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Climbing

The sunniest and warmest place in Britain….. or not

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16th April 2011
St Loy Cliff

Sabre Dance – E1 5c – Top Rope
Smear Fear – E2 5C – Top Rope

St Loy has a reputation of being one of the warmest places in the country. The old bronze age field systems were said to be the first in the country to be harvested. So therefore why was the only place in Cornwall not to have sunshine and warm weather St Loy! Look either way along the coast there was blue sky, but ovel the crag there was a nasty dark cload which proceeded to unload an hour and a half’s rain on us.

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This was going to be the day I did my first E1 lead but having been forced to top rope for the morning and with the pm feeling chilly in the wind we chose to spend the day top ropping. There is something to be said for top roping though, in that it allows you to climb with complete focus on the climbing without the responsibility associated with placing protection. Not as exciting or challenging, but equally as enjoyable. Under these circumstances and with Steve along with us on his first outing on Cornish rock it was eminently sensible.

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We moved to the Test Piece buttress because of its accesibility and also the variety of climbs available. Starting on the East end we tackled a few un-named climbs which gave Steve a chance to test himself out. On my go I drifted left from a starting crack and ended up on Smear Fear an E2 5c with small holds and foot placements. It was hard work but I made it. It’s amazing how grippy the rock is at St Loy. The guidbook calls it immaculate granite and for good reason.

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Then the anti was upped as Chris tackled Test Piece another  E2 5c with a thuggish final sequence. The holds are their but it pays to keep moving as your arms tire quickly.

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The best of the E numnbers though is Sabre Dance. Graded E1 5c it is hard and very fingery. Again good foot placement helps a lot. Having been grossly unfair on Steve with the E climbs we moved West and finished on a couple of grooves. These were made much harder by the fact they were so covered in moss and lichen. Its a shame because under all that growth there are a couple of good climbs here. Again not in the guidebook but, worthy of being listed. I’m sure someone has recorded these as first ascents, but they need a lot more traffic before they came into condition.

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The walk out as usual sapped our strength, but the beauty of the area is always inspiring. My only regret was that I didnt get to do my E grade on the lead.

Climbing

Old woods and suntan lotion…. but no Devil!

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8th April 2011

The Dewerstone

Central Groove – HS 4B – Alt Lead
Leviathon – VS 4C – Lead
Climbers Club Direct – HVS 5Aa – Second

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According to something I read on the net (not always the most reliable source of ‘true’ information), “The Dewerstone, on the southern edge of Dartmoor is supposedly a favourite haunt of the Devil. With his pack of wisht hounds he would drive sinners to the edge of the cliff, never once touching them, where they would then fall onto the jagged rocks below.”

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Well, from my perspective the woods would be better described as stunning and mythical. A beautiful stream flowing through and sunlight beaming through the gaps in the trees does not make them threatening at all. And the climbing is amazing. This must go down as one of my favorite days. Three contrasting climbs, gradually building in intensity.

Bart, Chris and I turned up early and set about Central Groove straight away. This is an amazing line following the main groove and then breaking right for a final finish up an amazing corner. Unfortunately I forgot that the 1st belay point would be in the full sun and so I paid the price with a thorough ‘cooking’ on an exposed ledge. The views though made up for it, with a vista across the tops of the trees across and up the valley.

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The climb itself is slightly polished, but not so that you notice. It is so compelling with good gear throughout. Just complete fun climbing and one of the best routes I’ve done. Bart enjoyed himself as well – his first multi pitch route for a while, but he breezed up it as did Chris, who led the second pitch and the final corner/crack, which is the icing on the cake.

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Leviathon is a bit more committing. A tough Groove which I found best to bridge. More powerful and needs more thought, but fine at the grade with adequate pro. I loved it and I can understand why it makes it onto the list of top VS’s in the country. A little slip got my heart going and the final pull over on slopers made me nervous.

OK. Now Climbers Club Direct is a different kettle of fish. Many of the climbs at Dewerstone need jamming, but CCD needs lots of it. Nick did a brilliant job of leading it and made the initial crack look straight forward. Which it is, until you actually try to climb it. Chris joined my ‘keep trying’ club from the previous week. I struggled to work out the way to move up, but it boiled down to a small foothold and plenty of faith.

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For me though the suprise was the second pitch which turned ut to be exceptional. Given 4c in the book this is better thought of as 5b territory and very bold in places for the leader. A series of amazing jams and bridges got me up and a pitch I will not forget any time soon.

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So ended an exceptional day and all I want to do now is get back on the rock. Role on next FRiday.

This links to all the photos

 

Climbing

Old woods and suntan lotion…. but no Devil!

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8th April 2011

The Dewerstone

Central Groove – HS 4B – Alt Lead
Leviathon – VS 4C – Lead
Climbers Club Direct – HVS 5Aa – Second

Dewerstone_Apr11-017

According to something I read on the net (not always the most reliable source of ‘true’ information), “The Dewerstone, on the southern edge of Dartmoor is supposedly a favourite haunt of the Devil. With his pack of wisht hounds he would drive sinners to the edge of the cliff, never once touching them, where they would then fall onto the jagged rocks below.”

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Well, from my perspective the woods would be better described as stunning and mythical. A beautiful stream flowing through and sunlight beaming through the gaps in the trees does not make them threatening at all. And the climbing is amazing. This must go down as one of my favorite days. Three contrasting climbs, gradually building in intensity.

Bart, Chris and I turned up early and set about Central Groove straight away. This is an amazing line following the main groove and then breaking right for a final finish up an amazing corner. Unfortunately I forgot that the 1st belay point would be in the full sun and so I paid the price with a thorough ‘cooking’ on an exposed ledge. The views though made up for it, with a vista across the tops of the trees across and up the valley.

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The climb itself is slightly polished, but not so that you notice. It is so compelling with good gear throughout. Just complete fun climbing and one of the best routes I’ve done. Bart enjoyed himself as well – his first multi pitch route for a while, but he breezed up it as did Chris, who led the second pitch and the final corner/crack, which is the icing on the cake.

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Leviathon is a bit more committing. A tough Groove which I found best to bridge. More powerful and needs more thought, but fine at the grade with adequate pro. I loved it and I can understand why it makes it onto the list of top VS’s in the country. A little slip got my heart going and the final pull over on slopers made me nervous.

OK. Now Climbers Club Direct is a different kettle of fish. Many of the climbs at Dewerstone need jamming, but CCD needs lots of it. Nick did a brilliant job of leading it and made the initial crack look straight forward. Which it is, until you actually try to climb it. Chris joined my ‘keep trying’ club from the previous week. I struggled to work out the way to move up, but it boiled down to a small foothold and plenty of faith.

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For me though the suprise was the second pitch which turned ut to be exceptional. Given 4c in the book this is better thought of as 5b territory and very bold in places for the leader. A series of amazing jams and bridges got me up and a pitch I will not forget any time soon.

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So ended an exceptional day and all I want to do now is get back on the rock. Role on next FRiday.

This links to all the photos

Climbing

If at first you don’t succeed…try, try at least 6 times!!

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Rosemergy Towers
2nd April 2011

Flash Back – Severe 4a – Second
Go Shorty – E2 5c – Tope Rope

In keeping with riding my weather luck, our trip to Rosemergy turned out to be stunning. Mostly sunny and fairly sheltered from a stiff South Westerly it was a good place to be climbing.

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Dominic and Sam joined Chris and myself for an entertaining day top roping and leading. For Sam this was her very first day climbing… indoor or outdoor! A short sharp introduction then, because none of the climbs at Rosemergy are easy for novices. Its easy to forget how daunting a first session can be and to be put onto an open, exposed buttress and then be expected to climb would tax most people. That said, Sam did amazingly well climbing both of the Severe’s we tackled in the morning. For someone who has not climbed she showed great technique and a lot of courage.

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For Dominic this was a refresher day, to get him back into climbing and remind him how much fun it is. After a rusty start Dominic started remembering his technique. We both had flashes of “I should be able to do that…” but all in all it was a good return, culminating in a brilliant attempt at ‘Go Shorty’ the E2.

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Considering the jump in grade this brought out the best in all three of us. Its really a series of long gaps between breaks in the rock. Employing various techniques we all approached in differently. Underclings were the order for the day for me, allowing me to extend up to each of the breaks. Chris made a brilliant effort, cleaning the climb on his first attempt. His first E2, and not an easy one either (if there is such a thing as an easy E2).

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I on the other hand could not get the top move wired. It became one of thos moments where you think that if you repeat the same thing time and again eventually you’ll wear the problem down. In this case it didnt work and 6 attempts later I didnt seem to be getting any closer. A final small quartz crystal allowed me to hang on and make the step up, but to be fair I would like to return with a clear head and try to do it properly. Still, really entertaining and the scars on my wrists testify to some real effort.

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Chris led Flash Back earlier, which as I rember has some great moves for a Severe. I would deffinitely give it stars on UKC.

Of course we spent an appropriate amount of time reminding ourselves how lucky we are to have this on our doorstep. All day we didnt see anyone else, beyond a passing walker. It sgreat to know that even now you can find remoteness in the UK, even if its only 100 metres from the coast road.

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Climbing

Will everyone stop bleeding on my ropes!

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26th March 2011

Hawk Tor and Trewortha Tor

Just Good Friends – VS 5a – TR Cat Nap – Severe 4a – Lead

Theres VS and there’s VS! JGF was the latter. Described as well protected and 5a I arrived with all good intentions to lead it. In fairness, had I brought my bouldering mat I would have had a go, but with my knees falling off the crux at 12ft with no pro would have led to old bones busting.

Trewortha-Tor_Mar11-001 Its a great climb and it is well protected once you are through the to the horizontal break at about 12ft. However the move to get here is hard. Harder than 5a imo. I would put the climb as HVS 5b. What starts out as a pull up on a flake finishes with a hand jam and one handed mantel. All on small foot placements. The footage here shows my attempts at it.

Follow these links:-
https://picasaweb.google.com/102957968597737194984/TreworthaTor_Mar11?authkey=Gv1sRgCMX439z8pfba1QE&feat=directlink

Trewortha-Tor_Mar11-008Trewortha-Tor_Mar11-011 Unfortunately we should also have Barts try, but Dave’s ace camera work meant we had lots of footage of his feet and legs and little of Bart climbing.

 

Shame because Bart left bits of himself on the rock and my rope on the way, but to his credit made it. Great determination. Considering how long its been since Dave came climbing with us, he made a briliant job of JGF. I need to work on him to get out climbing more often.

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Bart and I were joined by Dave and Billy for what was a great day. Nice and relaxed for the most part and Billy provided the perfect audience, barracking all three of us and ensuring the preassure was on every time we climbed. This part of Bodmin Morr is my favorite. Considering its proximity to the A30 you feel very remote and you see almost no body. It also helps to have a warmth sunshine where shorts and tee shirt were the order of the day.

Trewortha-Tor_Mar11-014Trewortha-Tor_Mar11-015 The walk over to Hawk Tor is a short one and having exerted ourselves so much (being old men) we figured a nice straight forward Severe would be be good. Like Cat Nap…. a nice straight forward Severe going on HVS. What is it with the grading in my guidebook! It did look tough, but my mental approach was “Severe. Shouldnt be too bad and there’l be gear and good holds. “

None of the above. It was pinchy, with sloping holds and a wicked step over using a finger jam to keep you on. A good low nut followed by ‘iffy’ Cams. Definitely Severe. The two fella’s near us said their book gave it HVS 5b. Probably explains why I had to work so hard to get up it. Still, I made it, leaving blood on the rocks and my ropes….again. Dave followed me and even on the second found it awkward. I’m going to try more climbs here but I hope they’re grades are a little more realistic.

Dave led us back to the car, through the gorse and bog (it doesnt bode well for his navigation skills in Corsica in June) and the day ended still bather in evening sunshine. Ihhope this doesnt turn out to be our summer again.

Climbing

Have Faith….

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22nd March 2011

Zennor Cliff
The Royal Forester – VS 4C – Lead

With thick mist around on the North Coast we wernt sure what the conditions would be like at Zennor. However after the walk in we discovered that the coastline itself was clear. A hundred yards further landward and you hit the mist.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the Royal Forester the last time I climbed it so we decided on another crack at it. It was Gillians first time at Zennor and the suprise of seeing the cliff for the first time had its usual effect. Zennor really is spectacular and incredibly well hidden.

On this occasion I made a much beeter  fist of the overhang, but still found the initial groove awkward. Once above the overhang the route eases but the final niche is testing as well. Trying to sort the ropes for the belay proved a challege as the anchors are set back, but we managed.

Gillian made the initial groove seem easy, but the exposure on the overhang had its usual effect. You dont get to see the zawn below or get an indication of how high up you are until you clear the overhang. Its always a revelation. Pete found the overhang sequence tough and decided to leave skin on the cliff as payment but as with last time I think he thorouughly enjoyed the outing.

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Time prooved our unding for further climbs, but on a mooch I found another crack on the far left which will be my next target when we come.

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Climbing

Going through my red phase

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4th March 2011

Carn Barra

Peel Crack – V Diff – Lead
Illustrated Man – E2 5C – TR
Dialectic – E1 5B – TR

I’ve been to Carn Barra twice and both times it tipped it down with rain… so arriving with a bit of mist and low cloud was a vast improvement. The fact Chris and I had managed to drive our way out of the blazing sunshine was not worth dwelling on even though it had taken a degree of skill to find the only cloudy place in Cornwall on this day.

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The first hour was spent getting our bearings. We dropped down way too far South and had to walk back (fortunately it was low tide). Still, it gave us the oppportunity to check out classics such as Grand Plage and Crack in the Sky. The latter is a climb I would like to try. It looks like it could suite my climbing, but the proof will be in the tasting. For this day it was the take it easy approach, so we warmed up on Peel Crack.

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Described as HVD in the guide I would suggest it is about right at this grade. It is a proper crack climb and and deserves stars being exposed and highly enjoyable. It definitely put a smile on Chris and my face.

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So what next. Obviously a jump to E grade climbes but I was not confident to try them on the lead at this stage in the year. In hindsight I would probably have managed Dialectic (easy to say that in hindsight) but just focusing on climbing made the whole experience that much more relaxed. Chris made a good job of Dialectic. Impressive considering this was his first outing this year. Dialectic has a tough section just after the large ledge which takes a bit of thought and some balance to negotiate. All in all one that I will lead this year for sure and it looks well protected.

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Illustrated man was harder. I’ve not done many E2’s and this one stood out as a truly great climb though. One day I aspire to be able to lead a route like this. For now just getting upit clean was my victory. Hard work, but I think it suited me with lots of levers and rock overs.

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A great day out and the sun finally caught up with us. Oh yes…. I think I’m over red. Maybe I’ll go back to black.

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Climbing

Magic Light

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Magic Light

22nd January 2011

Cuckoo Rock and Coombeshead Tor
Cracked Boulder Traverse V2 5C – dnf

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Sometimes days have a special light which makes everything seem that much sharper and more colourful. This was one of those days. Dartmoor demonstrating just how beautiful it can be. The light gave the illusion of warmth, but part of the reason Nick and I were bouldering this day was the cold.

It turned out to be the perfect choice. Coombeshead is an area I have never climbed in and not somewhere I’d even heard of.  So to come upon and small outcrop of perfectly positioned boulders was a suprise. The first area we climbed in was slightly removed from the main track to Cuckoo Rock. The view back towards Burrator Resevoir was outstanding though and the bouldering excellent.

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Bouldering is not something I’ve done a lot of and when I first attempted a fairly high but exposed face I found it intimidating. It’s strange how your mind plays games with you. What would be a straight forward move when protected by a rope suddenly becomes a major endevour. The first face we climbed on was just like this. However two or three attempts later and my nerves calmed down and I found myself enjoying things more and more.

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We worked a number of problems here and then moved on to a larger single boulder. This had a steep sloping face and a wicked arete. With my mind buzzing around protecting my knee for sking I didnt make a particularly full blooded attempt at either. However Nick despatched both in style. A number of other climbers (yes we wer’nt aloneat this point) had a crack at the arete but Nick was the only one to send it on that day. Cap and feather spring to mind!

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Our final location was Cuckoo Rock itself.  I made a much better fist of attempting the traverse here on Cracked Boulder. With a little more finger strength I think I would have done it. However its one for me to return to and try again. It consists of a series of moves following a horizontal crack. Each is tough, but as an accumulation they gradually wear you down. Really enjoyable though.

Finishing off on the Tor  meant we caught the final amazing light on the moor. It turned out to be a good call and I want to return soon.

 

Climbing

You and who’s arm’ees

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24th September 2010
The Dewerstone

Silken Thread/Imperialist – HVS 5a, 5a – Second
Gideon – E1 5b – Second

The trip up to Devon was not an auspicious start. Numerous traffic jams and road blockages started me thinking that maybe climbing wasnt on today. This was all put firmly behing me once I ‘d met up with Nick and trekked into the Dewerstone. What a beautifull place, especially when the sun shines through exposing the tall buttresses which poke up elusively through the tree tops.

I’d been here before both walking and on a climbing trip with Bart a long time back, and we ended up on a vegetated crag which was entertaining but not a proper route. This was different. I got a chance to view the main face which has a number of cracking climbs on it.

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As it happened we started off on Raven Buttress on a tricky HVS. The first pitch is balancy and not well protected at first. The move around the corner is great though, but not designed for taller people. I must have banged my helmet a dozen times on the way around. The second pitch is a steep chimney followed by some grunt work past a overhang and up onto the slab above. A great varied climb which reminded me what arms are for in climbing.

Gideon just built on this. The first pitch is amazing, although it proved a bit too much for me. Lots of mental and physical battles up to the crux. As it says in the book, “He who hesitates is lost”. So I lost! A shame really because I actually made the move to the first juggy hold but ran out of gas with my arms turning to stone. A brief rest and I was back on it. All credit to Nick for a top lead in drizzle no less. I need to improve my stamina if I am serious about getting on E numbers. Still, what an amazing afternoon.

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The walk out in the dark capped a great outing and left a satisfying feeling of using up the whole day. Not a minute of wasted daylight. Oh yes, and the new rockfax guide is brilliant. So if you get one, keep it close….

Climbing

Return of the Cruncher

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12th September 2010
Pentire Point

The English Way – HS 4b – Second
Nipped in the Buddha – VS 4c – Lead
Our Stars, Our Sky – VS 4c – Alt Lead P2

This was a day for calendar shots so we took a couple, ensuring the magazine pose was just right. I think I’ll need to stick with the day job though.

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Pentire Point in my mind was the playground of ‘grown up’ climbers. People who see E5 as a reasonable grade. So it was great to discover that there is a real mixture of climbing here and some amazing routes. Nick and I ended up doing three great climbs.

Black Zawn is aptly described in its name. It is a place that the sun does not often reach and therefore is a bit forbidding when you first drop down on an abseil. It is also wet in places, mainly due to run off. Having said that there is something magnetic about the climbing there. The two routes we did were both great. The English Way was just a means to climb out at first, but turned out to be worthwhile in its own right. An awkward move at mid height destroys all pretences of elegence and makes your mind work hard.

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Nipped in the Buddha was not dry enough in the morning so we considered a couple of options: play around on a top rope on the more difficult climbsor have a go at a route I remembered from somewhere callesd Our Stars, OUR sKY. The latter won out and we lucked into a fantastic route, which provided a great deal of adventure and two good pitches. I led the second pitch which follows a line across the shield face just above the undercut. It’s amazing, one of the best pitches I’ve evr led. Not  the hardest, but committing with perfect foot and hand placements where you need them. I had my crunchy moment, as I stepped into a crystalline pocket, but this seems to be a trend with me. Of course my attempts to follow Nicks instructions on communicating with my second went slightly arrae so we sat there like lemons for ten minutes waiting for a signal to move. My fault, but as Nick said, a lesson well learnt.

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Still buzzing, I managed to get the lead on Buddha as well. This one is much harder climbing, with some wet areas. To be honest this didnt effect the route and I think I got it as good as you can get it in the dark, dank zawn. Once again, brilliant climbing, pushing me all the way with a tricky crux a few metres above the slab. Its great to have routes where the rock feels really positive and all of them were like this. It can be brittle in places, but take care and you can climb with confidence.

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With the sunny day fading we climbed back towards Pentire Farm (just long enough to get another calendar shot). Another new venue for me and somewhere else to add to my long list of places to return to.

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