Saturday was spent chilling out bouldering and climbing at the Roaches, in between the rain. It was a lovely day, bar the short showers that occasionally fell. We did some bouldering on the lower tier boulders before actually getting on soe real climbing. Hawkwing (E1 5b) seems tucked away on the lower tier. Infact it's right in the middle taking the front of a buttress but I think it just gets over looked. Hell it might be just me who's over looked it. The line it takes wanders around the overhang before heading across the face.
Snell jumped on to belay me and I set off. There was a interesting move under the overhang and round before a stiff little mantle. It was a "place your final pieces route" so I did just than and got as much gear as I could in (3 pieces!) and set off across the two breaks. The one for your feet gets worse to just smearing on the wall and the hand break gets decidedly better, thus ensuing the crux is right in the middle of the face.
It was wicked! The run out from the gear is more than enough to to get you scared but the jug at the end is massive. You can get a BS piece of gear in there but as I've said it's useless (maybe a massive cam at the back?) then a quick little layaway to gain the top hold (it's not easy). I sat on the top belaying Snell up (his first E1 5b, which he managed without a problem, even finding a pocket on the crux that made life a little easier) grinning manically... and shivering in the wind. My head was back!
So I promptly when an bouldered for the rest of the day at the "Piece of Mind" boulders. Ronnie showed me a couple of awesome little problems that pretty mean. So I ticked off and overhanging V4 that made you work for it and both sides of the arete on the boulder next to it, going at V2 from the left and V3 from the right. All good little problems. The rain started to come then and we ran away (we probably could have stayed) to watch Supernatural all afternoon at Ceara's house.
I woke up on a couch. This is a regular thing for me and I've spent alot of time couch-surfing over the years but this couch didn't do so well. Definalty a grade 3 couch. I'm going to have to write an post on couches.
I woke up with a bad back after being eaten by the couch almost to bad weather. The west peak it seem was getting wetted on. I was gutted but damned if I was going to give up hope. So I went and collected Snell, Ronnie and Chris, repacked my car so we could fit everything in the boot, remember to give Killian a bell and then picked him up and was off. The rain hit us as we drove over to buxton but no-one said anything about it. As we reached stanage we had a the makings of a beautifel day in front of us.
I headed straight for Tower Face area. The first time I ever went for a weekend away trad climbing I came to Stanage. I ended up on Tower Face under the impression that HVS was an easy grade (my climbing partner at the time assure me this was the case. I failed on the route, being lowered off about 15ft up. This was my first climb.
As you can tell it didn't stop me at all and on this day I went back and finally finished that climb I started 6 years ago. Infact it was Tower Face Direct (E2 5b) I did in the end as the line was so much straighter and more appealing. The start was just like I remember and I flew past my high point, then up on the bendy flake (it only bent a little) before commiting to the crux. I had a moments hesitation before I just went for it and got the final crack line. Pausing to turn around and smile at me belayer (with relief for not falling off) I noticed the weather coming in, hard. In went some more gear and up I scooted as quick as I could layback just as the rain arrived. I yelled I was safe and hunkered down behind a boulder.
As it happened the rain didn't hit us, well not properly anyway. Claire seconded the route and expressed horror at the loose feeling flake just below the crux. She then managed the crux in much better style than I did. A quick descent led us to my flask of hot coffee and a resupply of cheese and off to find another route.
We did Fina (HVS 5b) next. A juggey hand traverse with sweet FA for the feet lead to a hard moved to gain an arete. Then came the fun and games of working out the next move. I spent ages trying to sort it out in my head and trying different things until I ended up trying the same thing I'd started with. Last piece of gear and a awkward belay then "Safe!". Claire seemed to have as much fun as I did on the route.
Quick, pack another route in so off we went for a boulder problem start HVS 5b called Pullover. At the grand total of 9 metres it wasn't a tall proposistion but the first move was really hard. Personally having done two 5b climbs before I'd have given this 5c. Then again maybe I'm wrong. In the end after boudlering the start about 6 times and falling off 6 times I ditched my rack in favour of a bouldering mat. Eventually I managed the route and soloed the rest, which anoying was still hard. It was a wick route though. I checked the guidebook and it gets highball V1 too. I then set up a quick top-rope on it so Claire, Ronnie and Snell would have a go.
For some reason I then ended up soloing soloing a HS 4c called Hot Spur before we moved on again. Me, Snell and Claire then found a slab route called Big Screams that went a (E1 5c). The first move was the hardest and more of a bouldering problem really then you hammered up a sweet slab, over a slight overlap and then up the final slab. It could have done with a good brush off, but all in all it was a good route.
Thus this ended my day's climbing at Stanage. I did play around on another E2 5b called Shelf Life but it wasn't going to go so I backed off. It was a very relaxed day for me, but I still managed 5 routes and enjoyed some fantastic weather after the abbismal looking start. Having brought the new guidebook I was amazed by the amount there is too do at Stanage and how neglected some of the area must be. I'm going to head back and get one some of the more obscure classics in the area!
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