control. Laurence is happier and I am happy for her, the mountains have their winter sable wrapped around their shoulders and look majestic. Running is at the moment replaced with uphill walking it’s called Denivelé in French, I did 4000 meters of snow covered hill twice this last week and felt my body waking up, I will do more.

Tor des Géants by Stevie Haston

2010-11-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

Photos credit to Lorenzo Belfrong

How would you like to run for 330 km? You probably wouldn’t, no sensible person would. Would you like to do 24,000 meters of ascent and decent? No definitely not, you would have to be out of your mind, right. The Tor de Geants is a race, or event, that takes in the 330km and 24,000meters of up and had 380 entrants of all ages, who thought it might be fun. Surprisingly they all seemed fairly normal to me, a bit passionate perhaps, very fit and eager, but no they weren’t out of their minds. Don’t get me or them wrong, none of them thought it would be easy, and they certainly knew it would hurt more than a little. So why did they do it? Well for a start the TDG is held in some of the most beautiful valleys of the world and they were arranged in a logical way to create a journey that showed this beauty off, but also paid homage to the local people who try to live within these mountains in a peaceful and harmonious way. The TDG takes high level walking routes around the mountains of the Aosta region, starting and finishing in Courmayeur. Courmayeur is well known to the climbing community, but in the last few years it has become a great centre for mountain running. And this is where I personally got involved, as I know these valleys intimately from climbing in them for 30 years. I noticed the TDG announcement 5 weeks before its start and was seduced by its magic and its provocative challenging allurement. All that beauty within a scant 7 days, was it possible? It was apparently possible for non professionals, but was it possible for me a rock climber who hadn’t done any endurance for a few years. I had been looking for an excuse to take a break from climbing, and the more I thought about all those lovely valleys in the race, the more I was hooked.

If you break the Tor de Geants down into stages, it sounds logical and simple and this is what fooled me, although I guess I must have been willing to be fooled. Each day you would do a mountain marathon with 4000meters of ascent and descent, how hard could that be I reasoned? In truth this would be hard enough but the tricky bit about the Tor is the lack of sleep, something even the good competitors had trouble with, but of course they were at least clever enough to understand this important factor. I also desperately wanted to see some good guys and girls running hard, to inspire me. Sport for me is about people who try hard. The motivation and passion among mountain runners has always cheered me up especially as it is a sport that doesn’t get much mainstream attention. In my cynical eyes they would be freer from the nonsense that sometimes surrounds climbing and would give me a boost. After really looking at how the Tor broke down and its apparent lack of sleep I did want to back out and thought just about watching it, I was scared by the sheer hard work involved, the pain, the lack of glory, the night marches into your own private purgatory if not hell. Did I back out? No I didn’t , because in 5 short weeks I morphed into a runner, I turned into an endomorphine junky, like I was when I was a kid. The enormous joy of travelling fairly big distances over fabulous mountain terrain bit into my soul and wouldn’t let go. In training around the lovely hills of north Wales I met great warm generous people who helped me run. When I went to work in Courmayeur I met more gentle loving people who helped me run, the sun shone and those mountains just begged you to walk trot or run over them. Six days before the race I met Marco high in the hills at a refugio, a chance meeting of like minded souls, he gave me a schedule for trotting the race which helped me greatly and was sad that he was going to pull out of it because of overtraining. I tried to keep him in the race and said my good byes. On the way back home 50 kms a cut developed in my heel, I would have to cancel my race, and I developed Marcos visage, sad miserable, like loosing a lover. 5 weeks work down the tube, Marco had invested more, I was lucky I tried to tell myself I had a good excuse and wouldn’t have all that pain, but neither would I have the joy. In the six days before the race the cut did not heel and then I did what a lot of endurances runners would do , I just decided I was going to enter and every mile I did would be a victory until I gave up.

On race day I walked the 2 kms to the start and got excited seeing all the great athletes and all the ordinary runners who were about to try really really hard just to finish. The excitement was really extraordinary, the organizers put on a great start and everybody was pumped up with the music and the enormity of the distance. Before I knew it we were off, and because the first couple of hours were uphill only there was no painful landing on my heels and I started to gain places from my back of the pack start. The weather was glorious, the mountains stupendous, and the feeling among the runners was uplifting. I felt no real pain that day and ran a fair bit, the crunch came later that day at the end of the days stage. We all had the opportunity to rest eat and sleep in a so-called life base, these were entirely adequate indeed excellent and with lovely volunteers but due to the runners nerves the coming and going of people and your metabolism being all over the place sleep tended to be impossible. Indeed the good guys and girls didn’t stop, they just pushed on, it was something I didn’t really understand and even if I had I would not have had the confidence to do. This was my first race, and I had jumped into a big one where tactics and experience counted even more than running ability and things like VO2 max. In this race and others like it, sheer grit and being very tough count very high, I was finally ahead of better athletes than myself and I in turn was placed lower than some ordinary but fantastically enduring people.

At life base one I tried to sleep, I squeezed my eyes shut for 2 hours, but no sleep, not a wink, so I got up and started walking in the rain, in the dark. And here I learnt another lesson, you must have the right equipment, a good system of clothes and be familiar with it, and know how to use it. I wasn’t on top of this and changing waterproofs every 5minutes costs you time, and all those changes and little rest stops over 330 kms add up to about a day, a day that you can’t get back. There was a tough Col at 3200 meters and here again was a lesson despite being someone who climbs at medium altitudes this is not enough and I visibly slowed down above 2500meters. So acclimatisation is very necessary on this race. Some of the downhill sections from Cols fully taxed my mountain craft in the rain, and I was grateful of my decision to take poles. Walking poles were in great evidence, and let you use different muscles as well as helping you maintain stability in the dark and when walking downhill half asleep. But they do need practise to use well.

At one point a good Italian runner paused to cheer me up before he over took me. Come on he said a bit more and a lovely smooth decent for 14km. And he was right, a smooth even path but I couldn’t do it justice, a slow dogtrot was all I could muster.

Another similar night in a life base and I was up before I’d rested, talking to Mark from the Lakes. He was going to quit due to a wrenched knee, I tried to keep him in the race, and he helped me with my cut, but he reluctantly pulled out. So I was now fully into a cycle of trying to sleep, but only resting for a few hours. Having a warm meal and then off again. The uphill ascents, however hard were fine, and the down hills were often agony. I had to develop different ways of walking, or trotting, which didn’t involve heel strikes. Somehow I kept going. The fourth section was 56 km with about 5000meters of up, it went on, and on. I started just before sunset so that my feet would be colder and wouldn’t get as damaged. At the Refugio de Coda in the dark a sparkling view over the plain of Piedmont, town lights 50 km away were like a fairy tale and then afterwards endless rocks. I overtook a young lady who was having an asthma attack and tried to assure her it was fine and then rushed on so I could tell someone. An hour later I bumped into Pascal who was looking after a few runners including the girl I’d just seen, it was at a windy col as the day broke, and she was overjoyed to hear I thought her pal was fine, she trotted down the hill like a spring bunny with some medicine. Pascal will probable do the race next year, see you then eh? Anyway this stage nearly broke me, but after a short rest at the next life base I carried on, I didn’t trust myself to sleep now, thinking if I found sleep I wouldn’t wake up. Now then, this next stage was supposed to be easy, but I found it very hard, my feet had both got really bad, and there was a huge unending rocky descent to finish. A lovely airy series of cols worthy of Lord of the Rings, and then downhill torture for 1500 meters. It was hell, I did some of it asleep, on auto pilot. The last 2 stages I knew, because I had done them in practice so I thought I had the race in the bag. But my feet got worse and worse till finally I needed a lot of work from a doctor and a nurse. L would like to thank the nurse again, she was from Spain and was very empathetic when she was lancing the cuts and blisters, I really did know it was hurting her more than me. Finally I was on my feet but I couldn’t get one of the shoes on so we had to cut that too. In the end I limped off, it turned into a hobble after a few kms and somewhere along the way I did about 14 kms of running. From the final Col I always knew that it would be ok as the view of the Monte Bianco is one of the most magical this planet offers, with the ridge of the Noire like a great flying buttress soaring to the roof of the mightiest cathedral of Europe, it is simple sublime. I finished 82nd to a lovely warm welcome, and met the two leading girls who had come in a day and a half ahead of me, seriously good times not like mine. Julia asked me what I had been up too in all that time, cheeky little Imp, she was great, hi Julia next time! Some of the runners of course did excellent times, some just scraped through, but many of the more experienced ones said it was the hardest race they had done. This is not a warning, it is merely so you know, in my humble opinion as I am a novice, and the joys seemed equal to the effort. The bonus is you get to see the best from people the warmth and generosity of the locals and the right stuff by the competitors,all in all very life affirming.

The Tor de Giants is a fantastic run in superb mountain landscape, but it is much more than that, it is the spirit of 1200 volunteers –incredible- its local people who walk up hills in the middle of the night to say bravo- and competitors who aren’t your enemy, they are your friends. You visit differing valleys who speak three different languages but all love the region and respect it and protect it. I am incredible lucky to have been tricked into this celebration of mountain life and thanks once more to the organisers and sponsors. A special personal thanks to everybody who gave me a helping hand and there were many, very many grazie. The Tor de Géants is finally over, long live the tour, do not hesitate make your date with the Geants.

Link http://www.tordesgeants.it/

TOR DES GEANTS for STEVIE HASTON

2010-09-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

Stevie has been taking a rest from climbing and his training in Italy for the Tor des Géants, an other crazy idea of his, he hope to finish the race, but he has some bad blister already from his training,

you can follow on http://www.tordesgeants.it/ and on the new Grivel website http://www.grivel.com/ check the videos on MEDIA...

Thanks to Lorenzo Belfrond for the picture...

Italy is numero Uno, by stevie haston.

2010-07-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

Went to northern Italy for work and pleasure again, both good. It rained again also, but the flowers were bright and plentiful and the mountains looked very big with their mantle of snow on. I did my normal run passed the Jorrasses and for a few moments had a bit of static as I looked up at an unclimbed couloir that was claimed and named as a route the other week. So three nice guys fail on a route, but decide to claim it anyway and there is a report in Planet Mountain and UKC web sites condoning it. Gee, is there any point in actually doing anything anymore. Come on, the thing is still waiting to be done. I paused, shook my head, and then I thought about the talented sport climber who just added 70 bolts to the Maestri route on Cero Torre, the climbing world is loosing its senses and it’s getting worse. Anyway the north face of the Blanche got a ski decent just this month, first time since the first, 30 years ago, so on the way back down I paused, thought about that, and it cheered me up. And strangely enough, a few days later I was up at altitude in a hurricane doing some film work, which although really unpleasant made me feel a lot of respect for people who do give mountains their due place and respect and don’t stop before the tape looking around for applause.
The big personnel news which is pretty depressing for me, the route I really want to do is humiliating me, and it looks like I will have to get better or more likely just bin it, because its too hard for me. I have made no head way on it, created more mental barriers for myself, and worse, realised it’s super morpho for me. So in reality, I am on to a thrashing to nothing. If it wasn’t for the fact that its brutal character has imprisoned my desire I would defo say I have given up on it, but I’ll try a bit more just to hurt myself. It’s only had two ascents by two of my heroes at the peak of their game, both lads with a bigger reach and 15 pounds lighter than me. Think about those facts, and you might be as depressed as me! They both regularly placed high in comps and this power endurance kindda route was there bread and butter. However to justify the likely hood of failure I have convinced myself that it could be beneficial in a training way rather than an ego way, just use it as a gigantic exercise machine and a mental game, and award myself points for doing bits of it, or good links. As its on the way from work to the apartment its almost sensible. This route is defiantly tilting at windmills at the moment, but I always did like that book.

Met a great guy called Max who was trying a very nice power endurance 8b+, he was helping his mate do a route and between burns sat in a fold up chair reading a book on Adolf Hitler. It turned out that he was the same size as Laurence so with his help we were able to convince Laurence to try a route she had secretly had an eye on. Max was also able to give me some great beta despite being 5 inches smaller than me, grazzie. His optimism and happiness were contagious even though I was tired and I look forward to seeing him get his route, which he most defiantly will unlike me! We were discussing how hard it is being mountain climbers who are into redpointing and how are habits of security impede our ability to take risks and climb well on sport routes. Anyway his ability to switch on was much better than mine but I am having a bad patch, this bad patch doest extend into me being sour though and I am getting a lot of pleasure from other peoples success, just wish I had some of my own. I’ll have to start training with Ernest and stop eating and become obsessed and mortgage my soul again.

My boss was a demanding tyrant as usual, but I love him like a father. Once at a meeting 10 years ago I doodled a cartoon of him, a distorted huge head, large hands, small ears, and one of my sub bosses looked over my shoulder and started giggling and then big bosses son started laughing too until the meeting was disrupted and I was dragged over the coals. But to this day on his door he has the cartoon, a big brain and small ears is no good, so he altered the cartoon to a big brain and huge ears because that’s what the boss should be. Bravo Boss.

Because of work my head was always full of great gear, work, more design, efficiency, costs, communication, too much coffee, so I would run a bit or do a lot of Yoga to try and relax. But to very little avail, I’d wake up at 5 am and start thinking or wanting action of some sort. In the end I looked at my training and decided to work a couple of things in a complicated exercise plan and cut down on duration but up frequency, day on day off, but each second day on different by 50%, in exercise and intensity. This is to try to iron out my weaknesses, by sacrificing some of my strengths; loose some power and hopefully gain some power endurance. I need more crimp strength too even though I have gained,. If I make a small gain and loose 10 lbs, I might become an interesting mutation. Lets see, 12 weeks or more, and the transformation to wingless bat, half gibbon, should be complete.

Miha, today I miss you, by Stevie Haston.

2010-05-24T02:13:00.000-07:00

Miha you died two years ago on Cho Oyu, but it is only today I finally understand that you are not here. You were so young, and full of promise and fun, uncorrupted and hopeful, your death has robbed me today of some of the blue sky, and I will try to paint it back in because I know you would want me too. People reading this will not know you or indeed sadly, may never have even met someone like you and your passing removes one less chance for bright sparks like you to fly. I remember a conversation with you about how you were going to knuckle down and do less climbing and more money work, and you laughed, ordered another beer for us, and now that I think about it I cant remember if you winked at the waitress or it was the sun in your eyes. ‘Do free Rider’ you said with glee, ‘I have done it, not soo bad, and it is good, and you haven’t, how can this be?’

Miha's car!

We all met in Kathmandu to do a remote mountain and there you go, I just remember the good times, the bouldering in the flowers. At the airport when we couldn’t get a helicopter and you were getting miffed I bet you beers that I was heavier than you and I won though you were so much taller than me. Do you remember we called ourselves the ‘happy morons’ and how we laughed, do you remember me cello taping my eyes all slitty to be funny?

You did so much climbing after you decided to do less, ha! All the 4000-meter peaks in the Alps in one winters season must have been good, a good one, bet you had some liquid carb, eh? Fitzroy, Nameless Tower, hard sport, what were you going to do when you were old?

Tomas and you are dead now, two funny guys less from that table which crumpled with beer glasses, I was injured and you wondered how I could be happy in crutches, and I said that it was because I would live to see another Spring and you demurred.

Miha Valic thanks for making a ‘happy moron’ laugh, a bit easy though, now if we were intelligent climbers that would be hard! In remembering you I will paint the sky blue, I will turn all slabs into overhangs, and make Laurence smile and laugh like you did. See you on the other side, Miha.

Fortieth generation Italian, by Stephano Haston.

2010-05-23T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have just spent a week working in northern Italy, so I am tired; I have some lira in my pocket, met some new people and was generally more alive from using my brain, normal for northern Italy! If it wasn’t for the coffee, which is reason enough to go, I would be I in need of a sanatorium like in he Magic mountain, kinda consumption of the brain has taken place.

Wake up sometimes was five, stare at the wooden beam, make a pot of coffee, actually that should read, choose a coffee pot from the five in the cupboard, then watch it do its stuff, fill the nostrils, eat some carb and pop out for a run. Most days it was raining, but a few were clear, and they were divine. I would run up the hill, till I was opposite the Grande Jorasses, pausing to check gullies, dream a little, sometimes my whole person would inhabit a thought and I would take wing, flying up the snow slopes, swooping around the granite, going right at the hut, straight up the Tour du Jorasses up the route of the Etoile, then on to the summit and let my sight stretch its way around the big glacier basin and on towards the Dru. Wow! Turn around bright eyes, go to work! So around I’d turn and do big imaginary snowboard turns through the slightly heavy spring powder until I’d have to jump the huge seracs, and soar gaining a lot of air and wonder how I could ever get down to the road again. Spiralling down, an air corkscrew, Id lightly land on my feet and jog down to the apartment and a yawning Laurence eating her muesli, trying to do some yoga. Naturally she wasn’t the slightest bit interested in my Wizard of Oz reverie.

Off to work. Working with good, intelligent, gifted people is not so bad; it’s almost a pleasure.

Lunch, and watching other people eat, not so good! So what that the Balsamic vinegar is brill, I want the pizza del Mari and the Anti pasta of God. More work.

One morning we went climbing instead, because we needed to work our arms, A cliff with a view, yet urban and two minuets from the car, a crazy overhanging cliff, so good, so steep, happy, yet not in the groove, timing wise. We got a bit spanked, but it didn’t matter. Met some local lads, all lovely boys, who showed us a bit of skill. A very enjoyable morning, and then a really productive afternoons work.

I have thought about living in this valley, and maybe I will one day, it does suit my personality, but I miss Ariege. Anyway in an ideal world I can have both, and life is not being unkind to me at the moment, even if I am not climbing so well. Have ‘golden dreams’ as they say in Italian, and I look foreword to returning to a climb I can’t do.

Whether it is knobbier in the behind, by stevie haston

2010-05-23T07:31:00.000-07:00

Whether it is nobler to blog, or to suffer the slagging of arrows, or work power endurance, is the question. The weather is up and down, mostly down. I don’t know if this has affected my mood, probably, as I do need a lot of bright light, or I get depressed. A meter of snow fell in May and its burden of heavy snow broke thousands of trees locally, a sad thing in deed. My garden suffered, so the roses are late, and we will miss about half our flowers. I felt like crying more than once. To top it all, one of my favourite cockerels drowned in a water bucket, his name was Napoleon, and he was a dwarf, with the spirit of tiger, his little harem miss him awfully.
Anyway that’s not the point, the point is to blog, or not to blog. As a diary a blog s good, it’s good but not private, it takes time, and is a burden, there is little up side. I have been working a lot recently, mainly writing and some working on climbing products, which has meant little time for other stuff and yet I cant help but say, that the people who have written and told me they enjoyed my writing have cheered me up. So I’ll try to blog for them.

There has also been the problem of the month of May itself. May is so blooming pollen crazy that it’s had me ill. I love May, but am allergic to pollen. Here’s a funny one, all my life I wanted a Wisteria, I adore their blossoms, and for two years my Wisteria didn’t blossom and I was sad, but since then its gone mad and pumps out huge quantities of mind numbing, heavy pollen. Every day is a battle not to chop it down, a bit like this blog,

I love the people who enjoy my stuff, after all they must be intelligent, and like-minded, and obviously if you don’t like my stuff you are clearly of an ugly disposition, and are dumb, and do not disserve Tiramisu.

Laurence warming up on an 8a-progress for her!

There is another problem, my climbing is in a hole. My climbing is vacillating, and lacks true direction. And I can’t enjoy it in the way I can a run in the woods, or a bit of caving. I keep wondering if that’s it, it will just decline. I so enjoyed being good a while ago, it was such a rush, I thought it would continue. But it’s very much like my garden I am afraid, it needs mucho work, and the storms will do their damage wont they. While in Italy, I tried a route I would like to do, but of course the problem is that it’s hard, and very much not my style. It’s 28 meters long, power endurance all the way, no rest no shake out, start and go till the chains. It’s magnificent in its simplicity, but it will require a lot of effort from me if I am to be even a serious contender. Still there is a similar route for Laurence on the same cliff at her grade, so it might be interesting for us both. Perhaps she will drag me up out of the little quagmire I have sunk in. I don’t know if any of you have done power endurance, but its weird stuff. If you have done any running I would compare it to running an 8OO meter race, you can give out anywhere in the last half, absolutely anywhere. Its also funny in that old age, or any age other than perfect age, is supposed to affect power endurance. You get vets still good at longer distances but not at the 800. In climbing there are good examples of many older climbers being very capable but not at super power endurance, or comp type routes. So it might be interesting if I knuckle down and try, cos I think it’s a hurting thing, it’s a terribly hard thing to do and train for it. I need courage to start it, and courage to train for twelve weeks, all to then probably fall off just short of the chains. I’ll have to mortgage my soul to the devil, where is the horny red blighter when you need him.

2010-05-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

Running Stuff, Stevie Haston.

2010-05-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

A tip for running in the rain, drizzle or snow, is to use Gore-Tex running shoes. I have been using them a lot recently and think they are ace. Even when its not raining but there is heavy due in the grass they are great. They are a little warmer too. As soon as it warms up change to a more breathable light mesh if its dry, because hot feet are worse than wet feet in my opinion.

My bestest route, Cannabis by stevie haston.

2010-03-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Years go by, and you do little. A whole life can go by in the blink of an eye, without a single glorious moment. Even when you do climb well, most times, it’s just filling in the dots, and dashes.
The last new route I did, is different from the ordinary, it’s very fine, interstellar, galactic, cosmic even. Why so?

Try this,

It’s a 70 meter pitch,

It overhangs 20 meters

It is on wires and friends on loose rock

It finishes with 15 meters of ice

Yet you do two thirds in rock shoes

It’s hardish

For me an it’s an amalgam of everything that best in wild rock and ice

It sparkles

I am proud of this little gem, happy that I made the considerable effort to do it, happy I did it ground up, and took many falls.

It’s called Cannibis, and there must be other routes to do like this.

I very rarely do anything significant, but this is a masterpiece. If all our days were this productive, it would be more joyful for sure.
Question, Is it a mixed route? Ans, Yes

In future we might get a crampon that will be fixable with one hand more easily, and very complex hybrid climbing might be easier. At the moment boots and crampons take a bit of time to fit. On this route I was lucky to have a ledge to change, otherwise this route would have had to have been, dry tooled, and aided , or 1 point of aid to change shoes. Also this route may have been too hard for me to climb ground up with the additional burden of a pair of axes, and a pair of crampons, additional 2 kgs + rack of friends, draws, etc. This additional wieght is getting too much of a charge for a route over 8a. Well for me, it is! However on easier routes many things should be possible. Climbing is still evolving, eh?
Viva la revolution.

Ma Petit commune.

C’est très triste les nouvelles de mon paradis Pyrénéen, 4% de la population vote pour Le Pen. Ce n’est pas un désastre c’est une catastrophe. On n’a pas un problème d’immigration mais une sévère dépopulation. Peut-être c’est moi, qui sait? De toute manière je reste avec mes lapins et poules. Moi qui pensait que le seul problème était les chevaux divaguant et mangeant les arbres fruitiers.

Quels sont les problèmes dans mon paradis? Nous sommes pauvres. Pourquoi sommes nous pauvres? Parce que nous ne produisons plus beaucoup, ou vendons. La majorité des terres ne sont pas cultivées, c’est juste collatérale.

Les vieilles traditions meurent. Et rien n’est inventé pour les remplacer. Nous sommes une commune de personnes agées, mourant doucement. On survit à peine et nous sommes remplacés par les gens riches de la ville.

Pour cet endroit est fantastique parce que je peux me balader sur la montagne d’en face. Mais j’ai un problème réel pour gagner ma vie.

Si vous avez des enfants il faut les emmener à l’école, il n’y a plus d’école dans le village.

Ce n’est dans l’intéret de personne de m’aider et encore moins pour le gouvernement de me render moins dependant du système. Eh Bé, comme on dit içi.

How to Blog, win few friends, and alienate people, by stevie haston.

There’s an art to being a slimy toadie, there’s magic in being liked by lots of folk, it’s a skill that can be taught, but lots of pond algae seem to have it sorted instinctively. Male bonding has always been a complete mystery to me, I guess because I think most men are just boys looking for people to play football with, and I was crap at football. There you go I hate football too, it’s shite, try saying that in the boozer and see how many Shandies you will get bought, or ‘hand shandies’, you get given. Climbers, mostly men of thin build, who think pulling on a small hold makes them gods. Alpinists are slightly tougher individuals than rock climbing cougars, who climb in very expensive gear, up snow slopes, that have sometimes been snowboarded down by hung over pot-heads. 8000 meter climbers, are too untalented to be either of the first two examples. I realised just after I fell in love with climbing, that climbers didn’t really deserve climbing, well they got there just desert in the end, they moved indoors, or under boulders on sit down starts.

Who are climbers nowadays, actually who is anyone? What are we, just creatures looking for security, shelter, and society? Or are we people, with caring codes, who want to be kind, gentle, magnanimous. If I want some company, which is rare, I might talk to a caver, a fell runner, or a slider of the snow, sometimes these folk are also climbers, which can be a bit confusing. Was it Groucho Marx who once said ‘I don’t wish to be a member of a club that would except me as a member’, and didn’t he write a letter to the club telling them that? On his death bed, he famously said he would exchange all his fame for a decent erection, and someone to use it on! If Groucho had been a climber, he would have liked loose rock, he could have talked to it, played with it, thrown bits of it at his second, piled little cairns of pebbles on holds to trick his pals. Maybe he wouldn’t of had any pals, a soloer perhaps? Yes but no one to talk to, no one to hold a mirror to and show them how absurd they are. Climbing is a mess at the moment, some climbers are taking the piss, and the mags, and the web climbers are letting them, because they don’t really care. As long as they get their cheap entertainment, bread and circuses, their fake gladiatorial routes, there death defying stories, and climbers that are warriors, but very cuddlesome and politically correct, ones that wont mess up the sofa, cos their swords are made of plastic.

There was a famous grumpy French guide who never used to speak to his clients, and the story goes that on the successful completion of a Mont Blanc, he would smile and shake your hand. I heard recently that this wasn’t true, and that the only time he touched your hand was to take the francs from you! The real advantage about this great man, was that he had a fantastic safety record, and in those days trivial, inconsequential chit chat, was saved for the Restro afterwards. So what if he was an anti social grump, he got you to the top of the hill, and he got you down again.

Being involved in the climbing world, and it’s business world is a pisser, because it’s just like any other business, or racket.

Have you noticed that climbing is getting more like the daily Mirror and the Sun? Or is it the News of the World, the token unclothed tart is on the cover, and not page three, that’s the only difference. But then again, we are all tarts, the oldest profession after all is climbing. Climb up Mount Sinai, pray a bit, come down with some revelations, and a few tablets. Fast forward to today, climb something, pretend to be cool, modest, and have good teeth, draw a topo, and preach. Verily, you are a Profit, and we will award you the golden calf, or the golden Piolet. There is no real thought, it’s just a question of looking presentable, not visibly mad, Anglo Saxon, got a pronounceable name etc. With the rise of the net, advertorial blogs and climbing mags that cater for chance buyers, we seem to have lost any real analysis about what’s really going on. Climbing is just a series of sound bites, about 50 words long! It does not matter if anything actually happens that week or month, because value doesn’t mean anything to dilitantes, or people who want fanzines. Plus info, will defo go in or be used, if the thing is free, or very cheap. If the info or news is correctly priced, chances are you wont see it! That’s why we have less pros, less people who put the work in. Climbing is mostly theatrics in a world used to breakfast TV, car radios, and thinking that going to the climbing wall is really climbing. People actually read about protein shakes, and diet plans, and body fat percentages, when they don’t even break into a sweat training. Climbers are taking the piss, magazines are tired, web sites are advertising. And yet there is a lot going on, but you wouldn’t know. You might know, if you were helped, if you were informed, but you would still have to listen, talk, discuss, learn, read, do some reflection.

When old skilled craftsmen tell their apprentice, that they know more than they will ever learn, it’s true my son! Anyway this blog is working out well for me. I get a chance to think, reflect, and reconsider. If you don’t like it, fine, I don’t care, you can go to a fanzine, or click on to some advertorial stuff. Before I finish, I’ll just say that last week a 16 year old boy did 9b, and the great British plebeian climbing public are more interested in 15 feet of Gritstone, that was put up over 15 years ago. I can’t even think of a word to describe this state of ridiculousness, this interest imbalance. One thing is extraordinary, the other banal, and Brits don’t know the difference. Beats me, but then I am just a rabbit breeder from a forgotten part of rural France.

If you don’t like reading the Sun, you can read the Independent, or the Times. What’s your choice in climbing? You can have watered down Coke, or watered down Pepsi, that’s your choice.

Are not you lucky, mes amis?

This Blog/Golb is a note book, if you find it unwholesome don’t let your children read it Mrs Robinson. Smoking is worse than these words, there are no weapons of mass indoctrination hidden between the lines, it is harmless opinion. Having a different opinion in some places and at some times, makes you easy to attack. The first Magazine editor I wrote for, told me never to have an opinion because some people will take offense. At times I wish I had taken his advice, but then I would be anodyne, an empty vessel, a simpering self- serving sweetie.

Ron Fawcett-rock athlete, the book review, by stevie haston.

2010-03-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

This book is about the great climber, ‘Big’ Ron himself, it was written with the help of Ed Douglas. It’s very good, down to earth, and deals with very real things, besides the climbing. If you were a climber during these years, 70s thru to the early 90s, it is essential reading. If you are younger, it will defiantly help you understand this important era, and one of British greatest climbing statesmen. Well done, top marks. A longer review of mine can be found on a UKC.

Yiannis Kouros a true mutant by stevie haston.

2010-03-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the greatest runner this planet has ever seen who is human, but more likely, he is superhuman; his name is Yiannis Kuros. He holds nearly every running record between 100 to a 1000 miles. When he first won the famous race the Spartathlon, the Yanks put in a complaint, and accused him of cheating, because they had never heard of him, and he was so fast. The Spartathlon is a race of 156 hilly miles in Greece finishing at the statue of Lionidas in Sparta. Kouros holds the record at 20hr 25mins, a fantastic time by a fantastically different man, a happy poet, who is an inspiration to amateurs and top pros of ultra distance. His record for 24 hrs is 303 kilometres, and just like the bullet, that distance would kill 99.99999 % of humans. Keep on running. An indefatigable spirit, matched with great running skill, producing inspirational performances.

Tools of the trade

For not the strength of lions or of bulls shall hold him.

Strength against strength, he has the power of Zeus.

So check Mr Kouros and his life out. And think about doing 303 km on a bike within 24 hrs, if you need it simplified for you, let alone on a track on foot!

Thank you Yiannis, thank you very much indeed for being so strong.

Banal, deluded people, in an ordinary world, by Stevie, the elitest Haston

2010-03-14T04:50:00.000-07:00

Please read, and fill in the following questionnaire. Equipment necessary: a pencil, a piece of paper, a brain, oh yes, some honesty. And, if you fail the test, an extremely sharp knife.

Do you wish to climb all grades, not just easy ones?

Would you like to be able to do only a few climbs, because of lack of ability, or being able to do nearly all the beau routes anywhere in the world?

Would you like to be stupid, or intelligent?

Would you like to be a hunch back with a foot long nose, or ok looking?

Is a crowded beach in Benidorm, the same for you as a deserted beech in Madagascar.

Is the climbing wall you go to, the same as Ceuse in the early spring? Which do you prefer?

Have you ever snowboarded the Mont Blanc in a foot of powder with a blue sky, no tracks?

Is Ben Nevis as awesome as Lhotse South Face?

Are you happy when you work in a stuffy office staring at the clock?

Do you like Columbian Cocaine, German motorcycles, Swiss trains, French wine, sunsets over the Utah desert towers? Or are you happy with instant coffee, and living in a cockroach infested bed-sit in Glasgow?

Do you think it would be handy to have a few stray millions of euros knocking around in your account, so you could eat well, house your self well, look after your neighbours a little? Or do you prefer scratching a living from day to day, worried sick?

Do you occasionally wish your wife’s bottom, was less like an overstuffed leatherette sofa, complete with button dimples?

If you would like to be an elite person with an extra ordinary, multi dimensional life, take the blue pill. If you truly wish to be boring, I advise you to ritually eviscerate yourself.