Limestone Oven

After a rest day we headed down to Doolin again, this time with Aron, Matthew, Marek and kids and Calliam. There was also a gang heading trad climbing at Alliadie so we set up our campsite beside theirs at the top of the beautiful sea cliff facing the Aran Islands out to sea. It was ridiculously hot. 30 degrees hot, the kind of heat you only get in Ireland every few years or so, it was bakin'. We hit the boulders at midday. The whole bouldering area is made of stone, there is no grass or sand just limstone meeting the sea. All the rock around us was emanating heat like the rocks in a fualacht fia and the sun beat down umercifully ... worst bouldring conditions ever, but we got stuck in and had a ball anyways.

Freaky Scarecrow on the way to the Boulders

Due to heat everybody was slow to get going. We warmed up at basecamp area doing some nice easy crack lines and the thuggy Monkey Bars 5. A curious seal bobbed passed checking us all out before disappearing under the blue. After this we headed over to the gorgeous steep line Big Foot 6a+ and had a good aul tussle before most of us topped it out, super problem, nice and steep with crimpy gastons and a big move for the finish.I was dead keen to get back on The Ramp 6B+ so I strode over to get my skin shredded and my ass handed to me again, I was dissapointed that I couldn't make progress on it, but I cheered up after Jamie and I sent it's neighbour Sleepy Hollow 6C, it must have suited me more as I almost flashed it using J's beta and got it on my third go, its another class climb, a powerful deadpoint into a gaston sloper leads to a lock-off into a finger lock before jugs and an easy top out, quality !! Jamie and I had a look at Hider 7A as it was the only rock in the shade. It's steep, crimpy and hard, we were slapping the crimp repeatedly but couldn't hang it, we are gonna train hard to get this one before the end of the summer.

Jamie on Emerland 6c+

The next day we got up early to beat the heat of the day and we were rewarded with cool rock and a fresh sea breeze and almost every block was in the shade. We warmed up and I headed over to The Ramp again, and Matthew and I had our arses handed to us again, I cursed the sharp nature of the rock and hurled abuse at it's technical moves ... damn you !!

 After this we settled into a siege on one of the best problems I have ever stumbled upon, Emerland 6c+, it's an awesome line running out of a cave with magical, powerful moves on crimpy edges and finishing with a tricky lock off mantle when you are past the crux, pumped-out and bull-headed to not let go !! At first attempts it seemed impossiblly hard, we struggled a lot and flailed hard, but slowly a sequence began to emerge, an amzing sequence at that, WHAT a problem !! Jamie surprised us all by beasting his way from the start all the way to the big ledge, we were convinced it was an easy top out and so hadn't practiced it, we were wrong and he fell off, devastated, but we were filled with a new belief, we were psyched :) Shortly after this Jamie topped it out, we all cheered with joy, I followed suit a little later to more hootin' and hollerin', what a brilliant problem, I was delighted to have done it, it felt unreal as I moved through the crux, body tension barely keeping my feet on the wall and when I reached the ledge there was no way I was letting go during the top out, legendary climb !! I hurt my back during the climb and am now resting for a day or two to see if it gets better, fingers crossed. After this the unbearable heat returned and we retreated home via a very hot and stuffy car journey, I can't wait to get back to Doolin to try some more amazing west coast bouldering :) Thanks everybody for a sweet weekend and thanks Pat and Ray for transporting our crash pads to and fro. Happy climbing folks !!