The final push for problems before the forthcoming bouldering guide is sent to the printers at the end of this
month has produced a couple of cracking new problems.
In February, on a tip-off from local legend Bob Smith, Andy Earl set about
adding a new problem on the steep
triangle of rock between Prime Time and Australia Crack at Kyloe Out. Northern Territory (7c+) starts with a
brutal drop knee sit start and continues dynamically to the apex of the triangle.
Meanwhile up on Hangman's Rock, above the hamlet of Old Bewick, Chris Graham has been waiting for the right
conditions to complete the sit start to its steep right hand arete. In a similar vein to Northern territory,
Jeux sans Frontières (7c) saves its most difficult move as getting off the ground. The spectacular boulder
has several more problems courtesy of Alec Burns.
At the other end of the spectrum, Si Litchfield has been plugging some gaps adding Scraping In (brit 5b/c) at
Goats Crag in the centre of the wall left of the excellent Lost Arete, and Y Direct (brit 5c), a direct finish to Y Crack at Wolf Crag. Si reports that both could be
considered highball problems with enough mats. Finally, all the way North to Berryhill, Chris Graham added a short problem on the wall right of Satanic Curses.
Following the theme of hard sit starts, Golden Grahams (6c+) makes a difficult sit start off the ramp in the centre of the short wall to gain slopers and the top.
Send your new problems/gossip in to news@northumberlandbouldering.co.uk
Images: Above Top...Northern Territory at kyloe Crag. Above Right...Jeux sans Frontières, Hangman's Rock.