SUMC club trip: Yorkshire! PART 2

...6 am rolled around and I was awake and couldn't sleep. I'd dozed till 7am until the movement of the breakfast crew spurred me on to do my task: make the tea. Breakfast was a pretty good affair with everyone pulling together. Infact the whole morning was good and we got away by 1000 am. We must have arrived at Ilkley for 11ish and all piled out and headed to the Quarry area. I'll be honest and say I didn't know where I was going. There was one route I'd planned to do that day (Tufted Crack) but the rest of the day I was going to take Sid up some routes. Sid is one of the freshers and new to climbing. The poor guy has been the butt of my french jokes for a while, but he now gives as good as good as he gets, it's never anything serious though. He thinks I'm mad, just plain mad when it comes to climbing. I think he's great as he loves climbing, I don't think I've seen anyone so happy whenever they finish a route. The other person I was going to try and get climb was another fresher named Matt. He's a big southerner from down London and had never climber outdoors.

The club milled around for a bit before smaller groups broke off and went to different areas and routes. Laura set off up a HS near us in the quarry and Me and Sid geared up for Waleska (VS 4c). This route had been recommended by Prescott to me. This would have been Sid's second time climbing outside, he first being trying to second me up Bond Street at Millstone and having the learn to jam pretty quick. He got 3/4 of the way up while it was damp so I thought a nice dry VS would be right up his street. A brief discussion on double routes and off I went. The weather was now picking up and the sun poking through, but it was still bitterly cold in the quarry.

Waleska was awesome. A great little route that wiggled across the face following a good crack line/system. I sent it pretty quick and made sure my rope protected the traverse in the middle for Sid. I yelled some instructions to Sid about tying in, realising that I should have spent more time explained the whole system of how leading and seconding a route works instead of being so impatient. As I brought up Sid I reminded him to take the gear out as he passed it too! I felt such a idiot as I'd assumed he'd just know it all. As I was belaying Matt wondered across the top to see what I was doing and comment on the fact that he couldn't believe I just trusted my gear to the point I'd just hang off it. I just told him you get used to it over time.

Sid was panting and making alot of noises as he climbed, prompting me to pay a little more attention to him. He was actually doing fine and just had the final section of crack to complete. I was willing him on as he grabbed the final hold and pulled himself over. He was grinning from ear to ear and just plain loving it. I wish I could have captured it all on film or something because I was just what climbing should be about. We walked back into the quarry, pausing briefly as Ronnie asked me to check his anchors. At the base I found Laura having a bit of a bad time of it on her HS. I think maybe just coldness, hangover and a steep quarried grit route had got the better of her. In the end I nipped up with a top-rope to give her a hand.

As the quarry was a little busy and cold we all headed out into the sunshine to find the rest of the club. We found them mass ascending a VD which maggie stood on my shoulders for. Seemed like everyone was enjoying themselves loads. We then moved to the massive boulder to play on some problems. Now I'm becoming more and more of a fan of bouldering. After a strong opposition of this "lesser" form of climbing, I actually love it. So me, Tim, Toaf and Turner focused of a couple of problems. I stuck an awesome little dyno, with a nasty landing which I was chuffed with. Then a little crack line started to defeat us. We'd all got the same point and ended up sitting around frustrated! grrrr!

Ilkley is a crag Uncle Rob would like. There is a 5 minute walk in and a cafe at the base. We took adventage of this and Tea & Ice cream later (my teeth didn't explode) I had another go. This time a foot out right to bridge meant it sent it! So with heavily grit rashed arms I stood up happily only to enquire " so how do I get off this thing?". Both Toaf & Tim went on the send the problem, Tim vis stuffed his head into a crack and climbing upside down and Toaf in braces and a flat cap. It left us wondering why we'd found it so had in the first place?

I then go rescued off a stupid solo attempt. I was done over by some birdcrap on a ledge and asked quietly for a rope. Andy the yelled at the top of his voice in his most urgent tone and Toaf appeared with a bouldering mat not a moment too soon. By now I was panicing but managed to down climb most of the way and fell of the last 10ft. A little shaken I walked thanked them.

More climbing was in order as the day was passing us by. Most of the club headed over to do a quick severe as we where loosing the daylight round this side. Me, Sid and Matt headed back into quarry figuring that the sun might be catching the wall. It was so I headed up S climb (VS 4c). After my fialed solo attempt I was a little shakey to say the least, so I took my time. Before I left the ground this time I made sure I explained everything I was doing. I really took my time, intending to enjoy all the moves and climb it with as little exersion as possible. I managed it quite well and I think this was my favourite route of the weekend.

Both Sid and Matt seconded this. Sid came up first complaining that his finger's were too fat for the final crack (they weren't). He topped out grinning. Matt then came up, struggling a bit more than Sid but he topped out yelling "yeah, yeah, woo, take that frenchy!". When I quizzed him on this he said "well he'd beaten me before on the other climbing, I couldn't let him win this!" We laugh and explained to Sid, who also laughed about it. Running down we figured we got time for another climb so pick the route next to it, , VS 4b. This kick started with an offwidth handjam crack which nearly had me beat. Then some decent gear before a groove with a massive chock in it. Jamming hand and fist on the one side and fingers on the other I pushed up for the top hold. Booyah! I salmoned my way over the top to finish.

Matt was first up and tackled the offwidth with gusty. He came off which dragged my belay around a bit but he got up it. The final section taugh him how to jam well. I wish I could have taken a picture of his face in the pain as he pulled up in his jams! Sid climbed the start of, as Toaf arrived to give him some advice. Sid topped out and we walked off happily.

The quarry was a tip so Me, Sid and Matt just tidied it up. We filled a big bag full of rubbish just from the quarry and the walk back to the others. Now was home time, but we needed to wait for Prescott to join us from the other crag. As we waited thus ensused a game of "Stuck in the Mud". If you know how competitive people get in the club you can imagine how this game went, let just say I went back covered in mud.

Back at the Hut we had a massive curry, before the evenings activities started. Andy had forgotten the paper plate awards, so did the "bits of stick I found by the fire instead" awards. I got not so wise old sage, from being the most experience member there in climbing, but pretty much nothing else. I then did a quiz which went down alright, though I probably pitched the questions a little hard. Then came the evenings drinking, which went pretty well. Amazingly there was no obscenity, but everyone get pretty drunk. There was some games, some chilling out and some serious playfighting, I crawled into a new bed by the fire at sometime close to 5am.