So, the day started as per usual, but without the music Cliff. So music less we gained access to the fridge and feasted on,
Bacon
Eggs
Fried potatoes
Jarlsberg cheese
Brown bread
Bit of pre climb toon.
Bit of pre climb toon.
Super combo, plus uber amounts of coffee. Ok, ready to go. Kit prepared the night before we're off heading up to Vermork bridge to gain access to the gorge.
We head down into the gorge and make our way over the river. 5 mins later were at the foot of Sabotørfossen, looks awesome.
Heading up the gorge, not much sunlight here.
So, first leads mine as dean finished off yesterday on his super vertical iceicle climb. Sabotørfossen is a three pitch climb, so by my recon in pitch three is mine. From the guide book pitch three is the crux pitch, not sure what I am going to find but from the initial recky from the road head yesterday all looks good.
So let's get this ball rolling.
My lead, high up on pitch one and alls going well. Easy ice with great placements, I reckon it's too easy, something's waiting up above I just know it.
Looking out from pitch two.
Dean sets off up pitch two, weird little move around an amazing ice stack.
Like a trap door from nania.
Deans long gone, way up into the gods. Theses pitches are not far off a full rope length, 60m required to be safe.
Couldn't get any pictures of dean on pitch three as he was well below me and we'll out of site. This route is like a hidden cavern, feels like Raven crag gully in Borrowdale but bigger.
Dean takes the shot of death, at this point there's a shower of ice coming down and my radio is popping with the sound of dean requesting less ice if you please. My reaction is dulled by the fact that my brain cannot take in anymore than, strike pull move screw, pray. The praying bit comes from the fact that the ice is shit and scaling off quicker than a Mormon from my front door.. I manoeuvre round to an ice pillar were I can get a strap round it, but it won't fit as the strap is to small cos the piller is so fat. Ps the strap is a 240, yep fat piller.
So moving on into a really weird move out the the right, really tricky in the hand movement dept due to leaning out and round not knowing if it going to hold. Well it held and I am off un runnin, oh shit it's a fuckin big run out, no opologies for swearing, if you were there I reckon the words would be the same.
So quick look at the gear cellar, lookin bare one screw left and no runners. I make my way out, no goin back as there's no were to go. Mounting the slab on thin ice I make my way up and get a good screw in a fat piece of ice, stress levels lowering now. Amazing how, excuse the pun a well placed screw calms your nerve. Ok could have said that many different ways, take it as you see it.
I am happy to say that this is my hardest lead to date. There is no doubt that this route deserves the grade of WI5, its five all the way.
Eventually I make my way out and off the slab of death and into the snow palour of hell. As soon as I am out I meet a wall of snow, I reckon a minimum of 3ft deep. No ice underneath just bits of bush and slabs. Bushes make a perfect anchor point when I get them. So it's about 10-15 yards up the snow field to the tree line. I get to the tree line and wack a strap round the first tree in sight, after a couple of mins I send dean a radio message (I Am Safe And Alive) the gaps are me trying to string the words together as at this point I am absolutely boxed out, but mega pleased. Whoop bloody whoop.
Abseil in place, dean rapping down to pitch two to set up another abseil point.
We rap off and arrive back on terra firma pretty chuffed with our performance.
Time for coffee and cake, cup koffa and Eplekake to be precise.
Back to the hut for a well earned tea.
Next BLOG same time tomoz.
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