Antoine !

He's funny. I think. I'm never completely sure.
He carries monumental loads of gear up to the crag, a huge BD pig full of bolting gear, music, stove, hammock, ropes and croissants.
He elegant, he's strong, he's ever so stylish.

Don't hate him cause he's beautiful.

Antoine clips the first of a dense cluster of quickdraws.

That is a whole lotta muscle coming up that cliff underneath me. Twin chalk bags, big guns, odd shoes.

We talk and talk, then Antoine will say "enough philosophy, let's climb"

Belayers beware. The Big Frenchman likes skinny ropes and roller biners. When he comes off it's like a bison coming atcha.

What are the odds hey.

jjobrienclimbing had the lens open at the exact moment Antoine released his energy burst.

Lucky I was at a safe distance.

Antoine wears: soft shell by Mountain Hardwear

Agriculturalists cap by John Deer

The annual Coolum "Sendfest" is the biggest event on The Cave calender and is the brainchild of Antoine Moussette.

Antoine keeps the score.
Points are assigned to the each climber on the basis of.... or maybe get added to the crag score or....... or something about acumulative something...

I really don't get it, but jeez it's fun. We climb, and Antoine and I drink a lot of chai and coffee.


He claims to be from Quebec. But he sounds French to me.

Anniversary Fashion Friday

It has recently been revealed on facebook that jjobrien is "in a relationship".
Climbers, this one snuck up on me sideways on a Tuesday afternoon.
I get this "confirm relationship" message, I hesitate for a moment, start considering the ramifications, I mean we have children, grandchildren, a house, cars, but this facebook relationship thing is looking more official than anything I've been used to up to this point. Having not officiated this relationship through a church or state registration, I think facebook might be the highest authority to recognise us. 

So it's time to come clean. But what facebook doesn't say is that this relationship started in 1972.

It's true, I fell in love with Sandra Phoenix. Sorry, Dr. Phoenix phd

Here's a few photos I have on hand this relationship anniversary day of March 4th.

Juice Alley, Mong Kok
Nice shirt jj, embroidered eagle on white cotton by Jag.
Those sunnies are mine now.

photo: Lee Cujes

Gearing up for the Chinese coldness in Mee and Gee store HK

This is where I first met my new coat "Wolfie". Remember "Sheepy"? I still miss Sheepy.

Dressed for the chill at Yangshuo

Sandra wearing "Peak" in black.

She also climbs.
                               A bit.
                                                  Sometimes.
                                                                              Like this, on her 50th birthday in Ton Sai.

 

By the power invested in facebook, I do take this woman.







Nick Sutter

So I'm reading the "Find other climbers" forum on  http://www.qurank.com/
And here's this casual sort of, "anyone keen to climb at Coolum on Friday, contact Nick 555 *****" type of thing.
Nick? Nick who? Nah.
The equivalent of reading on a muso's forum "anyone keen for a jam on the weekend, Keith"  

So I get there on Saturday to hear Nick Sutter was here yesterday.  W H A T !!!???
New rule: When someone gives their first name on qurank - ask their second.

Don't panic readers, he turns up again on Saturday and jjobrienclimbing is there to get some shots.
Nick sent the Matt Eaton (co-Kiwi) cave problem  "4 Metres of Madness" 8a
Thing is, his knees never touched the rock. I don't think the locals knew what they were seeing.

He made some kind of remark about the first bolt being in a weird position. Nick, mate, no one has ever climbed to the first bolt without stick clipping.


Have you ever had that dream? All climbers have had it. The one where you are almost weightless, just pulling effortlessly across a roof. It was like watching that. I love that dream.

Then it's everyone back to doing what they were doing.



Coming soon

The enigmatic Antoine Moussette.



Fashion Friday - It's a pants off!

The last week saw probably the most exceptional pants wearing The Cave has ever seen.




Frey Yule pulled off a stunning hibiscus board pant in blue with a simple lemon chalk bag by Black Diamond and a translucent green denture brush.
jjobrienclimbing votes this look: Flawless

Matt Walpole went all out Acid with a wild Psy-Macaw Board Pant,
Dippers chalk bag in Acid Fluff with a deep pink plush lining (Aussie made too, that's nice)
framed in a Wild Country Syncro (way too many gear loops for practical sport climbing, but the added colour and structure works super, don't you think?)

 

Remember jjobrienclimbing says: 

 Fashion is what separates climbers from monkeys.

Frey Yule

A few bolts, a few moves, a few years.
Frey sees things long term.
The project has had cave climbers looking up and wondering for years.

Frey's contributions to Coolum Cave have been infrequently repeated.

They are arkward, hard and undergraded.

His new project is likely to follow suit.

                                                                                                                           Pre-burn concentration.

Toughened on the windswept coast of New Zealand. Tuned in the Blue Mountains of Australia.

 

Frey - Norse God of rain and sunshine. Yule - Celebrating the re-emergence of Frey.










 "Once you get past the nine metres of hard bouldering, 

 there's some really nice climbing".

Oh, great.

 

If the climber can match the shape of the rock,
                                                              there is a rest.

Not this time Frey.

Man Fashion Friday

Model wears:
3/4 Pant - models own design 100% nylon, gusseted climbing pant, tailored in Shenzhen, China for jjobrienclimbing.
Shirt - models own design,100% silk, with gold thread brocade, reclaimed Idian Sari fabric. Tailored in Shenzhen for jjobrienclimbing.
Glasses - Shanghai Tang HK
Croc knock offs - HK street market
Location Coolum Cave.

OMG is that international Aussie rock star Lee Cujes?



Model looks hot in:


Jeans: by G Star Raw

Inner Jacket: in lime by Boulders and Nuts (models' exclusive clothing sponsor)

Faux leather bomber: unpurchased I suspect,
by the dead stock and sample cult mega-label "Mee and Gee" of Hong Kong


Glasses: unknown




Location: Mee and Gee, Tung Choi Do HK

(upstair for man)


Photo: Sam Cujes, on Lee's iPhone presumably

Welcome home to Australia, Lee and Sam.

Meet the Reeves

Let's start with Mrs. Reeve shall we?
Here's a beautiful example of the human spirit.
First climbing experience: The long, rambling "Caves Route", Grade 4.
For our international readers - that does not rate on your scale. It's too easy.
Totally freaked, and swore off climbing forever.
But something internally had changed.
She unlocked her inner steep climber.

Can't get much steeper than that.

"Hung Like a Fruit Bat" 25 Coolum Cave

Let Ruth Reeve be a warning to 'fraidy women everywhere. Find your bravery, and you too could spend a year upside down working a route like this.

What?

Too much with the new "Logo" draws?

You think?

The camera has trouble focusing on the climber when they are in frame.

  

You think I've forgotten Mr Reeve?
Hey, I'm not saying he is old, but here's a shot from the 30's of Dave on Hung Like a Fruit Bat.

Hey Dave, you got the time?

Man Fashion Friday

Songzanlin Monastery - Yunnan Province (Lets call it China for now shall we)

The models:

jj wears - jeans by G Star

Various layers of fine New Zealand wool and Chinese silk.

God knows who made that butt-aweful hat. (I've still got it)

Shades by Shaghai Tang

Cashmere jacket "Sheepy" by Lowes I think.

Sheepy and I parted ways at Hong Kong airport after almost 20 years together.

I miss you Sheepy.

Small model -  is absolutley rockin' this sharp little wool/poly mix combo.

I really must learn to work that  hand-in-jacket-roomy-trousers-lowered-face-angle look.

This is the standard we are up against today boys, so lift your game or get left behind by a four year old from remote China.

And a big, handsome, shirtless Frenchman never goes out of style, non?

Antoine - Photo: jjobrien

Did you mean "Girl Fashion Friday"?

Check   http://redphoenixstyle.blogspot.com/

Clementine Pradal

Here at jjobrienclimbing we've had hundreds of letters from readers asking "When are you going to add some sophistication to your blog".
Hey, what was wrong with Big Al? ............. OK, OK, I hear you.
So here's Clementine Pradal. She's French, she's stylish and she climbs in pearl earings.
                   
                 Sophisticated enough?

That's Damo in the background, more from him later.

Clem works Coolm Cave's icon 26, "Screaming Insanity".
I'm confident the stylish bloggers over at Red Phoenix Style are going to award Clem their highest approval.

Even Princess Russ never looked this good at the Cave.

Clem grew up climbing real mountains (in the French Pyrenees) with her family. Before she could walk she would climb mountains.

Two years ago she climbed 22's and hated anything and everything steep. Now she loves steep routes, enjoys falling (sometimes!), secretly hates slabs and climb's mid-20's.

Oo, nice chalk bag jj

    

All that stylish climbing can wear a girl out.

Man of Steel

What's a nice way to put it?
Duncan started climbing a long time ago, and he wasn't a kid.
By the time Duncan was dispatching hard routes a lot of todays rock stars were still choking on Leggo.
All those years add up to a depth of climbing experience.
The Man of Steel graced Coolum Cave for an elegant send of "Spoonman" 28

Duncan regards "Spoonman" 28 as a benchmark route at the grade.

Perfect tension and position.

The "Thank God" horn that marks the end of the crux sequence.

Control and power, and the signature red chalk bag.

Here's the easy way to look good at the crag

Get one of these from Red Chili and leave the fashion choices up to the experts. How good would that look on film?

Boulder Shirt by Red Chili