http://fiveten.com/ http://fiveten.com/images/stories/NewBox_black.png http://fiveten.com/ http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/11576-all-my-eggs-in-one-basket-steve-mcclure http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/11576-all-my-eggs-in-one-basket-steve-mcclure Happy Easter. This might be a time of the year that you celebrate, or a weekend the same as any other. For me there is little difference, in fact a period to avoid being away with the crowds. But I notice it by the amount of chocolate eggs that seem to come my way, not that I’m complaining! This year was a very happy Easter for many as the sun shone. Just a few years ago it was snowing at Easter! The sun is great, but not for hard climbing. ]]> Mon, 25 Apr 2011 07:19:00 -0400 11576 2011-04-25 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_114easter_1303715993.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/11096-quantums-make-a-leap-and-hornets-make-a-buzz http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/11096-quantums-make-a-leap-and-hornets-make-a-buzz Mile End Boot Demo was busy. Every year it is. But this year there was a bit of a stir around the 5.10 stand as the new range of shoes stepped out with their stand out colours. They were flying off the counter. These new tweaked Anasazi lasts have a down-turned toe but a host of other features, and everyone was impressed. ]]> Sun, 27 Mar 2011 11:28:00 -0400 11096 2011-03-27 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_113demo_1301225299.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10930-summer-has-arrived-for-steve-mcclure http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10930-summer-has-arrived-for-steve-mcclure Or so it seemed, why else would the thermometer say 25 degrees! But it was still only February 8th. A dream for most, blazing sunshine, five days in a row without a cloud or a breath of wind. But you can’t please everyone, and I couldn’t help but let out a little whinge as I slipped off the last moves of Blomu, a 35m 8c+ at Santa Linya. The route bakes in the sun from the moment it rises to the moment it sets, and I was not keen enough to be at the crag and warmed up before... ]]> Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:08:00 -0500 10930 2011-02-10 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_112alexlinya_1297336116.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10860-at-last-we-can-go-outside-and-climb http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10860-at-last-we-can-go-outside-and-climb When its bad its bad But when its good its really good. Sheffield weather! Cold, snowy, damp, humid, foggy or just torrential rain is pretty common around this time. But it can be awesome, maybe the variation is worth having, just to appreciate how good it is when it is good. ]]> Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:13:00 -0500 10860 2011-01-20 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_111froggat2_1295558012.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10751-steve-mcclures-visit-to-gran-canaria http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10751-steve-mcclures-visit-to-gran-canaria December in Britain can be dreary! With flights at a mere £100 and a forecast of a sunny 20 degrees Gran Canaria looked appealing. A family holiday with a beach priority but enough rock to keep insanity at bay. However, we were met by some of the worst weather on Gran Canaria in years, torrential rain and gale force winds. Schools were closed and buildings were blown down. In true British style I opted to climb on this day! ]]> Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:04:00 -0500 10751 2010-12-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_1012Buscate_1291853051.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10618-steve-mcclure-on-the-petzl-roc-trip-to-mexico http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10618-steve-mcclure-on-the-petzl-roc-trip-to-mexico The Petzl Rock trip this year was to Mexico. They just keep getting better and better! This was a big trip with some serious crankers and some of my best buddies, Joe Kinder, Dave Graham and Said Belhaj. ]]> Tue, 09 Nov 2010 21:32:00 -0500 10618 2010-11-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_1011Stevemexico_1289338378.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10599-david-mason-spends-6-days-on http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10599-david-mason-spends-6-days-on Fed up of waiting for conditions I decided to just have fun. For the last week the sun has been shining and the sky blue here in Fontainebleau but it hasn’t been especially cold. I had got bored of waiting for perfect conditions and so decided to just climb a lot! Also the one climb I really wanted to do this week, Delire Onirique had fully shut me down again, not sure why but it just feels too hard. I will have to get better at rock climbing and try it next time! ]]> Sat, 06 Nov 2010 20:01:00 -0400 10599 2010-11-06 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10599_defaultnoimage_1289238461.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10501-three-from-font http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10501-three-from-font Three 8's in a day in the forest of Fontainebleau. After 2 weeks in Fontainebleau some good weather finally decided to arrive! Having had two rest days enforced by thin skin and rain I was itching to go, probably a little to itching (I now have no skin again)!! First stop was l’apparemment, a brilliant 8a at Apremont that requires a whole lot of squeeze and some ninja skills with the feet. I tried this in February but couldn’t fathom a sequence that would get me to the top and with low levels of motivation... ]]> Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:38:00 -0400 10501 2010-10-19 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10501_defaultnoimage_1287516353.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10484-fontainebleau-to-swiss-and-back-again-david-mason http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10484-fontainebleau-to-swiss-and-back-again-david-mason Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:34:00 -0400 10484 2010-10-15 http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10422-pete-robins-2010-in-north-wales http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10422-pete-robins-2010-in-north-wales I haven’t blogged yet so I thought I’d say what I’ve been doing over the past year, and how climbing has evolved for me recently. Bit of a rant I’m afraid. For the past few years, my climbing has taken a very different path - it needed to as I started to get bored going to the same old trad venues and doing increasingly more esoteric and arbitrary routes. At the upper-end of trad climbing, risking it all on-sight and 10 foot to the side of a splitter crack while your mate ignorantly eggs you on from... ]]> Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:00:00 -0400 10422 2010-10-11 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_StonedTemplePilots110006087_1286798423.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_DevilsAppendix_1286798423.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_Nightmare_1286798423.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_Subway_1286798424.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_VBVS_1286798424.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_WildYouth_1286798424.JPG http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_IncredibleBulk_1286798424.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10415-rehab http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10415-rehab September and October are my favorite months. The air is clear and the temperatures start to drop and everything looks a little more beautiful. And friction goes up and all those little holds feel so much better. But little holds are still feeling pretty bad. Three months in to a projected six month recovery from a finger ligament rip I still feel pain even looking at a Ravenstor crimp! So best plan is to run away. France in late September is still like the UK in Summer, and I figured being on a family holiday would distract... ]]> Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:21:00 -0400 10415 2010-10-09 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/_109ardechdws_1286608860.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10391-latest-fashion http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10391-latest-fashion I'm always keeping up with the latest trends and making sure I'm up to date. People who know me are always impressed by my fashion conscious nature! Right now I'm joining the coolest in the latest craze - busted fingers! ]]> Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:46:00 -0400 10391 2010-10-01 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10391_1010beastmaker_1285948004.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10227-they-dont-make-em-like-they-used-to http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10227-they-dont-make-em-like-they-used-to Which is a good thing really! My first pair of shoes were the EB's, and back then they were awesome. That was like 30 years ago. Recently I saw a friend had some and was psyched to see how they were. Putting them on felt familiar and surprisingly well fitting. I felt like I could go out and climb hard! They were in great condition with a good edge, a collectors item! Setting off I was confident, but then two moves later all the progress in climbing shoes became very obvious! ]]> Fri, 24 Sep 2010 09:39:00 -0400 10227 2010-09-24 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10227_108froggat2_1285321170.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10211-wet-wet-wales-by-david-mason http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10211-wet-wet-wales-by-david-mason The forecast for the North Wales area is RAIN with intermittent chances for bouldering! Last week a group of us headed to North Wales for a few days, my main objective was to do New Noise (8a/+). The line was established in 2007 by local climber Chris Davies and was yet to see a repeat. Being in Wales though we were just hoping that we would be able to climb, it must be one of the rainiest places in Britain! ]]> Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:04:00 -0400 10211 2010-09-20 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10211_BarrelGroovesmall_1284980683.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10211_Willsmall_1284980683.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10194-pool-of-bethesda-by-david-mason http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10194-pool-of-bethesda-by-david-mason Five hours drive for one problem.... In the last 8 weeks I can count the times I have touched rock on one hand! I have been locked away indoors, pulling on small bits of wood and plastic in preparation for going on a ten week trip to Fontainebleau and Switzerland. The relentless rain and humid conditions also make it difficult to muster up the motivation to head outside. However last Thursday three of us decided to head to North Wales for the day. The destination of choice was the Llanberis Pass and more specifically the... ]]> Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:34:00 -0400 10194 2010-09-15 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10194_PoolofBethesdasmall_1284546849.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10110-norwegian-rock-master-steve-mcclure http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10110-norwegian-rock-master-steve-mcclure The Nordic countries are awesome, and the people are always super nice. I was invited to the Norwegian Rock Masters competition and just had to go for the crack, not really for the comp. As it turned out the comp was great too, I ended up 2nd. ]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:17:00 -0400 10110 2010-09-02 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10110_108norway1_1283901448.jpg http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10009-rock-bouldering-david-mason http://fiveten.com/community/blog-detail/10009-rock-bouldering-david-mason Wood has been the choice for the past month, so it was nice to get on some rock this weekend in North Wales. After a few months away from climbing due to low motivation after a hideously wet 5 week trip to Fontainebleau, I have started training again. The past 4 weeks has been dedicated to campusing, fingerboarding and one arm sessions. This is to build up my basic strength again!! I have 2 more weeks of this training to go, then 6 weeks to convert this into some sort of climbing ability before going back to... ]]> Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:11:00 -0400 10009 2010-08-03 http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10009_defaultnoimage_1280848141.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10009_FlickoftheWrist3_1280918301.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10009_NewNoise_1280918301.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10009_AnimalMagnetism_1280918301.jpg http://fiveten.com/images/stories/jreviews/10009_Poppysreach1_1280918384.jpg