Monthly Archives: January 2012

Climbing

Politically incorrect climbing

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16th January 2012

Bosigran
Gollywog’s Cakewalk – HS 4b – Lead
Oread – V Diff – Lead

I love Bosi, the atmosphere and the beauty of the place, so what better venue to get onto when the sun pops out and you are sheltered from a cold wind. For Tom it was his first outing there so I wanted to start off on something reasonable.

Gearing up ledge below Gollywog's Cakewalk

The last time I tried to lead GC, I ended up way off route. Admittedly it was when I had first started leading and the first pitch scared the pants off me. So I went left and ended up on Red Slab(ish). This time it felt a lot more comfortable, although the traverse across the slab is still fairly run out. A high runner in the left crack helps out a lot and the slab itself is a great bit of climbing.

Following this the climb fragments a bit following a black ‘quartzy’ type vein to the top. Still some tricky climbing on weird rock, but too much greenery in amoungst it for my liking. Climbing shoes and grass dont mix!.

Oread is another of those climbs I’ve passed loads of times but never thought about climbing. I think its easy to get drawn into the main cliff and the big routes. On this occasion it made abundant sense to give it a go as it was on the way out and with time getting shorter it was nearer to the car.

Me leading Oread first pitch
Tom finishing off Oread in the sunshine

The climbing is better than I thought, adequate gear and a number of variations possible. I tried to mix it up a bit and picked a line which saw me at the top of Alison’s Rib. Tom made short work of it to cap off a good day out. I am thinking that this spring could mean a shot at Suicide Wall. It’s about time I had a go at one of Bosi’s E’s

Climbing

Another stolen day

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7th January 2011

Chair Ladder
Terriers Tooth- V Diff – Lead (top two pitches)

This was my first proper multi pitch climbing day with Tony and I figured Terriers Tooth would be a pretty good way to get off the mark. Given that the weather had been crap for the last few days and the forecast was equally rubbish, we picked this window as our only opportunity to get on the rock.

Terriers Tooth

I knew that the tide and swell would be against us so it was likely that we would start on pitch two, but the traverse across is not difficult, even if it is a bit airy. Terriers Tooth is an iconic climb. Its situation and isolation make it stand out as a V Diff. I’ve always thought that it is tough at the grade and the descent is worth adding a grade in its own right.

A fine view of suicide pool
Tony finishing off the top slab

The second pitch is steep but with good holds and gets you straight into the rythm of the route. It also opens up a whole world of exposure as you get higher. A precursor for the final step up above suicide pool.

Abbing off the tooth

Tony’s head for heights was fine though ( honed from years of playing around in tall trees) so this wasnt an issue. In fact he loved every minute and for a first multi pitch we made good work of it.

End of a stolen day

The final step up onto the tooth proved memorable as the wind had picked up and standing tall you felt very vulnerable. Still we both did it and finally abseiled off the pinnacle feeling very smug with ourselves. Given the cold conditions we decided to call it a day and turned our attention to our next outing…… probably commando ridge.