Monthly Archives: October 2011

Climbing

Two of a kind

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28th October 2011
Carn Barra
Weasle – VS 4c – Lead
Axis – VS 5a – Lead

A glorious Friday provided a perfect setting for a trip to Carn Barra. I thought I’d go for a couple of stiff VS’s having seen how well Tom and Dave climbed on our last outing to Pordenack Point.

The ab in

This turned out to be a good and bad decision. I wanted to lead both, but adding the extra dimension of seconding and removing gear is a lot tougher than maybe I’d factored in. Carn Barra is a stunning setting. Golden granite and solitude are typical and the quality fo climbs is second to none.

Weasle
Weasle

Weasle is a low tide, low swell climb. Rising from right to left its two main features are overhangs which have to be negotiated with exposed and slightly wild moves out onto the face. Its a brilliant strenuous route and has risen to one of my favorite. Negotiating the first overhang is a bit heart in mouth until you find the better holds – its well protected but is exposed enough to get the heart pumping.

Tom on Weasle
Dave on Weasle

The top crack is brilliant. I did the left hand variation which is a little harder but more fun and continues the line of the main crack. Because of the angle of the crack, footwork plays a big part and some of the moves can be a bit baffling. Despite a short spell of confusion on the second overhang, Tom worked it out and negotiated the top wall. For Dave, unfortunately a stuck chock (which is still there) , put paid to a clean ascent as he spent a considerable amount of time trying to get it out and in doing so blew his arms. In the end he pushed himself to finish on spent muscles and no grip. A great effort.

Axis - the bit I didnt make

Axis extends the strenuous nature of Weasle, but is steeper. The short bottom wall is difficult and not really protectable. With my knee I decided to give it a miss and solo’d up the first part of Dialectic. As it turned out I too ran out of steam on this one. The crack was a bit wet and short slip half way up cost me the onsite. It also caused me to faf around for 5 minutes trying to put in gear when the correct choice was to move on. I’m going to come back soon and complete the climb in full, bottom wall and all.

Dave on Axis

 

Ian on Axis

Both Tom and Dave clearly found this one easier than Weasle, because they both cleaned it – although I had to ab down to retrieve some left gear. Still it gave me another opportunity to climb the crack again which I did. By this time we were rapidly running out of daylight so a nice slow walk back along the stunningly beautiful and quiet coastpath capped off a great day out.

Packing up

 

Carn Barra Shadow
Climbing

A Different church

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15th October 2011
Pordenack Point
Wrist Climb – V Diff – Lead
Vietnamerica – E1 – TR

After you’ve watched 127 hours, the access to the main cliff at Pordenack takes on a different complexion. The huge chockstones wedged in the narrow gap make you think. Fortunately Dave, Tom and myself didnt need a blunt knife to make it through.

Pordenack Point

 

For Dave and Tom Pordenack was a new experience and it never ceases to make me smile when you emerge onto the seaward face from the dark damp gap. Only pausing briefly to gear up we dropped down to the base and around to the bottom of the gulley area.

Tom on Vietnamerica

Wrist climb, as it turns out, is like a mini Diocese. A straight foraward ascent of the groove brings you to a large platform and its at this point the fun really begins. For Dave and Tom there was some added risk as a second, because the first move is a drop across a gulley where a fall would result in a good swing and some close contact with the cliff. Then its a very airy traverse under a huge overhang. No where near as hard as Diocese but with enough exposure to make you consider religion. I think its a fantastic climb for the grade. Completely underated in the guidebooks, but an absolute must for anyone who just loves to climb.

There’s a sting in the tail as well! The final very short pitch is considerably harder than the rest of the climb and provides a suitable finale. Dave made a comment which probably sums up the climb. He felt you could never see what was coming next. Full of suprises….

Dave on Vietnamerica

We finished on a top rope on Vietnamerica, a climb I have done before but now in different condition having seem part of the lower section fall away. This makes it considerably harder,  but Tom and Dave seemed to cope with this fairly straight forwardly. Unlike me who struggled with it. It was the upper reaches which defeated them both, but its here that the climb becomes more about little pinches and crimps and careful footwork. That said, to be doing E1’s after only a few weeks outside is pretty good going!

Ian after the hard start

And so ended a great day. The walk out yielded one last event. We bumped into a group of lads from London (their first time in Cornwall) who were buzzing over how fantastic Lands End was. It called for a guided tour of the narrow gap which hopefully will give them some everlasting memorys of Cornwall.

Emerging from the 127 gap
Climbing

It’s all about timing

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7th October 2011

The Dewerstone – Main Buttress

Vala – HVS 5a – Lead

The plan was good, but the weather was not going to play the game. Nick, myself and Pete had hoped to meet up at The Dewerstone for an afternoon climbing and the forecast was good all week. However, and unusually BBC got this one wrong.

At the base of Vala

The Dewerstone in the rain is how I always imagine the woods. Damp and full of mystery and shadows. In reality its not really like that at all. The Dewerstone is beautiful and exciting and rather than forebidding, the woods seem bright and alive. Its probably because of the river Dart which runs right through it and provides a constant centrepiece.

Everywhere seemed soaked when we arrived, but a few bursts of sunshine miraculously dried off the buttress face and by time I geared up and started climbing the conditions were fine on Vala. It didnt last though, with a few showers falling during my ascent to make it that bit more challenging.

Spot the crag

Vla doesnt really need to be more cahallenging though. Straight forward to begin with, it grows in intensity. As you move left through the overlaps using a series of undercuts and side pulls, you find yourself with a final exposed move up through the top overhang. This is what everything leads up to and I managed to scare Pete half to death when I plucked up courage and just went for it.

For Pete this was a step up in intensity. By far the toughest climb he has seconded with me. The heavy rain shower that greeted him half way up did little to settle his nerves, but to give credit where it’s due Pete battled on and went for the crux with gusto.

By time we abbed off the weather had decided enough was enough and killed any more chance of climbing. Walking out watching the climbing club fighting the elements we could only pat ourselves on the back for finding a little window to bag a cracking climb.