Three 8's

Three 8's

By Ben Meakin

My plan is to climb all three in one year. Back in April I spent two weeks in Kalymnos knowing this would be a good time to kick start the challenge. Talking numbers it was the best climbing trip so far - Three 8’s

All at 8a-
Helios 5th go
Angelica 3rd go
Princesse Marine 2nd go!! (Angelica and Princesse Marine same day)

As well as these I did lots of amazing climbs and one or two 40m climbs - not my usual style at all!

I climbed the best sport route I’ve ever climbed called Andromeda (7c+). This starts off as a really powerful boulder problem which leads into a single tuffa - cool climbing.

But now I have the two hard ones left the font 8A and the E8. I climb much better on the grit than the limestone so I will be waiting until winter when its cold for better friction on grit. In the summer I plan to train to peak condition in time for some frost.

At the moment I have no idea which E8 to get on - so if any one has any useful tips that would be amazing.

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Cold Summits- Denali Exped 2012

Cold Summits- Denali Exped 2012

So what happens when climbers with varying skills and ages get together on Denali for 4 weeks? Team work and support will undoubtedly come to the f...
April 16, 2012
Youth Climbing Series 2012

Youth Climbing Series 2012

It’s another year, and another series of the Youth Climbing Series, more commonly known as the BRYCS. It’s an awesome competition that gets the up ...
March 06, 2012
Team on crushing form

Team on crushing form

It’s been a busy two weekends for Team Crush, with two boulder comps and the British team trials. It began with the Alpkit bouldering league, Round...
December 15, 2011
Leading Ladder Final 2012

Leading Ladder Final 2012

The leading ladder final, held in Redding yesterday had a small but strong turn out of team Crush members. Flo and Billy were both in category C un...
April 15, 2012

Electric Blue

At the end of a summer centered around competing in the European Youth Cups I had one weekend booked since January that I was really looking forwar...
September 24, 2012
Euro rock trip

Euro rock trip

My bags are packed to bursting, have I got everything? 2 days have passed since the weight of A levels was lifted mercifully from my shoulders. The...
June 29, 2011

Warming up for ROCfest

There is just over a week to go before Rock Over Climbing in Manchester put on their annual ROCfest bouldering event. I have not been before, but I...
January 23, 2013
The Red

The Red

Tones of red, yellow and green, glowing through the misty air of Kentucky, The Red is pretty. Red River Gorge only came into my radar in 2008 when ...
October 22, 2012

Driving and bouldering

A hell of a lot of driving and climbing. Up to Rieff on the North West Coast of Scotland, then back to near Fort William and a second ascent of a D...
May 21, 2014

White Goods 2013

As hundreds of outdoor folk flooded to Kendal for this years film festival an especially picky bunch of climbers opted for the alternative attracti...
November 18, 2013

Competition Time!

For me, the beginning of a new academic year always feels like an extra January 1st, halfway through the year, where I can make a whole new set of ...
October 20, 2014
Juniors at Font

Juniors at Font

A couple of weeks ago a few members of the junior climbing team made it out to Font. The team experienced sun, snow, rain and sub zero temperatures...
March 03, 2010

Gaining the margins

Finding the psyche. I can say with confidence that some winter climbs, the ones I went in deep, have fundamentally changed me as person. So recentl...
November 20, 2014

Scottish Winter and a bit of tooling!

I thought it was time I wrote something about the climbing I have done outside, because so far I have only spoken about competitions! The past coup...
February 16, 2015
MIC training at the Brenin

MIC training at the Brenin

It has been a pretty unsuccessful winter for many, but lucky for me mine has been very productive! I managed to get my Winter Mountain Leader finis...
March 20, 2012
BRYCS round 3

BRYCS round 3

A few months ago, the parent representative for the British climbing team, John Ellison, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was a shock to all ...
April 30, 2012

Monday is Climbing Day

Monday is my one definite day a week to climb. Sure, I sometimes may be able to get a sneaky bit of extra baby sitting in one evening or even bring...
August 16, 2013
Climbing at Antseys Cove

Climbing at Antseys Cove

A week with the family in Devon to see our old neighbours was a beautiful trip, amazing food, amazing old friends, amazing family time and a small ...
May 11, 2012
The big soaking

The big soaking

Returning home last Sunday, I was determined to go back to Antsey's Cove really soon. Feeling that I'm going well, I knew if Cider Soak was going t...
May 08, 2013
Alps 4000ers - weeks 1 and 2

Alps 4000ers - weeks 1 and 2

Introducing Anna Wells. We love the Alps and for Anna Wells it will be true Alpine Dreamin' at its best as she heads out this summer on a quest t...
June 17, 2013
Back to Trad

Back to Trad

When you grow up in the British climbing world you hear a lot about the traditional climbing. The desire to go out and climb great clean lines is b...
May 22, 2012

Three 8's

My plan is to climb all three in one year. Back in April I spent two weeks in Kalymnos knowing this would be a good time to kick start the challeng...
June 07, 2013

The Ascent of Nanda Devi

Posted for Vertebrate Publishing - to mark the re-release of H.W. Tilman titles H. W. ‘Bill’ Tilman was one of the greatest adventurers of his t...
December 07, 2016

Uskedalen icefall climbing calling

Most people don’t know that I’m a secret Scandinavian*. I’ve never been particularly inspired by the arid scrub of hot countries, drawn instead to ...
October 26, 2016

The Red Gold

Red River Gorge is know for its richness in oil, single pumps dotted around sucking out the black gold. But there's other gold to be found in this ...
April 27, 2017
BMC Coaching Day

BMC Coaching Day

I was lucky enough to have my name put forward for the BMC National Academy training days. I went to the first training day at The Edge at Sheffiel...
October 20, 2011

Happy days climbing in the Dolomites

I’d always wanted to try Via Ferrata as a form of protected technical scrambling on a grand scale, and the Dolomites is the homeland of this activi...
October 09, 2015

Cragweek

It's the question that all of us dread: 'so have you been getting out much?' In fact, not all climbers dread this question, just the ones who feel ...
July 13, 2017

Easter Down Under

The view as I walk up flat rock is different to any I have seen before, an unbroken expanse of flat wasteland all the way to the horizon, broken on...
August 30, 2017

Muzkol: Tajikistan 2015 Expedition

Muzkol 2015 Expedition – Tajikistan In 1940, a Soviet military officer visited the Muzkol range’s AkBaikal valley, gazed up at the five peaks of th...
October 12, 2015

Paul and Alison take on the Dam Wall

I am one of them team working here in Alpkit's UK factory making bike luggage, bouldering pads, duffles and more. I put my passion for the outdoors...
September 08, 2015

Sport to Drytool

I have just returned from my latest adventure: three weeks enjoying island life on Malta, whilst doing a placement in the Accident and Emergency de...
November 06, 2015

Sensory Overload

Travelling the UK for about six weeks sampling the wide range of trad climbing and enjoying it all from the comfort of a van. Only a days drive fro...
June 17, 2015

Eden

A little over three years ago I finished a film (or a trilogy of short films) about climbing in the Lake District. Although not my first climbing f...
September 29, 2015

Craic and Cracks: part two

There are so many things to love about Canada. It is a progressive, forward-thinking country both socially and politically, it has true wilderness ...
June 12, 2017

Steel Koan M13+

The big adventure in our trip didn't materialise. Helmcken Falls was as black as the devil's soul, and no ice to be climbed or challenge to scare o...
February 27, 2015

Hard graft & blunt picks

Up until now, Scottish winter climbing has always been an spectator sport for me. Something you watch in social media from the comfort of your home...
March 01, 2016

A Peruvian Adventure

'Hi Alpkit, My self and two of my friends have just returned from a successful trip from Peru where we managed to summit the mountain of Alpamayo. ...
July 27, 2017

0Hiro vs Scottish Winter

After more than his fair share of faffing with his sandwiches, jackets, gloves and ice axes, the fourth member of our party, the driver, finally ca...
February 25, 2015

The Rise of Erin

The poem When Erin First Rose is a beautiful homage to Ireland by the famed poet William Drennan. In Drennan's words, Ireland is the Emerald of Eur...
July 28, 2017

Black Friday

I wake up to my alarm. It’s 4pm on Thursday afternoon and I’m in the middle of a string of nightshifts. I quite literally roll out of bed, put some...
December 06, 2017

Gipsy Anniversary

If you have to choose between climbing and writing, even if you like to share newly opened routes with the world… you always go climbing! …and s...
July 12, 2018
An inch but a Mile

An inch but a Mile

The European youth cups press on, two more rounds down and I am now ranked 4th. The 3rd and 4th European Cups have been a close affair but not clos...
July 26, 2012

Serra da Estrela - Our Backyard

Star Mountain “Serra da Estrela”literally translatesto “Star Mountain”, and is the highest mountain of continental Portugal. This beautifulgranite ...
February 27, 2019

Slate, sunburn and snacks

There’s a lot of pressure sometimes to do epic stuff every time you get a few days off work, but you don’t have to fly or cycle or run across the w...
July 26, 2018

Himalayan Adventures: Part 3

“Now we need to climb without backpacks!” I said, looking up. My feet were teetering by the tips of my crampons. The ice was bulletproof- alpinists...
December 19, 2018

Photo perfect

Sometimes it's okay to feel not okay, I think. Photos are an easy way to make life look always perfect. Since beginning this adventure I have had s...
August 17, 2018

My Piano

This last couple of weekends Nesscliffe, the secluded Shropshire sandstone crag, has seen a whirlwind of action by Britain’s best trad climbers. Ja...
October 17, 2017

A bloody long way North

A bloody long way North Driving from the South of Norway to the North of Norway is like driving from the south of Norway to Italy, it’s a bloody...
August 05, 2019

Himalayan Adventures: Shan-Ri - Part 1

Himalayas 2018 In the last 10 years our Himalayan adventures have been based on mountains off the beaten path, normally virgin peaks or unexplor...
December 06, 2018

10 Things To Replace A Chamonix Climbing Season: Anna Wells In Lockdown

Like so many other people around the world, the Covid-19 outbreak has had a huge impact on our lives. After a brilliant winter season in Chamoni...
April 09, 2020

Against The Ebbing Tide

As climbers dwelling on British sea cliffs, we are all well acquainted with the ebbs and flows of the tides. The comings and going of bodies of wat...
August 21, 2018

Visions of Climbing

Back at the Big Shakeout 2018 Scavenger had their pedal powered sewing machine, The BiSewcle’, rigged up and passing volunteers all added their eff...
December 19, 2019

The Climb

As I pulled onto my first rock climb in three months, I felt a surge of energy and happiness as my body rediscovered the joy and simplicity of movi...
October 08, 2020

The 'Unrepeatable' | Ice Climbing in the Serra da Estrela

Story written by our Alpkiteers Daniela Teixeira and Paulo Roxo Unlike last year, this year we do have winter in Serra da Estrela. The East Face...
January 26, 2021

The First Ascent without Supplementary Oxygen

What you are about to read is an exclusive extract from the book "Kangchenjunga" by Doug Scott, which can be purchased here from the Vertebrate Pub...
May 24, 2021

Ghosts

With time, with all the climbs, the walks, we end up merging with the mountain itself, we became part of the various granite walls that rise before...
September 20, 2021

Summer of Trad

Ramon, long-standing Alpkiteer and friend of Alpkit, got in touch to tell us about his summer of trad climbing, looking back on our revisiting of t...
November 04, 2022

Sheffield Schools Boulder

The Sheffield Schools bouldering competition is a fun, inclusive competition, offering the chance for a large number of school children to experien...
May 04, 2022

Chasing Ice

Ramon's an Alpkiteer and old friend of Alpkit. He took the campervan on a trip this Christmas, and told us all about his trip. Christmas is a ti...
February 03, 2023

Grit List - An ode to friction

The changing of the season has me rubbing my hands together in anticipation for the return of perfect gritstone conditions (it’s not just to keep m...
October 22, 2024

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