Trad versus Bolt? by Stevie Haston.

 Will Trad climbing survive? Is it what people want? Is it any good? I have asked myself these questions for years. I'ave looked at the other side of the coin too. Is bolt climbing any good? Will it survive. Well bolts, apart from a problem of corrosion are the preferred mode of transport over rock. More importantly  for me (and I say me, you are not me and are allowed an opinion) bolts provide less faff, and more pleasure. Without the huge quantity of trad gear, you climb more, and spend less time messing, around, placing gear, dropping gear (expensive), or just mashing your fingers in gear!

 So we went Trad climbing today, it just used to be called climbing, notice we are already in opposing camps. Why Trad, well because it was an exploration, to have a look, prospecting for golden routes. And yes Trad was the way, cos it was quick. It was the method that worked. But will some one bolt what I climbed on trad? Maybe yes, and Maybe no!

 Looking up this beau groove, it's magic. Protection was two huge Sky Hooks, two pegs, one of which pulled out in the second persons hand, and a couple of other crap pieces. But what a gothic, groovy groove. It would be much better if it was bolted! People come to my island, famous climbers, and they come here to enjoy themselves. But if they are very famous, they come here to promote themselves, their companies, and to make Dosh, money Denari, they don't necessarily care about the wonderful thing that is peoples special joy of moving over special stone.

This belay high above the sea, in a hole, is on slings over soft sandstone, and a peg that will rust behind an acoustic flake, the next two bits of climbing will require three set of friends, which will rot, and seise up in the salt laden atmosphere. Yes it could be Trad, and maybe it should be as it follows solid cracks, but it is also impractical, the only people who will venture onto it will be pro climbers making money! If I turn it into a superb sport climbing, safe journey, other people than prima donnas will enjoy it. What to do? I am a bit stuck because I love modern climbing, you don't have to carry loads of rotting metal around the world and you do lots of good stuff safer. But, and it is a big but, climbing on Trad gear is a skill that should be kept alive. To be honest, climbing with a small set of friends, a peg hammer, pegs, a set of wires, hooks, felt awful. I got badly cut, hooked myself in the ass, bumped my head cos I was in a panic all the time. Fun? Not really, Adventure? Certainly! Will I emasculate it, and make it more enjoyable, quite possibly.    

Gray Matter, doest matter. by Stevie Haston.

 50 shades of Grey, or should that be Gray. I opened a route the other day that climbs to an eyelet, and thought it might be easy, and then of course it was not. We are not talking 9a here, we are talking like 7a, or something lowly like that. Anyway I couldn't work out whether it was me in my new seal skin clothes for the terribly fridgid waters of Malta, or whether it was actually hard. it gently overhangs, and starts off greyish, which is good -strong rock. Then it deepens into a lighter gray-which is bad, as it becomes more like weak pumice stone. Then it goes into a sponge like yellow, and how can I put this, it's as weak as a frozen sponge at this point. Em. The route is called Gay Matter, and is brilliant, beware however as it's malevolent nature seems to be controlled by the climbers' equanimity, or lack there of.

 Colours are not restricted to gray. The sea is 20°, and is ok if you have a little neoprene layer like me. Climbing is good, but it's a bit clammy when the wind is from Africa.

I am going slowly black, or is it a reddish brown. I am not sure of these racist colour groupings we use. I am only sure of the colour of rock, and the colour of the sea. And possibly the colour of happiness, is not the chalk like gray of my last few new routes, which are like Goethe badly translated into Chinese, you know "hard to read", or as they might say with London accent "hard to leed". A very nice Canadian boy was climbing on the cliff recently, Marc asked me what kinnda rock it was, "Chalk and rice cake", I said. He gave me a polite quizzical look. He should be in Chamonix now, caressing that lovely golden, very solid, caressed by the dying embers, of a rose tinted sunset, granit.
Oh yes the colour of happiness is …... 

King of Bongo, by Stevie Boring Haston.

 The diversity of climbing on Gozo is "nae bad", but it is hot now, so the sea cliffs are gaining my attention more. It's funny how some people seem freaked out by being above the sea, and others just become mellow. I suppose it's all relative. I have certainly felt the cold tight hand of fear, but the twisting narly grip of terror that I used to feel in North Wales, doesn't seem so frequent here.

Some of the texture here is a bit over the top, we seem spoilt sometimes. What need of Art when Nature  is so exuberant? The rock is carved, coloured, sometimes it's shaped by the wind, sometimes the sea, sometimes it's coated, sometimes it's jewelled. What a gift! Anyway to day I feel Ok, and will endeavour  to be content. Why not? 

 The locals make all kinds of things out of these reeds. Sun blinds and flutes, they make a horrible screechy bag pipe out of a hollowed out goat. Funny, in my old home in France they had a bigger bagpipe made out of a year old sheep! A truly horrible noise is the bag pipe, only Scots deserve it.

Ah rock, what would my life be without it. It would be Merde, sheeet, and I would certainly be the King of Bongo, for there is too much nonsense in modern life, so you must be the King to float above it all. Fade Away and Radiate. When I die, I want some of my ashes in this pocket.

Pull up your life, by Stevie Haston

 It's getting powerfully hot, too hot to climb almost. Sometimes the idea of going out, and just failing on a route  doesn't get me excited, so I train inside. I open up the doors, and windows, listen to some classical music, and dream about not failing on routes. The grease on my fingers disappears as the draft through my apartment whooshes thru. I'ave been doing pull ups a long time, they are still hard, I'ave been climbing a long time-routes are still desperate! Nothing changes. I was wondering if I could actually say, "Pullups have improved my life" without laughing, so I said it, and didn't laugh! "Running has improved my life", no laughs either. A wooden pull up board is a god send, I have to say, no laughs.

 These little squares of paper can be found where ever I live, some times more often than others. They are like some weird bit of Japanese calligraphy, or a numerical poem. I love seeing them, it means that I haven't given up, maybe next week, but not today, today I did my training.

 A dragonfly came in out of the heat, and found some moisture on the sink. The last time I had a visiter like this  was in France. Doing pull ups, and you get a visiter like this, what can you say except hello! And thanks for popping in.

These thistles are hybrids between thistles, and artichokes. I think they are cute, they live at the bottom of some of my routes. Did you know that Lichen eats rock, and can be older than any person has ever lived. There's a lot I don't know, but pull ups have improved my life, this much is true, don't laugh! Now I am laughing!

Breath control and climbing, by Stevie still breathing Haston.

Breathing while climbing is very important, indeed breathing is a cool thing to do if you want to stay alive! Breathing is something you can control to a very large extent, but only a few sportsmen, or women pay it the slightest attention. I tend to pay it a lot of attention, and it really helps me climb. I advise you to do the same.

 A little solo above the sea. Breath!


Stephen Mifsud has held his breath for over 11 minuets! He didn't do this without training. I train in my modest way, with Five seconds breathing in, and Five seconds out, while holding yoga positions. I sometimes do 10 secs. I practise pull ups, inhaling in on the pull, and sometimes exhaling. I just play with my breath!

a little toppo for Fruit Cake Land. A few Five star routes.

The view this morning at 5.

Have you noticed how you tense up on hard routes? Have you noticed how your breathing changes? Do you know the mechanism of breath? I have done a few  activities that work on breath since I was a child, and am still relatively crap at breath control, but at least I have a couple of strategies to help me.
An expert climber should really be in control, don't you think. When we punch, or kick in the fighting arts we are told to exhale! When you do a big bunch up and dyno, your breath in, and your powerful exhale will propel you to the summit of that sequence. Do it right.

I do a bit of Yoga, a bit a fighting Art, and a bit of free diving, I am not very good at any of them, but I try. I know where my deficiencies lie. And one of them is breathing. I can feel my breath change when I am on a non standard route where the bolts are 4 meters apart. My breath is so easy to control with a bolt clipped above my head! With the same move, and the bolt 4 meters beneath my feet, it gets ragged real quick! Exercise your breath, control your breath, expel it forcibly, soften it up, and smooth it out, calm your mind, power your muscles.

Union City Blue, by Stevie Blue Haston.

 Life aint easy, you got to climb in heat, and get what's left of your brains baked! Am complaining a bit much, to be really honest, it was a great day, did a new route called Union City Blue. It's 6b, and mega beau, got a bit of everything including obligatory slab move above zee bolt at the top, when all you can think of is having a Shandy, and not a Hand Shandy  at that!

 This is one is gonna be toxic for the avant bras, bros- it's steep, zee wood in the forearms will be agony. It's gently over hanging pockets, then a groove with some nasty poisonous bridging at the limit. It's gonna be good, oh so good.

Just watched Valley Up Rising last night, and it's very good, there's the usual  American hyperbole at work, but if you ignore that it's a good film, and is a very fitting tribute to Dean Potter who died recently. I do recommend this film immensely. But I find it odd  and reprehensible that all the fat cats who have million dollar companies did nothing to stop this Park turning into a car park for townies, complete with gun toting Park rangers. Their money was in no small part  based on the climbing in Yosemite, and they  did so little  to stop  this stunning National Park and treasure, turning into such a sacrificial pile of touristic Mac Do Play station drive thru Shite Burger Land. I was last there When Dirty Derrick Hersey died, he was the last of the real dirt bags I ID'ed his body, and pissed off, sick of the overcrowded place.  Now a climber can only stay a week there, that's it. So much for freedom.  And maybe Dean is better off flying around free, sorry for his loved ones, and sorry for the world we are loosing. So  fat cats, who earn money out of our sport, do something, you tossers. 

Co-operation, rock and harmony, by Stevie Haston.

A little cliff at the top of a big one, a little sunbathing or roasting belvedere.

 Yesterday there were about 40 climbers enjoying themselves on a Gozo cliff! It's a neat little gorge with  a lot of routes, but it could have 150 or more routes. Gozo needs the visitors, and their money, and we all need some time in nature away from the stress of modern life. Yesterday was important for the small Maltese climbing population, because we were trying to work together to make our sport better for us, and touristic climbers, and visitors. There was one party of 18 students from Oxford University who said our climbing was more interesting than Turkey, Kalimnos and Sicily. Gozo I have to say is at least their equal, and might exceed them scenically.

Our climbing has a large palate of colours, rich and deep, and warm.

Much thanks to all involved in putting in new anchors, removing rusty bolts, establishing paths etc. Thanks to Malta Climbing Club for glue, bolts, and a few of their members who turned up to do lots of work, We had Spanish climbers helping too, sorry if I can't remember all your names, Victor I hope your shoulder gets better. Didi from the Gozo Climbing club was there as usual attacking the Brambles. I did a modest amount of work.  Big Jeff was there doing much more work, as was Stephen. Anyway a big thank you to all, let's look after Mgarr iX Xini, and yes local council, and tourism office, a bit of help would be appreciated.

At the bottom of a beau cliff on the North Coast, a summer shade venue.

This route is called Aero Rambler, it's very, very nice, all aero pockets and huge friction, it's sandstone, it's beau. This cliff could have a hundred routes, but it's hard work equipping, especially the overhanging routes, and most of them overhang. Anyway it's a new month, new routes will come, but slowly. I need to climb for my self a bit, loose weight and climb more. Prosit.