Author: Steve Crowe

Climbing is my passion in life and when not working (I work part-time as a pharmacist), my husband Steve and I spend most of our time immersed in the sport.

I love both trad and sport climbing and try and do a mixture of the two.  I’ve on-sighted/ flashed over 100 E5’s on a variety of rock types and situations, from the sea-cliffs of Lundy, Pembroke, Gogarth, the Outer Hebrides and Reiff, to the mountain crags of Wales, Lakes and GlenCoe, and not forgetting the beautiful sandstone crags of Northumberland and my favourite, the Yorkshire limestone. Moving on to harder trad and I’ve on-sighted/flashed  knocking on for 20 E6’s (Yorkshire, Scotland, Lakes, Pembroke and N.Wales), as well as Death Wish E7 6b at Blue Scar and was pleased to get the 4th ascent of Vlad the Impailer E7 6b at Dove Crag (climbed ground-up on-sight).

I was very pleased to manage a quick headpoint ascent of Bleed in Hell E8 6c on Hells Wall shortly after Mary’s impressive first female ascent. I’ve head pointed numerous routes including Stairway to Heaven E7 6c at Blue Scar, Inferno E7 6c on Hells Wall and both On the Rocks E7 6c and Charlotte’s Dream Direct E7 6b at Back Bowden Doors. I have yet to discover the delights of gritstone (although I do quite enjoy bouldering on the Yorkshire grit); as a consequence my grit CV is not very impressive, with my hardest routes being Big Greenie and Wall of Horrors at Almscliff.

On the bolts I’ve flashed/on-sighted numerous F7c’s and F7c+’s, plus several F8a’s(all abroad) as well as red-pointing some of Yorkshire’s greatest routes including Huecool F8b and Supercool F8a+ in Gordale, and The Groove F8a+ at Malham.  I made the first ascent of Stolen F8b at Kilnsey in 2006 and more recently succeeded on Showtime F8b also at Kilnsey. I’ve climbed numerous F8b’s in Spain and in 2017 red-pointed Mundo Feliz F8b+ at Villanueva del Rosario.

I do enjoy bouldering but rarely boulder outside these days, so the hardest I’ve flashed is Font 7A/7A+ and the hardest problems I’ve climbed are Cubby’s Lip and The Nadser both of which weigh in at Font 7B+ and can be found at Kyloe In.

I also dabbled in the competition scene for many years, starting way back in 1992, with several good results; including 2nd place overall in many a BICC series (most recently 2006).  My best year was probably 2002/3 when I finished 4th overall in the BBC’s and won the Sunderland BICC (the only round I entered that year). I still enjoy entering all the local bouldering comps in the winter months and enjoy the summer bouldering league through at ClimbNewcastle.

Some of my favourite climbing areas include the Outer Hebrides, Yorkshire limestone and Catalunya, Spain.

Read an interview by Keith Sharples here: https://www.climber.co.uk/news/news/showtime-with-karin-magog/

Click the link below to listen to Karin talking about climbing at Muckross (and much more) with Niall Grimes:

http://www.niallgrimes.com/jam-crack-climbing-podcast

The Great Sea Cliffs of Scotland by Guy Robertson

“It was a gorgeous blue-sky day, but chilly on the belay. Above me, Steve was making slow but steady progress prospecting a new line, aiming to follow the righthand pink vein of tram-line pegmatite streaks running parallel up the smooth face of the wall. Below me. the stiff-winged fulmars swooped and tumbled, the steep hillside crowded with birds nesting precariously on the edge of the roaring Atlantic. I knocked out a few shoulder rolls in a vain bid to warm myself up. A sudden call from Steve sharpened my focus “I’m coming down for a rest” A small knot began to form in my stomach – that mixture of fear and excitement many climbers will recognise. Sure enough Steve reached the belay, tied himself off, then uttered the immortal words, “Fancy a look?” …”

You can read Karin’s account of climbing KnS Special E6 on the impressively steep Creag Dearg on Mingulay in The Great Sea Cliffs of Scotland by Guy Robertson.

Adventures and Achievements by Karin Magog

A brief summary of some highlights down the years.

1990-1995

Start climbing and leading regularly. Progress through the grades until leading E4’s, with ascents of routes such as Resurrection, N.Wales E4 6a; The Tube, Northumberland E4 5c and Edge of Eriador, Scafell E4 5c. Red-point Obsession, Malham F7b+ (1st red-point); New Dawn, Malham F7c and Man with a Gun, Kilnsey F7c+. On-sight my first few F7b’s.

1996-2000

Progress to regularly leading E5, including Right Wall, N.Wales E5 6a; The Cumbrian, Esk Buttress E5 6a; Deja Vu, Kilnsey E5 6b; Endless Flight, Northumberland E5 6a and The Risk Business, Tunnel Wall E5 6a. Lead my first E6 – Bite It and Believe It, Gordale E6 6b. A few years later lead my first E7- Death Wish, Blue Scar E7 6b. On-sight several F7b+’s both in Britain and abroad. Make quick red-point ascents of several of Yorkshire’s classic F7c’s and F7c+’s Red-point Supercool, Gordale F8a+.

2001-2005

Start to get a few more E6’s under my belt including The Cad, Gogarth E6 6a and The Long Run E6 6b both on the same day; The Great White, Blue Scar E6 6b; Bucket City E6 6b and Pail Face E6 6b, both at Dove Crag. Narrowly miss flashing the 2nd ascent of Vlad the Impailer, Dove Crag E7 6b due to dirty holds. Return the following weekend to grab the 4th ascent without incident. Headpoint several E7’s including Stairway to Heaven, Blue Scar E7 6c and On The Rocks, Northumberland E7 6c. Red-point several routes of F8a and above in Yorkshire, including The Groove, Malham F8a+; Huecool, Gordale F8b and the long awaited 2nd female ascent of Raindogs, Malham F8a. Flash F7c.

2006-2010

Regularly on-sighting F7b+, numerous F7c‘s (including several in Kalymnos; Northern Spain and Lost Safari in Oudtshoorn, South Africa) and a handful of 7c+’s (mainly in Spain). Fast red-point ascents of F8a’s and 8a+’s abroad plus ascents of some more classic Yorkshire sports routes including The Thumb (8a), Zoolook (8a), Bullet (8a+) and Climb of the Century (8b). Red-point the Cold Steal extension to get the first ascent of StolenF8b, Kilnsey. Continue to regularly on-sight E5’s (passing the 100 mark) throughout the UK (North Wales, Pembroke, Lundy, the South-West, Lakes, Northumberland, Yorkshire limestone, Ireland, mainland Scotland and the Scottish Islands). Also consolidate more at the E6 grade with on-sight ascents of numerous routes particularly on the Yorkshire limestone and the Outer Hebrides (including the awesome Bonxie E6 6b on Pabbay and Perfectly Normal Paranoia E6 6b on Mingulay. Numerous trips to the Outer Hebrides (mainly Pabbay and Mingulay) with several new routes climbed on-sight – the highlight being the first ascent with Steve of K ‘n’ S Special E6 6a on Mingulay. Head-point E8 with a fast ascent of Bleed in Hell E8 6c on Hell’s Wall, Borrowdale. Bouldering moves up a notch with quick ascents and the odd flash of some V6’s and V7’s, and manage to tick Cubby’s Lip and the Nadser (both F7B+) at Kyloe In.

2011-15

Sports climbing starts to become the main focus as we managed to get some longer trips abroad. Regularly on-sighting 7c and 7c+ (both home and abroad) as well as numerous 8a’s in Spain including Alt Urgell at Tres Ponts; Pinche Lupita at Mas Riudoms; El Bufa, Tequilla Sunrise, El Capataz Ircapaz and Diedri Mata all at Chulilla. Red-pointing more hard routes quickly with 8a’s frequently climbed 1^st red-point and 8a+ in a couple of days. Also fast ascents of various 8b’s abroad and El Infierro 8b/+ at Chulilla. Back in the UK I continued to tick off some of the Yorkshire limestone classics such as GBH at Malham as well as quite a few nemesis routes at Kilnsey including The Bulge and La Lapine. I also was very pleased to red-point the classic 8b Showtime. Knocked off a few classic hard routes elsewhere in the UK including The Prow and Crucifixion both 8a’s at Ravenstor; Statement of Youth 8a at LPT and Airshow 8a+ at Shipwreck Cove. Trad climbing generally limited to week long trips to Wales or Scotland. Still managing to regularly on-sight E5’s though with ascents of classics such as Killerkranky E5 6a/6, Kicker Conspiracy E5 6a and King Wad E5/6 6b on Scimitar Ridge; Energy Crisis E5 6a at Gogarth and several E5’s up in the NW of Scotland around Gairloch, Shiegra and Super Crag. Also managed the occasional E6 on-sight including Twilo Thunder E6 6a at Goat Crag, Gairloch and the mega classic Lord of the Flies E6 6a on the Cromlech.

2016-20

Sports climbing focus continues with several trips to Spain and a good collection of 7c on-sights and quick red-points of 8a and 8a+. I also was extremely pleased to red-point Mundo Feliz 8b+ at Rosario. Enjoyed a long trip to Flatanger in Norway where I came away with 7b+ on-sights, an ascent of the rarely dry Paltergeist 7c+ and fast red-points of numerous 8a’s including Frigg and  Eventyrblanding and the classic Massih Attack 8a+. Down in Yorkshire I continued to tick off some 8a and 8a+ routes mainly at Kilnsey including Puppeteer 8a, Drenka 8a+ and A Darker Stranger 8a+. I was also extremely pleased to make the most of a dry spell to make short work of Pierrepoint Original Start 7c+, a true classic which is rarely in condition. I also red-pointed China Crisis, which may be a mere 7c+ but has a viciously bouldering start especially for the short and was something that I’d never been able to touch before. Trad climbing trips became very infrequent but still managed to on-sight a good selection of E5’s – in Yorkshire, Lewis, North Wales and Pembroke. The highlight though was an on-sight of the ultimate classic Ghost Train E6 6b in Pembroke.

Photo Gallery

Chullila January 2013. I watched with admiration as Hazel took yet another fall as she worked her way up one of the desperate looking 8b’s at the far end of the crag. There was no fuss or screams, just a graceful flight through the air before she pulled back on and had another go. The next day she was onsighting hard route after hard route. If she didn’t manage the OS it would be dispatched next go, then she would move along onto the next route. I was also climbing well that winter, with my first few 8a onsights under my belt and redpoints of several 8bs, yet watching Hazel made me even more aware of my own limitations. I tended to climb mainly within my comfort zone, being drawn to endurance routes that weren’t too steep, allowing me plenty of time to climb up and down before committing to a sequence. I also tended to work harder routes on a top-rope first before taking on the lead. Deep down I knew I had several reasons for this – fear of falling, fear of failing, fear of commitment and lack of self-belief, all of which conspired together to hold me back. A lot of the time this wasn’t evident, run-outs when I felt in control didn’t bother me but faced with a committing move such as a jump or slap and I would hesitate and usually end up sitting on the rope. I suffered from irrational thoughts in these situations that my belayer would drop me (even on a top rope sometimes). I also performed poorly on very steep routes where quick decisions are generally needed and faffing about like I did usually resulted in failure. I still have a list of routes that I have ‘saved’ for another day when I might be feeling stronger, braver, fitter, etc in the hope that I could onsight them.

Watching Hazel though inspired me to start making some changes. Over the past two years I’ve gradually started to work on these issues with some success. Firstly I started to lead the warm-ups, rather than often top-roping them. I also decided to work the harder routes on the lead, which worked really well. Several climbers had recommended reading The Rock Warriors Way by Arno Ilgner, so I downloaded it and started working my way through it. Too be honest, although some of it was really interesting there also seemed to be plenty of waffle and I haven’t yet finished it. However, it did get me really thinking. I discovered I was definitely more of an analytical climber than an intuitive climber; decided I needed to set smaller, more achievable goals; and had to start looking for a positive in every performance instead of dwelling on failure and letting that dictate my mood. I also learnt about my ego and how that may have been holding me back in certain circumstances. With all this in mind I got back on routes that I’d dismissed in the past as being too hard or too reachy or not my style. I worked on climbing quicker and more fluidly on the bouldering wall, and tried more dynamic problems which I would have previously ignored. I sought out steeper routes on holiday that really pushed me both mentally and physically. If I was just concerned with the numbers game this could have been disheartening as I struggled with routes given a lesser grade than ones I’d previously succeeded on. However, I tried not to reflect on that and instead looked at all the positives. Over those two years I managed to tick off numerous outstanding projects, both in the UK and abroad and managed to surprise myself with both onsights and redpoints of routes that I would have avoided previously. However, I knew I still held back at times and this was highlighted by my failure on a route I’d saved for many years, hoping to onsight it. I found the start of the route harder than expected and this shocked me mentally, putting me on a back foot straight away and I started to doubt my ability. This was compounded when I got to a long, committing move. The route was very steep, not one for hanging around on, but hang around I did! Up and down, round and around looking for an alternative method, trying to shake out but getting more and more tired, ripping the skin on both my hands and my heel as I tried to recover. I’d saved this route for so long I didn’t want to blow it by falling off this move. In the end I had to commit, I made the move but was so exhausted I slumped off a few moves later. I then had to rest a few more times to get to the belay and was too knackered for a redpoint attempt. Initially I was upset and frustrated with myself, but decided at least I’d taken the route on in the first place instead of saving it a bit longer. That at the end of the day it was just a line of bolts up an arbitrary piece of rock and it didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. I’d also learnt the hard way that procrastination is not the best strategy on that sort of route and that if I really wanted to improve more work was needed on the mental side of my climbing.

Not long after that I was reading Hazel’s Facebook post about the mental side of climbing and how she was toying with the idea of offering some coaching on this subject. I sent her an email and asked if she would be prepared to take me on. I think she was quite surprised but after I reassured her I was genuinely serious she agreed. After filling in a detailed questionnaire that required a high degree of ego crushing honesty and a long chat on the phone we got started. She got straight to the heart of the problem, which is a basic fear of falling and the lack of control this involves. Even on a toprope I found it hard to let go without reassurance first that my belayer had me. If I felt I was in control then I won’t think about it, but as soon as that control was compromised the fear would arise. This could be down to a jump or slap, or committing to a move off a poor handhold or a marginal smear. Suddenly the irrational would take over and it would take an enormous amount of mental energy to make that commitment, and at other times I couldn’t make it at all.

Hazel offered loads of advice and practical exercises to try. She also recommended I read Arno Ilgner’s other book – Expresso Lessons. This was much more interesting and easier to read, I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. One of the exercises both Arno and Hazel suggested was fall practice. Now I had tried fall practice in the past but had pushed too hard too soon, which resulted in me getting frustrated and upset at my failure. This time I took it more slowly, doing some falls on the toprope to start with, then moving to the lead, concentrating on my breathing, relaxing. Looking up before letting go instead of down was hard to start with but also easier in some respects, and mimicked the climbing situation much more. I’m slowly progressing, but have a long way to go. I’ve realised that I need to try and incorporate some fall practice into everyday at the crag/wall and have started trying to incorporate it into my warm-up.

So did any of this work? Well I did have numerous successes this year, the main one being my redpoint of Showtime at Kilnsey. Showtime is a 30m 8b with three distinct cruxes none of which suited my usual style! I had looked at this a few years back and dismissed it as being too reachy and therefore impossible. Last year I had a few runs up it to see if I could find another sequence on all three cruxes, all of which, on the face of it, involve very big moves. The first one is very thin face climbing, so by holding some marginal holds I was able to get round the more obvious big moves. The second crux was more complicated, but by doing a big reach and pulling off the intermediate I managed to do the individual moves but couldn’t link it. The last crux was just a massive slap from a small undercut, no way round this unfortunately and I could barely do the move after sitting in the rope, so the thought of doing it after 30m of climbing was quite daunting. However, I’d seen that it could be possible so was looking forward to getting on it this year. I broke the route down into small goals and would have an aim for each session on it. I also did plenty of practice falls. Hazel also offered advice on techniques for maintaining focus which were invaluable once I was on the redpoint. The route came together faster than I thought, although I did spend three days and numerous redpoints falling off that move at the top. Another success in my eyes was my failed onsight of Cockblock, a popular and powerful classic E5 6b in the Llanberis Pass. This may seem like a bit of an oxymoron, however, when you consider that I’ve rarely fallen off a trad route in the past (the few times I have it’s been down to a broken hold, or a sudden slip off a greasy hand or foothold), the fact that I fell off this whilst trying hard was a massive step forward. Previously I have avoided this route as short intense routes with a bouldery and reachy crux are not my forte. Also I have done less trad over the past few years so I wasn’t really trad fit for hanging around placing gear, especially when I wasn’t always getting the right piece of protection first time. Despite this I made the effort to take it on. Needless to say I got really pumped placing the gear but pushed on regardless, fought upwards but unfortunately didn’t quite make the reach and I was off. A quick rest and I got a better sequence, climbed to the top and then red pointed it. Yes I was disappointed not to onsight it, but I was more pleased that I’d actually taken it on in the first place and given everything on it.

I’m now back from a recent trip to Spain. Another two past failures put to bed and success on a route I would never have considered in the past due to its steepness and the ridiculous sequence at the top to get round a big move (I have to admit this did test me as I fell from this move too many times to count – some wise words from Hazel got me up it the next day!). However, the biggest success was the fact that I took more falls this trip than I have on the past few trips put together. This I know is the way forward for me but I don’t find it easy. Just like every other aspect of climbing if you don’t use it you lose it. There is no magic cure, but working on your mental game can be just as rewarding as the physical side. I’m excited to see where it may take me.

A big thank you to Hazel Findley for all her help and advice over the last few months. Thanks must also go to Suzan Dudink for her training advice and of course to Steve Crowe for being such a patient and supportive belayer.

Useful Links:

Hazel Findlay Coaching.

Suzan Dudink – Upgrade Climbing