Heed young punk!

I would like to warn against making false judgements on your relative standing within the climbing community. Its demoralising when you think you are at a certain level to realise that actually, where you thought you were is further down than you realised because you discluded a whole breadth of people. So really, what it is you are realising is that you aint as good as you thought you were. Remember, the people you know are not all the people.

However, irrespective of your abilities I should also like to use this platform to extol the virtues of social ettiquete. This is the imprecise science which should be applied in your dealings with others, and yet all too often is ignored. You may be an 8b uber wad (and if so well done), but a little humility goes a long way. Although you should approach the crag with inner feelings of confidence, outwardly visible over confidence leads others to think you a cock. Even if you arrive at the crag, announce you are gonna do the hardest problem and then do actually do it, spraying about it first leaves other people with the impression that you are a cock. Theres self assured-ness and arrogance - the two are different.

Additionally, stating the grade of every problem you've ever done after describing it suggests your motivations for pulling on holds are kudos rather than joy. This is a shame and stamps another nail in the you are a cock coffin. ANYWAY. On to happier things :

There is a good scene of strong young punks at the moment. Its quite something to behold. I went climbing with some of these spunking young cocks on Saturday. We went to Anston Stones, which is one of these worksop area crags Mick 'The daddy of striking cheekbones' Adams has developed. On first impressions it looks quite good - a wavelet of limestone tucked besides a train track, but there are few holds in the roof and only a couple of lines that actually cross it, those that do require a fair span to make the distance. We start the festivities on a 7c to the far right. The climbing isnt great to be honest - a sort of slightly unpleasant slap required to gain a jug at the top. Its the only hard move but requires lunging nastily out over a spikey boulder. I have the willies and dont seal the deal. Team big numbers set up camp under a hard problem next to the entrance gully, starting in good undercuts a long reach back left leads to a pinchy edge and then a hard tension match into an undercut beside it, I dont manage this move at all, although I do only have one go, I dont think its a move I would do easily so I dont even bother. Ned, Tom Newman and Dave Mason all look pretty fruity on this problem - I am impressed by their strength, tenacity and body tension, but then in comes Dan Varian! A.N.O.T.H.E.R L.E.V.E.L! I've never actually seen him try hard and try hard he did - with a bit of scuttling he dispatches. It looks desperate. The midges come out and it goes dark and so we sack it off.

I start Sunday with a quick pootle down Stoney. I would have loved to have gone on the grit, but it had obviously leathered it down overnight and I didnt think anything would be dry. At stoney I managed to do Sean's problem which is good. Popped up to Tom's roof and didnt really do anything.

This week, tonight at the board, wednesday out - dont know where. Thursday lunchtime stealth session, then it looks like Saturday morning becomes saturday daytime club! only have to be home mid afternoon.