Monthly Archives: September 2023

Climbing

Red Stockings and Lipstick

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29th September 2023

Sennen

Skewcrack – Severe 4b – Lead
Black Jack – Severe 4b – Part Lead

The Chough really is the ‘tart’ of the Corvus/Pyrrhocorax family. They were buzzing around us all day, but on one occasion a flock of about 6 went by with one Jackdaw in the middle. He was clearly being upstaged by the much brighter Choughs with their red bills and legs. They clearly had their make-up on.

A Cornish Chough near Hayloft, Sennen

The numbers would seem to confirm the belief that this has been a really good year for breeding Choughs. I rekon there were between 6 to 8 of them buzzing around for most of the day.

Looking back towards Sennen

The climbing also sparkled, although Chris may have a different take on the day after his epic battle with Black Jack. Fairly innocuous from the ground it has a very tricky section as you break out of the initial twin cracks. For Chris, this was a day his head was clearly not in the game. I have had many similar days. It just happens.

Big Surf

Both climbs were good though. Challenging and typical Sennen, at the top of the grade. The thundering surf below only added to the drama, with Tom even having a game of chicken with the spray shooting up over the main platform.

Chris coming up Black Jack

We all need to spend more time climbing to get back to our previous abilities and grades. It will come. The trick I think is not to rush or you’ll be listening to the little voices in your head going:-

‘This is too hard for me… just give up. Why do I climb anyway? I dont neeed to make this climb. Lets have lunch’………..

Climbing

No Joy Here

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25th September 2023

Trewarvas

Joy – Severe 4a – Lead
Side Step – Hard Severe 4b – Lead

Many years ago Joy was one of the first climbs Bart ever put me on. Obviously seconding it or it could have been a top rope, I had an aweful struggle on it. Unable to unlock how to get through the big flake and onto the ledge.

So on this occasion I figured that with all the added experience I now have, I would manage it fine. Uhhmmm…..

Nope, still an epic. This time I missed the traverse onto the ledge completely, carrying on into the VS version and pumping myself out, loosing my confidence and then down climbing back to below the flake. I needed a stiff word with myself to have another go, this time getting it right and then wondering how I made such a gaff of the low crux.

For Dave, it seemed a similar experience. I think its one of those routes where if you get the sequence wrong initially you end up in all kinds of difficulty.

Dave on Side Step

Still a much better effort on Side Step helped to restore confidence. Always a good route, its all about the exposure as you come out of the nice cosy chimney onto the face for the final crux moves on the headwall.

All in all it was a fine day out and so good to be out with Dave again getting some great routes done.