Flash Back | The Magik Rock

Brandy Slab/Rosemergy Towers

Flash Back – Severe 4a – Second
Monkey Puzzle – VS 5a – Lead
Monkey’s Lunch – Severe 4a – Lead

OK, two weeks in a row we’ve had long days. This one ending in a solo of the top part of Rosemergy Ridge in the dark in an effort to escape the claws of the viscous brambles. We had problems right at the start finding our way down to Brandy’s Slab. Probably should have read the guidebook instead of setting off on the first faint trail we found which lead in roughly the right direction.

Jelly Baby feast to start the day off

Back at the beginning of the day we had arrived at Rosemergy Towers, me with a view to having another go at Hard Times (which I fell off on the final move having gone too far left). However my still not recovered shoulder made a few protests on Flash Back (a good lead by Dave on what is an understated climb at Severe) so I gave this up as a bad idea.

Tom on the upper moves of Flash Back

And so we set our sights on Brandy’s Slab. Of course even though Tom had been there, we had no idea where to go, which resulted in an hour of bramble and Gorse bashing and a very zig zag route down. We had picked Piers up on the way and so a very scratched team arrived at the slab. I was to be honest a bit disappointed. I’d expected more, but the harder routes were just very bold and the easier routes not that inspiring. That said, I enjoyed the climbing, although I tend to agree with a comment on UKC that the detached flake of rock on Monkey Puzzle is just waiting for an opportune time to fall off. Hopefully, not with anyone climbing on it.

Lost in the Brambles

Monkey Puzzle is either a straight forward VS if you go slightly higher before moving into the narrow crack or a very bold VS if you go early. The nicer line is to follow the corner a bit further and then move across. Other wise you’re relying on friction on a very hairy and mossy face. Still it was fun despite the pain of setting up a belay with no anchor points… or at least not obvious ones.

Piers on Monkeys Lunch and having fun 🙂

And so we set off heading out via Rosemergy Ridge, which soon turned into slightly more than a scramble in the dimming light. To give Piers his due, he did brilliantly considering he has only come back to climbing recently.

There were some distinctly nervy mantles and padding going on. Still we’re alive, so that counts as a grade A adventure in my books.

Dave on Monkey Puzzle. That slab looks ready to go.

Rosemergy Towers looking back towards Pendeen

3rd March 2012

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

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

Team Rosemergy

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

Pete coming out of the chimney - Flash Back

Dave, high on Flash Back

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

Tony working hard - Go Shorty

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

Dave working through the perplexing lower moves - Go Shorty

Crimping on the top move - Go Shorty

It's not much, but its all there is.. - Go Shorty

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

Chilling between climbs

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