Weather weather or not

Norway Dinorwig
with
Cheesey chips and coffee

Tweeting out to the Outside shop for rain status,

all looks good but maybe risky comes back the message. Heading out from Whaley Bridge (Home) at around 14:30, just finished on early shift. Deans keen for some slab work today, Shock Horror on Stanage, counts buttress.

Arriving at Hathersage and the heavens open with an un presidented deluge. 

Had to hide in the car for about 15 mins before we could get out due to the amount of rain falling, looks like the day is done, no climbing here today. Out the car and into the outside shop for a chin wagg and a new pair of Sportiva rock shoes for Dean.

I get a set of Rockcentrics for a mega knock down price of £30.

Cheesey chips and coffee then we are off, weathers picked up and alls looking good.

  

 

The slabs must be that warm due to the hot weather that they have dried pretty instant. Top ropes up and we are off up the first route, Shock Horror Slab E2 6a 2*. Not a bloody chance comes to mind. This route is laughing at 6a, more like 6c, the start is nails. On that short note we moved on to Shirleys Shining Temple E5 6c equally as hard. Ok re think, down to Nightmare Slab E1 5b, great route with some tricky moves. The middle section is well worth a tick in the book and deserves a 2* at least. Moved across onto Daydreamer E2 6b, Dean made mince meat of this one as i made slush puppy straight after. Major rock over onto a tiny toe hold to a vertical stand using three razor sharp pebbles to push over on, then comes the hard part (laughing out loud) tiny slopers to push up on to a bold move to nice holds above, no probs for Dean and well climbed.

Dragged the rope over to Sleepwalker E2 6a, great swinging potential here. Short and sweet, N A F Chance. great looking route, love to see someone climb it, you would be on tender hooks watching.

!8:30 and we are getting a bit peckish, flameless cook set on the go with ham and cheese pasta, not forgetting the peppermint tea and honey to wash it down.

Doogle guarding tea in Counts Buttress cave

The fight resumed after T to conquer Sleepwalker

Crow Button Tour

Llanberis Slate

Preparation prevents piss pour performance, two ten pound notes and no shops for change. 09:30 on a Saturday morning in Worktown car park (Padarn) Llanberis, oh well. Quick rummage in the rucksacks and out comes some change, four pound coins just enough to secure the days climbing.

Rucksacks ready and loaded with gallons of water as its already hotting up, or would that be just to reduce the first levels from Petes Eats megga salty sausage and bacon devoured 20 mins earlier.

Heading out of the car park towards Electric mountain then a left straight up the hill side that any sherpa would be proud to ascend, bloody hell its steep.

Sherpa track

Jim Bob on the bridge 

Nearing the next level after crossing the bridge we stop to check out the old climbers hut, one of the old cottages which climbers have re roofed, ish and made home. Dean takes Jim to have a look. Pulls the old battered door back, oh, sorry mate didnt no you were in there. A guy and his bird were rousting in there from the previous nights trek up. Friendly chat and the guy offering room in the inn and food if we wished plus room to stash our kit, really nice bloke, we passed on the offer as we were heading on up to Australia and Never Never Land. 

The old Quarry mans cottages on the first tier

Moving on up again onto the next tier, really hot suns beaming down. The weather is amazing up here.

Arriving at Australia Lower we check out the routes, is an absolute myriad of climbs. after about half an hour of wondering and pondering we settle on a nice route U.B.L F4 Vs 4b 14m, you can pop a bit of trad gear in this but we, i didn't bother. My lead, off and up, first time on slate. Felt really weird, not like the grit back home, each move had to be really positive. Great climbing and a superb route, Dean and Jim followed and Jim was buzzin. Did a couple more routes up the slab using different hold to make the route harder whilst the rope was still in the lower off rings at the top. Next route was, Sad mans whos saneVs 4c 15m great route with a tricky little move above the second bolt.

We top roped a route called Gadaffi Duck F6b **. Dean made mince meat of this one, really tricky start with a mantle on the left to a stand then off right up the corner. However i never got to see the corner as i saw more of the ground on this route as i succummed to the pull of gravity each time i went for the mantle.

Gaddafi Duck is right side of the overhanging tree on the left side of the picture, The over hanging block, roof start is the crux, well done to Dean on a great move especially after his fight with nature the week before on a dislocated shoulder with Suprise at Stanage.

Moving on and up another tier to Steps of Glory F5b * 15m, great route with some nice moves especially at the top, little crimps and ledges. 

Steps of Glory

Great area at the top with lots of superb routes, all in all a great day out and a classic finish at the Pen Y Gwrd Hotel for a pint.

Millstone sweats

Millstone vs Lawrencfields

Went to meet friends the other night at millstone, beyond hot. Sweet pouring off me like no business. Did a bit of bouldering to warm up round the embankment, no one turned up so left. Popped up to surprise view CP to see if anyone was there, gosh had arrived late, oh well I was off getting late now. He pursaded me to to stay, sorry mate to hot. We settled for Lawrencefields over the road, great little night out. I lead as gosh was a bit nervous after his fall earlier in the year so we just did a couple of routes on the main wall then abseiled off. There were ants everywhere, all over the belay stances and the gear. Good night all in all, sorry no pics.

Too hot for dogs

Too HOT 4 Dogs

Climbing backup plan, eat well and alls well.

Off to Stanage with Big John B today for a bit more trad climbing. Arrived at Stanage at around 10:30, blazing sunshine and wall to wall sun. The heat was almost to much to climb, but climb we did. moved on up towards the causeway and trended left out towards DIY and Counts Buttress. Started with a nice little Diff on Suprise (Diff 4a) called Dots Slab. interesting climb due to being a short vertical section into a right trending traverse with little gear on to a fat cigar shaped arete. Setup the belay in the middle of the traverse to give John a secure crossing and reduce the exposure of the runout.

Above the horizontal break from left to right then up the arete. picture far right John negotiating the arete.

Left  hand picture, Stumpy E1 5a starts off below the block then mantle over the shelf and onto the horizontal breaks straight up on smears and crimps, great climb. John came up on second and enjoyed the route. no issue with the climbing as it was great practice for his foot work.

Off down to Counts Buttress for a bit of corner climbing. Set off up B Crack HVD 4b one star route. Great route and worth the star all day long. John enjoyed the route as it pushed him up the grade system with a bit more concentration on the feet and hands being required. Nice bit of exposure to as it forced you out at the top to negotiate the crux move over the boulder wedged in at the top.

Johns clearly enthused by this one

Bit of a re hydration then off up the route. John negotiating the crux at the top.

Doogle finding a cool spot inside Counts Buttress

Dinner time using the new flameless cook set, superb.

Dinner out of the way and onto the next route, not sure of the name but looks like an E1 5b at least. One runner at quarter height then out onto crimps and a slap onto a rolled top, about 20ft quite bold but excellent route.Between Surprise Buttress and Counts Buttress.

The route goes up the centre of the crag, up the white slick to the right of the over hang.

John came up on second and clearly had an interesting climb, really pushed him to get his smearing technique spot on due to the angle and severity. All in all a great lead and a superb climb. called it a day at this as the heat wasjust to much, doogle had had enough and both me and john were ready for coffee and cake at the Outside shop in Hathersage.

Suprise

Surprise Surprise

E15c Crack Climb

Surprise is a HVS crack climb on Stanage above the plantation heading over towards the causeway. 

Fig 1

Great days climbing with a good route prior to the start of Surprise, Fern Crack Direct VS 5a lead by Dean. Wall End Slab VS 5a traverse for me. 

Unknown climber on Wall End Slab (Not Me, no picture available)

Comment from UKC

A devious classic. The frequently frustrating initial slab can be ascended in several places at 5a/b. From the ledge, climb through the bulge just to the right of the arete, to another ledge. Step down (low runners) and traverse across the slab to reach its right arete. Follow the right side of this to the top. Poorly protected although at least the upper section is steady. © ROCKFAX
FA. Fred Piggott et al. early 1920s 1922 

Ok onto Suprise,my lead. Quick look at the guide book then off, literally off. Picked myself up off the floor, seriously hard start. re evaluated the moves, bang off again. Ok getting boring now, dean and i discuss the options, holds moves ect.  Bit of GURRING now, couple of moves, crimps and i am off and moving up and over the top onto the slab. Really pumppy move with no protection, you've just got to go with it.

Got to the second section, see fig 1. Looks good nice little lay back with a bit of crack hand jamming to boot. Well think again, just gets worst. I never climbed a harder climb, absolutely murderous. Apart from ripping skin from your hands that's the least of your worries. This is a really hard exit, took stock after falling off about 6 times. Decided to do what i would normally not sanction, but had to now the future. Pulled up on my gear to look over the top. Happier than a pig in shit, this is a nails of an exit. Small crack line leading up and out for about 20 ft, you need fingers about 2mm wide. Lots of grass in it, not seen alot of traffic, i wonder why. Came down and handed over to Dean. Up he goes, puts the first section straight to bed, no messing. on up the slab and into the crack. Here starts the fun, Dean suffers the skin flailing and cursing as i did. After a couple of pops he finally decides its over. Then out of the blue, no its not, hes on for another go. Sadly to say his last, gets over the prow and pop goes his shoulder in and out of its socket. Down he comes to the lip below the crack in lots of pain. After a bout 10 mins he manages to traverse off to the left and untie. I meet him on the ledge to the left and help him down.

First aid is out giving Dean some pain killers for his shoulder

Dean Phoning Mike (Dr Mike) for shoulder advice

Days over, kits away and i am lugging rucksack and boulder mat down to the car. Dean manages his rucksack but with a bit of difficulty. All i all a great day out and some superb climbing. Just unfortunate that Dean suffered a popped shoulder.

Comment of UKC

Really hard! given the unprotected start and hard 2nd half probably both with 5c moves it probably is more like E1 5c. Good moves though, worth a star though probably not the 2 given in the Stanage guide.

Graeme Hammond - Lead O/S - 26/Mar/11 with Becky E

Tragic death of Tito Traversa

The wrongly assembled quickdraws.

7/9/13 – The French magazine Grimper has published photos from the police of how the quickdraws that led to the death of 12-year-old Italian climber Tito Traversa were assembled. The young man was lowering off a 5.10b at the French crag Orpierre when, tragically, eight of the 12 quickdraws failed, sending him tumbling about 25 meters to the ground. Traversa spent three days in a coma in a hospital before succumbing to his injuries.

The quickdraws belonged to someone in Traversa’s group and had been set up incorrectly. The clipping carabiner passed only through the rubber-band “keeper” attached to the dogbone, instead of through the actual full-strength loop of the quickdraw. The eight draws assembled incorrectly were on the upper half of the route.

Grimper reports that the accident is under investigation. The photos were released as a reminder to always double-check that climbing gear is assembled correctly, knots are tied correctly, belay devices are loaded properly, and so forth.

Windgather Rocks training session

10:00 o'clock Start

John arrived at around 09:45, kit out and the gear is sunbathing on the rocks. One of the hottest days we've had. 

A quick recount of our last training session and its onto foot work with a quick warm up on some nearby slabs. Ok, on with the harness and we are off up the (Staircase Mod 1star) to the right of Green Crack. leading off with John on second to find his feet on the first route. back down to ground and its lead time for John, quick rack change and John is soon into the first gear placement position. Moving on up with a second cam and a smooth top out,a nice lead.

Next we setup some anchors at the top and walked through the correct method of gear placement and equalising anchor points. Quick test and a spot off belaying from a ledge position. Next up was a simple abseil down the crag to get comfy with the exposure element, no issues here with a nice steady decent made by John. A great day out on the rock and a few more pieces in Johns toolbox of tricks.

Watkins path

The Watkins Path

Superb evenings walk up the Watkins path on the back side of Snowdon, quite and peacefull. Headed up out from Brin Dinas bunkhouse through the woods and up alongside the river bank, heading for the Gladstone rock. Nice piece of history here. the right Honourable Mr Gladstone made a speech here,over 2000 people attended I believe.

Lovely old building on the way up

Got to the top of the Cwm and picked up 6 DofE, lost. One of there team had hypothermia due to the poor weather conditions and lack of adequate clothing. She was soaked to the skin. Thermal blanket mars bar and a mountain rescue Fitzroy jacket with a hot cup of peppermint tea and she was well on her way down to camp. Within about 30 mins of being warm she was responding well and making good headway off the hill.

All in all a nice walk with a bit of adventure.