Tag Archives: HVS

Climbing

Sea Breeze

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25th May 2012

Pen Olver

Blind Pew – V Diff – Second
Great Slanting – V Diff – Second
Bilsons Foul Play – V Diff – Second
Mule – HVS 5a – Lead

Probably the trickiest part of climbing at Pen Olver is finding your way there and down to the base of the crag. If you approach past the Housel Bay Hotel its not obvious where the climbing is. The best bet is to head for the end of the headland and when you are about 100yards away head down to the edge on what is a small rocky outcrop.

Pen Olver in all its glory.

This soon turns into a more substantial piece of rock and unlikely as it seems at the time if you keep heading down you eventually reach the top of a narrow and exposed descent ramp. Good luck in finding it, but ultimately it is worth it.

The weather being what it is in Cornwall decided to go from cool to baking overnight which meant we were scratching our heads thinking of a venue which wasnt going to overheat. Pen Olver matched up nicely.

Why me? I could be at home working, but no, you make me come climbing.....

Its a great venue and we spent the day on the main ledge giving access to the Pen Olver Slab and the climbs on the Western sector. With Tom and Dave eager to get some more leading in we started on Great Slanting, a tremendous climb with a really open finish. Described as steady, this is a good description requiring Dave to work hard for pro. Probably the most technical of the V Diffs we climbed this day.

Dave on the early stages of Great Slanting
Dave high on Great Slanting

Tom moved onto Blind Pew which carves a way straight up the middle of the slab. This one saves its crux for the last third with some exposed climbing on a vertical niche. The pro too gets harder to place the higher you get. Its a great line and deserves stars.

Tom moving up Blind Pew.
Tom on the crux of Blind Pew

I had been eyeing up ‘Mule’ an HVS between the two. This turned out to have a well protected, but pumpy start and a poorly protected but technical finish. A bit of everything really which made it really enjoyable. I was quite suprised at how good it was, so finished it with a big smile.

Dave on the top and poorly protected slab of Mule

Last of all was Bilsons Foul Play. As the tide had swamped the main platform, this was an obvious choice. A good climb, steep and following a distinct chimney, but probably not as good as the two main face climbs.

Dave leading Bilson's Foul Play

Still, you cant complain when you’ve had sunshine and fantastics views all day and the climbing has matched up. A brilliant day out in a beautiful part of Cornwall.

 

 

Climbing

Sugar Rush (ish)

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19th May 2012
Sennen

Zig Zag – HVS 5a – Lead
Dextrose – HVS 5a – Second

Meeting up with Nick later in the day seemed to suggest that we would be struggling for time, particularly as we both had arrangements for later on. However being Sennen and only single pitches we bagged two classic HVS’s.

We also met up with Rowena and James who were just finishing off Demo Route. It was watching them that drew my attention to Zig Zag a route I had long admired. Its a truly striking lightning slash down the wall at the north end of the crag. Watching another climber wrestling with the succession of niches and cracks gave me a hint of what was to come, although once on the climb I got a full on sweat on.

Nick’s monster cam came in very handy in protecting what was the crux move. This is an akward move, one that felt as though I could be off at any moment. Instead of jamming I went for the layback which is what probably made it feel more precarious. By time I topped out I was fairly pumped but chuffed to bits that I’d made it. Nick was also chuffed I made it as he avoided a soaking from the fast rising tide which had tried to get him earlier on.

Then it was across to the Southern side of the crack and Dextrose. I’d had a go at Dexter a while back but was defeated by the cold. No problem with that this time, but Dextrose turned out to be a cracker. Its a weird climb really, not taking the obvious line, but taking a loop across the face and finally approaching from the other direction. It’ sthis that makes it so good.

It’s hard too. I wouldnt have had a problem with giving it E1. The stretch across the face is made more airy because you have to move up when really all you want to do is go sideways. The rounded groove is also tough and this is capped off by gear which you have to work hard to place. A good lead from Nick and imo one of the Classic routes at Sennen.

The final move over the top provides a suitable sting in the tail as well. The rock though is superb. All in all great fun and one I may try leading in the future.

Climbing

The Guano Glacier

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18th May 2012
Fox Promontory

Reveille – HS 4b – Second
The Muzzle – HVS 4c – Lead

I dont know how many times I looked at the photo of The Muzzle in the Rockfax guide and thought that I’d like to try it.

Looking back up the promontory

So with cracking weather and the right tide plus no swell, the opportunity presented itself. Chris, Tom and Dave accompanied me on what was my first visit to the crag. I’ve walked past it plenty of times and it always looked spectacular. The north face is dark, but once you’re down there it looses some of it’s menace. The lines are obvious and there are plenty of the them.

Dave and Tom on Vixens Crack
Belay at the top of Vixen's Crack

With Tom and Dave getting on the steep and exposed Vixen’s Crack, Chris and I set up for Reveille. This climb rises leftwards across the main face to finish up a steep narrow slab next to a crack.  There are a couple of tricky sections; the start is quite bold and needs thought on protection and then comes the best part, a very balancy traverse at about mid height. It’s great, but you need to keep your nerve when there are few holds. Brilliant fun and a top climb.

Chris just after the tricky traverse on Reveille

Unfortunately the tide pushed up fairly quickly so we had to abandon the attempt on The Curtain Raiser, what looked like a top route following a vein of crystals. So it was onto the nose to have a go at the two classic routes there. Or so we thought.

Ian at the base of The Mussle

There was one fly in the ointment. The Whisker, the VS on the right of the promontory facing in, turned out to be in the hands of the guls and cormorants. The slab round the arete looking like a snow field with the amount of guano on it.

Chris and Dave after completing The Mussle

So we all had a go at the Muzzle with Chris clocking up his second HVS lead. The Muzzle is as good as it looks. The crack is strenuous but has positive holds and plenty of pro. The move out under the overhang is a bit more scary. It’s a case of move out and keep going into open fresh air. The holds are there but you have to look and keeping your feet on the rock is interesting. At one point I managed to leaver off my only grip just snatching another hold before I did some air time.

Chris finishing off The Mussle

The day added up to another brilliant adventure on Cornish Rock, with Dave and Tom recording another route together. We spent a while snoozing in the sunshine before sauntering off back to the van. We will be back at FP shortly I am sure.

Chilling after tide finished our session at Fox Promontory

 

 

 

Climbing

Avoiding the squeeze

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4th May 2012

Pordenack Point

Nothing Much – HVS 5a – Lead
Friends – VS 5a – Lead
Wrist Climb – V Diff
Economists Route – V Diff

The aim was to have a go at a set of 3 HVS’s at Pordenack, but the reality was that two is enough to fill you up. Or at least in my case it is.

I tend to think that the routes at Pordenack are in general quite hard for the grade and Nothing Much and Friends proved no exception to that theory. Chris’s assessment of Wrist climb would back that up, with the final traverse and crack being a real challenge for a V Diff leader. Even Economists climb, which Tom and Dave doubled up on for their first alternate lead, is bold in places if not technically difficult.

Ian actually chimneying. A rare sight.
The tough sequence on Nothing Much

We paired up with Chris and Pete on Wrist Climb and me, Dave and Tom on Nothing Much. NM is actually a bit more than nothing. All the difficulty is below the crux, but in damp conditions it felt quite hard and the crux move is exposed and committing. The moves are good though, and getting through the niche is challenging culminating in a less than secure pull up around the obvious flake.

Soaking up the sunshine

Instead of finishing off the second pitch which we had done before, we scrambled back to the gearing up ledge, a pretty exhilarating route in its own right, traversing across the top of all the climbs with lots of airy drops around.

Group Climbing!

Then it was on to friends. In theory an easier climb, but in reality a strenuous and relentless climb once you’ve committed to the main crack. I had a real struggle with this having to work hard throughout and eventually succombing to the pump when I managed to create a really weird nut, Krab and rope knot which I couldnt undo.

Ian wrestling with his nuts....

To be fair I was on my limit then, so this just ensured I didnt make the onsite, but I was only a few moves from the top.

Chris in the upper niche on Friends
Chris on the exposed top moves of Friends

Chris kindly then showed me how to do the top, wild moves finishing off what I had started. Its a brilliant climb, one of the best I’ve done and I’ll be back to clean it. Pete, who had been eyeing the climb up nervously, overcame any uncertainty and gave it everything, making a fantastic job of seconding Chris. Probably the hardest climb Pete’s done so far, so hats off! I made it up on the second, so its just a case of finishing the lead.

Tom and Dave on Economists Route
Tom leading the first and relatively bold pitch of Economists Route

Meanwhile Dave and Tom were on Economists Route. Not technically the most difficult, but bold in places. For their first alternate multipitch lead it was a good choice. It’s easy to forget how challenging Sea Cliffs are at whatever grade so this was a real achievement and I’m sure opens the door to many more ascents.

Finally we all spent some time on Vietnamerica, an E1 with a tricky start, especially now the wedged boulders have fallen down. Its good practice on a climb with thin holds and balancy moves.

Dave high on Vietnamerica

What a cracking day. Hopefully the forerunner to many more this summer. I need to keep working on my stamina. It’ll come, back only with a bit more hard climbing.

 

Climbing, Uncategorized

A late lunch

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12th April 2012

Black Head

Spriggans Chimney – VS 4c – Lead
Archangel – HVS 5a – Lead

I love climbing at Black Head. There’s something about the place that just makes you happy. It’s a hidden amphitheatre with turqoise sea and stunning vista’s across the bay. I never tire of the walk in and on this occasion we managed to get quite a bit closer thanks to a friendly local who told us where to park.

Traversing to the abseil point above Sprigans Chimney

Dave and I were looking to have a go at Archangel, a climb Dave had tagged last time we were there. But the tide was high for the morning so we took on pitch 2 of Spriggans Chimney. To be honest, pitch 2 is the best pitch starting with a steep crack and leading into a corner bypassing a large overhang. As usual it took me a little while to get going, the bottom crack being a little akward with footholds that dont inspire confidence. But the top moves are fun and the traverse across the top of the overhang is exposed and exciting.

Top of Sprigans Chimney

We decided to push straight on with Archangel. A solo down Black Dyke and we were at the belay. This route is superb. Great climbing up the striking corner crack gets you to a small roof. Traverse right here across the face in a great position to find the first belay. Not hard for the grade, but the crux requires good footwork and commitment.

Ian on Pitch 1 Archangel

The top half is fairly easy climbing, disjointed, but fun with strange rock and peculiar moves. By this time we had lost all track of time and we ended up having lunch at 6p.m.! This probably accounts for why I felt rubbish for the next couple of hours.

Belay at the trop of pitch 1 Archangel

Dave however was still raring to go and tackled Rebel Yell, the E2 which goes up the steep headwall. Small holds and balancy moves put him to the test, but he wasnt found wanting, and made it up with a big smile on his face.

Fortunately we didnt have the long walk out. My blood sugar levels were still grumbling so I probably would have struggled. And so ended a fantastic day out. Only Rebel Yell to return to now, which I fancy leading at some point.

Climbing

The sound of thunder

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9th March 2012

Carn Barra
Niche Wall – Hard Severe 4b – Lead

The bloody BBC weather site has been shocking recently. I dont know whats going on, but they used to be pretty accurate and now they are way off the mark. Today was meant to be bright, with light Westerly winds. Drizzly with gusty Southerly winds is what we got.

Abseil ledge above the Southern Platform

To be fair the drizzle didnt last long, but the wind direction meant another abortive attempt on Fox Promontory. Carn Barra was a lot more sheltered and Niche Wall was an obvious choice for me.

Tom negotiating the tough groove on Niche Wall

For a Hard Severe, Niche Wall is quite intimidating. I didnt help that the 8ft swell had soaked the lower section, which was not easy to protect. The guide book seemed to suggest tracking rightwards, where the holds seemed better, but they also seemed wetter.

Me on Niche Wall

I trended left and found pro tricky to place and not as re assuring as it could have been. That said, as soon as I hit the ledge the rock became drier and the whole nature of the climb changed. From here on it was great varied climbing, with a little sting in the tail if you finished more directly, which I did.

Rope Management?????

Top climb really and Pete and Tom seemed to concur, even if Pete managed to leave one of my cams in place so that I could have another go at climbing it.

Clearing the hard lower cracks on Dialectic
Pete digging into his energy reserves

We moved back to the gearing up ledge tyo the sound of thumping waves. With the tide pushing hard, only the Dialectic platform was out of range so Tom and Pete had a go at Dialectic. This had the desired effect as it raised the difficulty level substantially and introduced them to the steeper elements of Carn Barra.

Pete pushing on Dialectic
Tom on Dialectic

Both made it up, Tom cleaning it first attempt. Pete had the added thrill of exploding surf which was sending spray up to the height of his head. Considering he was over half way up the climb this was impressive!

Pete thanks Tom for his encouragement

The rugged and intimidating atmosphere of the Cornish coast made this a memorable day and reminded me of the power of the ocean. The many faces of Cornish sea cliffs had shown us another mood. Brilliant.

 

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

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.

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

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.