Cala Barques DWS Mallorca - Ban

A number of issues have been raised regarding the Mallorca DWS venue of Cala Barques.

© Emma Harrington

There have been a number of individuals from the general public who have recklessly been jumping from the top of the Cova area and badly injuring themselves.  In 2012 a no jumping sign was erected at the top of the cove but unfortunately was ignored.


For the full story go to the: 
ROCKFAX ACCESS BLOG  

Coastal Path Collapses between Durdle Door and Lulworth

By Emma Harrington

Photo: Martime & Coastguard Agency

A large section of coastal path along the Jurassic Coast has collapsed at St Oswald’s Bay between Durdle Door and Lulworth.  There have been no reports of anyone hurt as it happened early in the morning. It is said that if it had been a busy weekend with walkers, then it may have been a different story as it is very difficult to predict where and when these landslides are going to happen.


It has thought that wet weather over the past year has affected the stability of the cliff followed by the dry weather.  It was the coast guards who raised the alarm, and Dorset County Council which manages the coastal path has put closure notices up and put a diversion in place.

Photo: BBC News

It is not the first time a cliff fall has happened along this coast. Only last July there was a landslide which killed a young woman and also a section of cliff came down on Swanage beach in December.

 If you are planning on climbing or walking in the area please take notice of the closure signs as the cliff edge may still be unstable.

Photo: Martime & Coastguard Agency

BBC News Story:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-22355538

News stories relating to other cliff falls in area:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-22040291


News stories relating to other cliff falls in area:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-22062106

Deep Water Bouldering!

by Emma Harrington

©Vertical-Axis

HardMoves bouldering League and Wuppertal swimming pool in Germany have hosted what they have named as a ‘Deep Water Bouldering’ competition.

Many climbers competed against each other on the steep boulder problems above the swimming pool.

The seven metres high construction was especially built for the event and was mounted on floating platforms. Two big screens were set up for all to see with TV cameras filming the finalists.

©Vertical-Axis

It was a Sell out! They even had a second location with live stream on screen for people who did not manage to get tickets.

HardMoves boulder league is an independent association of Europe’s best bouldering and climbing gyms coming together to produce probably the largest bouldering competition in Europe. In a qualification round, twenty gyms find a mixed team of their 10 best boulderers to represent them at the events. In spectacular finals, the twelve teams of these gyms face off against each other to win grand prizes. Hopfully we will see more Deep Water Soloing Comps in Europe and one day the UK!

©Vertical-Axis

©Vertical-Axis

©Vertical-Axis

The Cayman Islands - By Alistair MacDonald

The Cayman Islands are renowned for their magnificent beaches, seas and diving.  Less well known, but equally impressive, are the magnificent limestone sea cliffs of Cayman Brac - and to a lesser degree, Grand Cayman.

Cayman Brac was first developed as a sport climbing venue in the early 90s, led by Skip Harper and John Byrnes.  There now exist approaching 100 routes on superb rock (see skipharper for the early history, and www.climbcaymanbrac.com for the most up to date guide).  However, deep water soloing remains in its infancy, with a handful of routes currently accessible only by boat.

Cayman Brac is roughly shaped like a door stop:  rising gently out of the Caribbean sea on the southwest shore up to 120ft along the northeast end of the island.  It is around this northeastern quarter of the island where the sea cliff sport routes are found.  Captain Shelby is the ideal local fisherman to take a group out to the rocks.  There is enormous room for development, as many of the cliffs rise sheer out of the water; most of the sport routes start between 10-20 feet from sea level.  This however is because of the fiercesome swells that crash unimpeded into the rocks in rough conditions - which can develop frighteningly quickly.  A further impediment to DWS development is the height of the cliffs - at over 100ft topping out is not an option without a rope.  The only official route (The Inaugural, 6c, FA Saagar Kadiyala, Alistair MacDonald 2010) is primarily a traverse.

But when the conditions are right the climbing is magnificent.  The water temperature rarely dips below 80f even in the depths of winter (when air temperatures may dip to 75f on a cold day!) making it perfect for a long day in the water.  There is ample scope to place in situ ropes / rope ladders along the base of the existing sport routes to aid starting the routes (much of the lower 10 feet of the cliffs is impossible sharp and undercut by wave action).

And at the end of the day a fire on the beach under the stars, some rum and a cigar is the perfect way to recharge and get psyched for the next day.

Neil Gresham Deep Water Soloing BBC Interview - Olympiad (8b) - By Emma Harrington

Neil Gresham talks about his first ascent of Olympiad (8b), appropriately named due to the Olympics being held on the same day. Neil soloed the 60 foot overhanging cliff in Pembroke UK on July 27th 2012.
Neil explains how he abseiled from the top into a small dingy, paddled to the base of the climb and started his ascent.
He described the route as strenuous and tiring but also enjoyable and challenging, and the rock was fantastic to climb on. He talks about how it is such a satisfying feeling to know he was the first to climb such a difficult and challenging route.

Neil's Interview:

Neil's ascent:

Climbing restrictions at Lulworth Cove - By Emma Harrington

Bob Hickish at Lulworth - Photo: Sam Cox

Several possible climbing restrictions at Lulworth Cove have been rejected by Caroline Spelman, Secretary of State for the Environment after the BMC lobbied against restrictions. Most importantly, she recognised that climbing is a ‘permitted activity’ not just under existing Countryside and Rights of Way legislation, but also under the 2009 Maritime and Coastal Access Act. A 20 mile section linking Rufus Castle and Lulworth was selected for its close proximity to the Olympic sailing events. The Government announcement was that work on the first stretch of the new coastal path around England would begin on the South coast soon. This was following government approval for Natural England’s access report. Caroline Spelman also acknowledged that Natural England had struck a ‘fair balance’ on the majority of objections made during consultation over the paths route. The Lulworth landowner’s objections were that climbing should be restricted because of nesting birds. The BMC will look into placing voluntary restrictions on certain routes at Lulworth as and when necessary. Coastal access could lead to increased tourism in Britain and consultations on six sections of 30km each around England’s coast is underway. When the process will be completed is not yet known. The BMC will continue to raise the issue with the Secretary of State, asking for more information about the Government’s plans. For more information visit the BMC website: www.thebmc.co.uk/coastal-access-ed-douglas?s=3

Sweden DWS - By Emma Harrington

Bohuslän is a Swedish traditional province situated on the northern part of the country’s west coast.

Bläckhall

Here you’ll find an imposing cliff of granite rock called Bläckhall with routes ranging from 6a to 7c+. Bläckhall (TOPO) is part of an island in the archipelago and is significantly exposed to the weather. Routes here climb to a maximum of 22 metres high with other smaller routes ranging from  12 – 15 metres.

Be very careful to follow the established access rules when you visit the Bohuslän.

Rödsberget
Another deep water soloing venue is Rödsberget . It lies in Åbyfjord and is protected from the wind and waves (TOPO). Routes here range from 6a to 8a and the height is up to 18 metres.
Video of Henrik Bolander climbing Bläckhall 22 meters of 43 Knots, 7c+

Hydrotherapy

Liam Cook descendant of the legendary Dorset Cook brothers has slowly been turning his hand quite successfully to film making. Already assisting with productions such as Alistair lee’s psyche 2, Liam has been focusing his attention on Deep water soloing.

The summer of 2011 saw Neil Gresham complete one of the hardest Deep water solos on the British Isles. The Hollow Cave area of Pembroke, south wales is now home to ‘Hydrotherapy’ with the estimated grade of 8a+.

Liam’s words.....

Filmed in the summer of 2011 this film follows Neil Gresham, one of the UK's most prominent all round professional rock climbers, as he embarks on one of the most challenging routes of his career, 'Hydrotherapy'.

'Hydrotherapy' takes the line of greatest steepness through the soaring, gothic architecture of Hollow Caves Bay in Pembroke, Wales. Climbing rope-less with only the sea to catch him, Neil could only safely attempt the route during a high, spring tide when the water would sufficiently cover the jagged reefs below. Discovering that the cave would remain wet until an hour before sunset meant the tide had to rise precisely at the right time. When the sun was low enough in the sky, the face would be bathed in an incredible golden light, and the moisture burnt away.

So, the seas had to be calm, the weather mild, and he had to have someone on hand to fish him out in case of emergency. Even getting to the base of the route presented problems, requiring an unusual and creative approach. As if to add insult to injury, the cliff falls within a restricted area of land, controlled by the military. Several attempts were thwarted by the unpredictable closure of this land, exacerbating a sense of frustration, made keener by the wasted 500mile return trips from London.

So when the illusive window of opportunity finally creaked ajar, Neil had to be ready to climb something at his physical limit. The resulting experience surely had to be one of the most cathartic and memorable of his life.

Udo Neumann

For those of you who know Udo Neumann’s films and photography work, you may be interested to know that he has a new look website with some great online media to get your teeth into, with an additional focus on DWS found here.

Udo was one of the first film makers on the island of Mallorca in its early days of the Islands resurgence of DWS back in in 2001. Although his films have not been readily available in the UK, they were a significant part of the new wave of web media to flood the climbing market back in 2001 and 2002.

His films captured historical ascents on the island as well as inspiring people from all over the world to visit and sample Mallorca’s DWS delights.  Udo was additionally a well-known documenter of vocally expressive and powerful climber Klem Lockot.

Udo Neumann’s new website can be found here:  www.udini.com

Italy's - Lovers Arch

(C) Mike Williams

Italy’s small island of Capri is situated on Amalfi’s eastern coast. Recently Capri’s famous Lovers Arch has come to light with climber and avid Deep Water Soloer Michael Rolf making a new first ascent on the arch. Cleverly naming the 7a line after a local wine, ‘Tramonti’ climbs jugs and tufas to give a three stared climbing experience.

Michael had this to say regarding the line:

“You begin by hanging a blocky jug which is only reachable from a boat. Climb up until you have to make a long move left to some tufas. After climbing those you reach the first conglomerate holds after which you swing back right on huge jugs!!!  Then make a final push through some difficult moves up to gain more tufas and finally some lovely big holds”.

There are a number of other potential routes which have been spotted on the arch but haven’t yet been reported yet. There are additionally many other walls and caves in the area but mostly only accessible by boat which preserves these lines for the dedicated only!

(C) Mike Williams

Quentar Lake Deep Water

Photo (C): Fernado Lama.  http://komunakavra.blogspot.com

Bolderfreaks reported back in 2009 a fine DWS venue which hasn’t seen any major development news for almost two years but quite clearly holds vast potential.  Not much is known about this venue apart from its approximate location, ‘Quentar Lake’ Granada,  Spain.

Click here for Bolderfreaks original posting. Alternative image of the cave can be found here.

Red Bull Psicobloc: The Canyons of Talhado

Posted by: Emma Harrington


Red Bull posted a short film back in March about deep water soloing in Brazil. The Talhado Canyon cliffs run along the shores of a large lake situated in the north-east of Brazil. This video gives an insight of how these cliffs are being developed by climbers.
Felipe Dallorto and Flavia dos Anjos were the first climbers to discover Talhado Canyon and unearth deep water soloing routes in the area. Brothers Iker and Eneko Pou join them to explore the areas huge potential.
Redbull Psciobloc Brazil then gathered some of the best climbers in the country to test their technique and mental strength on these high cliffs of the Talhado Canyon. Check out the results!

The Great Lake!

To read in full, head to the USA page.

New Thailand Page

To read the full article head to the Thailand page.

Dosage Vol 2 review

 

To read the full review head to the bottom of the dws media page.

Psicobloc 101 Review

To read the full review head to the bottom of the dws media page

Mallorca Database

The Mallorca section of the Rockfax database has been updated recently to include all the additional areas in the new guide. Get involved with that feedback!

Feedback is a key aspect of guide book development and helps create more accuracy in the grades, line descriptions and other relevant information which goes towards future editions.

Philippines

It’s no big secret that the Philippines are a destination holding great DWS possibilities and is something that many pioneers would like to get their teeth into!

Martyn Willes has kindly passed on this article ‘Deep Water Soloing - Philippines - From Juju Island Busuanga’ from the web site Get Wet Asia, which gives a few good pointers as to how to possibly get involved with this location.

DVD Reviews

Make sure you check out the DVD reviews that have gone up recently on the DWS Media page. They're DVDs that in some way feature Mallorcan DWS.

So far the following DVDs are up.

Big Ups ‘King lines’ 2007

Mike Call’s ‘Perfecto’ 2008

Laurent Triay's ‘The Fanatic Search’  2008

New Mallorca Rockfax - Sport Climbing and Deep Water Soloing. Out Now!!

 The 6th Rockfax publication to the island of Mallorca is now available from Rockfax and all good specialised book stores (RRP £24.95).

It’s a whopping 304 page guide to all of Mallorca’s Sport Climbing and Deep Water Soloing

Deep Water Soloing - Cova del Diablo, Porto Cristo, Porto Cristo Novo, Cala Barques, Porto Colom, Cala Marcal, Cala Sa Nau, Cala Mitjana, Cala Serena, Santanyi, Cala Llombards, Sa Calobra, Porto Pi

 

Sport Climbing - Puig de Garrafa, Santa Ponça, Sa Cantera, La Valle Verde, Galilea, Can Ortigues, S'estret, Es Verger, Valldemossa, Sa Gubia, Fraguel, Port de Sóller, C'an Nyic, Gorge Blau, Es Queixal, Alaró, Les Perxes, La Creveta, El Fumat, Xon Xanquete, El Calo de Betlem, Ermita de Betlem, Puig St. Marti, Son Servera, Sa Mola de Felantix, Felanitx, Cala Magraner, Tijuana

For further information and ordering head to the Rockfax page here.