9th June 2012
Helman Tor

Hell’s Tooth – E2 5c – Lead

A very late decision to get out and climb brought Dave and myself to Helman Tor. The easy option for us when in a bit of a hurry (The Euro’s are on and as much as I want to climb I also want to watch the football) and given the unsettled weather a chance for some bouldering… or so I thought.

I also forgot the guidebook so it was a case of climb what you think looks good. And the rounded arete on the lower section looked good. After explaining to Dave that I thought it was about E1 we set up.

The biggest issue is the pro. The bottom section is bold and despite a runner out wide I was aware that a fall here would hurt. Dave’s advice was to start on the ‘Bloody Hellman’ face a swing round onto the arete and this proved right. A sketchy move to the break lets you get some gear in and then it’s a case of tackling each rounded overlap until you get to the the final move.

This was not as bad as I thought it would be. The potential for a drop into the fissure between Bloody Hellman and the adjacement rock is there, but there are a couple of good holds. After farting around for a bit double checking my pro I went for it, discovering that I need to do a bit more flexibility training in the process. My leg just doesnt go that high most of the time.

Finding out it was my first E2 was brilliant, although I would say it is E2 for the boldness as much as anything. 5c is probably a bit high for the technical grade, although I think this depends on how you climb it!