Crossroads

The last 2 climbing trips I've been on have been, well, at best confusing and at worst down right disheartening!

We went to Bamford Edge with the Lancashire Climbing and Caving club, an organised meet. The weather was fantastic, dry and sunny, a miracle having just had what has seemed like weeks of solid rain. I was feeling good, my shoulder completely healed and feeling stronger by the minute, I was also climbing well (relatively speaking of course!).

Bamford is a beautiful spot and generally can be found to be quiet as it tends to be overlooked in favour of its more famous Hathersage neighbours. It's small stature both in number of routes and their length can also see fingers flip through the Bamford pages of the guide, looking for something more adventurous. Well it is their loss those who don't visit Bamford for it is a cracking crag, with some fine routes at all grades and photo opportunities galore!

First up, Nathan lead Browns Crack HS 4b thinking that a certain Joe Brown had put up the first ascent however this isn't the case and it is another less well known Mr Brown who had the honour on this particular grit crack! It's a good route, 3 stars, solid jamming and bridging and plenty of gear.

Nathan on the crux of Browns Crack HS 4b

I then went to lead Bilberry Crack VS 5a. Again jamming and bridging all the way and again with good gear, although the jams are a little thinner on this route. I bailed half way. I wasn't happy either! Mentally I didn't feel good at all, scared even, old leading demons were definitely reappearing! I lowered off and Nathan completed the lead. On second I had absolutely no problem with the route, it was lovely if a little short and would definitely get 3 stars instead of its 2, if it were just 10 feet taller!

Gary belaying Nathan on VS 5a

We then moved onto Quien Sabe? VS 4c. Nathan lead and another 3 star classic. I loved this route, I like routes with variety of climbing and this one packs a lot into such a short space. It starts with jamming up Browns Crack before traversing out along a slab to another crack and a crux layback sequence to the top out. It feels committing below the crux but once you get going on the sequence, it is all there and the gear is good. This was my favourite route of the day.



Me on the crux of Quien Sabe? VS 4c

Next up was THE classic of the crag, which Nathan lead and I managed to capture the ubiquitous 'Hollywood shot' ! Gargoyle Flake VS 4c. I didn't follow. By now my head was in a bad place, beating myself up about not being able to lead........ In all honesty I was terrified that leading just isn't for me anymore!

Nathan in a fantastic position on Gargoyle Flake VS 4c

 

inspired enough to dust off my brushes!

 

We moved onto Bamford Wall, At Severe 4a this should have been well within my leading capabilities. I backed off this too, I was in a mess! Again Nathan kindly finished off the lead and I followed. I didn't enjoy the experience at all. I was getting frustrated at the slightest thing to the point where I was getting angry, with myself, with climbing, with everything!

Last night the club held an impromptu evening meet at Troy quarry in Lancashire. I've chronicled Troy before, a fantastic quarry and a superb spot, very picturesque and perfect for a summers eve climb.

I partnered Ian and Matt and we started on Sounder HVS 5a which Ian lead. The first few moves I think are the technical crux with a particularly thin section where the sequence is all important. although quite sustained, the rest of the route is fairly straightforward and there is good gear to be had.

I then tried to lead Rapunzle VS 5a and again bailed at mid height, the crux done! Matt completed the lead and I then followed, with no problems. All in the head! It's horrible, I'm sat here kicking myself typing this!

Ian then lead Jussy HVS 5b. I flew up this, seriously! Really nice moves, sustained and the crux near the top, I enjoyed this route.

I had to get back on lead, on anything! I chose Little Sneak VS 4c a route I'd lead last year, my first VS 4c. No problems at all, but then it is a short route, 25 ft at most. And there lies the issue. When seconding, I get to just concentrate on climbing, I'm not even aware of how high stuff is. As soon as I get on the sharp end however, the height, the exposure, all of these things suddenly get thrust to the front of my mind, doubts creep in and I'm defeated even before I start to climb!

I'm being as honest as I can with myself here and the truth is I don't have any answers. Having believed I was over this fear, to have it suddenly appear again has really taken me aback and knocked me for 6 really. So, I'm going to get my thinking cap on over the next few weeks, to see what I can do to get over this barrier. I'm determined to do this and the thing is, ironically, I'm really enjoying my climbing! I'm climbing as well as I've done for a long long time, enjoying the movement, enjoying the problem solving, I just need to transfer this into leading!

A Cracking Day!

When Barrie, one of the members of The Flashers climbing social group and who I'd never climbed with (or met for that matter!), posted a Facebook message looking for folk to join him on a crack practice mission to Burbage North, I jumped right in!

Grit is my favourite rock and although I prefer technical slabby routes, I'm not averse to getting battered and bloodied occasionally and that's certainly what happened here.

I recruited Nathan (who also didn't need much persuading!) and we met Barrie down at the crag where we decided to base ourselves initially beneath Long Tall Sally Buttress. More of this route later!

Lester 'guarding' Long Tall Sally buttress me belaying Barrie on his gnarly off width!

Nathan was first up and lead............ HS 4b which Barrie then seconded and I followed up after, all without any dramas. It's a nice route although it's very difficult to climb as a pure crack, the plentiful holds being just too tempting to ignore. Why put yourself through pain right?! In fact I don't remember using a single jam on it. I enjoyed it!

Next up was my lead and I chose Green Crack VS 4b on the same buttress. Don't let the name put you off, it was bone dry. The green stain gives testament to the fact that it isn't always so but it was for us and it's a super little route. I actually did use a jam or 3 on this route, especially low down, which is quite steep and pretty holdless. Higher up, on the slab section, there are holds but not necessarily usable so it takes a bit of figuring out. Indeed I fell (hardly a fall really and not far) from the top move. I'd latched the top with my right hand but too hastily, a lunge, summit fever and my feet were never in position. I had a shake out ~(head mainly!) and then finished it off as I should have done first time round. A nice route, disappointed not to have got it clean but also really pleased for quickly giving my head a wobble and getting back on it.

 

loving the gritstone jamming!

 

So, onto Barrie's lead and he chose Obscenity VS 4c, a nasty looking off width which there was absolutely no chance of me following. I loathe off widths! I subscribe to Pamela Shanti Packs Twitter and Facebook pages. All she climbs pretty much are gnarly off widths. I watch with a mixture of deep admiration and the question 'is this woman all there?'! My stock quote on off widths is 'if I wanted to crawl inside stuff I'd have been a caver'!

So I watched with great delight as first Barrie and then Nathan, squirmed their way up the horrible thing. they claimed to have had fun, I still think they are lying! At one point, Nathan pretty much disappeared inside the thing. I doubted he'd make it back out again, I was already deciding which bits of his gear I was having if I never saw him again! Re appear he did though and to be fair, they both climbed it with about as much style as you're ever going to be able to muster on an off width.

Nathan 'immersing' himself into off width hell!

So onto route No 4 and Nathans lead again. He chose Long Tall Sally E1 5b, I knew he would, in fact the only surprise was he didn't go for this one first, he normally does! It looked hard. I remarked that even getting off the ground would be difficult with a couple of steep moves on sloping crimps which also happened to be soaking wet! Indeed it proved to be the case with Nathan taking time to work out the sequence and get established on the first slab. The climbing is thin from here on in. Too shallow finger jams and smears for feet and gear fiddly to place and sometimes not as good as you'd like! The bulge sequence is the crux, getting established on the upper slab and then the following move up to the first decent holds. Nathan worked it out and once over the crux, summited easily. Barrie followed and in some style, although he did confess to having done the route a couple of times previously. My turn and I struggled from the off! Both the guys had used a foothold high up in a shallow crack which my little legs just couldn't get high enough up to for it to be of any real use. I eventually spotted a tiny pocket low down to my left which I dried furiously with a towel. Getting my left foot on this first gave me just enough extra height to then make use of the crack hold and get established. The next section was all good and now I was at the bulge.......which I just could not for the life of me work out. I had plenty of attempts, in all sorts of ways, but I just couldn't seem to find a sequence that worked for me. It was nothing to do with trying hard, simply that my problem solving skills were obviously not up to scratch this day!

walk like an Egyptian!

So I was keen to jump on lead again, best antidote for a failure is a success no?! I opted for ............ only S 4a but it was about the route not the grade. It looked varied with a steep crack for the lower section up to a break, a traverse along this and then a finish up a slabby groove/flake system. It was good, although the huge mid height ledge spoils it a little, it would be 3 * but for this I think. At S 4a, it would a be a good route for a new ish leader with some care needed in ropework.

And that was us done. A great day and another new climbing buddy met! Burbage is a cracking little venue. Not huge, either in the number of routes or it's stature but there is plenty of quality here in grades form Moderate to E8! When we climbed, we had the place to ourselves, even though round the corner, Stanage popular was, well, popular! If you're visiting in midge season, do take repellent, vicious little critters here!