New Year New routes, by Stevie born again Haston.

 Looking towards Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark one of the best three pitch routes on the island- not in the guide book!

I have done a couple of new routes this year and started the long process of equipping another. Thanks are due to the following amoung others. Elaine Azzopardi, Solly Fernandez, Nick Biven, and two French girls and one English, thank you. The latter three I had the pleasure of teaching how to abseil, remember don't screw up! 

 found this on a free dive the other day-anybody know what it is?

Is this Opalite. Not that good with much but would love to climb on an artificial cliff of this.

 Sardinian warbler, robbing the compost!

The island has a lot of birds on it at the moment, including a small flock of swans, the police are kindly guarding them from too much attention.

 same, same.

The island has more climbers than ever and I feel guilty that the guide book is not up to date, theres more than a hundred new routes, and I see how the old guide can be improved. I won't do a new one until there is 50 to a hundred more routes and I open three more cliffs. Plus guys and girls learn how to abseil/ rappel so you can explore some of the good sea cliffs. And carry prussic knots or mechanical ascenders!

guide books, Croatian has many thousands of routes and is off the radar, Gozo is on the radar but route progress is slow.

The world is big, we are small, our lives are short, hope does not spring eternal. Get a few nice things done before ye gogo as Wham famously and so crassly sung.

One of the best routes, Bernardino Fernandez, by Stevie Haston

 the bottom of Bernardino Fernandez is sublime.

I do a few new routes over the year, but every now and then one comes up that is out of this world. A while ago I did one, and called it Bernardino Fernandez, after a friends grandad who was executed by Franco.  So after a while I thought no, that route is not as big as the story, not as big as the history, not as big a drama. So I have decided to give this important name to an important route!

 I had a big route for this island which for some reason had remained nameless, I guess I might have been secretly waiting for the right name to appear.

The route is up a big pillar facing permanently into the blistering sun. It's really impressive, but some how remains amenable in tec grade at least. I had wondered what to do with it, as if I had left it as it was, it would never get a second ascent, but now I have decided the route and the name require a bit of work, i.e. making it safe so that plenty of people can enjoy it. 

 the top pitch is insane, 58 meters, of mostly vertical, a bit of crack, jugs..
position, position, position.

Any way access by water taxi for the most wonderful day you can imagine, Dropped off on a ledge with lovely colours underneath you, and a towering impossible cliff above. 

Its four pitches, grade 4, 5, 6, 6a+. Thats all folks.

Auld Lang Syne, by Stevie Haston.

 A little pleasant work I had earlier this year. OK Kyle, more of this.

 The "rule of law", better put it in brackets as it will mean less and less, the rule of lets do what we want by the Big three.

 a sweet little moment.

 450 feet of sublimeness, its a trouser filler.

 to end the year and start another..

a good friend doesn't necessarily walk on two legs, he want to climb harder but guards my rope unless he is distracted by a rat!

Drink to me only with your eyes.

Psycho Killer, quest- ce que cet, by Stevie Stable Haston.

 Tower of Power, high quality routes about to get upgraded bolts! Here we have Dustine enjoying his first 6a+.

I have been introducing, or helping people enjoy their climbing recently, and it's rewarding. To see people progress, or simple enjoy is a great feeling, I am a fairly selfish person, but occasionally my nice side pokes out.
The Malta Climbing Club have come to my aid, and will help me improve the state of some bolts on the Tower of Power boulder, thanks guys! Gozo has been full up with climbers over the Xmass holidays, over 50 people at Mgar Ix Xini for a few days now. Climbers need to spread out a little, but the bad or cold weather has kept them sheltering from the wind. And I need to to some easier routes for people, 5s and 6s, but hey guys I need help. And some of the climbers need to visit the easier routes on the sea cliffs, learn to abseil, and learn to be competent please.   

 We are a welcoming people, but we can't spell Psycho..

A few people have donated for better bolts recently, thanks guys, every little helps. 

Acid test… remember to not trust blindly in situ gear or bolts, visual test minimum…no guarantee but better than nothing.


Remember if you see any bad bolts, or have comments, or spare dosh send it my way, my Xmass in the clinic is nearly over, and will be putting up a few routes next week.

Best wishes to good people, defenestration to others, by Stevie severe Haston.

 The swirl of chalk caught in an up draft of warm breeze, the bubbles off my fins, these are the things that remind me of you.

 these fish were eaten for their hallucinatory effects "class A fish"-they are better smoked-its the way I tell em folks.

 50 routes here- some magnificent-lazy people will never win their affections-they are waiting for you,

 An ordinary good route… like many.. a moment of grace in the human animal fight against his own pathetic nature.

 Oh yes another day, we tick them off, why? I want to reverse the direction, turn back the sun, push or roll him across the sky, I want my tight skin back, not my climbing tights, my tight skin.

 Its a pleasure.;;

A silver lining to you, a special silver lining.

A year coming up, by Stevie up Haston.

Funny weather this year, a lot of wind, do you think they would tell you if things were going to get really bad. Probably not. They would want your money in the bank while they made money from it, instead of you enjoying it.

Weather is a bit too weathery.

Happy whatever you want to call today, hope you have peace, and don't have to dodge bombs or sleep out rough and then get fined for the privilege!

 Old men climbing. Or were they young men who looked old because of mountains.

My life in the mountains seems far away, I will be going to the Winter show and rubbing shoulders with ice wielding folk and skiers and sliders of all description hopefully I'l get inspired or get some money to do something.

 what can you say about flowers and their mysterious powers.

The flowers are out here, it's truly beautiful, but I do wish to see those spears of granite piercing the sky. The Baltoro glacier has not had the grace of my presence, one day! 

 about to get super silent, no wiffi…

Silence under the water is a rediscovered magic, when you don't have it its like the loss of a lover. The mountains are like that, a bit more cold and physical. The sea is easier to understand in a spiritual way. The sea and the mountains have always been my gods.

 discovering new cliffs

Hope fully I will do lots of new routes, in the next year a modest target of 100 should do it!

re reading these is worth the journey… books like these aren't that common.

These two books are total magic, the first cemented the connection between poetry and mountains for me, the second shows the cost. How they escape more wide spread approval or a bigger audience is beyond me. The latter book is about K2, which of course is really the prise, its never been Everest, its always been K2, and you can clearly see the none sense of human recordings or scribble when you notice its still all about Everest. Julie Tullis and Alan Rouse died on K2, both people I liked and admired, others died too, a story and a half. They weren't commercial cannon fodderr as on Everest, they were romantic pilgrims.

Pagan greeting, from Stevie Haston.

 green bananas!

It's the Winter Solstice Celebration, for me, but not necessarily for you the most important day of the Winter. It's good news for all those people affected by seasonal affected disorder, or the winter blues. Everyday gets longer instead of shorter. More climbing time.

 Flowers and climbing shows.

More flowers will come, we have some already, we are lucky we don't ever really run out. Alas we never have snow but Chamonix and Courmayeur have reasonable skiing already, and there's some ice, especially in America. Good luck, stay safe.

 Mellow but early sunsets.

I was in the sea this morning, it wasn't really cold with a 3.5 mm wet suit, but for me it's Baltic. You might know I climb the cliffs above the sea, but I can glide down 20 meters in 15 secs with or with out my arms. I do love this extension of my cliffs, the architecture is some how gilded but the colours more muted under the surface and their are a thousand blues and greens to make up for all the snow that I miss.

 Patrick on the Fisherman's route.

The bad weather is past, it never lasts long here, and in dire need a quick wet abseil will lead me to the Underworld and its crazy routes.

Play Misty Blue for me Baby!

This coming year is hopefully gonna be a full one for me. Hope its good for everybody, alas it won't be, but I will make an extra effort to be kind with the stupid, with the repeatedly stupid Odins axe has been sharpened-family tradition and all that.