Little guns….. “Meet the Beak”

March 20, 2015 dillwat Leave a comment

21st March 2015

Porth Loe Buttress

The Beak – E1 5b – Lead (dnf)
Times Remembered – HS 4b – Lead

This was well and truly the first proper day of spring. Equinox, Eclipse, New Moon. And mega sunshine.

The conditions transpired to make Porth Loe Buttress appear to be the best venue in Cornwall. There is a stunning backdrop across towards Carn Guthenbras, the sea was an amazing blue and the granite immaculate. Add good friends and it was just perfect.

We’d never been here before and yet we’ve walked past it loads. Probably because of the more major attractions of Fox Prom and Carn Bara. The descent is down a narrow steep grassy gully with a cool gearing up ledge. The final section is climbable, but more relaxed on a short abb. The platform at the bottom provides a spectacular location with a few really good clims.

Dave and Chris set off on Eileen and multi pitch severe on the left looking towards the cliff. A bit damp, it nevertheless looked very good and challenging. High in the grade I think.

Tom, Joe and I set up for The Beak which I was lucky (unlucky maybe) enough to get to lead both pitches. The first is some tricky manouvering into a great crack. Layback and commit and you’re OK. The top pitch is mental thuggery. A hard groove leads to a massive overhang Both I and Joe looked at the actul beak, but this seemed really unlikely at 5b, and the description of ‘well protected’ in the guide is a loose one. Yes there is gear in the bottom face of the o/h but once up into the beak there is nothing and you’d take a pretty good lob.

I found a flake just left of the beak which seemed more positive and protectable. Good job really because after 15 determined attempts I fell off. Thankfully Tom caught me but it was still freaky and lead to the loss of much skin. I just couldnt do it… not quite strong enough, but very close. I was within a whisker of making it.

Tom suffered from the same problem as me, but Mr Muscles Joe cranked through it remarking that he’d wished he’d ‘warmed up a bit’.

Times Remembered is great. The top giant flakes are hard to unlock and pro is sparce, but the climbing is engrossing. More importantly the view across to the couple of idiots on the Eastern Buttress provided grand entertainment. There was a reason the big rock at the base of the climb was wet… it’s called the sea and Chris very nearly became intimate with it on this day. We were having bets on how long they’d last, but to be fare it did look very exciting. Adds a new spice to the climb when there is the chance you could be doing it underwater.

So what a day. One of those that will stick for a while and one that just makes you want more and more.

To good friends……

Climbing

Com’on Joe, stop arsing about!

March 13, 2015 dillwat Leave a comment

13th March 2015

Pedn-Men-An-Mere

Pink Sea Slab – V Diff – Lead
Devils Meridian – E2 5c – TR Dogged
Bermuda Wall – E3 5c – TR

One of the things I always like to believe is that I am cautious and careful when it comes to safety when we’re climbing. On a glorious day at Pedn-Men-An-mere I seemed to have a complete aberation of common sense and forget all my own well established safety protocols.

This would account for why Joe landed on his arse when he slid of Bermuda Wall, despite being on a top rope. 8mm rope (which should have been doubled up to compensate for rope stretch; belayer sat down (not the most attentive position); rope hadnt been stretched out off the anchors, so too much slack in the system. A litany of errors.

It is good that it happened on a top rope in a way. Hopefully Joe was just shaken and not damaged. I know it has shaken me up and I need to get back to good ways. There is always a lot of trust to build with your belayer and I need to re establish that.

However, it was also a great days climbing. Joe sent Devils Meridian (I didnt get anywhere near it dogging my way up) but I will hopefully get it next time. Also we both successfully got up Bermuda Wall, via a really tough series of opening moves.

Devils Meridian has a very hard middle section where foot placement and balance (with a bit of strength) are needed. It has a bit of everything- finger jams, laybacks, pinches and jug hauling. On a lead the hard part would be getting gear in. There is lots, but you have to have a free hand….

Bermuda Wall is just great, but hard. Joe rekkoned 6a for the lower moves and I wouldnt argue. Tiny crimps and pinches lead to some crazy underclings. Then a massive reach and finally a tough traverse. What more could you ask for.

Pink Sea Slab is not V Diff. I repeat ‘Not V Diff’. Its a great climb with some good slab moves and a wild finish, but pro is insecure and the final haul over a bulge is more in keeping with VS. It also needs good ropework and a careful eye on some decidedly dogey rock. I’m not selling it am I? It is well worthwhile though with loads of exposure and some great positions. Just not V Diff.

View over to Pink Sea Slab. Its the black slabby areas.

The new Nikon performed well though. Lots of good photos to add to the collection. Its so cool living in Cornwall 🙂

After the hard moves on the lower part of Bemuda Wall

RedFish is out of the question I presume??

Climbing

Now we’re friends

March 7, 2015 dillwat Leave a comment

7th March 2015

Trewortha Tor

Just Good Friends – HVS 5b – Lead

I soooo wanted to lead ‘Just Good Friends’ but after a quick top rope practice and still struggling mentally to make the move onto the flake it looked no closer.

The problem for meis that its a good 12 ft up and if you blow the move its an awkward fall (onto mats admittedly) which is likely to do my knee in. There is no pro to be had at the flake, at least none you’d want to trust.

After deciding I would never lead it, much to Dave and Tom’s amusement, I realised I could with a bit of leverage off the flake get a cam into the break. That was it then. Straight onto the lead and finished on the E1 now HVS finish.

I dont undertsand this actually. The hardest move is the lower one which gets 5a and yet the top finish is HVS 5b, with a well protected and reasonable move. I think the lower move is 5b and both variations could be given HVS 5b.

We mozied over to the next buttress, but by then conditions were cold and windy and the sun was gone. Tom though managed to clean a 6a boulder problem. Very awkward and requiring lots of power and commitment. Good on him.

I think Trewortha is going to be a regular evening haunt for us during the summer. Lots more to do and loads of bouldering to fail on…

Climbing

The Weatherman

March 6, 2015 dillwat Leave a comment

6th March 2015

Black Head

Archangel _ HVS 5a – Lead
Rebel Yell – E2 5b – TR

Any excuse to return to Balck Head is a good one, although I think Joe may have had his doubts this time.

My assurance that ‘Balck Head will be sheltered. Dont worry’ was misguided to say the least. The Wind is from the South West. I though you said North West I lied. I just got it wrong really.

But, and its a lucky but, when we got down to the water shoot gulley it wasnt too bad. While Joe set up a top rope, Tom and I did Archangel. It looks deceptively easy from the bottom, but has a tricky crux and a boldish top out becasue of the fragile rock up there. This was the second time I’d led it and it was just as much fun. It really is a tremendous crack/corner climb. Safe but hard enough to add spice.

Rebel yell was a lot more difficult. There appears to be more pro than the guide boook suggests and although strenuous, it is manageable. I will be back to lead this, hopefully this summer. It has small holds and vanishing foot placements which bizarrely are there for your hands and disappear for your feet. Very weird.

The tide eventually chased us off, starting to shoot up the gulley with alarmingly increasing force. So we returned the long route back to the car at Treleaver Farm (because the fu!#ing farmer has shut the permissive footpath on the grounds of a bull – 6 months ago. Tosser) satisfied with a couple of good climbs. I’ll be back in the good weather for another climb and a swim.