23rd May 2023
Predannack Head – International Buttress
End of Daze – VS 4c – Lead
Chopper – VS 4c – Lead
Dave has a unique ability. Despite all of us watching him coil a rope, no one has yet to identify how he manages to get a mystery loop included. The result of the mystery loop inevitably concludes with a tangled mess and many minutes of fun having to re-flake the rope before it can be used. It reminds me a lot of the old Shultz cartoons where CB tried to fly a kite which always ended up in a tangle.
Today of course proved no different, but once sorted I set off to conquer the innocuous looking End of Daze. However I could be accused of not reading the guide properly which might have helped. All went well until the traverse at the square niche. I would add that whichever way you approach this move it feels bold. All is at your feet except for a small bunch of micros in dubious cracks within the niche.
I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to move into the niche, which was hard and felt very insecure. It was only after moving along the rim that I realised I was way too high. The guidebook does remark on this. Having completed it, it all seemed obvious, however for me it was a minor epic and it felt like I was there hanging around for ages. It was good though to get confirmation of its difficulty from both Tom and Dave who found it unerving.
Chopper was a contrast. No delicate traverse here. It was a get stuck into the wide crack and then go for it with a layback in the top half. Very satisfying and a fitting partner to the other VS because it was such a contrast.
We’ve now all but climbed out International Buttress with the exception of the E1’s and HVS around on the left wall (facing out to sea). We did drop down to take a gander. My advice here is go off the top block straight down the steep face. The rock on the left is a teetering mass of crap and should be avoided. We used it as an escape route, which didnt go well as big klumps kept coming off in our hands. Queue a saftey line from Dave to just settle the nerves. Avoid this if you can.
