New Years Eve - The last pitch of the year

What a year it's been! 2015 started out in New Zealand and our mountain lifestyle has seen us climbing, skiing and surfing right across the world, to finish here in Tenerife. As far as 'cool years' go, going from New Zealand to Fiji, to California, to Scotland, to The Dolomites (twice), to Austria, to Ireland and then to here in the Canary Isles; it's been a year that's going to have to take some beating!

We saw the year out in our typical style of fun and adventure. Starting off with a great snorkelling session after breakfast. There was not a cloud in the sky and the air was very warm. There were a lot of fish in the bay outside the apartment, and (this time in wetsuits) we spent a good while observing the underwater kingdoms and diving as deep as we could.

Somewhat randomly, on route to our last climb of the year, we stopped off at a big outdoor clothing store and had a bit of a spree - bizarrely (given that it's 26 degrees) each purchasing new winter jackets! They were surprising cheap, but then I guess there's not really the market for them around these parts!

We went back to our favourite crag so far (Tabares), and enjoyed the trad climbing jungle vibe once again. However, the solidude of the valley had been replaced by pumping tunes from a house on the hill. Once we adjusted to the lack of peace, it was actually quite fun climbing to the music - like in a climbing wall! Add to that the constant fireworks and bangers that were already being set off, it was all rather exciting!

The routes we chose were beauties! Perfect crack climbs on natural protection. Just what we like; the right level of physical and psychological challenge. We were both buzzing at the tops!

The sun was low again on reaching the top of our final climb of the year. Taking in the view, we were perched on a ledge about 30cm wide, with our legs dangling over the space below. Not wanting to hike the jungle trail back to the car in the dark, we took a few photos then abseiled back to the ground feeling very happy indeed.

Beer and snacks on the balcony back at base, were followed by hot showers and a big end of year feed. There was just time to head out to the beach to see the new year in by the ocean, under the stars at the end of the breakwater. Perfect finish to an unbelievable year and as we walked back into 2016, to moon rise over the horizon to greet us. Magic moments....

Tabares:

- La murcielago VS (5a)** - hand jams!

- Diedro de Yablonsky VS (4c)***

The days are just packed - surfing and climbing in Tenerife

A full packed day of Tenerife action again today, with a morning in the surf and then finishing with some excellent climbing!

The waves at Playa las Americas were much bigger than we'd expected. Eventually we realised that they measure the wave height here in meters not feet, so what we thought would be a cruisey little 2' session, turned out to be well over head height, heavy waves! Yikes! 

At the hire shop, we picked up a couple of boards and were told to stay away from our plan of heading for the best looking wave as it was strictly for locals only. I'm really not into all that 'localism' nonsense, but decide to heed the advice no the less. I was also a little put off by the rocky nature of the beach. It was hard to tell quite how shallow the water was that the waves were breaking on to. To play it safe, we decided to hang out on the edge of a very big and busy main wave. I got some rides and could have had more had I been prepared to be dropped in on and dodge any number of surfers who'd be in the way! It sure was busy/dangerous, so by loitering around on the edge of the line up, I was able to hoover up the odd wave that the crowds had missed in relative safety. Not easy on a 6' foam hireboard, but good to be out...

We took a walk along the promenade afterwards and stopped at a cafe to watch the pros. It's a beautiful place if you are looking out to sea, but the scenes in the other direction are certainly far from being my cup of tea. Some of the beach areas and all the hotel pools and bars are lined up with sunbathers, cheap lager and tattoos.

Having had our surf fix, we retreated to the solitude of the nearby mountains and found an excellent little crag near the village of El Rio. It was another narrow and winding road, but well worth the effort.

We'd timed it nicely, as the sun was just leaving the cliffs (along with all the other climbers), so we could climb in the shade but with the rock radiating heat!

We climbed three quality routes...

From the top of the last climb, the light was starting to fade. There should have been a reservoir below us - there was a big dam, but no water to be seen...

Luckily, Clare had a torch with her so we could find the path home!

By the time we'd located the trust my Twingo, it was well and truly dark. Maxing out indeed...

El Rio:

- Las Cazoletas (5)**

- No Name (5+)**

- El Acebuche (5-)**

Jurassic Park Rock Climbs - Tabares

An amazing day of trad climbing in a lost world style valley! With no other climbers around and hidden in a remote feeling area, we felt like explorers in Jurassic Park. But first, we tested out the waters by the house with a little early morning swimming. 

Despite appearances suggesting otherwise, it was certainly cold enough to warrant a shorty wetsuit. (Although not all of us had this luxury with them!). 

As always, once you're in, it's ok, but it did feel a little 'bracing' at first! (Especially for those of us just in shorts!). The water was shallow to start, then dropped into a deep channel where the water was a deep turquoise colour. Very refreshing and a great start to a December day! 

Then it was off on a mini climbing adventure. The photo in the guidebook looked good, but the translated text was less complimentary. We however, loved it!

The climbing at Tabares is all on columns of old lava, which turned out to be good and solid as well as having plenty of cracks in which to place protection. And over 30m high.

It was only a short walk, but felt adventurous, after all, we don't normally have to dodge cactus and other strange plants on the way to a climb...

The base of the crag was perfect for sorting kit, admiring the views and soaking up the wonderful heat. There has been no wind today for the first time, so the air has felt much hotter.

You could belay in the sun, yet climb on the cool shady rock! Perfect!

Clare led a semi-bolted route, then after abseiling back to the ground, I led another trad route nearby. It's always a more adventurous ascent when you don't have bolts to follow!

Later in the afternoon, we decided to go exploring by car to check out the northern tip of the island, which is much greener and forested, compared to the south.

From Carmen, we hike on foot out to a couple of spectacular viewpoints. From the first we could see Mt Teide and the barren slopes of the highest point in Tenerife (and Spain for that matter). Then after hiking eastwards we were rewarded with views of a different kind. Lush green ridges and impenetrable forests that ran right down to the coast.

We sat alone at the viewpoint for nearly 45 minutes soaking up both heat from the low sun and all the views. As we were sitting quietly without talking, a Tenerife 'Blue Chaffinch' landed nearby!

We made it back to the pad just as the sun was setting, so took a cold drink out to the breakwater to watch the last of the light and the wisps of cloud turn pink.

Tabares:

- Placa Bachar (5+)**

- Fissure Pepe Rigueira VS (4c)**

Climbing at Tamadaya Gorge, Tenerife

There was a Christmas Tree Cactus at the farm near today's climbing venue! 

We started straight out of bed with a dip in the swimming pool this morning. It was pretty nippy in there to be honest, but seeing how we never normally have the chance to do such things, we thought we should take advantage of the facilities.

Then it was off in search of new adventures. We called into the climbing shop and got a topo for a new area that we had heard about from friends, which has recently been bolted. The guide was free, so we left a donation to the bolt fund as payment. It was a short, rough drive along a lot of hairpins and then a 5 minutes walk down into another gorge, which was much narrower and a bit taller.  There were some funky looking cacti to avoid in the walk down.

Once in the gorge, there was almost no sun, but it was still warm enough. The routes varied in style and quality, but at least they were longer, which I found more enjoyable. The topo was actually quite hard to follow, but everyone there was in the same boat, so we all helped each other out! It was surprisingly busy down there! 

On the drive home, we stopped for a drink at a cliff top cafe to enjoy the last of the sunlight.

Tamadaya Gorge:

(Numbers correspond to topo guide)

22. Unicornio (5)

23. El Pequeno Pultlitz (6a)

19. The Dragon Back (6a+)

39. The Flying Fox (5+)

11. Cross Over (6a)

10. TCH (4+)

Tenerife Rock Climbing Induction

And onto the sun kissed Tenerife rock of the gorge at Arico Arriba!

It was a bit of a mission at first locating the right gorge, but after a few wrong turns and some broken and bumpy Tarmac roads, we found where we were supposed to be. The landscape is quite barren, with a lot of waste land between buildings. The gorge was up the hillside from the coast, so we got good views across the sea to Gran Canaria - our neighbouring island.

The gorge was only a short walk from the car and soon the views of the sea were gone as we entered the old dry river bed. 

There were plenty of routes to go at, most of which involved pulling on small pocketed holds or larger slopers. The rock is volcanic and pre-polished by the years of water warn erosion, from when the river used to flow. The first few routes were nothing special, but as the day wore on, we got used to the rock type and got better at selecting the better looking climbs.

The heat was amazing. Not felt the warmth of the sun in ages. It was actually a bit too hot on the sunny side of the gorge, but the enjoyment of feeling the heat out weighed the disadvantage of sweaty palms! We did have to rest in the shade a few times though! It felt a world away from last weeks antics in the frozen north of Scotland!

After dark, we went an dipped our toes in the sea. It's right outside the house, so we thought we ought to make the most of it! The moon was still just about full and we could see plenty of stars as well. 

Arico Arriba: 

(Numbers correspond to guidebook topo)

2. No Name (5)

3.  No Name (5-)

3a. New Route not in guide (5)

6. Pa'empezar (5-)

5. Iniciacion (5-)

4. La Guarra (4+)

39. No hay nivel (5)

43. Monkey (5+) cool route!

Boxing Day at the Beach

What a haze of a day. Boxing Day passed by quickly this year! There was a cool view of Santa Cruz from the glass elevator on the side of our hotel in the morning.

I like arriving into places in the dark as the next morning, you are never quite sure what it will look like. From up high, it looked like a model toy town! We had a good breakfast (although I had to decline the champagne as we had to drive!) before setting out into the island...

To our surprise, it was really busy in town and we almost couldn't get into the shopping mall to buy some food. Somehow, what we thought was a supermarket, turned out to be a five story shoppers dream that seemed to be experiencing a bit of a Christmas shopping frenzy!?! More of a shopping nightmare for us! Got out as quick as we could!! 

A short drive later and we arrived at our apartment - our home for the next week on the south east coast in a town called Guimar. The sand is volcanic and black and there were even a few waves rolling in. It was straight into shorts and sandals. The sky was hazy blue and the wind was warm..

It was getting windy through the afternoon. Two kite surfers were getting some big air as they rode the waves. (Look closely at the pic below - the guy out back is airborne!).

After strolling along the promenade and through town to check out our new neighbourhood, we walked back along the beach before heading home for a big cook up and a chat with the Martin Clan back home.