Before that though, the last few weeks have been very busy in terms of climbing for me. Visits to Gimmer Crag and Gogarth, Stanage, Troy, Burbage and Holyhead Mountain, have all been made and all have a tale worth telling.
Gimmer Crag - with Ian from The Lancs Climbing and Caving Club for the day and we headed up to The Langdales in The Lakes and Gimmer Crag. Steeped in climbing history and folklore, this famous old crag has plenty of classic multi pitch routes of all grades and all in a mountain setting. We chose Ash Tree Slabs VD up to Ash Tree Ledge and then from there 'F' route VS 4c. It was a super day it really was. I didn't lead anything so I was able to just enjoy the whole experience and concentrate on just the climbing. I can't thank Ian enough for this.
ATS is a nice intro to climbing on this crag. At first look, this route appears harder than VD, a lot harder, and protection appears sparse to say the least. However, once on the route, holds appear as if by magic, as do various half hidden spots for pro. It is just a delightful route and highly recommended for anyone venturing into trad multi pitch.
The main event though was 'F' Route! The gentle slabs below lead to Ash Tree Ledge, a narrow band of grassy rock which splits the crag in 2 at half height. From here, the angle of the rock steepens and it is plainly obvious that things get more serious from here. 'F' Route follows a 'hanging' right angled corner, capped by an overhang at its top. To reach the corner, a crimpy wall must first be climbed for about 10 metres. We chose to do the start of another route, which follows a thin crack, precarious and balancey, constantly it tries to 'barn door' you off it and careful footwork and body positioning is required, up to a break and then a short traverse left to the corner itself. From here, the climbing becomes different, with laybacking and jamming become more necessary in places, making the 2 linked together, a beautifully varied outing. I set off after Ian a little nervously I must confess, but this soon disappeared as I set about the moves. It was superb! Interest is maintained throughout, never too difficult but also never easy, keeping you on your toes right to the top out. Very highly recommended!
Gogarth - I have done a separate blog as guest for Holdbreaker on this trip so here is the link. to sum the trip up though....simply magnificent! https://www.holdbreaker.com/blogs/news/gogarth-school-bullies-and-white-horses
Burbage - 8 of us visited Burbage and hardly any of us had met before! It was a super relaxing day, so much fun and into double figures for routes done, though nothing harder than sever by me. I climbed with Oliver who was fairly new to outdoor climbing and had only led once before. So it was a pleasure to pass on some of my experience, when asked for of course! We shared lead throughout the day and it culminated for Ollie, in a lead of Green Crack VS 4b, a great effort! I met new friends, they all fell in love with Lester, good times!
Denham - an evening club meet saw me team up with Tim. Tim led Mad Karoo HVS 5a, a good lead as the crux for me is an unprotected move off a ledge to the first gear! The rest of the route is nice and steady, good crimps and enough gear. He also led Mohammed the Mad Monk from the Moorside Home for Mental Misfits VS 4c and surely a contender for the world's best named route?! This is a 3 star classic, with interest maintained all the way to an airy crux finish on sandy slopey holds. Great stuff! I led Concvae Wall S 4a and Main Break HS 4a. The former I found lovely, easy to be fair, prob HVD. The latter was also pleasant although gear is sparse, right up until the waterfall pouring down the last few feet of the route! I had to ask for TR. I had no gear, my last placement far below me and a ground fall was a certainty. the holds were soaking and not just with water, it was like a mud. I feel I did the sensible thing, it didn't feel like a 'back off' and Tim seconding confirmed he thought it horrible! Dry, I'd have completed the route no problem, and would have been pleased with the lead, as the top half of the route above my gear, was basically a solo.
Wilton 3 - a brief visit with Matt. He wanted to have a bash at Shivers Arete E1 5b. It turned into a bit of an epic! Shivers is one of those routes that look a bit 'soft' at the grade from the ground. It isn't! There is peg protection below the crux sequence which is a layaway off the arête with smears only for feet. It's very committing and perhaps a bit too much for Matt at this stage. He backed off and traversed into another route to finish. At this stage, a thunderstorm was getting ever closer to us. It was the most spectacular storm I've ever seen in this country and by the time I started up to strip the gear, the thing was right above us! I've never climbed so fast. I ran down, literally threw my kit into my sack and then sprinted for the car, Lester under one arm and my pack in the other! Very scary!
Troy 1 - Another evening meet with the club and a date for me with a route I backed off when I was having 'head' problems. Rapunzle is VS 5a. I'd struggled with some gear, got pumped and backed off, time to see if my new approach was working. I literally flew up it, absolutely no problems whatsoever! The breathing, the focusing on the climbing, it was all working.....and I have to say I let out a little whoop on topping out! I also led Troy Groove VS 4b, on sight and again with no issues at all. This was a good evening!
Troy 2 - the club had a meet at Tremadog which I couldn't attend (absolutely gutted!) and so I arranged a visit to Troy with Ian and Adam. I led Stacked Deck HS 4b to start then Adam led his first quarry route in Right Siamese Twin S 4a waltzing up it like a pro! Ian then went for Mucky Pups HVS 5a. He got to just below the crux before backing off. It seems that at any 1 time, there are a couple of my climbing friends going through the head thing! Ian is a top climber, the perfect climbing partner, very steady, very controlled and very experienced. He can lead E1 and second harder. But, he'd had a ground fall weeks earlier, snapping a hold off a route and ripping 3 pieces of gear before bouncing off a ledge and hitting the deck from around 40 feet. He was very lucky to have escaped with a few bruises. This hadn't affected him initially (his lead of 'F' Route proving that!) but I always suspected it might do at a later date. I have this theory that as climbers, our bodies are that used to the movement that it becomes almost automatic. So, jumping back on a route straight away, the body just does what it is supposed to. The brain however, takes a bit of time to process and analyse what has just happened and then when it has, when it has assimilated all the data, it sends a signal to the body basically saying 'what the hell are you doing, you do just realise we nearly died'?! Ian was at this point. But you CAN re train the mind again, as I was about to prove. I got on the route and finished it. I was so pleased, first HVS lead for 30 years! And again I led it well. Ian decided not to climb again that day so adam led Troy Groove VS 4b and I finished with Cracked Wall VS 4c. again no problems....for me.....Adam however had the misfortune to second it during a downpour which finished off our climbing for the day.
Stanage High Neb - a club meet and a great turn out on a fantastic day weather wise for October. I climbed with Pete, a guest from Lancashire Mountaineering Club. We ticked off 6 routes between Severe and VS, including the classic Inaccessible Crack VS 4c. I backed off a Sever 4b, Cave Buttress. No gear big enough for the crux traverse right. I could've kicked myself, the move was easy really, a tricky one move step right to a jug. I'd figured out where my fear comes from.....it is the fear of the unknown! Because I couldn't see the jug, because I couldn't see gear after the crux, that set the doubts going! It is a good lesson for me to remember in future and I will be better prepared and focused on this sort of 'blind' route in future.
Stanage Popular - an opportunity to climb midweek saw myself Chris and Adam visit Stanage Popular, a place I normally avoid like the plague due to the crowds! Today, we virtually had the place to ourselves and it was fantastic. It was Adam and Chris's first visit to Stanage and so I led Flying Buttress HVD 4a to start with, a 'top 50' absolute classic! Chris seconded and had a bit of a moment accessing the slab which is the crux......climbing indoors does not prepare you for 'holdless' grit! He soon figured it out though. I then put chris on his first ever outdoor lead, Grotto Slab D. He led this with no problems and after I'd set his belay up, Adam seconded him. Adams lead next and another top 50 classic in Christmas Crack S 4b. This was a step up on lead for Adam and he passed with flying colours. I could see him thinking carefully about things like what quickdraw to use to counter rope drag etc, always a good sign that someone is in control. A very good lead! My turn again and I chose a route I'd backed off at the back end of the year before, Heather Wall VS 4c. 5 minutes and just 2 pieces of gear later and I was up it! Fantastic, I was really pleased with this lead! We finished off with me putting Chris on a VD lead.......well, I told him it was VD, it was actually S 4b! But, I knew the route, knew it had bomber gear, as much as you could place and it was above your head on the crux, I knew he could do it. He had a moment on the crux but worked it out superbly and topped out. The look on his face when I told him he'd just led his first Severe, priceless!
I'm hoping to get in one or two more outdoor days but I'm acutely aware that the weather will close in anytime now and that will be that til March! So, the review of my goals?
I aimed to lead 20 VS's this year - I've led 16 so far
I aimed to lead 1 HVS - I led Mucky Pups (which got downgraded to VS in the new Lancs guide but is still HVS on UKC so I'm claiming it!)
I aimed to lead 3 multi pitch routes - I failed with this but more because of lack of opportunity to get on multi pitch crags (only 3 visits managed this year!). I countered this though by the routes done on Gimmer and Gogarth. so much I'd forgotten re learnt, prussiks, abseils, hanging belays, it was all there and I can't wait now to lead next year! I'm happy with my progress over all, really pleased in fact. I've learnt or re learnt so much this year, visited some fantastic places, been in amazing positions and climbed some superb routes, what's not to be happy about?!
So, goals for next year -
Consolidate VS - I want to be really comfortable at this grade next year, including multi pitch. The routes I really want to tick are Valkyrie Roaches, Lighthouse Arete Gogarth, 'F' Route at Gimmer, Crooked Crack at Wilton, Frightful Fred at Wilton and both Hargreaves and High Neb at Stanage.
Lead 6 HVS routes - including Canopy at Wilton
Lead 1 E1
You read it here first!
~I hope you all have had as good a year as I have, here's to next season :)
