Uploaded April 2018 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
↡ Curbar Bouldering ↡
Hannah and I hopped out the van and onto Curbar crag bright and early on Saturday morning. We warmed up on the Trackside boulder, which Peak regulars will know is one of the most accessible blocs in the country, and a right-of-passage for visitors to the crag. On the side of this boulder is a problem called Strawberries 6b. It's a particularly knacky problem that has evaded me in the past, but went quickly today and gave promise for a good session to follow.
I spent the best part of a day last summer greasing off the final holds on Bad Lip 7a, so in the cool morning breeze this was firmly on my mind as today's project. For most people, the boulder revolves around one stiff move, a high left heel and a right-arm lock down on a small edge. For me, the next move also caused problems. Once established on the higher left hand, you have to scrunch up your core and make room to convert your left heel into a toe underneath your body. Last year, I found my lack of flexibility and my excessively long limbs made it tricky to fit into this space. I was chuffed when, on my second attempt, I made it to the top of Bad Lip.
Now feeling confident on this part of the boulder, I decided to spent time projecting a traverse link-up that pushes the grade to 7b. It's called Late Junction. It didn't take long to work out the moves, but putting it all together proved difficult because I was running out of steam, and chalk, by the time I made it to those last moves of the original Bad Lip problem.
I took one nasty fall from the last move and decided it was time to call for reinforcements and extra encouragement. Hannah kindly came to spot for three or four more attempts - and urged me to have one more go after I started to look defeated as the sun appeared from behind the clouds and started to heat up the rock, I even suggested that today was no longer the day.
In a last go, go best situation I managed to move swiftly through the traverse moves and put all my trust in my sweaty hands to make the final moves.
Instagram ↡
Nathan | instagram.com/nathanbetts_
Hannah | instagram.com/hannah_outside_
Camera Kit ↡
Sony A6500 w/ Sigma 16mm, Sigma 30mm and Sony 18-105mm.
Rode Videomic.
↡ Curbar Bouldering ↡
Hannah and I hopped out the van and onto Curbar crag bright and early on Saturday morning. We warmed up on the Trackside boulder, which Peak regulars will know is one of the most accessible blocs in the country, and a right-of-passage for visitors to the crag. On the side of this boulder is a problem called Strawberries 6b. It's a particularly knacky problem that has evaded me in the past, but went quickly today and gave promise for a good session to follow.
I spent the best part of a day last summer greasing off the final holds on Bad Lip 7a, so in the cool morning breeze this was firmly on my mind as today's project. For most people, the boulder revolves around one stiff move, a high left heel and a right-arm lock down on a small edge. For me, the next move also caused problems. Once established on the higher left hand, you have to scrunch up your core and make room to convert your left heel into a toe underneath your body. Last year, I found my lack of flexibility and my excessively long limbs made it tricky to fit into this space. I was chuffed when, on my second attempt, I made it to the top of Bad Lip.
Now feeling confident on this part of the boulder, I decided to spent time projecting a traverse link-up that pushes the grade to 7b. It's called Late Junction. It didn't take long to work out the moves, but putting it all together proved difficult because I was running out of steam, and chalk, by the time I made it to those last moves of the original Bad Lip problem.
I took one nasty fall from the last move and decided it was time to call for reinforcements and extra encouragement. Hannah kindly came to spot for three or four more attempts - and urged me to have one more go after I started to look defeated as the sun appeared from behind the clouds and started to heat up the rock, I even suggested that today was no longer the day.
In a last go, go best situation I managed to move swiftly through the traverse moves and put all my trust in my sweaty hands to make the final moves.
Instagram ↡
Nathan | instagram.com/nathanbetts_
Hannah | instagram.com/hannah_outside_
Camera Kit ↡
Sony A6500 w/ Sigma 16mm, Sigma 30mm and Sony 18-105mm.
Rode Videomic.
