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Skinny Dogs always look miserable when humans are trying to link problems.
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Projecting power endurance lines is always a soul destroying activity: You train, you get strong, you travel to the crag, you warm up, you fail on the crux and realise that you will need to make another twenty hand movements before you have even a chance of a send that day; a few more attempts and you have made a hundred moves and yet come away with nothing. This has the been the cycle of things for me at Pwllglass for the last year or so, continually trying my object of desire, and always returning home with my tail between my legs.
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Angry Jones showing the way on one of the easier problems at Pwllglas.
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Today was different, I can't put my finger on what changed: Angry Jones was with me and possibly his unique brand of life coaching had a positive effect, alternatively four days of failure in Font may have forced me to finally get things sorted. One fact that I am certain of is that the weather did not help. It was baltic, and my fingers burned with the cold as I hit the final jug, but hit the jug I did and thus my pilgrimages of failure to Ruthin can finally stop.
The problem starts sitting on a prominent chalky jug down and left of the big flatty that marks the start of the problem Another Million. Moves on slots and small holds allow you to trace the lip of the overhang rightwards until you reach a rest on the flatty. From here long moves on small crimps and a choice of flatties lead to Fritillary Flake and the finish. The back wall is in for feet, obviously the big detached block under the flatty of Another Million is not. I've called the problem Lead Rain after an autumnal incident at this very same crag which involved some men with guns, a cross wind and some very worried boulderers. I think its comes in around the 7b mark and is well worth the walk up the hill. If that description is too vague a video of the first ascent can be seen below.
Lead Rain 7B from
Owen McShane on
Vimeo.
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