Monthly Archives: April 2010

Climbing

Fulmar Country

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25th April 2010
Doyden Point

Caprice – VS 4c – Lead
Lotus – E1 5b – Second

Things looked bleak stood in the car park at Port Quinn sheltering under a wooden porch staring at the bay. A heavy rainstorm had come through and climbing at that point looked unlikely.

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However, after meeting Nick we decided to mooch over to Doyden point and Kellan Head and scout the place out in the hope the stiff South Westerly would dry things out. Doyden point has a remote feeling to it and a strange square house built out of local stone which adds to the atmosphere. You can’t see the crag from above, but we assumed we’d found the ab point. We anticipated that the Fulmars may be nesting in the area with two of them swooping around us. The thought of Fulmar puke was not a pleasant one, but as it turned out we neednt have worried. Still waiting for things to dry we checked out Kellan Head which was also very impressive. A steep and somewhat damp area, you could see the potential.

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Once things had dried Nick ab’d in only to find a tricky traverse not really explained in the guide. It’s possible, but a fall in freezing cold sea didnt seem a good idea so we moved across and dropped in around the top out point of Caprice. This was still a tricky decent , requiring a move left across the crag face and avoiding a nasty swing back around the arete.

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Once on the ramp you are still very aware of the sea. My advice would be to avoid climbing in all but small swell conditions. The chance of a rogue  set catching you is all too possible.

Caprice is a stylish VS, not hard for the grade, but with a couple of tricky moves. Excellent climbing and lots of fun. The final top out of a few metres is the most worrying part, crossing very broken and precarious rock. I think it is more dangerous to place protection here than to solo it. Fall on a nut wedged in a crack here and the cliff might follow you.

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Nick had his eye on Lotus so we dropped straight back down and set up in the sunshine. Lotus climbs a steep crack and then heads off to the right, crossing a very steep face and finishing up a ramp which slopes away from the cliff and down from the top. Not that I’m familiar with E1’s but the climbing seemed hard, but more importantly very exposed. Having watched Nick climb smoothly up and across, my effort was not as dignified, but I found out what all the practice at the wall was for.

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I loved it. Scary, but each move seemed to lead into the next and the whole climb was very varied. Of course watching Nick snap a hold and lob off on the final move with 40 odd metres of rope out, didnt help my nerves (or his I would think). Take into account rope stretch and the distance to the nearest gear it was impresive, although I dont think thats the correct word. Luckily it was straight down with nothing below.

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The rising ramp was the highlight for me. The move up was hard and I felt right out there. Luck was obviously with us this day, with the day ending in a completely different way to the start; the sun shining across the bay silouetting  the Rumps over at Pentire. Strangely quiet as well, after a day in the gusty wind.

All in all a brilliant day out and I would recommend Doyden Point as a venue. OK, on to Rock a Bye Baby…………

Climbing

An iconic day

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17th April 2010
Chair Ladder

Diocese – VS 5a – Alt Lead
Terriers Tooth – HS 4b – Second

After the last couple of outings, where failure was becoming a little too familiar, I needed a good clean climb to lift morale. Chair Ladder delivered.

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Although a little windy, the face was protected and warm ( a change from last week) and I have had my eye on Diocese for some time. I knew it was the iconic climb of Chair Ladder and had a reputation for being exposed and fairly hard for VS.

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As it happened, it was just brilliant. I led the first pitch which is tricky up to the overhanging crack. From here you make a fairly bold move up, bridging from the crack onto the face. It took me a while to get my nerve up, but once committed the everything went smoothly. A truly memorable pitch which laid all of the recent disappointments to rest..

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Joe and Chris duly followed raving about how good it was and then Chris was off on the famous traverse with Joe and I watching keenly from the cave. It is exposed, with small foot placements and a balancy final move. But it is a great pitch.

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Then it was Joe’s turn up the exposed main face (near flannel avenue) . The climbing is not hard, but the exposure is amazing and it lets you just concentrate on climbing, not fighting to place gear. The last pitch was mine again, again exposed with holds pointing the wrong way to make it comfortable. But a worthy finish to one of the best VS’s in Cornwall.

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Of course climbing in three’s chews up time, so our next climb, South Face Direct had to be left for another time much to Joe’s disgust (he has his eye on the second pitch). Still Terriers Tooth is a worthy replacement which Joe and Chris dispatched. Joe led the bold direct start which always adds an edge and the final pitch with the pull onto the slab.

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As usual the down climb created a good level of fear. My comment of ‘I hope a hold doesnt snap’ seemed to go down well as we free climbed down off the needle above pinnacle gulley. Oops.

Rest of the photos here

 

Climbing

The three faces of Wednesday

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7th April 2010
Sennen

Dexter  – VS 4c – Lead (Variation finish up Double Overhang)
Hayloft – VS 4c – Second

Joe, Alex and I set off for Bosi to climb LBJ but for a change the normally reliable BBC weather got it wrong. The wind should have been from the North so Bosi would have been sheltered, but instead there was a lot of West in it which mucked it right up. Too cold to spend time on belay ledges we figured shorter pitches at Sennen and a bit more shelter would be the order of the day.

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And so began a catalogue of misjudgement. Of course Sennen would be no more sheltered than Bosi, but this seemed to bypass us all, right up to the point I was hauling my freezing cold butt unto the spike of Dexter and wishing I was anywhere other than on this cold piece of granite. Joe couldnt feel his hands and I abandoned the airy traverse on the grounds that I would die from hypothermia, choosing the grunt up the top bit of Double Overhang.

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In a bid to escape the wind we mooched down Irish Lady Cove. A good idea, but not when there is 8 – 10ft of swell running. We stood looking at Commando Crack, but I was spending more time looking at the waves smashing inbto the cove and remembering Pendeen, when a rogue set tried to eat me. Not happy, I refused to climb the crack, much to Joe’s derision, so I pursuaded him to have a go at Grot.

Never has a name been more deserved. As lumps of rock broke off in Joes hands and Alex launched lumps of it into the cove which exploded like grenades and threw another strop and demeanded we leave ILC immediately. By this time I was completely frazzled and the decision to climb Hayloft was the one good one of the day.

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Joe led which was fine by me, and he had fun on the unprotected second pitch, always a pitch to focus the mind. By time we finished the day didnt seem so bad, but not one that will go down as a classic.