Category Archives: Climbing

Climbing

Squirrel!

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16th March 2012
Dewerstone Woods – Main Face

Climbers Club Ordinary – VS 4b – Lead
Central Groove – HS 4b – Lead

The wind pushed us into choosing The Dewerstone over The Cheesewring. It turned out to be a top decision. With both Chris and myself there, we split into two pairs, Tom teaming up with Chris.

The Dewerstone wove its magic on the walk in, putting us all in a good mood. So when we reached the main face we were ready to go. My original intention was to climb on Raven buttress, but I had a look at CCO and thought it looked OK. So Dave and I geared up and I set off upand across the traverse. CCO is bold in it’s early stages. There is some gear, but you have to look for it and be inventive.

Dave on CCO
Dave on the second overhang on Climbers Club Ordinary

The flakes which at first seem to be a godsend, turned out to be more scary than safe. I got the feeling that if you managed to dislodge one of them, you’d bring down half the cliff face. So I used my feet and tried not to think about the flakes too much.

Chris going directly through the overhang on Climbers Club Ordinary

The overhang below the first belay ledge also adds some excitment. I went straight up it, strictly part of Climbers Club Direct, but wild and fun. Gets the adrenaline flowing.  When Chris led CCO later on he too went direct so we all made the most of it.

The spooky traverse at the top of Pitch 2 CCO

Pitch two we all agreed had another unnerving traverse, different from the first, in that there was pro, but  probably a bit more exposed. By this time you are high up on the face with the woods stretching out below. It’s quite surreal and very beautiful.

Tom concentrating on the second pitch of CCO

The only spoiler for me was the pesky woodland critter (Squirrel) that ate through my pack, then my fleece and managed to steal my crisps and sandwich. Even my strategically lobbed Krab missed it, hit a rock and bounced into the river. There’s no justice. (Tom did retrieve it for me though)

Squirrel!!!!

Our second climb on Central Groove was equally as good and finished up the same top groove meaning that all of us ended up meeting at the end of a brilliant day.

Dave on the upper slab of Central Groove Pitch 1

Two top climbs.

 

Climbing

The sound of thunder

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9th March 2012

Carn Barra
Niche Wall – Hard Severe 4b – Lead

The bloody BBC weather site has been shocking recently. I dont know whats going on, but they used to be pretty accurate and now they are way off the mark. Today was meant to be bright, with light Westerly winds. Drizzly with gusty Southerly winds is what we got.

Abseil ledge above the Southern Platform

To be fair the drizzle didnt last long, but the wind direction meant another abortive attempt on Fox Promontory. Carn Barra was a lot more sheltered and Niche Wall was an obvious choice for me.

Tom negotiating the tough groove on Niche Wall

For a Hard Severe, Niche Wall is quite intimidating. I didnt help that the 8ft swell had soaked the lower section, which was not easy to protect. The guide book seemed to suggest tracking rightwards, where the holds seemed better, but they also seemed wetter.

Me on Niche Wall

I trended left and found pro tricky to place and not as re assuring as it could have been. That said, as soon as I hit the ledge the rock became drier and the whole nature of the climb changed. From here on it was great varied climbing, with a little sting in the tail if you finished more directly, which I did.

Rope Management?????

Top climb really and Pete and Tom seemed to concur, even if Pete managed to leave one of my cams in place so that I could have another go at climbing it.

Clearing the hard lower cracks on Dialectic
Pete digging into his energy reserves

We moved back to the gearing up ledge tyo the sound of thumping waves. With the tide pushing hard, only the Dialectic platform was out of range so Tom and Pete had a go at Dialectic. This had the desired effect as it raised the difficulty level substantially and introduced them to the steeper elements of Carn Barra.

Pete pushing on Dialectic
Tom on Dialectic

Both made it up, Tom cleaning it first attempt. Pete had the added thrill of exploding surf which was sending spray up to the height of his head. Considering he was over half way up the climb this was impressive!

Pete thanks Tom for his encouragement

The rugged and intimidating atmosphere of the Cornish coast made this a memorable day and reminded me of the power of the ocean. The many faces of Cornish sea cliffs had shown us another mood. Brilliant.

 

Climbing

Deception!

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3rd March 2012

Rosemergy Towers
Flash Back – Severe 4a – Top Rope
Go Shorty – E2  5C – Top Rope

This was a bit of a team outing and a chance to go through a few of the basics of setting up a belay and abseiling. Rosemergy was deserted as it often is, so we had carte blanche to set up a couple of top ropes on the main face and Go Shorty, the tough E2 on the right.

Team Rosemergy

Flash Back is a climb in its own right, with a chimney start and then slab and crack climbing up the centre of the central slab. However it also provides a lead into a number of other variations on the arete and right hand slab. The biggest advantage of this is that it gave everyone a chance to climb on a bit of everything and practice their technique’s.

Pete coming out of the chimney - Flash Back
Dave, high on Flash Back

Now ‘Go Shorty’ was a different proposition. From down slope it looks almost as though it is about a 45 degree angle, but once on it you realise this is just your eyesight playing tricks. This gave a chance to test out just how well we were all coming along after a winter of indoor climbing. As it happens, not badly at all…

Tony working hard - Go Shorty

It is a climb with two crux sections, but is tricky right through with a succession of 5b moves leading to a final move for the top which is given 5c but I think is probably harder. Either that or my fingers are very weak.

Dave working through the perplexing lower moves - Go Shorty
Crimping on the top move - Go Shorty
It's not much, but its all there is.. - Go Shorty

Best of all it gave everyone a taste of what hard outdoor climbing is like and everyone duly donated blood to the cause. The granite here is very crystaline and some bits are like razor blades. Pete and Tom particularly felt generous on this day and all we needed was St Johns Ambulance here to complete the process.

Chilling between climbs

We all spent time falling off, but maybe that’s the advantage of spending time on a hard climb. It gives you an idea of where you are and what you need to improve. By the end of the day we were all knackered, but how lucky were we! Sunshine all day, a bit blowy, but ultimately a perfect day out on the rock.

Climbing

The tide waits for no man

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17th February 2012

Chair Ladder
South Face Direct – VS 4c – Alt Lead

Its one of the main factors to take into account with sea cliffs. The tide and swell conditions can change your arrangements in an instance, especially as many of the Cornwall crags are only properly accessable for about 3 hours either side of low tide.

Chris and I had wanted to climb Red Wall, a severe I’ve had my eye on for a while, but after abbing down Ash Can Gulley to the base of SFD it quickly became apparent that we wouldnt get around the corner: at least not without getting soaked.

Ash Can Gully ab

With the bottom pitch of SFD dripping (I know because I slimed my way back up it thanks to Chris’ belay at the start of pitch two) we decided to tackle SFD. Last time I climbed this was with Joe so we flipped the pitches around so that I would lead P2 and Chris the remainder.

I remember the second pitch being tricky and it lived up to expectations. It is great climbing though, not strenuous, but more technical than many VS’s. On reaching the bollard, I made the same mistake as we had done last time, going left and making the top out onto the ledge a lot harder than it needed to be. Also a lot more guano infested, which was stinking.

Chris contemplating the fierce pitch 3

Chris had a quick intro to the fierce pitch three overhang. Lots of holds and pro, but it still takes a lot of grunt to get up it. It’s my favorite pitch on SFD, purely because of the wildness of it. You dont normally get pitches like this on a VS.

Getting started on pitch 3 South Face Direct
Almost a rest spot on Pitch 3

After losing a number 4 wallnut on the top pitch (I dont think Chris was impressed as it was the first time we’d used it!) we set of for Treen and a deserved warm up. The belay ledges had been cold work today, mainly because of the wing. Chris and I mused over what a good start to the season we had just had….

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.

Climbing

Running out of options

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22nd December 2011
St Loy
Sloe Steel – VS 4C – Second rpt

Joe’s return from London should have heralded a few good sessions over the Christmas period, but this year the weather has been appaling. A combination of rain and wind on almost every day has meant few opportunities to get out and have a decent climb.

This was not a bad day when compared to what has been previously, but it was still grey and uninviting. St Loy as the warmest and most likely bright crag on the South Coast beckond. Dave, Tom, Kieran and Joe accompanied me in the beautiful walk in (undiminished by the overcast conditions) and we set up around Cress Cendo.

It’s an easy spot to set a top rope up on and provides a number of routes to play on. The biggest problem was that Chlorophyll Cluster was dripping wet and this had been Joe and my target for the day. We settled on Sloe Steel as an alternative, a good VS with a tricky crux. The move out of the diagonal crack and onto the rounded crest requires a bit of thought, but does provide good protection. The hardest bit is topping out through the gorse and setting up a belay as there is a wacking great Gorse bush blocking everything.

Joe leading Sloe Steel
Me seconding Sloe Steel

We made a real fist of scrambling out, although wet slimy, mossy rock is not a good escape route. My advice is to continue the climb on the cracks just behind Sloe Steel.

Joe pre crux
Joe going through the crux

On returning to the group who had all successfully climbed Cress Cendo we practiced smearing on the first pitch of The Hairiest whilst Joe went in search of something hard to climb (an unsuccessful venture in the end).

At the end of the day, you cant always get perfect days climbing, but given Cornwall’s damp end to 2011 this was probably as good as we were going to get.

Climbing

Crows vs Owl. Who would win? Only one way to find out!

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25th November 2011

Black Head
White Russians – VS 4C – Lead rpt

I always love going to Black Head. The walk in from Coverack is second to none, although it requires a bit of effort. The path twists along the coast rising and falling, passing a couple of headlands until it reaches the old coast guard hut above the crag.

Of course you never get surf at Coverack because its on the East side of the Lizard and completely sheltered from the Atlantic swells. So why was it 3ft and clean, almost good enough to pop a wetsuit on and get in; except that it was closing out. This of course made me look stupid in front of Dave and Tom to whom I had given assurances about the absence of waves.

The Damp Belay

The base of Black Head consists of a V gulley where it is possible to set up a belay for all the routes on the main face. This acts like a barrel for the waves as the tide pushes, funneling them straight at whoever remains at the belay. This of course was Tom and Dave. We had a while before the tide got too high so I quickly got started on White Russians, one of my favorite VS’s in Cornwall. The original intention was to tackle Archangel, the HVS but given the volatile conditions at the base of the crag I decided speed was of the essence.

White Russians - 1
White Russians - 2
White Russians - 3
White Russians - 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WR starts with a traverse into Black Dyke and then sets off up the slab. Loads of positiv small holds and foot placements gets you to the rising ramp and the best part of the climb. Over all too quickly but with a fantasticaly atmospheric crux as you move around the corner – which gave me a birds eye view of Dave and Tom dodging waves which were getting closer and closer to them.

Dave playing with water

This was a change to the last two VS’s I had them on at Carn Barra. They were strenuous, this was balancey and just a pleasure to climb- if a bit loose in places. So both arrived with big smiles next to the Rooks nest.

Dave starting on the initial crack
Dave moving onto the ramp

With no chance of getting another route in, we set of for Chynhalls Point just before Coverack. The walk through the bronze wildlife created by Terence Coventry is odd. There is a field full of statues, left open for anyone to wander through. A bit sureal, but fun to see. Watch you dont tread on the real rabits.

Bronze Crows

It turned out there were some boulders here and we messed around on these for a while until it started to get dark. The rock is a bit snappy so care is needed, but the route up the front face is challenging. Traversing the bolder turned out to be the hardest with a tough move across into a vertical crack.

The boulder - Straight up the face
Chynhalls Point Bouldering

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three crows giving a Barn Owl a really hard time of it, (chasing it off down the point) reminded us that it was time to go. The walk back towards the lights of Coverack was a great finish to a day of spectacular views and climbing.

Jenga rock at Black Head

 

Climbing

Practice makes perfect

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Helman Tor

19th November 2011
Problems 5 (6a), 20 (5b) and 21 (6a)

Bouldering is not something I regularly do, but on occasions it makes a good substitute for the climbing wall. Especially when you spend an afternoon looking out over the wooded wetlands created by years of tin mining. It feels like an old landscape, but of course the mining is relatively recent and images of druids and stone age settlements are probably unfounded.

Kieran on Problem 4

Still its a short step for your mind to imagine that much more ancient races have trod the grassy meadows of Helman Tor. Mind you I’m not sure that the earlier residents would have been slipping on their 5.10’s and creating their own problems on the spectacular boulders. More likely trying to move them and create stone circles! The recent removal of the gorse (which revealed a Bronze age hut circle) also revealed some more boulders. For an alternative view of Helman Tor’s history have a read of this article.

Tom, Kieran and I started on some of the easier problems to get warmed up. Mind you, I dont think any of them are necessarily easy. It depends how confident you are. With one mat between us the landings always seem a bit dodgy and some of the problems are fairly high.

Tom on Problem 18

My personal two favorites are the 6a Arete (21) and the smooth ramp (18). The ramp always makes me smile. Innocuous, but every time I jump on it I end up retreating a couple of times before I get established. Always worth climbing though.

Kieran on a unamed sit start

The arete was a problem I looked at a few years back but failed miserably on because I went right instead of following the line of the arete. This time I got established at the top, but it took a while before I plucked up courage to mantelshelp over the smooth sloping finale.

We also spent some time on a newly uncovered boulder, the site of ‘In the Gutter’ a really tough problem. I made the traverse but no way could I do the mantelshelf. We did a route using the crack under the overhang. A fingery route which we extended around to the face and a final climb up to the top. Fun, but not hard except on your digits. Maybe 4b. We called it Bluebells, but its probably been done before.

The start of Bluebell's under the overhang
The finish to Bluebell's

For Kieran and Tom the introduction to boulder problems was an eye opener. As always they look easier than they are, as both quickly discovered. However, they both left with burning fingers from the course granite and lots of challenges to return to.

Climbing

No sensible shoes…. In fact, no shoes at all!

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Trewellard
13th November 2011

West Face
Solo – Severe 4a – TR
Microcosm – V Diff – TR

A strange day not helped by one of those hangovers which doesnt make you feel ill but reminds you that you’ve drunk a little too much wine the night before.

This also manifested itself in the form of early memory loss, which in turn messed up all our carefully laid plans. Our initial target was to have a look at the Pedn Kei Area, but a howling (and I mean howling) wind put that in jeopardy. Being a North Easterly we new the cliffs would be sheltered low down, but the walk in via Gurnards Head proved to bracing – bracing enough to make me remember that my climbing shoes were nicely tucked away in my garage on the trailer. Doh!

View to Robins Rocks

Unfortunately the previous days rain had made the whole area greasy and damp so we decided to have a look at what I though was Sensible Shoes at Robins Rocks but turned out to be Carn Gloose. There were two climbers coming back up from the point and they kindly put me right explaining they had been looking at Astrol Stroll but had backed off because of the wet.

The views all around the headland are pretty primeval, especially in this days conditions. Its a fantastic setting for climbing and we will return, but on a day when I have shoes and the rock feels abit more grippy.

And so started a hunt for a climbing spot. Being a Sunday and with the wind from the East the North Coast was busy… or as busy as Cornwall gets.

Rosemergy Cove

So we moved on from Rosemergy and Bosi and ended up at Trewellard. A new venue for me. Trewellard looks like it has been stripped of everything living. A real reflection of the mining activity of this area. The rock is fractured and worked with strange coloured liquid seeping from it. A total contrast to the natural cliffs, but just as dramatic. Getting your bearings is difficult. The guide was fairly precise but given the random nature of the rock formations obvious landmarks seemed hard to find.

Brown Buttress and Black Cliff
Dave on the Solo Belay

We ended up on the West Face, the most protected from the wind. Given that I only had my walking boots I decided to set up a top rope so that we could play on a couple of climbs. This turned out to be a good call, giving us a few hours of quality climbing. The best climbing looked to be on the main face, but I want to lead these so we saved them for another day.

Solo Severe 4a - West Face
Strange Seepages

Overall a quirky day but really enjoyable. More of an opportunity to explore some areas I’d not been to and yet again an assault on the senses with the combination of breath taking views and raging weather.