Tag: Babies

My Climbing 2014 in Pictures

My Climbing 2014 in Pictures

the Severe climber
Me making the first few moves on the Slab 2 problem on Blister Slab.
The Roaches.
Me climbing Classic Arete on The Big Block.
Me climbing the boulder problem Goat’s Gruff on the base of The Roaches’ Upper Tier.
Valerie and Leo on the beach at Bude.
Hound Tor.
Me bouldering on Top Hat boulder at Hound Tor.
Me climbing Groove on the Perched Block at Hound Tor.
Flowering heather on the edge of the Burbage Valley
Me climbing The Crook on The Lamb boulder at Burbage South Valley.
Valerie and Leo below the Leaning Block at Higgar Tor.
Me standing on limestone pavement.
Limestone pavement above Thwaite Scars near Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales.
Pen-y-ghent in the Yorkshire Dales.
Leo, Valerie and Me on the descent from Snowdon.
Leo and Valerie on Mynydd Mawr.
Me walking up Mynydd Mawr in Snowdonia.
Me, Valerie and Leo on the summit of Craig Wen.
Leo asleep as Valerie and I walk across country to get down from Craig Wen.
Me climbing yellow problem number 5 at Le Cul de Chien.
Me climbing problem number 2 at Le Cul de Chien, Fontainebleau.
Valerie climbing at Mont Aigu, Fontainebleau.
Valerie climbing problem number 1 at Rocher des Potets.
Valerie climbing The Final Boulder at Fairlop Waters Boulder Park
Me climbing on The Prominent Prow boulder at Fairlop Waters Boulder Park.
Valerie climbing on The Arches boulder at Fairlop Waters Boulder Park in London.
Me standing on an outcome of Castle Rock.
The South West Coast
Me standing by the trig point on Kinder Low.
The waterfall at Kinder Downfall being blown upstream by the wind.
Climbing on Bamford Edge on a wet day in the Peak District.
Me by Aira Force waterfall in the Lake District.
Burbage Bouldering

Burbage Bouldering

the Severe climber
Valerie climbing Bog Standard Slab on The Sentry boulder at Burbage South Valley.
Valerie climbing Bog Standard Slab on The Sentry boulder at Burbage South Valley.

Somehow I’d never seen the rolling hills of the Peak District turn purple before this week. I’ve walked and climbed in the Peaks numerous times, but somehow my timing meant that I had never been there when the heather was in bloom. It was a stunning sight. The smell of honey as Valerie, Leo and I walked along the edge of the Burbage valley and through fields of purple was sweet and warming. It was a great start to a couple of days of bouldering in the Peaks, but the trip didn’t go entirely to plan. Read more →

First Peak

the Severe climber

My son, Leo, got to the top of his first peak today.  Snuggly wrapped on his mummy’s back, he got to the top of Craig Wen in Snowdonia.  Summiting a 608m peak is pretty impressive when you are eight months old, can’t walk yet and have to battle cold winds and rain.  I’m proud of how well he did.  It feels good to be introducing him to the mountains and I’m really looking forward to going with him to the tops of many more peaks.

Valerie and Leo going up the trail from Rhyd Ddu.
A disused quarry below Yr Aran.
Me walking past a wall of stacked slates in a disused quarry below Yr Aran.
Me, Valerie and Leo on the summit of Craig Wen.
Leon wrapped snuggly on his mummy’s back as she walks down Craig Wen.
Leo and Valerie at our stop for lunch.
Leo asleep as Valerie and I walk across country to get down from Craig Wen.
Disused slate quarries.
Slates stacked in a disused quarry.
Valerie and Leo heading back down to Rhyd Ddu.

Fontainebaby

the Severe climber

Behind you

An Easter break to the woods of Fontainebleau to climb on its famous sandstone boulders was our first real test as rock climbing parents. We had been taking our baby son, Leo, to the climbing wall on a regular basis and to some artificial boulders not far from where we live in London. He’d enjoyed the trips and we had managed to get a good amount of climbing done. But several days of outdoors climbing in a foreign country, with a teething seven-month old baby, felt like more of a challenge. By the end of the trip we had enjoyed some great climbing, been tested as parents and learnt a lot about taking a baby climbing at Fontainebleau. Read more →

Baby Hits The Wall

Baby Hits The Wall

the Severe climber
Leo and Valerie at the climbing wall.
Leo and Valerie at the climbing wall.

Like all new parents, my wife and I are trying to work out how to manage our lives now that we have a baby.  Even seemingly simple tasks, like going to the shops or visiting relatives, now feel like a major logistical undertaking.  Resuming our regular trips to our local climbing wall felt like a particular challenge.  Such a trip would involve ensuring baby Leo is happy and safe in an environment not designed for babies while, at the same time, ensuring both Valerie and I enough of a chance to climb.  In the end, we managed the trip and Leo really enjoyed himself, but the little guy eventually hit a wall and crashed out on a bouldering mat. Read more →