Inverness Bouldering

Ruthven Additions

2009-11-12T19:31:00.006Z

On some pretty small and slopey crimps, a new problem finds a way through. Mike Lee gets the loose flake project in the bag after about 3 years of attempts on and off. QED is a varied, non-eliminate bit of climbing, first on a roof flake then on to some non-existent crimps and a bit of heel hooking.

Rich Betts made a bid at directly tackling the Barry Manilow nose. The meat of the original problem is a tasty mantle move to a quartz lump resembling cauliflower. This direct version looks to add a slice of steep bouldering action into the mantle making for a technical delight. It's called Barry Manilower.

Highball at Pinnicle

2009-04-18T13:34:00.011+01:00

Mike Lee climbed an old ian taylor route, Sare, at pinnicle in highball bouldering style. Previously E4, word is a good hold and a couple of pegs have fallen off/been stolen leaving a line of crimps on the overhanging wall up to a good jug, then one spacey move to the top. It was top roped then soloed above a couple of mats.... It's like font 7a+ and to ground up would be bad ass!

First move of Sare

Nic Duboust bouldered a tricky low ball sit start at the Voodoo Working bloc, The Bum, Font 6C, takes the crack and slopers on the left end of the bloc.

Nic on Voodoo Working

Strong Luke Tears it Up

2009-03-17T12:17:00.003Z

In an all too nonchalant style, Luke Fairweather has demolished just about every Inverness hard problem. He's ticked all the stuff at Brin, (except Put your new shoes on which he hasn't been able to find...), The Jamie Boulder, breezing up the "fun" testpiece, The Farr Side Facet (commenting that it's about 7B - I still think 7C, maybe hard 7B+ is more like it) And ticking everything on Knifewound wall, barring the Settler where it sounds like sore skin got the better of him. He also completed a desperate one move direct sit start to knifewound, at around 7B+/C. The question on everyones lips is "will we see an 8th grade problem before too long?".

In other news, Richie Betts has ripped the crucial flake off The Untrained Ear, a "proper bouldering" classic below 70ft wall at Duntelchaig. No prizes for guessing who will be seeking to re-climb the line, now thought to be around 7B+....??

Inverness Top Fives - Walk-ins....

2009-03-02T17:26:00.002Z

Got this from Rich Betts...

5. Tom Riach. Fallen trees and logs to negotiate, tracks leading off in random directions to sandbag you. No one finds it first time. A bit spooky too.

4. Ruthven Boulder. Always further than it looks but not far enough to be bothered with walking boots or wellies, which is usually a mistake. One or two technical muddy sections to cross. A real tester.

3. Brin. You just know theres going to be a bull in that field one day and due to the curvature of the earth you wont see it until you are right in the middle.

2. Anything up the hill at Brin. Bottomless crevasses, weird animals, no paths, everytime you go there the boulders have been moved around.

1. Duntelchaig backside. (knife wound / the dagger) A classic stamina test. This one has everything, no path, deep heather, bracken, boggy, an underground stream. No view of the crag until you get there, so you cant check if its wet until its too late. Just as bad in reverse too. Epic.

How to get to knifewound wall/the dagger area

2009-03-02T17:00:00.004Z

Park at the usual spot for climbing at duntelchaig. Probably the simplest thing to do is as soon as you cross the overflow of the loch, over the fence on the left and head for a big pine tree that's standing by itself around 200m away, straight a head. If you're not following the loch or the river, you've got a chance of going in the right direction! Once here drop down to a bog/stream and follow it up hill to the action (around 100m).

There's a steep wall with a terrible landing that looks maybe ok for short sport routes if the rock is solid underneath a load of flakey rubbish, a good steep boulder identified by a stream running underground, home of the Dagger and a couple of other things... Behind this is a good bouldering wall with grassy flat landing though it can be very boggy.

Scourguie Project Climbed

2008-12-24T18:50:00.006Z

In Craig Phadraig woods, above Scourguie, Inverness, is one of the steepest walls in the area. It's about 3m of 40 degree "good" conglomerate with a couple of decent lip traverses and some holds up the face. Not the most remarkable boulder ever but, at 20 seconds from Inverness, it's not bad. Mike Lee climbed central line giving a super powerful and crimpy "board" problem called Walk the Dog, around 7B+... The problem starts at a undercling and uses a few small pebbles and a pinch to slap for the left shoulder of the boulder. Unfortunately going to the apex doesn't really work,but a desperate sit start could be done... could that give the area's first 8th grade?

A film is on the video clips page.

Brin Action

2008-12-23T17:33:00.002Z

The Climber's Flat; Nic Duboust, Murdo Jamieson and Mike Lee, have made some news worthy (ish) ascents at Brin! Firstly, Mike Repeated the Scientist, 7B, after about a year of trying, largely thanks to Nic showing the way. It's no longer a tall persons sandbag which has got to be good. Amped, Mike added two new ways to enjoy the scientist boulder, a RH variation which cops out of the crux of the original by reaching to an obvious jug, around 6B, and a left variation, The Biologist, starting just after the crux of the scientist and breaks left into steepness on good holds. It needs to be linked in from the bottom of the scientist eventually, but it makes a great 6C. Else where in the forest, Murdo repeated Put Your New Shoes On, saying he thought 7B+, you could be right. Good effort dude.

The Catch Repeated

2008-11-16T11:28:00.010Z

Richie Betts has made the second ascent of the Catch (7B) at Scatwell. It's great to see someone succeed as lots of people (by inverness standards) came close to it. "It was bitchin" says Richie.

Top Fives - Aretes

2008-11-09T10:07:00.008Z

To get this blog going a little bit, this is the first top five list. I tried to do a top ten but ran out of ideas - in fact, it's hard enough coming up with 5. So without further ado, here's Inverness's best aretes.

Forest Mechanics, Brin: Font 6A+

This is obviously going to make list due to it being such a knife egde. It's high with a terrible landing but climbing it takes all what arete's should require; technique, balance, composure and a degree of style.

Richie's Arete, Duntelchaig: Font 6C

The Arete right of the dagger. Difficult to top out - but nicely chilled moves, lay backing on good holds up to that point.

Gorrila, Cummingston: Font 7a

Quality steep sandstone prow at cummingston.

Shreddies sit start, Ruthven: Font 7A+

This is maybe more of a bulging nose than an arete but I'm struggling to think - It's the most arete-ish problem at Ruthven. Two hard moves between sharp crimps at the bottom is the crux.

The Scientist, Brin: Font 7B

Another great line at Brin, this is a steep prow with huge reaches between good crimps. The top out has now been brushed up, but it still is highball. A really stylish problem, unrepeated.

Blog Launch

2008-10-17T14:05:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone

Video Clips

2000-01-01T18:58:00.001Z

Featured Video...

Barry Manilower at Ruthven

***

Other stuff...

Brin Rock

Duntelchaig

The Stabber

Scatwell

Cummingston

dyno fun

Ruthven

Scorguie

Walk the Dog

Contact

2000-01-01T13:57:00.001Z

Drop me a line if you do some bouldering! or whatever...

email: flair_player@msn.com

Guidebooks

2000-01-01T13:56:00.000Z

This guide from Stone Country has a good selection of bouldering in Inverness area. You can buy one from here.

An Inverness area guide is in the pipeline, hopefully out sometime next year.

7+8's list

2000-01-01T13:54:00.000Z

7a
Old Love - Brin
Blunt arete

The Untrained Ear - Duntelchaig
proper bouldering

Voodoo Working - Duntelchaig
Looks like a skin shredder, because it is

Magic Streets - Duntelchaig
Harder for the short?

Match and Snatch - Cummingston
Easier with good beta

Fingerlicker - Cummingston
Quality traversing action

Birdman - Cummingston
fingery wall

Gorilla (sit start) - Cummingston
steep prow

Ginger Ninja - Cummingston

Cave Man - Cummingston
Long traverse that everyone finds desperate

Razors Edge - Ruthven
Technical

The Dude - Ruthven
Superstar moves

The Big Lebowski - Ruthven
Quality feature, climbs well too...

Pinch Punch - Ruthven
Sit start between Nefertiti and Get into the Groove

Crystal Maze lefthand finish - Ruthven
aka Jeds Traverse

Fly Tip Lip - Scatwell
Makes the most of the good rock

Road to Domestos - Scatwell
"funky"

Herbie - Scorguie Boulder
Lip 40 seconds from Inverness

7a+

Sare - Duntelchaig
More like a solo

Up Beat - Brin
Low ball traverse - needs a clean

Knife Wound - Duntelchaig
curving crack

The Grim Weaper - Ruthven
Say "cheerio" to your skin

Shreddies (sit start) - Ruthven
Couple of bouldery throws to skin destroying edges

Barry Manilow - Ruthven
Nearly impossible rock over

White Russian - Ruthven
Squeased in

The Stabber - Duntelchaig
Extends the fun of the Dagger

7b
Guillotine (sit start) - Brin
Low ball

The Scientist - Brin
Great highball arete

Down Beat - Brin
Similar to Up Beat

Ginger Rides Again - Cummingston

Sine Wave - Cummingston (Gorilla sit start into a reverse of Cave Man, I think?)

The Catch - Scatwell
A classic of the area.

Wooden Nickles - Duntelchaig
Difficulty in pulling off the floor

7b+

Walk the Dog - Scorguie
Steep conglomerate wall

Pit Bull - Brin
climb out a pit. needs repeated

Crocabot - Brin
Roof problem at brin

Farr Side Facet - Farr
Quality problem

7c

The Susurrus - Brin
horizontal action to campus funk

Put my new shoes on - Brin
has been done without new shoes

The Dude direct - Ruthven
Giant dyno move to sloper

QED - Ruthven
Wobbly Roof flake into desperate bulge

The Settler - Duntelchaig
Hardest in the area?

Gallery

2000-01-01T13:47:00.005Z

***Winter 09/10***

Scatwell

Pitbull, Brin Rock

Brin

Cummingston

Brin under a foot of snow

*****Summer 2009*****

Refreshments at Ruthven

QED at Ruthven

Farr Boulder in its desolate surroundings

The 6B/8B roof at Brin

Sare, highball 7A+, Duntelchaig

Bit of Cummingston action, The Shield

*****Winter 08/09*****

Walk the dog

Danny Laing on forrest mechanics

Winter sun at Farr

Richie Betts at Brin

Duntelchaig in snow

*****Summer 2008*****

"I am Murdoch" at Ruthven

Richie Betts opening a new line at Ruthven

Dave Macleod's new problem, the Dude Direct 7C, seeing a few repeats

Jamie Murray's brushed up boulder near Farr

Knifewound wall

The hardest of the knifewound wall testpieces: Settler, Font 7C

Topos

2000-01-01T13:47:00.001Z

Here's a few online guides to some of the bouldering around Inverness...

from Scottishclimbs.com:

from Alphamountaineering.com:

from Stonecountry.co.uk:

View Larger Map

Guestbook

2000-01-01T10:31:00.000Z

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