The infamous Supertopo guys review the Atom SV.... Read on HERE to see what they said.

 

"The Atom SV is a warm and well-made jacket and is comfortable as a layer or even for climbing in. The fabric is water and abrasion resistant even though it feels very light and soft, so this jacket is durable even though it is pricey. It works better as a stand-alone layer than most of the other jackets in this review since it is the thickest and it is also one of the most stylish" 

 

All My Eggs In One Basket

 

Happy Easter. This might be a time of the year that you celebrate, or a weekend the same as any other. For me there is little difference, in fact a period to avoid being away with the crowds. But I notice it by the amount of chocolate eggs that seem to come my way, not that I’m complaining! This year was a very happy Easter for many as the sun shone. Just a few years ago it was snowing at Easter! The sun is great, but not for hard climbing.

 

It seems traditionally I seem to end up at Malham Cove at Easter, a few day visits over the holiday period. I can remember battling with the cold and wet, and also sitting out the whole day waiting for an attempt on Overshadow as the cliff baked in the sun. Frustrating! This year I didn’t even go, way too hot for sure, but I’ve been there a few times recently.

 

Actually I’ve not posted much on the old blog for a while. There is little to say. I watch as others tick headline routes in Pembroke or Spain but for the time being I seem to have thrown all my eggs into one basket. I’m on a new line at Malham, something I began last year but was kicked off through an early summer arrival and a busted finger. I’m back again. But its gonna be desperate. It’s a variation on Rainshadow, climbing the classic 8a Raindogs, then the crux bulge of Rainshadow to where it goes left and eases off. This new line blasts straight up, and it definitely doesn’t ease off, in fact it gets harder. After three days last year I still couldn’t do some of the moves on the new section of climbing. These moves were a long way up, after absolutely no rest where fatigue will be maxed out. I’ve done 8c+ in less time than this!

 

But this is good news, it looks like a solid relationship, not a quick fling, over in a flash, unmemorable and without meaning. The forth day this year was a good one, with a link from the ground to within 10 hand movements before I join Bat Route (8c), though from there its still 8a to the top with no rest. But that’s not close really. From the top of Raindogs its about 30 moves where its barely possible to chalk up, never mind clip. I’m gonna have to skip 4 quickdraws out of 6 and face some serious air time! So 10 moves out of 30 is actually quite far away. But it’s become a reality now, though helped by fantastic conditions before the heat set in.

 

For now I just need to wait, this is England so it won’t stay hot for too long. But I best get involved with those eggs before they melt, it’s good energy food right???

David Mason Climbs Three 7c's from Outcrop Films on Vimeo.

Pearce Cycles #1 – Hopton Castle

This was the first Pearce cycles round of the season and I always look forward to their events; the atmosphere is so cool, the races are always well organised and everyone gets along really well.

 

The first practice day went well; it was very dusty and ironic that the weekend before this race was in Spain and there was more rain there than there was in the UK! The track was running fast and I was enjoying every moment. I normally do about 6 runs but this time, I did 8 runs and pushed up lots too. I made sure I made the most of it. (That evening I also went for a rally drive; my friend had brought their rally car down as I wanted to have a go and I did my very first handbrake turn!!)

The next day the weather was strange; it rained hard for about 10 minutes and then we had 20 minutes of sun and it was like that for the whole day. The track got very beat up with big holes and huge ruts all the way down and was very challenging to ride.

My first race run was awful; I came off the track a few times and had no flow to my riding at all. I came down with a time of 2 minutes 56 and I was so disappointed. My second run was much better. I had relatively good focus for the majority of the race and tried to keep as smooth as possible. I made a couple of big errors which cost me time so I finished with a time of 2 minutes 44. It was an awesome weekend though and I really enjoyed myself. Massive thanks to Steve Carry and Family for looking after me this weekend.

 

Next Up: 9/10th April; British Downhill Series #2 – Moelfre, Wales

 

It's been a good winter of development in the peak (http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=60695), i thought i'd write about one of my favourite moments of the winter.

 

it was the last days of November and my mind was set on the Roaches at the time, i wanted to get back and look at a project i'd checked out earlier in the year which i thought was a total cracker, classic gritstone power, short unrelenting and no footholds. Armed with some sazi velcros that have clocked over 40 font 8 scalps in the last year i was pretty confident i could push into the smears in a shoe i was practically symbiotic with when bouldering. We (Neil Mawson, James McHaffie and I) had already had a great day on a windy skyline, doing things like crystal voyager and Art Nouveau and many other classics along the way so i felt under no great pressure and it was the start of the grit season, so i had nothing but time.

 

 

After 10minutes of feet popping and it generally feeling like i was going nowhere but heel first into frustrationville i had a little rest and pulled on. I'd worked the sequence earlier in the year and i still had the incredibly basic beta in my head, the next few seconds whizzed by in a fantastic blur of hitting holds perfectly, feet staying and triple filtered focus whisking me up the problem in a blur of what was to become one of my fondest bouldering memories.

 

As a result the one of the 2 great Nth cloud projects has become the Nth power, and its somewhere around soft 8A+ at a guess, it could be easier it could be harder, all i know is that you'll bloody love it if you find that perfect go, and it'll drive you mad if you don't. 

Supertopo.com gives the Venta SV a very positive review.....

 

"The Arcteryx Venta SV is a highly water-resistant, warm, comfortable, and attractive softshell. Its balanced fit, near perfect features, and high performance make it the most versatile softshell we’ve reviewed. Three different materials allow the Venta SV to shed wet snow and dripping ice, block all wind, and wick perspiration. Whether you shred backcountry powder, climb steep ice, cross glaciers, or snowshoe up snowy peaks, the Venta SV will provide the performance and versatility you demand. A simple design and sleek lines allow the jacket to also function well in urban environments. "

 

For the rest of the review see:

http://www.supertopo.com/review/Arcteryx-Venta-SV

 

 

For Immediate Release:

Friday,  April 4th , 2011

 

Five Ten and Steve Peat--Two of the biggest names in Action Sports announce sponsorship agreement.

Action Sports shoe maker Five Ten announced the addition of the undisputed king of Downhill, Steve Peat, to their team of the world’s greatest athletes.

 

World champion, National titles, numerous World cup overalls, Steve has done it all, but with Five Ten we hope to keep him upright and on the podium for many years to come.

 

"I am stoked to officially join the 5.10 guys, its a brand that i have  
admired for some time now and I really like the  design and features of their shoes. I have been riding and testing in the Minnaar's for some time   now and can safely say they are the best shoe for my 2011 season. I am   pretty happy to be working with such a forward thinking brand who are  constantly on the look out for ways to better their products. It's   going to be a great season and i am looking forward to getting it   started in my 5.10 kicks"

Dean Henthorn, Action Sports Manager was equally psyched:

 

"Steve is the quintessential core downhiller and represents everything
we strive to be as a company. We are committed to the sport just as
Steve and his new SPS Team are and it's a perfect fit."
 

Five Ten, a family-owned shoe company that dominates the gravity mountain bike scene and slopestyle world made its name in the vertical climbing market when founder, Charles Cole developed Stealth ® rubber. Stealth rubber is a proprietary rubber compound that offers the highest friction for specific activities, like climbing, mountain biking, canyoneering and hiking.

Other Five Ten athletes include multiple downhill World Champion Sam Hill, Greg Minnaar, climber and wing suit flyers, Dean Potter and Stephanie Davis, and extreme skier and wing suit flyer and Transformer’s 3 stuntman, JT Holmes. Five Ten also provided shoes for Tom Cruise to wear in Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol.   Five Ten joins Redbull, digdeep clothing, POC and Inspired Bicycles as MacAskill’s premier sponsors.

 

For more information about Five Ten contact Dean Henthorn, Five Ten Action Sports Director, at dean.henthorn@fiveten.com. 

 

Sketch City, E6 6b

Each year Arcteryx/Bigstone make the pilgrimage to Callaghan to sample British Columbias finest powder.

This year was no different, with Andy, Jamie and an excited Joe taking the plunge, literally in some cases.

We were joined by Mel Harries from Snow and Rock for the week and I'm pretty sure she neever stopped smiling the whole time.

A 7m base with a few feet of fresh when we arrived meant great conditions on the hill. Our guide, Sean O'Gorman, was a true legend and an amazing skier, breaking trail in knee deep snow for days.

Check out the pictures and until next year, stay safe!

Packing up

Our transport for the day

Slash!

Sean heading for the moon

Product testing

 

 

Come down to Red point climbing centre in Birmingham, where Steve McClure will be on hand to help you try out some of the latest models from Five Ten.

For more information contact RedPoint HERE