My first winter route of the season, and it was in Wales! Yes Wales of all places. Land of climber, slate, rhyolite and quaztite became the land of ice and snow (at least for a few days). I drove across from stoke after climbing in the peak (and in the cold) with Susie to meet Stewie in Llangollen. We left my car there save taking 2 cars all the way up to Wales.Our sleeping arrangements where pretty much as loose as they could get. We'd taken a tent, and I'd also crammed a bivi bag in and 3 sleeping bags. I think our real plan was to get drunk and hope that the Ceunant took pity on us and let us stay over in thier warm hut. Well we certainly got drunk on many pints of XB and Double Hop. I actually ate in the Vaynol for once. They do really good food. We also did manage to get a place to stay at the Ceunant. So turned in for the night there.
Oh, I've missed something. As we drove up from Llangollen to North Wales it started to rain. I think I sank start into a weather related sulk because of this, but Stewie brought me out by telling me to forget about it and we'd just ahve a good night in the pub! Thankfully the weather predictions where right and the temperature plummetted freezing everything solid. I began smiling.
We hac chosen to climb on the highest crag we could find in the vicinity, the nameless cwm. As, for our pub discussions the night before, everyone else in all of wales seemed to be climbing there we decided to head out early. Early (0640) and verg hungover as it happenend. Stuart also decided in his infinite wisdom that we'd skip breakfast to "save time". Of course it did save time, but I'll be holding it against him forever.
My camera has died by this point, having been left out in the van all night I think the lense has frozen solid. Annoyingly we had no camera at all.
The walk in was long and hard, but just the thing to sort to out a 5 pint hangover. As was walked in the weather was awesome with cold, clear skies and a little winter. Once we'd identified our route (Left Hand Gully) the weather came in. The clag descended and the wind picked up, sort of fitting for out first route. It was very atmospheric.
I took the first pitch and solo'd up on frozen turf placements and torqued axes. It was a great little bit of climbing but I was well aware that I was doing it solo was very careful. I got into the little gully and set about building a belay. Now I know pegs are a last resort in winter, and you should only really use them on "winter crags" but I got a good sling on and had nothing else. I've no doubt th sling would have held, but its not worth the risk so in went my knifeblade. There is nothing more satisfying that bashing something into the rock to make you feel safe! I brought Stewie up, handed him the gear and put on my belay mitts and jacket to settle in for a long belay.
Stewie took a very hard mixed pitch up a groove. Having seen some photos of the route in lean ice conditions it looks like we had a fight on our hands. It took him what seemed like ages so I was glad I was snuggled down in my belay jacket. I've seen Stewie scared many times on a hard lead, either thinking he can't do it or not having enough gear in. As I watched him I was honestly thinking "what is the fuss all about?, its just a little gully with a little ice and snow on it, in the dry it would be easy!". How little did I know.
As Stewie topped out of his gully, he found as much good stuff to belay off as possible, then with a shakey voice he yelled for me to climb. Off came my Dach mitts and snuggley warm belay jacket and back on went my climbing gloves which were now warm (from being stored in my arms pits), but wet none the less. I stripped out my belay losing a ice axe in the process. Annoyed at me loss of piton I climbed up anyway. As I started up the gully my hands started to chill. I was amazed at how hard I was finding this pitch. It gave me alot of admiration of Stewie's ability. I was amazed he's managed to keep a relativly cool head. I don't think I could have lead that pitch. I then got attacked by hot aches half way up. Thus ensued a bout of screaming (from me) and laughing (from Stewie) as my hands rewarmed.
My pitch next and it looked horrendous. I'd been severly brought down to earth about my winter climbing ability and was in too minds as to either keep pushing it up this gearless mixed nightmare of a pitch, and just finding an easier way or even abseiling off. As I decided what I would do, whilst wedged into a chimeny Stewie said "There's no need to be a hero". That sort of settled it for me. He was right of course. The risk was too great, too far. If we'd had to I'm sure we would have managed it but instead there we're other options. I clambered over him, took a difficult step over to the right and romped up a grade III gully instead. I brought him round the corner and then we moved together. I actually got to tackle a short pitch of ice blocking out way (3 metres of vertical solid water ice) so I got to place the screws for a belay for Stewie.
We topped out and wondered to a summit. I say wondered because now it was very claggy with visibility reduced to about 10/15 metres. I knew we where on seniors ridge, somewhere and just made our way down by the easiest path. We dropped out of the clag and could see our defiante path on the way down. We had a little trouble on some icey boulders, but in all we made it back with ease.
This ended our first winter climb of the season, in wales of all places. My head's in gear for winter routes to come and I'm going to refine my rack based on what I learnt on this day. My only annoyance is that my camera broke so theres no pictures. Here's Clogwyn Ddu anyway...
I was climbing with a friend once who used to only use one anchor when he felt it was safe? What actually sparked this off was a sling round a chockstone which was never in a million years going to move, however there was loads of other opptunities for more gear so I pulled him up on it. "Why only use one anchor?". His response was that it was a bomber anchor, it was never going to move and his friend who was an SPA had told him that in his personal climbing, one anchor was fine.
My friend is a good mountaineer and I would never have expected it off him. It actually occured to me he might have done it to annoy me (in a joking way) because it was an easy route which I've also lead before. Admittedly catastrophic anchor failure isn't a commen occurance, but I'd had a belay completly rip out on me before due to 3 bad anchors in shit rock. Building a belay with more than one anchor is also a fundamental skill in climbing. This whole thing got me thinking about anchors, and namely what risks we willing to take?
So there are no rules in climbing? Or are there? I've already pointed out that its a bit of a mess around the area of "rules", but there are rules, maybe they arn't written on a mighty tablet of stone or anything but they are there. Between me and most of my climbing buddies its commenly accepted that we never use one anchor. We always build some form of redundancy into our systems, whether its a massive 4 piece anchor where each piece is a tree or boulder weighing in at 6 tonnes or its 3 pegs and a nut you've hammered in with your nut key because your worried about the pegs. Basically we never accept 1 anchor, no matter how good.
But why not? My friends counter argument was that you only clip in with one 'biner, you only have one belay loop, only wear one harness etc etc. This is a good point, we do only have one of those things, but then again if we had two of everything would it make climbing possible? There is obviously a level of acceptable riska dn this changed from person to person, rope to rope and with the situation. If I'm out rock climbing I'll never use one anchor, because there is no excuse, but scrambling? well thats another matter. For some reason single anchor belays are accpetable. In the alps me and Dan had a rule that there was never less than one anchor between us moving together. Now if we'd have fell off I'd hate to think what would have happened.
Screwgates is another small "rule" thats odd. Uncle Rob carries enough to have one on each piece for a belay, I on the other hand use wiregates. Now my theory (and its not just my theory) is that snapgates are lighter and if you keeping an eye on for anchors then theres no problem. Rob preferes the extra security of screwgates. I also look at this another way. If I carry less screwgates its slightly lighter, this means more wires or protection. Risk goes both ways.
Anyway I guess this rant is coming to an end. For a sport with no rules, there are some rules. These rules may be different for each team, person and environment but they all follow the same principal. The principal that life is not worth the risk. How much your life is worth however is up to you...
(a cold belay, but with 3 anchors at least!)
A friend of mine has been bugging me to put up a post that isn't climbing related for a while now. I have been thinking away and writing somethings but nothing seems to inspire me like climbing to actually write stuff down I end up hitting a wall each time. I'm still trying to find something proper to write about but I've got this for now.
I've been neglecting my aerobic fitness for a while now. I'd like to list off many reasons like I have a job which is hard (sometimes) I'm away each weekend, I'm busy during the week, but the crux of the issue is I'm too lazy to go running or swimming. Running is boring and I only really like doing it in the rain I just haven't been inspired to get outside and run around the streets at night in the dark. I had a plan mind I'd go to football with my Dad.
Now I haven't played football in a while to say the least and I am very competitive when it comes to sport. I was nervous going down to play with a bunch of my Dad's mates who he's played with for nearly 30 years. We got there and he introduced me as his son. I don't think he expected me to remember everybodies name but I managed a few by the end. We played 6 (ish) a-side for about an hour. This I felt had nearly killed me, but I kept going to whole way through. I even scored 5 goals. However my enthusiasm meant I threw myself into every tackle and opptunity, usually coming off worse for wear with the floor!
Needless to say I also managed to trip over my feet after I'd beaten the last man and only had to tap it into an open goal. I'll definatly be going again.
After the hint of maybe some winter conditions in Wales this weekend I've been getting all hopeful about getting out. I'm slowly putting together every topo I can find on Welsh Winter routes and crags that is as up to date as possible. This has pretty much meant that I've been pillaging the welsh winter wiki ( http://welshwinterclimbs.wetpaint.com/ ). I'm probably going to try and get some of the topos laminated at work.
My point is the weather gods, or whatever deity it is that carefully watches over me and plants obstacles in the way of climbing all the time has decided to warm up the weather! Great for winter shopping! not great from winter climbing!
It doesn't even look like it'll be warm and dry, just warm and wet. I'm currently trying to decided what the weather will do and if its even worth the drive. If the weather is good then gogarth is on the cards, but also doing a long and simple mountain route, I don't know! After another week at work I'm again getting down that the weather seems pitted against me.
Seems like its been an ages since I last got out and did some good climbing. I think the last time was probably with Andy going to Gogarth... and that was ages ago! This isn't going to turn into a weather rant (I'm probably due to write one) but the weather has been pretty abismal recently. I'm surprised that I'm not in a fouler moo to be honest, but I've been filling my time with loads of indoor climbing, and finding other things to do like enjoy the German Market in B'ham. I'll put something up proper about it later.
This is actually about the alps of all things, well specifically the french in the alps. I went to an SUMC meet the other night and tested out my old old old harness, actually passed down to me from Doyley. It's similar to Doyley's magic Ronhills, but without the magic and without the belay loop!!! Its an old BD alpine bod but I couldn't resist telling people that I had to cut the loop during an epic (I put them straight afterwards).
I was talking to Sid about the harness and I mentioned the lack of belay loop. Puzzeled he asked the reason why. My explaination was along the lines of
"Its an alpine harness so you don't need one to save weight and you're probably going to be moving together and not belaying so you can usually get away without having one. Plus if your french you don't need one anyway because you can teleport"
"teleport?"
"yeah...errr... teleport... you know like move through space and time to get from one place to another"
"but why?" (this was followed by laughter when he realised what I ment)
"well the french are so quick the only realistic explanation we British can come up with is that you must be able to teleport. I mean its not like your going to be better climbers that us is it?"
Thus followed much laughter at the point I was making. Clearly the french are better at alpining than us on the whole, but we're never going to admit it. I'm glad Sid saw the humourous side to all this.
