Back in Scotland last weekend he visited the Aberdeen sea cliffs with plans to reapeat Tim Rankin's route from last year, Comfortably Numb E8 6c. Dave arrived only to find Gordon Lennox already working it (sounds as busy as the Peak). Both climbers repeated the route, after practice, Macleod placing the gear on the lead, a first for this route. Dave also onsighted Gies a Squid, he writes, "a lovely E7 6c line up a slabby arete of pristine granite above the swell. It the first time I'd tried to onsight a route harder than E6 since 2001, so I was relieved that it was very much in the tradition of Aberdeen sea cliff routes - soft for the grade!"
It was then back to his home area of Dumbarton rock (home to his E11 route Rhapsody and a slew of his hard boulder problems) for a session of bouldering.
Dave writes, "I turned up to find Malcolm Smith had just repeated my problem from last winter Pressure (Font 8b..V13), confirming the Font 8b grade and looking like he enjoyed it. I came to continue working on a line coming out of the left side of the Sabotage roof. Finally I worked it out and yesterday I linked it to give a new Font 8b - Sanction."
There are more photos and words about Dave's recent climbing at his blog (click here).
You can read Dave's latest training article at UKClimbing.com (click here)
Photo credit, as usual thanks to the generosity of the Hot Aches crew and also view their new crane that will give their film work more 'dynamicism' (click here).
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