There's been a bunch of reviews written about superlight rocks since they came out. I'd like to say ever since the days of sharing a rack with my friend I've loved these nuts, but that's not the case. When I first found them on his rack I was pretty dubious about them. A single wire? really? Also they had a pretty odd shape. Eventually I started to carry them and then used them regularly. I've been pretty much using them every weekend for the last 2 years and then on all my trips and during winter. So are them any good?
Yes, Yes they are. You get 6 nuts for the weight of a pack of peanuts. That's pretty impressive in itself. But how do they perform?
As with all nuts I think if you carry them then you'll find a place for them on your rack, but I think these come into their own for the mid-grade climber (HVS - E4ish). An extra 6 wires on those long leads can really come in handy. Because they pretty much wild country rocks cut in half any Rock user should be able to find a place for them easily. Having said that they are rocks cut in half, they're actually cut at an angle giving them a little bit of an offset shape. This I think increases they're usefulness. On more than one occasion I've found them to be the only thing that will fit in a placement.
Of course with everything there is a downside. I've found 2 limitations. The first is visible when you inspect the nuts. Sizes 1 & 2 are rated to 4Kn, Sizes 3 to 6 are rated to 6kn. Now seeing as the average fall has been calculated to between 4 - 7kn, you've got the be a little careful where you use these. Having said that I've fallen on them a couple of times and they haven't broken. The second problem is what I'd tend "cable bend". They are pretty prone to having the cables bent through over enthusiastic cleaning. 
I've always just bent them back but over 2 years of use they have started to show a little wear. Actually I've noticed a wire fray so I'll be replacing this as soon as I can. Also the head of the smallest wire became loose at one point. This was easily remedied with the application of some epoxy.
These little buggers are a great addition to any rack, but as I already said I think the mid-grade climber would benefit most from them. They can take an absolute beating when it comes down to it, I've used them week in week out, and sat on them aiding, hammered them in place with ice axes, fallen on them and god knows what else... and they've survived, then again I've got 1 wire fray from over use and glued back one head. I would still recommend them highly, with the amount of abuse that I give them I'm not surprised they've suffered a little.
After reading the artical on the BMC website about the slate quarries I thought I'd sum it all up simply for anyone who reads this blog, I'm also going to add my own suggestions:
- Stay away from Dali's Hole. The bolts have been removed on the lower grade sport route. In my opinion I think this is a good thing.- Find climbs and routes off the beaten track, explore more.- Don't get into confrontation with the sercurity guards. I know it's going to be tempting, but it'll only aggrevate the situation. Pass on any concerns to the local BMC representitive if you must.- Try and keep your group size to a minium.
The slate quarries are vast, people don't realise how far up the hillside they stretch. On top of this, once your bored with the Dinorwig Quarries, there is always the esoteric madness of the Gideon quarry, if you can fathom the guidebook descriptions. At present there is a tenious access situation within the quarries and this has seemed to conicide with rise in the popularity of slate. Slate itself is a delicate rock, and quite prone to polish & wear and tear (just look at some on the nut placements on Seamstress). It is also somewhat of an elitist rock type, especially for trad climbing (or trad mixed). Well it was anyway till the recent bolting of many good sport lines within the quarry.It being so accessable and such a good damp weather option due to it's short drying time has only added to its popularity.
Personally I love slate climbing. It love the fact that it is just a massive playground to explore, with scary trad routes climbing out if lost and forgotten holes dug into a mountain. It's a place for exploration, to feel fear and to be humbled. The sport climbs have done much to open up the quarry for a wider ability of climbers, it's not something I'm happy with if I'm honest.
A final note is that with the current access situation, why not go somewhere else, away from the slate. Just up the road there is a magical place called Llanberis pass with hard testing single pitch routes to winding multipitch climbs that take you far from the maddening crowd. I'v climber there for 4 days in my climbing lifetime and barely scratched the surface. So get out, explore the delights of mountain rhyolite and leave slate alone, it'll always be there.
I'm sitting at work, battered and bruised. My fingers hurt alot and I'm limping but seriously... wow what a weekend! After thinking of taking it easy because I had not gone to Tremadog Festival we opted for a couple of days out in the Peak district. What started as 4 of us going to Stanage went to 14 of us over all on the Saturday! Stanage being so big lent itself well to our big group and we wondered up and down the crag all day. I can't really comment on what everyone else did so I'll just stick with my highlights of the day.
I guess it starts with friday night. Work was bad so I went bouldering at Redpoint. Now I don't normally head down to go bouldering on my own, but I did tonight. I go to Redpoint enough that I know quite a few people there now and even if I've no-one to boulder with, there's plenty of problems to keep me amused. Either way I manged to kill 4 hours pretty much without realising it leaving me tired, happy and with sore fingers. The upside was I got some moisturiser that actaully seems to work!
O630 my alarm went off, and I rolled over and killed it for another 10 minutes. I skipped breakfast to dive straight into the car for an early start and was on my way for 0645. In stoke I fuelled up, grabbed a sandwich and headed to Andy's for the first pick up, then Ceara's only to find out we had another car full joining us for the day. We set off at 0816 (not bad by our standards) and got over to the Stanage car park for 0945, where I was surprised to find there was still spaces. We bumbled in towards the unconquerables area. I fancied doing The Left Unconquerable as I'd done right last time I was here. It's graded E1 5b but all the people I've spoken to said they found it easier than Right. I Actually found right alright for it's grade, it was a little pumpy, but then again I took an almost hands off rest at half height to was resonably umpumped for the crux.
I pretty much dived straight on it. I'd geared up with a few cams and small wires after a quick inspection. I was expexting a pumpfest worse than Right Unconquerable, but it didn't happen. I climbed it pretty quickly because I was worried about it and dispatched the crux with relative ease. Then I hung around on the final jug arranging some protection because I thought the finish might have a sting in the tail. It actually didn't and I topped out well, untied and walked back down to get a jacket. For a beautifel hot sunny day, it was pretty cold in the wind. Andy came up first and stripped out the route, getting a little pumped out at some points. He agreed that it was an awesome route with some great moves. Ceara then seconded it and found it pumpy as well, but she raved on about how good the climbing was! It really was a good route!
Back at the ground I checked the grade of the Arete to the right on Right unconquerable. It was called Monday Blue at E2 5b. I haven't climbed many arete's before, unless it's been a few boulder problems but I liked the challenge. Knowing it was a little run out I racked up with some more cams, but as I was to find out, I didn't get a good enough look at the route. The start was probably the best moved till you gained the first break, then it ran out a little (risking a crater) till the next bit of gear. I did try and get something in a small break and had some cam thrown up to me. Actually they where thrown at me hitting me in the balls. More amsuing than it sounds. When I eventually caught them they didn't fit anyway. Gaining the next break I figured a size 4 would go in well, another cam I didn't have. After about 10 attempts to throw it up to me, I gave up trying to catch it and placed my 3.5 and backed it up with 2.5. I prayed they'd hold. The finish was up the top of right unconquerable which I did less stylishly than last time, salmoning my way over. This time Andy, Ceara and Prescott seconed (or top-roped) it, all with varying degrees of success.
After some baiting from Prescott about the first time I did Telli (E3 6a) when there good depth of snow. There was enough snow that if I fell off the crux I'd have ended up in it. Prescott arguement was that this has made the route safer. Either way I did actually want to do the route again as I'de enjoyed it so much last time. I nailed it again this time, and Ceara & Prescott seconded. Actually Prescott did it twice because he slipped seconding it the first time.
I bumbled over to Archangel to have a look at it. In the end I decided it was too hot to consider a serious attempt on it, which was pretty much a great excuse for not having enough balls to do the route. It's up to a 20ft ground fall if you mess up, not something I was fully confident about. We'd actually gone to do Tower Face Direct, but the buttress is closed as there are ring ouzels nesting there. Not climbing somewhere because of a bird band doesn't bother me in the slighest, to route will always be there later in the year.
I headed back to find everyone still around unconquerables area. I actually attempted Curving Buttress next. It was E2 5b and I say was because it'll need regrading. What basically happened was that I messed up the route, climbed slightly off and feel off it. I torn out all my protection, and the skyhook I had on what I thought was a bomber ledge was actaully a hollow flake. It blew off, well it exploded I guess littering the are with bits of flake. I crumpled into the floor, missing the pad and any spotters apart from Lou who got knocked backward and banged her head. All in all it wasn't a good experience, but one that I'll learn from. It's caused me to rethink using my skyhook as a piece of trad protection. I'm also pretty annoyed that I ruined a route.
I went off to belay Andy on a route he wanted to do, but there was someone on it and I ended back on the lead up and E1 5b called Milson's Minion. It was a pretty awesome route, as it had slightly run out start, but then gained a great break with some pro available. Then it took a slabby finish. I was climbing ona single rope, something I almost never do and it really threw me climbing on it. In the end Claire seconded the route. I did another climb on this buttress called Pot Black (E2 5b). Again another excellent route, but it only had like 2 pieces of decent gear on it. It was definatly worth the E2 grade, but the climbing was excellent. Claire seconded this too.
And that was pretty much the end our day on Stanage. It was about 2030 before we finally left and had to race to the Banbury to find a fish and chip shop. This did some seriously good food, and we had a couple of beers back in Stoke. All in all a good day out.
Because we where all pretty much trashed from our day out a lazy day for the sunday was planned. We'd meet at 1000 outside the pub, leaving me and Andy time to cook a masisve fried breakfast we figured we'd earned. We nipped up to the Roaches. I only got a couple of route's done, both one's I'd done before. Firstly it was Via Dolorosa (VS 4c). It can be done in between 1 and 3 pitches, but me Laura and Andy chose to do it in 2. I took the first 2, giving Andy the money pitch. It was a route he wanted to do anyway. I enjoyed it, including the semi hanging belay you can build. As for it being the best VS on grit I don't know, but it is pretty damn good.
Then I did Eugene's Axe (E2 5c). I've done it before, but I slipped down climbing it last time so I wanted to get a ground up ascent of it. The top section is pretty easy for it's grade I think. Laura actually seconded me up it, something I didn't actually think she'd get up. We could see the weather coming in quite quickly. It had actually started to rain as I coiled up the ropes. I knew Scott was doing Raven Rock Gully (Diff). Although this is only a diff it's a journey into the esotertic and traditional. It takes a gully of flakes up to a chimney building up an excellent crecendo... a squeeze though a "boulder choke" at the top! I think it's excellent and well worth doing, but in the wet I wasn't too sure how Scott would fair. Thankfully it stays pretty dry for a while and we all yelled up hellpful suggestions as for how he should go about finishing the route. In the end I realised that he was stuck and couldn't complete it I went up to give him a hand. A quick italien hitch and he was out of that hole, smiling to be back in the real world again... and then the weather hit us. 
Two serious thunderstorms hammered us so I sent Scott down to find a waterproof and some warm clothes. Susie eventually decided that seconding it wasn't really going to happen so I abseiled back down the chimeny squeeze. Getting through a squeeze on abseil was a pretty cool but weird thing to do. Then I was at the top of the route listening to the thunder overhead and watching the hail lash down on us. I was pretty much soaked to the skin but grinning like mad. I managed to strip out the route and we bailed to the pub for a well earn pint.
Just before we bailed I found Andy and Stu, sheltered under a rock bone dry while I was dripping wet, life makes you laugh sometimes.
So I actually got some "climb on" moisturiser. I have to say it has a noticable effect and I'll continue using it. After ranting about looking after my sking though I went for a 4 hour bouldering session at Redpoint and then spent the weekend on the grit (a very productive day on stanage) which has reversed any good stuff ths climb on has done.
On top of this falling off and removed alot of skin from my hands too. It's not looking like a good week for my fingers so far.
I remember berating a friend about a year ago for moitsuring his hands after a climbing session. Now maybe I wasn't climbing as much as him, or my chalk was less drying but my hand were fine and I didn't see a point in moisturiser. Now my fingers are a consant sore point, pun intended. I climb each weekend, and unless I actually go bouldering and my hand stay covered in chalk, outdoor climbing isn't that bad. But indoor climb, something I do twice a week is killing them.
Each Wednesday and Friday I wake up and can't touch anything with my fingertips. One of the staff are redpoint told me off the other day for not looking after my hands, and berating me for my laid back attitude where by I just said I'd superglue a split tip back together if need be. Now I really would superglue a finger tip back together, but only if it was going to stop me climbing for a weekend. In reality I'm just not giving my skin time to heal, but it's had to take a week or so off.
I think I've got to actually looking after my finger tips a little more.
...Or why I backed off it.
I mean its a pure obvious line and one that has been on my mind for a long time now. It's been there since I did Vector at Tremadog, another route I didn't think I'd do till the end of the summer. So why did I back off it? hmmm.... I've puzzelled over this alot.
I actually considered just "slipping" off the route from the word go and blowing the onsight completly, therefore taking the pressure of the first time I was on the route completly out of it. In the end I just carried on climb up it instead taking it real easy and trying to get the growing pressure out of my head. I got to below the crux and took the "good" rest. I was a good rest for only one arm at a time. I placed 2 good pieces of gear and started on the crux sections, only to quickly back down. I hung around for quite a while and decided that I didn't want to fall off it, having already dogged on the route once. Instead I just lowered off it.
I figured that I'll just go back and lead it, ground up, in one big push from top to bottom later in the summer. I'm happy I've backed off it, honestly because now I can just climb the route and enjoy it as Leo Houlding as said:
"Your better off blowing the onsight and enojying the experience, rather than just saving something forever"
Ok so I finally did it. I'm a dinosaur when it come to new things. When I Last replaced my harness I found a DMM renegade to be perfect for my uses, however it took me about 6 months to actually convince myself I should get one. Change is something slow.
I've been wearing Quechua Vuarde rock boots for the last god knows how many years. I have about 4 pairs squirrelled away in my "gear corner" of my room. They are simple, well made and wear out in about 3 months with the amount of climbing I do. Toaf was buying new shoes the other day so I ended up sitting in Rock On in Redpoint just trying on a few pairs. After a pair of Katanas that sucked horribly, I tried on some 5.10 Anasazi Verts. I've tired a pair before and they fitted quite well. The short story is that I brought them. So have I regretted spending £87.99 on a pair of rock boots?...
The answer is a pretty definitive, hell no. I must have had them for a while now. I've used them indoors quite a bit boudlering and top-roping stuff, but even 5 days into buying them I set off up Vector at Tremadog (my happiest lead ever). They've worn in pretty well now, as in when I brought them I found them a little painful to begin with. I was assured that this would pass and it has. The fit is snug. Not too tight now they've stretched a little and not too loose either. I can climb in them really well without bothering to tighten the laces up and the heel fits very close. If I do bother to actually lace up my boots then they just become more precise.
Bad points. Well nothing is perfect and I've only one small complaint about the shoes. The thing it that this bad point isn't really going to affect my climbing that much. It's the heal fit isn't perfect, in fact it's just plain not great. The boot themselves are awesome, but heel hooking on anything that isn't quite large I find a problem. But like I said, trad climbing I hardly heel hook at all so this isn't much of a concern.
I think that fact that I had my boots fitted properly and for what I plan to use them for (mutli-pitching hard trad routes). They work well as a "do everything" boot, or have been so far. I'm already a little worried about the rubber, but I'm actually looking after it. It mght wear out, but then I'll just have to test out some of this "resoling" buisness I've heard about.
Also I can actually walk around in them. I'm a very big advocate of wearing climbing shoes that don't hurt your feet. I know too many of my friends who squeeze thier feet into shoes that make them want to cry after about 5 metres of climbing. One is this just plain stupid as I climb just as well in shoes that don't hurt (most of them are technically better than me) and two, this has got to be doing some damage to your feet! So I can wear them all day long, walk around in them when I top out of routes, its just makes more sense.
So all in all I'm probably just raving about having a pair of shoes that really fit well and make climbing that little bit more enjoyable. I would have happily carried on using my old shoes, had I not been paid the day before but I'm really glad that I've brought a new pair.
(smearing in my verdes on archangel, a route I didn't actually complete)
Finally Stewie has been given a pass out from his wife and been allowed to come and play for the weekend. We snuck 3 days in North Wales this weekend just gone taking adventage of the excellent weather. We had some fun at Gogarth and Llanberis Pass again, getting on and ticking off some classic routes.
Friday, Gogarth:
Another trip to Wen Zawn to do Wen, which we actually managed to not do! We kicked started the day with a HVS 5a called Minute Man. As it was high tide I have the unenvious posistion of a hanging belay 10ft above the sea. This wasn't exactly how I had imagined I'd start off my weekend and I was scared stiff. I just stupidly let everything get to me. Stewie took the first pitch (4b) and I took the second which wondered under some overhangs before a solid 5a moved broke you out above them. I managed to drop my revolver crab and a sling on this route. This was the start of my gear loss this weekend. From th
ere the route eased and took a nice line to top out. Our next route was a point of contention. It was a classic route called The Trap, HVS 4c. In the guide book it states that "climbers of larger stature will struggle" and this route has been the "scene of a few epics". Infact it require climbing into the back of a massive gash in the cliff and then backfooting up a chinmeny that got thinner and thinner. I managed pretty much all the route, albight being very scared and then was stumped by the squeeze chimeny afterwards. Apparently I'm a "larger frame climber" because I couldn't fit. This now means that I get ribbed for being "the fat guy" all the time. Stewie felt the need to comment on my waistline everytime I ate something for the rest of the weekend. So I left a prussic loop & 'biner and lowered back to the floor. Stewie then lead Britomaris and I did the second pitch as our escape route.
I brief lull in our climbing allowed me to expand my waistline somemore and have some lunch. We then headed for Wen. We'd accepted that we'd just do the high tide start (from the ledges) but as we came to abseil in, guess what? someone was already on the route before us! grrrrr, We did a climb named Dde (HVS 5a, low for the grade) as a consolation prize. This was a realy nice route and I took the second and 5a pitch which had a stunning little bit and a laybacking sequence to finish. I ran it out for some reason just enjoying the climbing and the sea crashing beneath me.
Saturday, Llanberis Pass:
Stewie wanted to do Cemetary Gates (E1 5b). I'd agreed to belay him on this, no matter how long it took so after an early start and a quick breakfast we slogged up to Dinas Cromlech. We where first to arrive and just got straight to it. The meant alot more to Stewie than I did to me so he took the first pitch. This was the harder of the two and I settled to belay him for a good while. He climbed it well, although unconfidently. I suposed the wieght of such a classic route is heavy than any gear that you carry. I know that when I'm pressured to climb something onisght, then I normally mess it up and fall off, something I was to find out later.
Needless to say that Stewie fell off. It was the last move almost and the apparent crux of the route. All the way up Stewie Stewie plowed in gear almost running out of runners so he thought. At a few point while he rested before a move I thought he was going to ask to be lowered off. This wasn't going happen and I was prepared to stay all day belaying if thats what it took. He made it in the end, and good effort to him for it. Even on second (and I'm not just saying this) but it was a hard pitch. I know when I reached the belay I was suffering from pumped out arms.
I took the second pitch, which I didn't feel was easy. It was pretty exposed out on the crack by the arete. I enjoyed it. I then jumped on Left Wall, which I'm not going to write about here. I didn't finish it and backed off in the end, but see my next post for why.
Then we finished off with a VS so I could rescue my 'biner. We did Noah's warning and Stewie let me lead both pitches complaining his arms where still pumper out. I didn't mind leading (I never do) but I struggled up the first 4c pitch. The rock was just sharp & loose and the gear was less than to be desired. The second pitch was much better, with cleaner with much better gear. We topped out in burning sunshine and I set off the rescue my nut as Stewie walked down. Back at our bag we where greeted by a new face, that of Toaf who'd come out to join us for the rest of the weekend. Stewie was now done climbing so off to the pub we went.
Sunday: Gogarth, again:
So originally we where heading to the slate but I wasn't inspired to climb there at all and I plummed for Wen at Gogarth. We'd set out to do it in the first place, and amazingly Toaf agreed to join us. I think the bump on the head he had recieved falling over on the scree the day before had him confused. Toaf refuses flat out to come to Gogarth, but us assuring him that it was a massive slab seemed ok. Off we went.
It was agreed that me and Stewie would lead, and because we where doing the high tide start Stew would take the nice straigh first pitch from the ledges and I would take the second that wondered around with a little traverse. Toaf would be joining us for the route for company and as our "gear-removal technition" (I'll explain in a bit). I rappelled in first, set the belay and was joined by Toaf. I genuinly didn't expect to see him abseiling down to join me on the ledge. I'd built my belay on the widest part of the ledges as so not to have us hanging off nothing. Stewie arrived and set off up P1.
He climbed it fine, and brought Toaf up first. I came second and couldn't get my size 7 nut out. I was gutted as this is my favourite nut. Now was Toafs tie to shine as he down climbed and saved the nut somehow. I knew we'd brought him for a some reason.
The next pitch was gear climbing. The route and the moves where perfect. The route left a little then takes a traversing line to avoid the original "direct" finsih, which involves some choss and loose rock. The traverse was pretty scary. By now I was high above the ocean on a hanging slab, I was scared. I managed the moves but was afraid I'd loose my balance at some point. Both Toaf and Stew where fine coming across.
Toaf then even agreed that he would maybe come back to Wen zawn, well like he wouldn't discount it as an option. We decided to call it a day and go and see Tom (another friend in North Wales) who currently has a torn ligament in his finger so he can't climb. I actually got home early for once and could sort myself out to start back at work...
Well I finally bit the bullet and gave up some of my time for some personal development. Currently my ML is invalid and I haven't officially passed my SPA due to the fact I don't hold a First Aid Qualification. After looking around and a recommendation off a friend I settled on a course provided by High Peak First Aid in Edale. I booked on a 16 hour "Wilderness First Aid Course" and decided on doing it here because I could stay in Stoke night. So was it any good?
I'm going to admit that I really didn't want to the a FA course. The last one I did was classroom based and I spent 2 days bored out of my skull, so I wasn't thrilled at giving up to days of my holiday especially since school refused to let me have the time off, even without pay, rant over. The FA course was excellent. I really enjoyed it mainly because was less classroom based. We spent at least half of each day dealing with "casulties" outside and covered in fake blood. The course spent alot of time drumming in simple things mainly along the lines of indecision kills quicker than no decision at all in most cases.
On top of this most of the people on the course where either climbers, worked in the outdoor industry or where just really interesting to talk to. Everyone had anocdotes to add or real life situations that they'd been in which kept the course intersting. All in all I guess I shouldn't have put it off for so long.
A quick day in the peak district hunting out some limestone. So armed with my trusty yet old copy of "On Peak Rock" (date: ) Me and Ceara set out to find some limestone close to Stoke-on-Trent. With Ceara having work at 1800 we had an early start and rolled up to Alderly Cliff bathed in weak morning sun. For those who haven't been to Alderly it's a beautifel little cliff, but with a few issues. You park your car at the base of the crag, literally so you have to be quite careful about parking it sensibly.
The rock has historically been quarry for aggregate, and this is evident as it's a little loose in places. The more established and cleaner lines are pretty much free from bad loose rock, albight loose stone at the top, which come down when you pull your ropes down. The further right you go the looser the rock is, to the point that you just don't climb there. I mean there is some seriously big & loose material there. There's a couple of BMC signs warning of all of this but it's definatly a crag to where a helmet at.
I've already mentioned abseiling but there is a walk off. It's treachous in wet conditions so best avoided. There are lowers off at the top of most of the routes, ranging from massive steel cables to hoards of tat and maillions. It says in the guidebook that they are not tested and not put in by the BMC so use your own judgement. We abseiled of 3 different sets of lower off, but each time I backed them up and bounce tested them to beyond all doubt before commiting to them.
All in all I guess that Alderly Cliff is actually a serious little cliff with some very ameanable routes on it. Be sensible and you'll stay safe here. In the end we did 5 routes here, from HS 4b to E1 5a. We started off with a route called Broken Toe (HVS 4c) which I thought was quite fitting as I'd stubbed my toe and had a huge blood blister on the tip. The route was on a slabby section of the cliff but it was still a little run out. I didn't take the correct line nearer to top, but seeing as the route was covered in moss then I probably made the right decision. We abseiled off and Ceara left my back-up sling behind. It was my own fault for not explaining it all properly.
As it was so early, and my car was full of enough gear for the entire week away we sat around and had a nice cup of tea in the morning sun. After a lazy brew and a snooze I lead Surface Plate (HVS 5a). It was a nice little route, just a little bit more technical than the last one, but just as run out in the first section. It was suposed to carry on up the HVD rib to the top, but we decided against it and abseiled off again.
It was straight back onto Ash tree Slab (HS 4b) that would take us back to the first abseil so I could rescue my sling back this time. This route was alright, obviously less technical but it was still a nice route with somegood moves on it. Thankfully it was a little bit more protected than the other too.
A lazy early lunch of before we started on the next route. The next route was bill in the guidebook as a contender for the "best route on the crag?". It was called simply The Arete and went at E1 5a. It really was that good a route and possibly the best route I did the whole day. I wasn't exactly full of gear and the hold where quite polished, but instead of taking away from the route it meant you really had to concentrate on your footwork. I enjoyed it loads and kept using cheeky heel hooks to hold me just off the arete while I placed gear and rested.
Our final route took the zig zag lined crack that ran up the right of the arete. Mitre Crack went at VS 4c and I felt it was more difficult than that. Perphaps I just climbed it like an idiot (which is probably the case) and Ceara didn't seem to have the same touble I did on it. We called it a day after this, because we'd climbed pretty much all the routes i the guidebook, Ceara's back had gone and was hurts and it's nice to leave on a good note with plenty of sunshine to drive home.
I think people should be encouraged from climbing at the same places all the time and should explore more crags. I heard someone complaining they'd done all the routes at thier grade in the guide book. To my astonisment I asked them how and they said it was at the cliff they ususally climbed. Both me and friend told them to explore more and find more crags to climb on! You might strike out sometimes and find a real crap hole, but you might find a real gem hidden away in some back corner of the world. Explore more and climb happy!
Seeing a James couldn't make it the weekend of easter due to a back injury me and him headed out this weekend instead. For easter we planned to go and play at Gogarth; 1, because James has never been before and 2, because I really wanted to go there. I met James at Dobbies Garden world on the way past Shrewsbury for the normal pick up. We got to Llanberis pass for about 6ish which gave us loads fo time to snag a route in the Pass before it got dark. We hopped on Phantom Rib (VS 4c) on Carreg Grochan. It's a 4 pitch route that takes a fantastic rib on the second pitch and you can absiel off. This suited us down to the ground. Seeing as we'd be heading to Gogarth in the morning and James hasn't climbed outdoor much over the last year it was something good to start on.
I've done Phantom Rib before, well the first 2 pitches at least about 3 years ago with Dan and Toaf. We bailed off it. Why I can't remember. What I did rememer was seconding the first pitch and thinking that I never could have lead that. That feeling came straight back as I jumped onto it. In reality the first pitch went fine, as did the second after I found my way. The third pitch belay was awesome in the evening sun on a cramped sloping ledge but it helped iron out any problems with our stance and rope management. I think I did the final pitch wrong as it didn't feel right, but I got to the abseil station fine and brought up James. Here we ran over abseiling and I chucked off the ropes... straight into the crack I'd been keeping them out of the stance of the third belay. Down I went to sort it all out. We found ourselves enjoying a quiet pint nowt more than 30 minutes later in the Vaynol Arms.
As for sleeping arrangement this weekend we'd opted for the cheep option. Sleeping under the cromlech boulders with an early start to dodge Old Rosie. James had never bivied out before but I assured him that all would be ok it wouldn't rain, we wouldn't freeze to death etc etc. I snuggled down in my sleeping bags reading "Nineteen Eighty-Four" before sleep comsumed me. What did saturday hold for us, well an early start for one thing and a brew at the car because we'd realised that we'd gotten up too early for pete's to be open. We could have skipped Pete's but this was still a holiday as well a climbing weekend. Breakfast at Pete's which now included black pudding (something I'm a huge fan of). Then to Holyhead and Gogarth.
We went to the port first and got the highspeed ferry times and tide times before we set off and parked up at the country park, somewhere I've not walked in from before. I think I prefere walking in from here as it's a nice walk up through the quarries and then over into the piece and quiet of the sea cliffs. After a bit of a navigational error on my part (the same error I made before infact) James found the right line down the the staging point for our chosen routes. I wasn't taking James onto the Wen Slab because the scale of the damn thing is so scary. We'd opted for Britomaris or one of the VS's round that region. I was so nervous as I set up the abseil. I was trying not to let how apprehensive I was to James. With the abseil rigged there was nothing else to wait for and off I set.
The abseil was fine, though I'm buying a static line for future use. Bouncing around in space isn't cool. I found the start of Britomaris and realised that our plan to do a VS to start wasn't going to happen. Again the scale of everything had got me and Britomaris was our only route out. I was now fighting in my own head. The route looked so steep and the start so hard because we hd a high tide, there was no way we could do this. I yelled that I was off the rope anyway and James started his descent. As he arrived he turned and said "How can you be so calm down here?". It was then I realised that I was only worried on my own, with James there I knew we'd do it. So ropes flaked, belay built off I went, trying the protect the start for James as best as I could.
Brit takes a diagonal rising crack line, on a series of jugs, but it is relentless. It's not a slabby route and there's not hands off rest at all. I'm a pretty quick leader even on HVS terrain normally but today I was climbing slowly and methodically making sure I didn't pop off a foot hold or slip. I placed gear as best as I could. Everytime I unclipped something from my harness I was paranoid I'd drop it in the ocean. The belay crept closer and closer. Eventually I got there and stared in dismay at the options for anchors. In then end I settled on 2 old pegs (tested) a size 2 HB offset and decent size 1 wire. I just didn't inspire confidence at all. The stance was cramped and sloping too.
James started climbing when I yelled. He'd been out of sight the whole time and belaying on yelled commands and watching the rope. As he climbed I stopped worrying about the belay and began to appreicate what a nice day it was. We had sea kayakers paddling underneath us looking up at us like we were mad (they're not far wrong) and the occasional seal swimming around beneath us, it's really an awesome place to be. James joined me on my sloping ledge and we set about sorting the ropes, re-racking the gear so I could head off. the next pitch set off along what was easier terrain (4c) but a gearless traverse. I was gone about 8 metres around an arete before I found the exit groove. It proved easy enough and I belayed to protect James across the whole traverse, something that he told me he was grateful of. He topped out with a look of happiness and relief. We congratulated ourselves on surviving and eat some food whilst basking in the sun. It really didn't matter what we did for the rest of the day, both our rat's were fed for that moment.
We packed up all the gear anyway and headed off back inland hoping to sneak in another route in the pass. We did actually manage to find a space in the layby byside Dinas Cromlech so up there we went. We dived straight onto Saber Cut (VS 4c) and I took both pitches. There was a couple of lost lads on the second pitch of Sabre thinking it was the finish to Dives/Better things (another excellent route) so me and James had a chance to relax on a ledge, talk to the other climbers and generally whine to each other about being held up. It was a nice evening topped off by a quiet pint in the pub and crashing back under the boulders.
Another early start to beat Rosie, which we managed again but only just. We'd jumped out of our bags, bundled into the car and zoomed spitting distance down the road to park below Grochan. We ended up walking to the crag with our mugs of hot chocolate to save time. The weather was so good and I've actually hardly done any climbing in Llanberis Pass I thought that we'd stay there for an easy day. We nipped up to do Nea (VS 4b) which would take us to the same ab point as Phantom Rib. The first pitch was probably most enjoyable taking a wide groove that required lots of bridging and using your body. The final pitch was the most exposured with very little gear on 4b climbing. Even though it was well within my grade I did feel a little unless on it as the rock isn't perfect. I trailed my one rope to protect James across the traverse. We abseiled off to find that people where only just arriving and starting to climb at the crag, what I delight to have bagged a route so early.
The downside to this was all the VS's had just seemed to fill up completely leaving us lacking in options. We wondered round a little till I found the groove of Brant Direct (HVS 5a). This would be the hardest route of the weekend, and we'd finish off up Brant (VS 4c). The groove line looked like it would have awesome climbing in so I attacked it with gusto. I'd carried my sizes 3 and 3.5 cam with me all weekend and I finally placed them on this route. Infact the pitch took a whole host of gear not to mention a massive range of techniques! Hand jams, finger locks, lay-aways all with copious amounts of bridging thrown in to allow for a rest. What a great pitch and one of the best I've done at the grade in Wales. James really enjoyed it, especially after confessing that he couldn't bridge and couldn't jam! He seemed fine on it. We finished up Brant which I thought was a little contrived in it's line but was a nice finish to the weekend.
The abseil off is probably the most interesting thing. You have to be pretty careful not to get your ropes stuck, which I what I managed to do but then James swung them into a crack. They were James ropes at the end of the day and they came free easy enough, but it just reiterated how easy it would have been to get them stuck. We abseiled off the second abseil (my first multipitch rappel) and decided to call it a day. It was early afternoon and we could have got another 2 routes in probably but we'd hammered a hard weekend as it was... then James suggested we stop off at the Rhug Estate for Ice cream. What a great idea?
So a weekend at Gogarth and Llanberis pass is perfect weather. I didn't climb the hardest grades, or the fastest but I definatly had to most fun of the past few weekends I've been away climbing.
Decent weather but I'm stuck in stoke with limited time to climb before meeting friends at redpoint in B'ham. So up to the Roaches, well skyline actually. We only really did a few routes (I actually napped at the base of the crag for a while) and I lobbed off Wombat before giving up, but while we where at skyline we did get a awesome route in...
Prelude to Space takes the right hand edge of a beautifel little slab, tucked away along the skyline. This route hasn't been on my todo list really, but once Andy mentioned Skyline I knew we'd be heading straigh for it. I do love slab climbing, especially on grit and as a lower grade slab route that still maintains a serious side, Prelude is it. At HVS 4c it's still not a push over. The 4c moves arn't really hard 4c if your as tall as me, but for someone of Ceara's height they certainly looked a little tougher. The gear is bomber, for those of you that carry a metolius 00 and WC 3.5 to every crag, but if you mess up the top move you've got to have a very good belayer to stop you hitting the floor.
However it's one of the best slab routes I've ever done! I'd recomend it to anyone who's climbing well at HVS.
I guess the final point to note is the belay. It's not very good. Short of taking a stake up with you it's a bit of a mish-mash. There a couple of good nuts at like 120 degree apart... and I had Andy lying on the floor behind me as a final anchor.
There's been a bunch of reviews written about superlight rocks since they came out. I'd like to say ever since the days of sharing a rack with my friend I've loved these nuts, but that's not the case. When I first found them on his rack I was pretty dubious about them. A single wire? really? Also they had a pretty odd shape. Eventually I started to carry them and then used them regularly. I've been pretty much using them every weekend for the last 2 years and then on all my trips and during winter. So are them any good?
Of course with everything there is a downside. I've found 2 limitations. The first is visible when you inspect the nuts. Sizes 1 & 2 are rated to 4Kn, Sizes 3 to 6 are rated to 6kn. Now seeing as the average fall has been calculated to between 4 - 7kn, you've got the be a little careful where you use these. Having said that I've fallen on them a couple of times and they haven't broken. The second problem is what I'd tend "cable bend". They are pretty prone to having the cables bent through over enthusiastic cleaning. 
I've always just bent them back but over 2 years of use they have started to show a little wear. Actually I've noticed a wire fray so I'll be replacing this as soon as I can. Also the head of the smallest wire became loose at one point. This was easily remedied with the application of some epoxy.
