Continuing on the "Brits Abroad" theme, Jim Pope and Peter Dawson have just returned from a highly successful trip to Catalunya, where they both climbed 8c - with Jim managing Fish Eye (8c) and Peter redpointing T-1 Full Equip (8b+) at Oliana. Other notable routes came in the form of a team ascent of China Crisis (8b+) 8b+, El Gran Blau (8b+) 8b+/8c for Jim and Rollito Sharma (8b+) 8b+ at Santa Linya for Peter.

Jim told UKC:

"This was my first trip to Oliana and I was really excited to be climbing on such a great crag with such long routes! My goal of the trip was to climb an 8 grade route each climbing day so I tried to climb routes which I could do within a few goes/days at max. I managed to do this and achieved much more than I expected! I really loved the long stamina-based routes and I think it really suited my style of climbing, I can't wait to go back for some unfinished business!"

Commenting on his first 8c, T-1 full equip, Peter wrote in his blog:

"The Spanish have a phrase a muerte, which means to climb until death - giving it everything and holding nothing back. I was going to go a muerte. I wasn't surprised when I got through the boulders at the bottom but I wasn't very pumped at all. I set up for the first hard crimp sequence and it went! Now I was panicking - the next one wasn't as hard maybe I could do this, I slowed myself down and chilled out. I knew I could do it. Moves where previously I had slapped I now grabbed static and before I knew it I was clipping the chains! My first 8c! I was over the moon."

Check out Peter's logbook

As members of the GB Lead Climbing Team, Jim and Peter are now looking forward to a busy year of training and competitions.

Read Peter's blog for more information