With my regular climbing buddies Sam and Sharon on Saturday and we opted for Windgather. I know we climb here a lot but do you know, I never tire of the place. Yes it's not very high or particularly difficult, it's just something about the serenity of the place, even when busy, which draws me back again and again.
I'd set myself goals though, it wasn't all about peacefulness and relaxation, I had work to do. I got there a little earlier than S and S and so decided to try my first 'solos' for many years. Regular readers of this blog will know the significance of this for me. I started on a diff crack and then traversed out onto an exposed arête to finish up a HVD, the exposure I knew would be the indicator as to where my 'climbing head' was at. It was all good, I climbed smoothly, taking my time, pausing at each move to find the best way, concentrating on feet and movement.
I moved onto a v diff crack, a little laybacking involved and so a bit more committing. Again I managed this confidently and topped out without drama. What I thought would be my final solo of the day (I saw that S and S had arrived), was crag classic diff called high buttress arête, so called because it is indeed on the crags highest buttress at a mighty 40ft! Ok, it's not huge by any stretch of the imagination......but with no rope and my head, it might well have been 1000ft. I led this at the start of summer and placed 3 maybe even 4 pieces of gear in the thing and now here I was about to do it ropeless. The first section is a nice crack up the side face, all good holds as you can imagine on a diff. About 10ft from the top, the route then moves left onto the front face of the buttress, nicely exposed and balancy. It felt just brilliant, climbing in control, I enjoyed every single move and that feeling of confidence, in ones own ability, on topping out, I had a smile on my face from ear to ear!
then the terrible twins arrived, my peace shattered as the banter began immediately and mostly at my expense! I love climbing with these 2. I love the social aspect as much if not more than the climbing. We have fun and as someone once said 'the best climber is the one who is having the most fun'!
Banter abated temporarily, as a warm up and to catch me up, S and S did the HVD I'd soloed earlier. I of course didn't make any remarks at all at the amount of gear being placed on a route I'd skipped up with no rope, that wouldn't be like me at all!
I should have kept my mouth shut! I set off up what I though was a severe 4a. Crack, overhang, crack, finish. I got to just below the overhang, placed some gear and reached over the top.......to find the hugest jug ever! I hopped over and topped out to exclaim how disappointing it was for a severe! I was then told, by S and S .......and 2 complete strangers, that they had tried to tell me before I set off, that the route wasn't in fact a severe but a moderate! Oh I got some stick for placing gear on a moderate, I don't think I'll ever live it down!
So as punishment, I had to lead the next route along, which was in fact the route I should have been on and was indeed a severe........which I then ended up soloing as I couldn't find any gear to place.......so basically, I'm now soloing severes and yet placing gear in moderates.....pretty much sums me up really!
Sam then led a severe also (see photos above), a really good lead having not climbed at all for a few weeks, in fact it was the last time we were here together. Then to finish off in that particular section of the crag S and S decided they would also do their first solo, the diff crack I'd done earlier. Both did it no problem, 3 of us, on our first solos, a good day!
Also at this point, we learned a new climbing term, the conversation going something like this.....Sharon, from the crag top "is this route easy enough to down climb?" Stranger in reply "yes it's downable climbable"........ 'downable climbable', if it wasn't a thing before, it is now!
Sharon then led a Severe aswell, Mississippi Crack. This is a lovely route, with a nice move or two through some overlaps and up a continuation crack. A little bit nervous before climbing having felt she'd found the route, well one move in particular, a bit tough and committing when climbing it before. This lead I think summed up nicely how well we have all come on over the summer, she led it really well. As good as she's climbed if you ask me.
My next lead was a HS 4b I'd never done before called The Medicine. This route is 35ft long.......and I managed to get lost! I actually think I did 3 different routes in 1 go which must count as some sort of record?! The route goes like this.......a short slabby wall leads to an overlap, a steep pull and semi mantle and you're established on the top wall and then the top. Only, in making the pull over the overlap, I somehow managed to follow 'a natural line' diagonally right, ending up on a ledge belonging to a whole other route! I honestly have no idea how this happened.....but it did cause much mirth amongst my 2 climbing companions who thought it hilarious.......so hilarious in fact that one of the 2 decided to take a whole series of photos cataloguing the event........
And so, thinking that maybe as the last route of the day was to come, and it wouldn't be my lead, there surely would be no more dramas, would there?
It was either Sam or Sharons lead next but having discussed it, they both wanted to do Green Slab again, HS 4b.........although neither fancied leading it this time.......next time though! I'd led this a couple of weeks before having backed off it before that. With only one piece of gear at the crux and nothing above, although easy, the climbing is quite committing. I set off on the lead, placed the gear, and began the crux move, only to hear that dreaded sound, half way through the move, of my gear lifting out! I could feel my head starting it's alarm bell sequence, slight panic beginning to rise. Only it didn't, because I wouldn't let it. I balanced on the sloping footholds above the overhang, my hands in the shallow break above, composed myself, breathed and moved up. I topped out with no dramas and S and S followed easily, both vowing to lead it next time!
Sunday saw me team up with Rob Hunt from Lancs Caving and Climbing Club. I'd only ever bouldered with Rob before, at Brownstones a few weeks back, so it would be good to climb with and get to know him a bit better. Rob suggested a venue called Troy Quarry, near Haslingden. I'd never climbed here so I eagerly agreed, looking forward to sampling pastures new.
I was not disappointed! What a fantastic place and really quite picturesque and scenic for a quarry! There is a large quarry 'pond' which the quarry face rises up from in many places (deep water soloing opportunity?!) and even a free standing stone 'block' which I'm told used to seat the 'stone crusher' when the quarry was still 'active'.
The climbing is typical Lancashire quarry although with perhaps fewer 'sandbags' than other Lancs hotspots like the Wilton massif. Climbs here do tend to be mainly in the mid to hard grade brackets with not much for the V Diff to Severe climber. There are routes a plenty however in the mid grade range, lots of VS's and HVS's, some real classics too! All are on the steep side, slab climbers may want to look elsewhere! Sharp square holds and equally sharp jamming cracks are the menu of the day.
I led the first route of the day, a HS 4b called Stacked Decks and a 2* route. I loved this lead! A layback flake to start followed by a step right and a finish up a corner crack. The moves are not hard but it pays to keep moving as it is steep and consequently, although good, the gear can feel quite difficult to place. The trick as always, get feet sorted, get comfortable, breath, place gear, move. I was soon up. I was pleased with this lead, it is probably the hardest route I've led since my return to climbing that I haven't done before, an onsight if you will!
Rob then lead our second route, a VS 4c called Cracked Wall. Basically, a straightish crack rising out of a kind of 'pod' like feature. Much like my lead, there was lots of gear but best not to hang around too long placing it!
My next lead was one of only two Severes on the crag, Left Siamese Twin S 4a. Nice, really nice! I think this would be a great first Severe lead. Lots of gear, not particularly hard, but it's steep and feels higher than it's 40ft due to the steep ground drop away. Another lead I really enjoyed.
We then moved onto a HVS 5a called Mucky Pups! I will be back to lead this one day soon, no doubt! I really enjoyed seconding Rob on it, nothing too technical although again a tad pumpy! A deep and steep corner crack, capped at half height by the crux overlap and finishing up the continuation crack above, a definite 2* route and highly recommended! I was loving Troy!
And so to the last route of the day and my weekend as a whole. Another VS 4c led by Rob, Pillar Cracks. Not unlike the other routes we'd climbed (quarry climbing can seem a bit like that, each route feeling 'samey'!) and yet with it's own idiosyncrasies, another route I will definitely return to lead!
I can't recommend Troy Quarry enough! I had a fantastic day there. Great company (Rob was a gent to climb with!), superb location and top climbing, the perfect end to my weekend!
I headed home a happy man! All goals for the weekend achieved and in some cases surpassed, my climbing is definitely getting there, but more importantly, I'm the best climber in the world, because I'm having fun!
