About 2008 I brought a RAB VP trail jacket. At the time I was mainly bumbling around in the mountains training for my ML and single pitch climbing. I didn't really know what a soft-shell was but I knew that something soft, warm, water-resistant and windproof would fit the bill. This is how I ended up with a VR jacket, up until I brought a Paramo Smock this has been my single most useful outdoor jacket.
But times change and my use for a piece of mountain clothing has differed. I like a smock because I spend most of my time in a harness and in a single item of clothing. I'm not too big on the whole layering thing and taking off layers when I'm hot and adding them when I'm cold. This stems from a couple of things. One reason is because I just don't carry a host of fleeces, base layers, windstoppers, jackets and waterproofs out in the mountains. This leads onto the second reason, you can't carry a flippin' change of clothes up routes with you. At most you can carry a belay jacket and this luxury is reserved for winter rock climbing. Instead if I'm hot I unzip everything and vent (something the paramo jacket is good at) if I'm cold I zip everything up (de-vent) and snuggle down in what ever jacket I've got on, hell I might even add a scarf and a woolly hat if it's really cold.
So seeing as I stay in a my outer layer pretty much all the time the paramo jacket has been great. It's warm, really ventable and really hardwearing. That hasn't stopped it getting trashed in the 6 months I sort of constantly worn it like some kind fo second skin. Its been caving, cragging, sea cliffs, dragged dropped, sat on, used as a pillow. It's had a good life and still has years of life left in it.
But I got a new smock the other, and I paid well nothing for it. A friend of mine has a VR smock (in "breaking and entering black") which he never actually wears because he dislikes the smock format. I have a VR jacket that I've retired because it's been surpassed by a new smock. A trade was done and a new smock was aquired! It's like recycling but better!
So a new jacket and a new day's climbing. I spent at 2 little locations in the Peak. The first was Aldery Cliff, which was the subject of a UKC forum debate a few weeks ago. Apparently the entire crag is too overgrown, the lower off's are old and dangerous and the whole place needs the loose rock removed and a good garden. The poster wanted a clean up of the crag and then instead of tied lower offs on trees and spikes new double bolt belays or sport style lower offs should be put in place. But wait there is more! He also wants the "poorer" trad lines to be bolted as this will encourage people to do them and make the venue more popular.
I'm not sure if people are familiar with Aldery cliff but it's a small place on the inside of a bend. It has traditionally been worked for aggregates (it's a limestone quarry) so there is a little loose rock and the right hand side of the crag is reasonably unstable but looking past these little problems what you've actually got is an excellent litle cliff with several mid grade trad routes on, on slabby limestone. Something of an oddity in the PD me thinks! Having been there this weekend I'll conceed that a crag clean-up might be aappropriate as there is chest height nettles all over the place. Several of the walls needs garden and a but of a scrub but all in all it's in pretty good nick. As for the lower-offs, well there are as good as can be expected. If you're trad climbing there anyway you'll be using them as abseil points, instead of lower-offs and if you're capable of climbing up to them, then you should be able to rig a backed up abseiled to test the old tat.
As far as bolting the "poorer" lines goes to hell with that. This place needs no bolts. I don't see how bolting a poor climb will improve it.
Other than that I had an excellent day climbing with Simon Holloway and Matt Snell. I lead Ash Tree wall (VS 4c) and avoided as much of the looser rock at the top. Matt and Simon had never been on a climb with loose rock such as this before so it was a learning experience for them to not just yard up on any old block, but to spread thier weight across as much terrain as possible and test everything (It's really not that bad either). Snell then lead the HS 4a next to my route, but had a little bit of a runout start. It had him stumped for a moment but he then just climbed on through it making good progress. He was rather high before he got what I'd have called a "bomber" piece of gear in. I seconded this and enjoyed the climbing, especially the final groove/corner.
We then bugged out (after all its not a long walk to the car) and headed to the Roaches as the weather had made a turn for the best. After a quick solo on Yong (with approach shoes and full packs) to avoid taking the stairs. Simon then lead Left Hand Route (HVD or HS, depending on the guidebook) in his approach shoes, which is a good effort on all accounts. He actually made it look pretty easy and placed good gear all the way up. I've not climbed with him before but I look forward to getting out on some mountain routes with him later this year! Thenm we nipped off to the third cloud but never made it. Instead Snell managed a quick solo of Communist Crack (VS 5a), a route he called me mad for soloing about 3 months before.
Sadly the rain killed our fun for then on so it was back to the cars and home for all. A good day by all accounts though.
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