Category Archives: Climbing

Two of a kind

October 30, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

28th October 2011
Carn Barra
Weasle – VS 4c – Lead
Axis – VS 5a – Lead

A glorious Friday provided a perfect setting for a trip to Carn Barra. I thought I’d go for a couple of stiff VS’s having seen how well Tom and Dave climbed on our last outing to Pordenack Point.

This turned out to be a good and bad decision. I wanted to lead both, but adding the extra dimension of seconding and removing gear is a lot tougher than maybe I’d factored in. Carn Barra is a stunning setting. Golden granite and solitude are typical and the quality fo climbs is second to none.

Weasle is a low tide, low swell climb. Rising from right to left its two main features are overhangs which have to be negotiated with exposed and slightly wild moves out onto the face. Its a brilliant strenuous route and has risen to one of my favorite. Negotiating the first overhang is a bit heart in mouth until you find the better holds – its well protected but is exposed enough to get the heart pumping.

The top crack is brilliant. I did the left hand variation which is a little harder but more fun and continues the line of the main crack. Because of the angle of the crack, footwork plays a big part and some of the moves can be a bit baffling. Despite a short spell of confusion on the second overhang, Tom worked it out and negotiated the top wall. For Dave, unfortunately a stuck chock (which is still there) , put paid to a clean ascent as he spent a considerable amount of time trying to get it out and in doing so blew his arms. In the end he pushed himself to finish on spent muscles and no grip. A great effort.

Axis extends the strenuous nature of Weasle, but is steeper. The short bottom wall is difficult and not really protectable. With my knee I decided to give it a miss and solo’d up the first part of Dialectic. As it turned out I too ran out of steam on this one. The crack was a bit wet and short slip half way up cost me the onsite. It also caused me to faf around for 5 minutes trying to put in gear when the correct choice was to move on. I’m going to come back soon and complete the climb in full, bottom wall and all.

Both Tom and Dave clearly found this one easier than Weasle, because they both cleaned it – although I had to ab down to retrieve some left gear. Still it gave me another opportunity to climb the crack again which I did. By this time we were rapidly running out of daylight so a nice slow walk back along the stunningly beautiful and quiet coastpath capped off a great day out.

Climbing

A Different church

October 15, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

15th October 2011
Pordenack Point
Wrist Climb – V Diff – Lead
Vietnamerica – E1 – TR

After you’ve watched 127 hours, the access to the main cliff at Pordenack takes on a different complexion. The huge chockstones wedged in the narrow gap make you think. Fortunately Dave, Tom and myself didnt need a blunt knife to make it through.

For Dave and Tom Pordenack was a new experience and it never ceases to make me smile when you emerge onto the seaward face from the dark damp gap. Only pausing briefly to gear up we dropped down to the base and around to the bottom of the gulley area.

Tom on Vietnamerica Wrist climb, as it turns out, is like a mini Diocese. A straight foraward ascent of the groove brings you to a large platform and its at this point the fun really begins. For Dave and Tom there was some added risk as a second, because the first move is a drop across a gulley where a fall would result in a good swing and some close contact with the cliff. Then its a very airy traverse under a huge overhang. No where near as hard as Diocese but with enough exposure to make you consider religion. I think its a fantastic climb for the grade. Completely underated in the guidebooks, but an absolute must for anyone who just loves to climb. There’s a sting in the tail as well! The final very short pitch is considerably harder than the rest of the climb and provides a suitable finale. Dave made a comment which probably sums up the climb. He felt you could never see what was coming next. Full of suprises…. Dave on Vietnamerica We finished on a top rope on Vietnamerica, a climb I have done before but now in different condition having seem part of the lower section fall away. This makes it considerably harder, but Tom and Dave seemed to cope with this fairly straight forwardly. Unlike me who struggled with it. It was the upper reaches which defeated them both, but its here that the climb becomes more about little pinches and crimps and careful footwork. That said, to be doing E1’s after only a few weeks outside is pretty good going! Ian after the hard start And so ended a great day. The walk out yielded one last event. We bumped into a group of lads from London (their first time in Cornwall) who were buzzing over how fantastic Lands End was. It called for a guided tour of the narrow gap which hopefully will give them some everlasting memorys of Cornwall. Emerging from the 127 gap

Climbing

It’s all about timing

October 7, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

7th October 2011

The Dewerstone – Main Buttress

Vala – HVS 5a – Lead

The plan was good, but the weather was not going to play the game. Nick, myself and Pete had hoped to meet up at The Dewerstone for an afternoon climbing and the forecast was good all week. However, and unusually BBC got this one wrong.

The Dewerstone in the rain is how I always imagine the woods. Damp and full of mystery and shadows. In reality its not really like that at all. The Dewerstone is beautiful and exciting and rather than forebidding, the woods seem bright and alive. Its probably because of the river Dart which runs right through it and provides a constant centrepiece.

Everywhere seemed soaked when we arrived, but a few bursts of sunshine miraculously dried off the buttress face and by time I geared up and started climbing the conditions were fine on Vala. It didnt last though, with a few showers falling during my ascent to make it that bit more challenging.

Vla doesnt really need to be more cahallenging though. Straight forward to begin with, it grows in intensity. As you move left through the overlaps using a series of undercuts and side pulls, you find yourself with a final exposed move up through the top overhang. This is what everything leads up to and I managed to scare Pete half to death when I plucked up courage and just went for it.

For Pete this was a step up in intensity. By far the toughest climb he has seconded with me. The heavy rain shower that greeted him half way up did little to settle his nerves, but to give credit where it’s due Pete battled on and went for the crux with gusto.

By time we abbed off the weather had decided enough was enough and killed any more chance of climbing. Walking out watching the climbing club fighting the elements we could only pat ourselves on the back for finding a little window to bag a cracking climb.

Climbing

Scared to Life

September 24, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

23rd September 2011

The Lizard – Coastguard Cliffs – Hollywood Walls

The Goldrush – HVS 5a – Lead

Silent Movie – VS 4B – Second

Quasimodo – E1 5b – Lead

Mae West – HVS 5a – Second

There are good days in climbing and then there is the 23rd of September. This turned out to be a cracker. I’d wanted to get back to Coastguard cliff since climbing Limelight and Chris and I headed off with the intention of tackling some of the other starred climbs. As it happened we ticked all of the routes we had looked at.

Climbing here is guarenteed to put a smile on your face. Sometimes a very nervous smile, but nevertheless you end up smiling. The venue is pretty intimidating and on this day with a good swell running and a moderate southerly breeze the whole atmosphere was quite overwhelming.

Coastguard Cliff - Decent Route! — Descent Route!

We kicked off on The Goldrush, an amazing climb with a tough start and nervy traverse. It then opens out onto the face and technical edges and small slits for your fingers. Not as hard as Limelight, but harder to protect on the more difficult moves.

Chris then lucked into Silent Movie, a stunning VS. Again challenging because of the pumpy start it once again takes you onto the main wall and some brilliant moves up to the descent gulley. It looks very unlikely at VS from the bottom, but after the initial pumpy overhang it eases and just gets better and better.

It was strange that Quasimodo, an excellent climb did not quite seem to match the others on the day. At E1 it was the hardest and the central black slab proved very tricky, but it did not give the atmosphere of the other climbs. On another day I would have been raving about this one, but on this day the competition was stiff. Anyway, it still took me a while to pluck up the courage to commit to the crux moves having backed off on my first attempt. Second try proved successful as I tackled it with a bit more finess and less grunt.

Chris finished on his first HVS Lead, Mae West. This has a complication in that rope management becomes an issue as it zig zags across the massive overhang abouve the belay ramp at the bottom. It is super atmospheric and the pro on the left hand side is a bit sparce. However there are two monster threads (Chris had run out of slings for the second so an improvised Chock had to make do) to give you confidence. Still, as a first HVS it was a great climb and although it definitely made Chris nervous it also put a huge smile on his face for the journey home.

A very scary day all in all and one which helps you put everything into perspective. Sometimes you need to be a bit scared!

Climbing

Last of the Forties

September 24, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

16th September 2011

Sennen

Civvy Route – HS 4b – Second

Gillian – E3 5c – Top Rope

This was to be my last climbing session in my forties, not that the thought crossed my mind at the time. Still its strange to think that another milestone has passed. Hopefully I will continue to improve as a climber. For certain in most other sports I am heading the other way so its great to have a really positive challenge.

This was Tom’s first outing with Chris and myself. After a few days at Plas he seems to have caught the bug so should be a regular participant in our adventures.

We knew the weather could be a problem and as it turned out rain stopped play in terms of leading. I’ve never liked granite in the rain. It takes on a peculiar quality. What was previously grippy and reliable suddenly becomes slimy and unpleasant to climb on. This is particularly the case when you get the black mould growing on it. This should be kept well clear of in damp conditions, which is what we did in the end.

Civvy route is one of those climbs that is always on the agenda but never actually gets dealt with. So we were straight on it as an opener and a challenging return to leading for Chris. At HS it is good value. Sometimes climbed as two pitches, we did it in one, which makes much more sense as long as your on double ropes. The first section moves up a tricky groove providing testing moves, but it is the top part which provides the surprise. Leaning out in an exposed position it definitely gets the adrenaline going. My feeling is that it gets a bit overshadowed by Demo Route but is actually a top climb.

Tom had climbed before, but this was a tough starter. Particularly the top where height and atmosphere have a telling impact. Tom loved it though and this can be chalked up as his first climb on Cornish granite.

The rain then put paid to any more leading for a while and so we decided to go play on an E3 called Gillian. In hindsight this was a bit unfair on Tom but having said that it does give an indication on how the grades vary. Gillian is a fantastic climb requiring strength, technique and if you were leading a steady head. We did it on a top rope, with bot Chris and myself getting to the hight underclings before pumping out. I made it on a further attempt having gained a bit of beta from watching Chris. I can only aspire to lead something of this difficulty but maybe one day it will be within sight.

Tom and Chris climbed out on Vertical Crack, another gem of Sennon and at the end of a mixed day where the weather did its best to mess everything up I reckoned we were very lucky to get such a good days climbing in.

Climbing

A hidden gem

August 6, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

5th August 2011
Carn Gowla – Coastguard Cliff
Supernatural – VS 4b – Lead

For some strange reason the guidebook gives Supernatural 1 star…… How wrong could they be. This is a 3 star climb with bells on!

Carn Gowla is a scary place and as you drop down the grassy slope towards Coastguard Cliff and the sea, there is a feeling that you’re going to just go of the edge. Add to this the sudden holes and Joe’s pre occupation with snakes in the grass and the whole experience becomes nervy. You havnt a clue what is coming up. You start to hear things before you see them.

The two belay spikes mark the spot and Joe and I set to work rigging the ab rope for what is a tricky descent to a hanging belay. We decided to set up above the new ledge. The old one has broken off from what i have been told. By setting up higher you can get gear in the crack which means your not just hanging on the ab rope. It makes for some interesting rope work in a dramatic and atmospheric setting with the sea crashing just below. There was a good swell running on this day and the entire experience was one of excitment.

If you wanted an example of a perfect crack climb Supernatural would be it. Its like a lightning strike down the entire height of the cliff. Well protected, it makes you work hard from beginning to end. There are a couple of sections I would give 4c and the location and seriousness of the climb I reckon probably adds a grade to it. However its one of the best I’ve ever done. The whole package adds up to a great experience and one Joe and I found brilliant. The climbing just brings the best out of you with a combination of small edges, laybacks and jams.

Trying to keep the smiles off our faces we headed for the Triple Butress area for a play on the E grades their (on a top rope I might add). We had intended on Journey to Ixtlan, but this will have to wait for another day. The star of the show however was Supernatural. A hidden gem on the North Coast.

This creature did its best to steal a bit of the limelight. Some amazing colours to be found on the cliffs!

Climbing

The Hungry Sea

August 6, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

4th August 2011
The Lizard – Coastguard Cliff – The Holywood Walls
Limelight – HVS 5a – Lead

Weather plays a huge part in life in Cornwall. We are very much at the mercy of Atlantic weather fronts and on occasions like today you can only hope that the squalls and showers miss you.

Coastguard Cliff was probably not the best place to go on a day when it was grey and windy, but I’d had my eye on an HVS called Limelight for a while. The top of the cliffs were blowy but after dropping down onto the gearing up ledge things settled a bit and at the base it was actually sheltered. The descent route is a little intimidating, with a steep narrow ramp the main acess to the base of the cliffs. They are though essentially non tidal, so even with a roaring sea we were well above the sets.

For Joe, who hadnt been climbing outside for a while it was a real senses fest. Wind, noise from the sea, damp conditions and a tough HVS. Not for the faint hearted! However it was not the climb which took centre stage but the patch of sea below us which during the coarse of the day claimed two of my ‘Rocks’ (nearly a third but Pete rescued it) and my Rockfax climbing guide which slipped out of Pete’s pocket when he was partaking in acrobatics on the opening moves.

This brings me into the climb. It has a thuggy start with a pull up a diagonal rising crack to get established on the main face. It didnt help that part of the crack was wet and to be fair it is a bit scary as you haul yourself up. Still once through this I found things settled down and good climbing led to the upper groove. This is really the crux, not the bottom part as I had thought.

There is gear, but you leave it below you as you move through a really technical section. It is brilliant climbing; really testing and it makes you think your moves out carefully. Loved it. The final top wall is atmospheric and provides a suitable climax to what is a solid HVS.

Pete struggled with the opening moves and having lost the book I dont think his heart was in it. Joe tackled it with his usual gusto, although by his own admission it was a scary return to the rock. That didnt seem to wipe the smile off his face though.

As the rain came in and we called it a day we tried to get a cup of coffee. The local cafe at The Lizard turned out to have a scary women and we were not flavour of the month when we queue jumped and grabbed the only remaining table, so we retreated before things got ugly. Chips at Pete’s turned out to provide a suitable end to a good days climbing.

Climbing

The wait is over

August 5, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

30th July 2011
Bosigran
Little Brown Jug – VS 5a – Lead
Grendel – E2 5c – Second (dnf)

This was to be an iconic day for me. Little Brown Jug has been watching me for years now, waiting for me to climb it. Sometimes you get into a rut – LBJ was like this. I desperately wanted to do it, but every time I went I found an excuse not to. Anyway, Nick put paid to that. His advice of “Get on it before it gets too busy” drove me to climb it.

It was worth the wait. Chris tackled an alternative start which made a lot more sense than the traditional route. We headed up the first pitch of Doorway and Chris who’s getting right back into his leading made short work of it.

The top pitch of LBJ is just remarkable. It’s challenging from the begiining. The move off the belay ledge stopped me in my tracks and took some figuring out. It pays to be bolder here and move out from the inviting corner. The holds then start to arrive.

The crux is just that. The crux. The peg is gone now (I was at the BMC meeting when someone brought the remnants of it along!) but there is protection there if you look for it. It pays to be a little taller for this but you find it by gradually moving up. Delicate and balancy moves get you through this section which is amazing. Heart in mouth stuff but its what climbing is all about and I loved it.

The final section is a crank for the top. Wild but with good holds and is an exhilerating end to one of the best climbs I’ve ever done. Chris, Nick and I were full of smiles at the end testimony to why LBJ is so iconic.

Now Grendell…… This was up a few levels in difficulty. It didnt help that it was baking hot at this point leading to sweaty hands and greasey foot placements. (Thats the excuses out the way early). Nick made abrilliant effort on this. The bottom crack is tough and the niche which imo is the crux of the route was very difficult for me and Chris. There is a point where the holds run out and you have to rely very much on foot friction. In my case this wasnt quite enough and I slid off twice. Very frustrating as I am sure I can do this.

That said, Nick worked hard for this which is an indication to me of its difficulty. A small fall on the crux did not take away what was a brilliant lead.

So now it was a choice between an HVS or a jump in the sea to cool off at Halladrine Cove. Of course the sea won and quite rightly on this day. It was take your breath away entries into the water but after that I got the light burning sensation you get on your skin from swimming in a cool sea. Amazing feeling and a stunning way to end the day.

I think by this time Guiness and Mutley had just about had enough having been dragged all around Bosigran and all they were thinking about was curling up and sleep. We hover headed for the Gurnards Head for chill down pint and to discuss the days highlights of which there were many.

Climbing

Its a puzzle?

August 5, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

26th July 2011
Bosigran – Raven Wall Area
Zig Zag – VS 4c – Lead

Taking the afternoon off work makes climbing feel so much better. Its as though you’ve managed to cheat your way into some fun whilst everyone else is still beavering away. It was a bonus that it was really hot. In fact sweatingly hot (not sure that’s a real word).

Pete had not done a tricky multi pitch climb and I’d always wanted to do Zig Zag so we went for it straight away. Zig Zag is a strang climb. A bit disjointed but the three pitches are all good in their own way.

The bottom optional pitch is steep, with good holds and pro. It gets the adrenaline pumping immediately and has a challenging top out.. Then its across the Raven wall ledge to a rising ramp that leads to a short black veined wall. This is tricky and strenuous and leads to a brilliant narrow ledge with amazing views over the bay and towards Commando Ridge. Pete’s usual fear of ledges kicked in and as my leading piece of gear fell out he wasnt inspired with confidence.

The third pitch is the cracker though. You leave the ledge making exposed moves up and around the overhang. The holds are there but need a bit of lateral thinking. A short section that reminds me a little bit of Pegasus at Chair Ladder goes up to the ‘puzzle’. Be bold on this and it all comes together for a final push onto the finishing ramp.

Its not the best VS at Bosi but it is fun and takes you up through the central wall which is spectacular.

We picked up our free gear which must be a new introduction at Bosigran – by all accounts when you top out someone leaves a pile of slings and clippers for you to take as a reward.

We did search for the true owners but to no avail, so Pete is now the lucky recipient of two brand new slings! What a great way to finish the day and the sunset just topped it off perfectly.

Climbing

The wrong way down

July 31, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

30th June 2011
Coastguard Cliffs – Tower Buttress
Sirius – HS 4b – Lead

It was one of those days when each decision Chris and I made seemed to go slightly awry. I had been reading through the new Rockfax book on the South West and the climbs listed for the Coastguard Cliffs area looked good. The aim was to do a few climbs but as it happened we ended up doing just one but including a bit of adventure on the way.

Having picked the wrong route down to the coast we tracked back towards the most southerly point admiring the stunning views in what was turning out to be a cracking day. The buttress with Sirius on is not easy to find. The best way is to use the bench above Holywood Walls as a marker which is 100m East of Tower Buttress. Make sure you stay on the East side for the descent unlike Chris and I. We set our abseil on a loose, steep corner above a narrow gulley.

The scariest part of the day was lowering off with stones and bits of cliff breaking off on the way down. On reaching the bottom I scrambled for cover on a narrow outcrop while Chris dropped down. 15 minutes of head scratching later we realised we were on the wrong side of a very steep slippy inlet. The only way across was to climb. Trying 5a moves on rock covered with wet green slime is not easy and we used the ab rope as back up. It didnt help when we had to release and jump for the final edge. The stretch meant we skimmed the surface of the water before making undignified landings in the opposite side.

Finally we found the start of Sirius which proved to be a great climb although easier than the gulley! You traverse across, before pulling up onto a ramp which goes up to a good belay. The rock looks like its going to be brittle and unreliable, but this is not the case. I found it fine and there are some good substantial holds even though the ground is steep.

The guide book makes a comment that pro is not as good as it could be, but again I’m not sure this is right. I found plenty and good placements. The upper pitch is a little sparcer in fact but all in all, a good climb in a great exposed position.

The fact that it was a hot and sunny day helped and once again Cornwall delivered the views. We’ll be back for Holywood walls which looks great and has a good selection of HVS’s.

The Magik Rock

Category Archives: Climbing

Two of a kind

A Different church

It’s all about timing

7th October 2011

The Dewerstone – Main Buttress

Vala – HVS 5a – Lead

Scared to Life

23rd September 2011

The Lizard – Coastguard Cliffs – Hollywood Walls

The Goldrush – HVS 5a – Lead

Silent Movie – VS 4B – Second

Quasimodo – E1 5b – Lead

Mae West – HVS 5a – Second

Last of the Forties

16th September 2011

Sennen

Civvy Route – HS 4b – Second

Gillian – E3 5c – Top Rope

A hidden gem

The Hungry Sea

The wait is over

Its a puzzle?

The wrong way down

Why it never rains on a Friday!