Pennine Lines w/c 9 September 2024

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10 Sep

|| Wet but cooling off || Beginning of the end? ||

A Grit Blocs outtake || Climber: Gwyneth Uttley

|| Focus On... ||

September Prospects

You know me, I don’t like to dwell on the weather….but christ that was a grim weekend. Thankfully this week we have some very grit-friendly temps forecast, so maybe this is the start of something good. For the meantime the limestone crags are pretty dry so now’s the time to mop up those summer projects as the temps drop a little and - fingers crossed - the limestone remains dry.

At this time of year I am always reminded of 2021 when, with the summer fading and gritstone prospects looking better, I embarked on the rollercoaster ride of going out up and down the Pennines shooting images for - and writing - Grit Blocs. The first dedicated photoshoot specifically for the book was down at Cratcliffe and Stanton with Gwyneth, who climbed superbly despite having about fifteen taped-up fingertips. If you can imagine climbing Egg Arete in gloves, then you’re getting close to it. But anyway, the crag of choice was fairly indicative of Septembers for me, when I look back through my September photo folders of old.

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The Gardom's North circuit || Climber: Tom Briggs

The south Peak gritstone crags always seem to be a good choice for reintroducing yourself to the grit in earnest each autumn. Perhaps they offer some good problems which are a bit less condition-dependent than, say, Stanage Plantation, because these September days can still have some pretty hot and strong sunshine. Or maybe it’s because it’s just a better season for crags in woodland where after the summer heat the green rock should be about as dry as it gets (this weekend’s weather notwithstanding). But for whatever reason they remain a decent bet at this time of year - as do the venues with some of the steeper or more powerful problems like the Amber Valley crags or the likes of the Gardom’s North roofs - put some of that summer limestone power to good use. Longer daylight hours compared to what's to come are a benefit too; use ‘em while we’ve still got ‘em!

|| Exposure Festival ||

Hamish Frost rocking the mic || Photo: © Sam Pratt

To coincide with two days of terrible weather, the inaugural Exposure Photo Festival ran in Sheffield this weekend. I’ll say it again but it’s a great effort by Sam and Dan putting this whole thing on because events aren’t easy to pull off successfully. It was great to head down, catch up with a few like-minded folk, and see so much support for the event and for climbing photography in general. The room was filled for the Saturday night talks/slideshow in particular, and I have to say the format worked very well in terms of having a compère (duties ably handled by Rob Greenwood) taking the stage alongside the speaker, posing questions, and keeping everything rolling smoothly - much like a podcast format. I’ve been to countless climbing/mountaineering slideshows and lectures over the years, and actually there’s relatively few people who can really manage an old fashioned one-man-show slideshow successfully and keep the interest and energy high - so the hosted format is a real winner and crucially keeps everything running to time - good job Rob and all the guests involved.

Off-Camera Flash Workshop || Stoney Middleton

True to form, the lofty plans I had for my workshops were put paid to by the weather. So whereas the Off Camera Flash workshop participants might not have gone home with a memory card full of stunning bangers of beautifully-lit gritstone problems, they instead took home a handful of shots of one of the Peak’s most acquired taste venues, but one which is at least reliably dry. To the rescue came the mighty Minus Ten wall at Stoney. But as I said on the day, if you can take a decent photo here you can take one anywhere. It’s the photographic equivalent of climbing with a weight vest on, and always worth getting your bouldering mats covered in damp filth for. Luckily Sunday’s Film Photography workshop was a more civilised affair in the comfort of the exhibition venue, with another great group of really engaged and keen participants. Thanks goes out to everyone who booked on these workshops, came with great enthusiasm, asked all the right questions, and were happy to run with the weather challenges.