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.

Climbing

Two of a kind

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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.

The ab in

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
Weasle

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.

Tom on Weasle
Dave on Weasle

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 - the bit I didnt make

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.

Dave on Axis

 

Ian on Axis

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.

Packing up

 

Carn Barra Shadow
Climbing

A Different church

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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.

Pordenack Point

 

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

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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.

At the base of Vala

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.

Spot the crag

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

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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.

Descent 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.

Silent Movie
Silent Movie

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.

Mae West
Mae West belay ledge

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

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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.

Gillian - Sennen
Gillian - Sennen

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.

Vertical Crack - Sennen
Vertical Crack - Sennen

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

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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.

Supernatural

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.

SupernaturalSupernatural

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.

Supernatural

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!

Carn Gowla

 

Climbing

The Hungry Sea

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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.

Holywood Walls

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.

Holywood Walls

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.

LimelightLimelight

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.

Why it never rains on a Friday!