Working in a Mountain Office by Stevie seaside Haston.

 Gozo with snow clouds!

Just crossed the alps twice! -8 degrees in Munich, -10 in Courmayeur, way too cold for the tips of my ears. Bad snow pack apparently up hight, don't have the time or the money to do any of that stuff.

 Dolomites.

Getting ready for the show in Munich. Grivel have a new comp axe-its a cracker. A couple of other things that are good, don't know what we are showing. 

 desks cluttered up.

Its all go, I feel like a country bumpkin, probably just get in the groove and go back home to being a small island cliff climber.

 Poster boys of Yore.

The Grivel Shuttle-a great light all purpose belaying abseil device.

Clocking off now beer etc pizza more beer, sleep.

Bread and Circuses, by Stevie Sodden Haston.

Apples and pears 6a+ , Spiders from Mars 7b.

Off to work a bit on mainland Europe, the cold I do not look forward to, but the beer yes, I do.

 The greyest it gets!

It is raining today, so a few pull ups, and packing a bag, early boat, planes trains and automobiles. No rock for a few weeks.

 ysterday!

The bad weather swooped in like a dark hooded bird, luckily we are so far south in meant nothing really, and even today you could go climbing in one of the big caves. 

a sky like this in the north would mean snow!

Here's a few photos to keep you going, and me too I guess.


Matterhorn Boulder and a good 6a+ up the front face 30 meters.

Off to work with the wizards at the Out Door show, look at gear and be part of a global industry and meet friends from around the world. I will undoubtedly get jealous about the powder they have shredded, the mountains they have plodded up, the routes they have crushed, and the magic countries and people they have visited. 

A Week of being Weak, by Stevie feeble Haston.

 A four pitch route waiting, cracks, cracks.

Just a short blog to say its more than warm here, and although I am looking forward to work, money, and seeing lots of people at the Winter Out Door show, I think I'll freeze.

 Mysterious Mistra Rocks, or Sopu Tower area.

Did some cleaning a path, and work in the area behind Sopu, it's Far, Far, Away for a tiny island. The arboreal rats are very friendly, and a little bit cute, although their teeth look sharp. I was soloing a route, and one scampered out of the crack, and looked at me a bit angry, then he just messed about showing off, climbing around.

 Bernd and the Cowboy big J.

Time goes by, there's been a lot of visitors over the winter holiday period. 
No big news though. I need a big training block of 6 or more weeks. One day you wake up dead as some one famously said! With the passing of Bowie and Lemmy, it seems like an era has passed, and we will slowly sink into the sand of seriously banal. The Cameron Lattitudes, the G4S, the doldrums of social uncaring.

 Titanium and a very nice Rams Horn lower off. Donation button up on right if you have some spare money.

"What is life for?". "Don't know", is the answer. Without sunsets, and the sea I would have more trouble for sure with this hum drum life.

 A common, or garden Gozo sunset.

The Island continues to be beau, but news that we will have a huge Complex Hospital thrust apon us is worrying. The idea is, the rich will come here to get operated on instead of back home in whatever place their National Health service is getting destroyed! 

 the sunrises are more ordinary generally.

My island needs small jobs for ordinary people, not surgeons from where ever! One of the departments in the hospital will be to make artificial limbs for victims of War. We are apparently conveniantly situated to the permanent Middle East money making massacre! 

Vegan Pie.

No vegans were hurt, or injured in the making of this pie! Good climbing to you. And thanks to Didi for trimming the thorns on the Mistra rock Sopu Tower area.

Wash once a year, by Stevie squeaky Clean Haston.

 not calm at the moment but still wet!

It's hot, but not super hot, but it is still too hot on hard routes in the sun! 
Water is still bearable. 
Routes are still defeating me. I think I need to train, there's nothing wrong with my climbing, but I'am too weak. "Physician heal thy self", Ok then back to the finger board, and the dreaded weight belt. Got work anyway. And the winter storms are a bit splashy on the exciting cliffs.

 Bath time.

So has everybody kept their New years resolutions? I have discovered that it is hard to give up animal milk in coffee (always new this), the second more important discovery, is that rum is the best substitute for milk!

 I do like my island.

Bees are flying around, and it is spring! There are daffodils still, but only in the places that don't get any sun.

 My briefcase.

Today was lovely, revisiting some old routes, mainly slabs, not in the guide book I'am afraid, some on crystal, aragonite, and more common calcite.

lots of corners and slabs. Foot work, and precise movement.

8th of Jan 2016, time is already ticking away for this year, still got my bath out of the way, a tiny bit of work, and the decks will be cleared for TRAINING. Completely fed up being rubbish. Will have a coffee with vegan rum in it to cheer my self up. 

Lord Haw Haw, by Stevie Ha Ha Haston.

 A Gozo sunset, in reality it's called Ghawdex.

Lord Haw Haw was executed by the Uk after the war. He died by hanging at the hands of Pierrepoint, the payed executioner, or the professional murderer, perspective is everything, and tricky. He was clearly not guilty of treason as he was American, so the Brits murdered him for entertainment, and vengeance. There was a slight chance that he would have got off, because his questionable allegiance was pointed out, but the Attorney General, that most honourable, and law abiding man stepped in, and a guilty verdict was assured. It was said he owed allegiance to the King!

 A treacherous sky, a red pointing sky!

Allegiance to the King! In the last New Years honours list a few brave honest folk refused those stupid medals, and bits of toilet paper. It's funny how no body seems to care, but an MBE, or medal for being a so called Member of the British Empire, seems a bit out dated, and well, lets say deluded. Empire of the absurd.

 Allegiance to rock, in this case an 8a/8a+.

Obviously I do not owe allegiance to a rich half German woman, and her Greek at times racist
 husband, it's more than absurd. But I would like to point out that governments change the goal posts whenever it suits them. We know this, but at times we seem to have a very selective memory. Bobby Sands was a Member of Parliament who died in a UK Prison, unbelievable you say! Well no, he was a freely elected member of the House of Commons, the so called governing body, of the so called United Kingdom!  His story is well worth remembering. I never agreed with this very brave mans politics, but find his story unforgettable.

 Stone's only allegiance, seems to be, to sadistic gravity.

As the government of the UK get ever more inventive with the truth, and indeed seem to have resurrected Lawd (lord) Haw Haw's ministry of Propaganda, it might be time to ask for a Republic, and not a Monarchy in the Uk. A fat chance, but you could at least ask! Most intelligent people seem to think that the Uk is in fact an Oligarchy, and not a Monarchy, well you can still ask! You probably won't get an answer, "Ha, Ha", but you can still ask. For a while "Haw, Haw", as Osborne would guffaw. 

Viva Cologne by Stevie Haston.

Gregor  from the Cologne climbing wall gave me some money for a new route, so I picked him a good one. The name is Viva Cologne, and I thought it was 7a when I put in the expensive corrosion free titanium gear. When I got on Viva Cologne again it didn't feel 7a, it felt decidedly more!

 this is another little new route in the making.Viva Cologne is the arette behind the climbers back in the above photo.

It's a lovely sector where Viva lives, sumptuous rock, iron work and fragile lace like plates. A few easy trad lines were done which should be turned into sport routes soon as we get some new equipment. Viva Cologne takes an easyish arette in superb position followed by a precarious groove without much for the feet, it's one of the best quality routes I'ave done. It felt hard on a cold windy day, with the void pulling at my sphincter.

 tricky! tricky!

To the right of Viva Cologne is a dark slot with two or three ways out, that then land you on a slab of massive, magnificent, pulchritude. Haven't really worked out how to make the most of it as it would be a waste to just abseil down, and do the slab without first sampling the evil darkness of the slot.



 a different finish less tricky!

Crisp little finger holds on very good rock is rare on the island so we have done the easier version a few times now just for fun.

thank god hold!

Checking out the holds on a winters day, can be fun, or not. Airy abseils are one thing, but abseils that get you immersed in the splash zone are another! The North Coast has charm and a little bite, hopefully you will find it charming and it will only nibble you.

Busy Future, by Stevie Haston.

 Tower of Power, busy, busy.

Be careful what you ask for, in case you get it. Well Gozo climbing is slowly getting popular. It is what I wanted, but every now, and then you get the odd feeling of discomfort. I like seeing people enjoying themselves, climbing, walking, swimming, but it will effect my own enjoyment, and the locals. Respect for other users is necessary, especially the land owners. Wow, nice climbers from Germany hitting the Tower on hard routes for a change, instead of moaning, they were all smiles.   

 My local bar, run by relatives, glue delivery with a coffee, thanks Malta Association climbers!

Routes are a lot of work. People should help. How do they help? They should donate to maintenance, and improvement, and access. They should trim the odd branch on the path, they should pluck a weed, or two, out of the holds, they should clean the holds etc. Small things add up!

tuffas, fat colonnettes, these ones are not to be climbed on, local interdiction. Mgarr Ix Xini one of my old routes!

It's been a busy start to the year, hopefully people will respect our climbs, leave no litter, and help with our fledgling organisation. The Gozo Climbing Association info site is up and running , we will try to maintain it, and keep it up to date. Info about  loose, absent, rusting, or otherwise compromised, please send info me. I'll try to get around to them. 

Daffodils, at Sopu, please tread lightly where ever you go. Don't pick the flowers please.

Climbers today learn their sport at climbing walls where climbing is a more social activity, and a noisy one, than at the cliff where it should perhaps be a more comtempletative and quiet. Cliff and climbing etiquette is needed so that our access and the pleasure of all can continue. Magazines and guidebooks could be a bit better at educating users in cliff, and climbing etiquette, common sense and courtesy and  good manners, are a minimum. Happy climbing in 2016.