tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35414439155073445912011-12-19T14:55:30.512-08:00Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.comBlogger331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-62719982011241606442011-12-01T04:20:00.001-08:002011-12-19T14:55:30.521-08:00

Asus PA246q Monitors are not the most exciting bits of photo equipment. I think most of us see them as a fairly uncritical part of the workflow that helps us to get from the exciting bit at the start - the camera - to the exciting bit at the end - the print. But in the process of buying a new monitor I've come round to a different view. My last two monitors were hefty but reliable - CRTs

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-44293510580601179112011-11-30T11:29:00.001-08:002011-12-01T11:25:01.799-08:00

On of the more enjoyable projects I've been involved with over the last fifteen months or so has been photographing a walking guide for Vertebrate Graphics. The book is now in print and we're all pretty chuffed with the result. Original image here It should be in local book shops soon, or buy direct from V-Publishing here. The book is illustrated predominantly with landscape images, but

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-22638362375448849802011-02-01T02:41:00.000-08:002011-02-02T05:24:53.518-08:00

Froggatt Edge: in good hands for the next fifteen years Last week, the Eastern Moors Estate was finally signed over to its new management partnership led by the RSPB and National Trust. It hasn't been the easiest process, but its definitely good news for both the landscape and wildlife of this fantastic landscape - and the climbers, walkers, photographers and everyone else who visits it.

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-53182402613269906242010-10-13T04:57:00.000-07:002010-10-13T06:08:47.839-07:00

 The Roaches, Staffordshire In 1996 I was nineteen and, like most people, at a pivotal time in my life. In the previous twelve months I'd left school, got a driving licence, got stuck into what remains one of only two periods of full-time employment in my life, and then spent my earnings on a rack and a plane ticket. I spent more than a few days that winter at The Roaches, often alone, and it

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-5538503935025695862010-09-15T12:05:00.000-07:002010-09-15T12:06:44.886-07:00

Callow Bank, November morning  Every year, around now, I take great delight in being a gritstone climber. As August slides into September, the summer ends. Holidays are over, its back to school, to work - another disappointing summer over, and a long winter ahead. For most, a good excuse to moan. For the gritstoner, every chilly morning, every dark evening, the strengthening wind and the first

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-52959152504538322732010-06-28T13:36:00.000-07:002010-10-23T04:50:11.839-07:00

Finally I could rest. I wriggled down into my bivvy bag, breathed deep and slow the mountain air, and tried to sleep. It was well after midnight, and late on this solstice night the darkness was almost complete. The patch of sky framed by my sleeping bag was small, and a lone star glowed small in the centre. Below, the skyline was reduced to a black cut-out against the last glimmer of light on

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-30295636370939925342010-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:002010-07-07T13:42:04.263-07:00

  To the north, the fields and farms of the Midlands stretched away to the Ashbourne hills and the start of the Pennines. Closer, the parkland sloped downhill to the deer fence bordering the woods, through which the sparkling reflections of the lowering sun betrayed the River Trent. A little upstream, two swans turned gracefully on the current, silhouetted black on shimmering gold. Water from

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-83711014205256998922010-05-04T01:59:00.000-07:002010-05-04T01:59:27.027-07:00

My main website, www.adamlong.co.uk, will be down for a few hours today whilst I switch host servers. The new servers have much more potential, and will help me expand the site and its functionality. I'm looking into hosting the blog there too, or I might host a photography blog on there, and keep this just as a climbing blog... any preferences?

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-70586574366173122932010-04-23T03:13:00.000-07:002010-07-07T13:42:31.736-07:00

I've been climbing a lot recently with Neil 'Nige' Kershaw, a man memorably described by Si Wilson as the 'beady-eyed, self-proclaimed cock-of-Lancaster'. We've got a lot in common in terms of size and climbing style, and a habit of regularly climbing with The Best without quite making the grade ourselves. Kind of Premier League reservists, if you will. Nige The last few weeks, though, have seen

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-39996132025446580152010-03-29T21:45:00.000-07:002010-09-03T12:52:11.335-07:00

Well its been interesting month for lots of reasons. Did my first new winter route, lost my job, appeared on TV, and easily repeated what I had thought of as one of my greatest achievements... lots to think about! Last night the BBC's Countryfile ran a short piece on the Ring Ouzels at Stanage (skip to ~52:40). It was nicely timed - the first birds arrived back from Morocco last week - but

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-28196172000216932692010-03-06T04:56:00.000-08:002010-03-06T05:03:17.458-08:00

 Ysgolion Duon - The Black Ladders  When I was about fifteen, having kicked steps up the back of Cwm Ffynon Lloer, we walked the ridge between Carnedds Dafydd and Llewelyn and peered down into Cwm Llafar at the brooding mass of The Black Ladders. A big crag, a serious crag, I was told, not for the inexperienced. A couple of years later they were pointed out again, this time from the A55, en route

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-4652590669950892412010-02-19T11:13:00.001-08:002010-02-22T11:24:09.923-08:00

I can't help being a bit of a believer in karma when it comes to the weather. Put the time in, slog it out even on the grim days, show the crag you're doing it for the love of it, and sooner enough you get rewarded with something special.  Glencoe It might seem a just case of buying more lottery tickets, but the other way round seems to apply too - go out too fast, too keen, aim for a big tick

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-8349948003146311332010-01-31T14:10:00.000-08:002010-02-02T10:02:38.049-08:00

So said Grimer to me yesterday, with a kind of glazed glee in his eyes. He was drunk, drunk on being handed access to rock normally out of reach, and so were we. In a few, crucial places the snow has redrawn the landscape and, as far as certain climbs are concerned, all of history has become but a footnote. Forty-foot walls have become bouldering height, boulder-choked gullies have become soft,

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-42460976945800201182010-01-10T04:55:00.000-08:002010-01-11T02:51:29.510-08:00

One of the things I try to do is not fight the weather. In fact its more than that, on any given day I obsess about how to get the most out of it. Despite having well over half the days in the year at my disposal, it never seems like there is enough time. Climbing and photography have different requirements, so the first decision is which to prioritise, though both sets of gear usually make it

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-50138378253548214272009-12-18T07:46:00.000-08:002009-12-18T07:46:42.623-08:00

I work alternate weeks at the mo, and the way I like to think about it is this: five days on, nine days off. Throw in a lucky early finish on friday, and that week off makes for ten chances to get out climbing. Last 'week' was great - I only missed one. Sunday  Nige Kershaw on Narcissus, E6 6b. Pads help, but the hard bit is at the top... At the base of Froggatt's Downhill Racer is a grassy

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-62626490371933720852009-12-10T12:01:00.000-08:002009-12-10T12:04:27.758-08:00

Mountaineer Andy Cave has just finished his 2009 lecture tour. After his life-changing trip to Changabang, Andy returned home bewildered and unsure about his continuing motivation for climbing. Ultimately the gentle beauty of his home landscape drew him back in, and he found some catharsis through the simple joy of movement on the boulders. To try and illustrate this in his slideshow, Andy got

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-86538318682220708162009-11-27T06:12:00.000-08:002009-11-27T06:12:46.108-08:00

I'll not dwell on the past few weeks, suffice to say the weather in the Peak has been as bad as I can remember - wet, dull, windy. That's My Lot - originally E8 7a, now 7c+/ 8a? Nige took his weather frustration out on lichen. One route in particular - That's My Lot at Rivelin quarries. A perfect twenty-five foot quarried edge, slabby on the right but leaning out on the left. A few footholds

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-41666282154623289662009-11-11T06:01:00.000-08:002009-11-11T12:55:14.564-08:00

Char has put his film of our trip to font up on vimeo. There's a fair bit of me climbing in it, and although I get up a few problems I look rather petulant. All down to Char's editing, amazing what they can do eh? I was made up really... Some Mid-Grade Classics from alexander char on Vimeo.

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-21834663695943749782009-10-24T08:55:00.000-07:002009-10-24T08:55:01.232-07:00

I spent last week in Fontainebleau with a few friends and the weather was perfect, too good in fact. A full day's bouldering can be hard on body and skin - five in a row is debilitating. The first two days were spent at rather open crags enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, doing the kid-in-a-sweetshop thing which is hard to resist. With conditions on the fine-grained sandstone are less

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-85080076626684121282009-10-08T02:13:00.000-07:002009-10-08T02:38:34.591-07:00

The November issue of Climb is now out with my Grand Capucin article as the headline feature - including Caff on the cover leading the second pitch. I'm pretty chuffed, its pretty much the most you can hope for after a trip, but was a bit surprised as I would never have picked this out as a potential cover. The main reason being, I suppose, that although its a tough pitch he's actually on

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-42263165615488486322009-09-18T02:47:00.000-07:002009-09-24T07:32:52.990-07:00

Mont Blanc range from the Lac CheserysI've always found taking pictures a lot easier than selling them, so its only now with plenty of confirmed sales for my Capucin shots that I can relax a bit and consider it a successful shoot. I've got a little video clip of Caff reflecting on how lucky they'd been to get it done. Although typically modest with respect to his climbing contribution, what he's

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-75024032982914729732009-09-02T10:02:00.000-07:002009-09-02T10:42:39.145-07:00

The Grand Cap is the central pillar, the Voie Petit takes a line right of centreAs you may have already read elsewhere, our trip to The Grand Capucin was a big success. Ben And Caff managed the third free ascent of the Voie Petit, the route Alex Huber suggested 'may be the hardest route in the Alps'. Caff deserves a mention for being on blistering form. On day one, after a long journey and with

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-23223254953498120202009-08-03T04:11:00.000-07:002009-08-03T04:24:35.086-07:00

Tomorrow I'm off to the French Alps for a few weeks with a strong team and a big objective - suffice to say despite my recent sport climbing I'll be mainly on photo detail! I'm not expecting any access to a computer, but if I can I'll try to post an update before we get back - lack of RAW editing facility, rather than the internet, is likely to be the stopper, but I'll go for text only if so.

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-47080593018372575012009-07-18T11:26:00.000-07:002009-11-29T03:54:36.315-08:00

High summer in The White Peak, and its a relief that after the dire summers of the last two years the wildlife seems none the worse for wear. In my, admittedly limited, experience it seems insect colonies that were down to low levels last summer have bounced back impressively, with birds and plants are doing well too. The weather this year has been a succession of hot, dry spells interspersed

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-28731402818836284422009-07-07T09:32:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:17:08.622-07:00

Lots of little things have gone on since my last post. Nothing big, but no lack of interest either. We had a week in the Outer Hebrides at the start of June, which didn't disappoint. Despite taking a car-full of camera gear, I really got into using my Ricoh compact on this trip.A lot of the time I was sketching with a view to returning with more serious gear if the weather cooperated, but having

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-78872524858429189382009-05-20T11:47:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:15:19.667-07:00

One of the things I've been busy with the last few weeks is the birds at Stanage. I got involved with the BMC's access team about eighteen months or so ago after expressing a little too much interest in what was happening on the Eastern Edges. One of the main tasks is to tour Stanage and Burbage with Bill, the North Lees estate warden, looking for the Ring Ouzel nests. Ring Ouzels only live in

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-34726763535050576942009-05-08T08:09:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:15:19.667-07:00

Climbing media nowadays is awash with increasingly sophisticated advice on training on strength and stamina. Wisdom on technique is basic by comparison, and as a result folk keen to improve often focus on the physical aspects. Part of the problem is that strength training is so easily reductible in a scientific manner whilst technique is not. So first lets try to define technique; mine is simply

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-40356170766787318582009-05-04T12:54:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:15:19.667-07:00

A good few years back now I did a few various bits of work for Beyond Hope over in Delph, back when Sam Whittaker was doing the day-to-day running of the place. In the evenings we'd get to the local crags before scooting back over the moors to Leeds or Sheffield. Usually this meant Running Hill Pits, not a well-known crag but one of which the locals are justifiably proud. I spent enough time up

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-68277744366374821782009-04-21T08:30:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:17:08.622-07:00

Spring feels like its really sprung here in Sheffield. Its a few weeks now since the Curlews returned to the moors, the first buds burst about two weeks ago, but the last week has seen the leaves unfurl and breathe colour back into the landscape. On friday a Cuckoo sealed the deal. To further lift the spirits there's been plenty of sunshine, we might even be on for a repeat of April two years ago

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-76662230379824084812009-04-17T05:33:00.000-07:002009-04-17T05:53:29.289-07:00

Sitting on the patio, enjoying a beer in the evening sunshine, I tilt my head and a stream of saltwater runs out of my nose and onto my book. Despite packing the car full with cameras and climbing gear, surfing proved just too addictive. Abersoch came up with the goods over the easter weekend; wall to wall sunshine from friday to tuesday that felt like a real holiday. I did get out with the

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-36717146160765597752009-04-08T05:12:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:14:06.992-07:00

First stop on Saturday was Steve Dunning et al's new bouldering wall in Leeds: The Depot. Its superb and will be the equal of anything in the country when its finished. What's open now is better than 95% of walls already. Cofe gave me a hand fitting out their swanky new Cafe with a bunch of my prints. Looks pretty smart:They are all for sale so have a look if you're in the area. If you've seen

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-24941789788160512082009-04-06T04:59:00.000-07:002009-07-18T11:14:06.992-07:00

Tuesday and Wednesday last week turned into a mini-trip to Northumberland with The Lodger, Andy J, Sam & Lu. Four crags in two days plus a dawn photo session can't be bad, in fact I'd say the Belford-Bamburgh area is perhaps the best in the uk if you want to combine convenient landscape photography and bouldering.Tuesday started at Shaftoe; a new crag to me and great to explore in sunny breezy

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3541443915507344591.post-89128205965512934952009-03-26T06:05:00.000-07:002009-03-26T07:37:24.132-07:00

Funny how things work out. I'm really motivated for photography at the moment (the shot above is from dusk on friday) but seem to end up climbing. Partly its the weather. Unstable air keeps rolling in off the atlantic and boiling into cloud over Kinder; shutdown for promising afternoons. The last three days I've set off with photography in mind and ended up making the most of a blustery, showery

Adam Longhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08603542673366722974noreply@blogger.com3