Tag Archives: 5a

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Little Brown Jug

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.

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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.

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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?

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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).

Zig Zag

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.

Zig Zag

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.

Zig Zag

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.

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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

Ambiguous Grades

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22nd July 2011
Zennor Cliff
Rosebud in June – HVS 5a – Lead
The Bumbles – VS 5a – Lead

As is often the case the day started out a bit grey with some drizzle. West Penwith though has its own micro climate and its always worth persevering. As it turned out it was the right choice.

Additionally, Alex had decided to come along too, a rarity these days so I wanted to make sure it was a good one. Equally Dominic was keen to keep pushing his grades, so it was going to have to be a good day.

Rosebud in June is the line to the left of The Royal Forrester and one I’ve had my eye on for a while. It looks like it is covered with lichen, but dont let that deceive you because it isnt. RIB is split into two parts really. A more technical bottom section followed by a magnificent crack leading all the way to the top.

The bottom section section has a tricky move across and up into the niche. Described as poorly protected in the guidebooks it is not really the case. You can get good solid pro in before you move which will protect you but then it is a few metres before the next arrives. As the move is low down it is a bit intimidating, but as long as your belayer is on the ball they will catch you.

The rest is brilliant. Well protected climbing on a line that sores above the deep zawn below. The views around are beautiful and on this day the colour of the sea was a fantastic blue. Dominic and Aletx arrived at the top with the biggest smiles on. Pumped, full of adreneline and raving about how good the climb was. Rare praise indeed from Alex. We all sat at the top in silence just trying to take it all in.

Now The Bumbles was a grade lower and considerably shorter. I had scouted this last time I was here and wanted to have a go. It looked hard for the grade and so it proved.

Its well protected and steep. In fact overhanging slightly. It looks like its full of holds, but they are suprisingly hard to come by, at least ones that are useful. Once on it I found that it didnt let up. No obvious rest spots so its a case of keep on going to a final and awkward move onto the slab. I laced it with gear which didnt help, but found it considerably harder that RIB. OK its short, but technically and physically its more demanding. Still a really good climb which showed no mercy with Dominic and Alex shrugging them off on the top moves. All persevered and made it, while for Dominic it was probably too much too soon. I forget he’s only been out a few times with little indoor practice. Taking that into account he did really well. Its one to come back to.

To top an excellent day we stopped at The Tinners Arms for beer. Many inuendo’s later I took a slightly light headed Alex home to face the music from his mum. Top day..

 

Climbing

What a difference the sun makes.

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9th July 2011

Carn Gowla

Four for Texas – E1 5a – Second

Rainbow Games – E2 5b – Second

After three weeks away in Corsica where I worked my legs hard but not my arms, this was a short sharp reminder on how to climb.

Carn Gowla is renown as a scary location. High seacliffs, with shear drops toward the sea and a forbidding darkness make them feel threatening. However add a dash of sunshine like we had and the place feels a lot more amenable. Part of the scariness comes from the steeply sloping grassy cliff tops which appear to disappear at the cliff edge.

In reality the drop offs are not so bad. There are a number of platforms which you can use as gearing up ledges and we duly located one above the Triple Buttress area. An ab down saw us on a fairly substantial belay ledge, although with a rising tide and some swell it felt a bit exposed.

Nick had a couple of E grades in mind and from the gearing up ledge they looked brilliant. Once at the base they looked even better. Nick has been pushing his grades recently and it showed as he cruised up Rainbow Games, a very pumpy and sustained E2. The pro is pretty good and the holds excellent, but you are on power the whole time. I would have struggled leading just on the basis of sustained effort. The move off the ledge is no pushover either. At the end of the day though it was an amazing climb and I managed it cleanly which boosted my confidence no end.

Four for Texas is actually an easier climb, but the pro is not as good and more care is needed with the holds which are more brittle. It is still very good though and because of the juggy holds is a real pleasure to climb. If I had to choose to lead one it would be RG.

So ended a great return to climbing which has inspired me to want to go on and add to my lonely E1.

Climbing

Rise of the super hero…

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13th May 2011

Bosigran

Andrew – Severe 4a – Lead
Trapese – HVS 5a – Lead

I wasnt sure Bosi was the right place to climb, because of the stiff westerley but as it happened we were fine climbing in the recessed area around Andrew. Also having sunshine always cheers things up and for Dave who had never been to Bosi it brought out all of Bosi’s magical scenery.

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I realised I wasnt climbing with an ordinary mortal when Dave posed for pre climb shots. Clearly no one would pose like this unless they had super powers! Then I remembered how he hobbled just as much as I did on our walk on Bodmin and realised this was just bravado. Anyway a couple of good pitches at Bosi would wipe the smile off his face (or put a bigger one on it)

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I hadnt climbed Andrew in a long while and it was my first multi pitch route so what better place to introduce Dave to multi pitch. I had also forgotten how good a climb it is. A bit meandering but each pitch brings something new: an arete followed by a delicate traverse, then an exposed balancy ‘shuffle’ and finally (and the best bit) a chimney which calls for some working out. Its not difficult if you climb it right. But thats the why so many peole find it hard, as I did the first time. Dave made a briliant job of it working out which way to face which is the key.

Popping up at the top we met a Swiss girl walking the Penwith coast, the only other person we met all day. Its not often you get Bosi to yourself.

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Climb two was a different proposition. Trapese is a great climb, if only a little short. Well protected, you have to make sure you dont place your gear where you want your hands and feet to go. The Crux for me was the move up into the vertical crack. It took me ages to work it out and by then I’d thoroughly pumped my arms. I left just enough to pull through to grateful resting postion near the top. A large Hex set sideways will protect the top crack, just… or a large CAM which I didnt have. Still a great climb.

I wondered how Dave would find the climb as he hasnt climbed a lot recently, but he went through it with no problems. Its only when you are at the top that you realsie how overhanging the corner is. Another HVS tick for me which I am really pleased with.

Little Brown Jug had to wait as the wind was a bit fierce on the main face, so thats the next target when I return. The end of another fantastic days climbing and a pat on the back for having this on our doorstep.

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