Cratcliff...

I didn't think I'd get any climbing outdoors in this weekend, infact I think I've spent much more time playing on worms armageddon rather than climbing. We spent saturday climbing indoors at Awesome Walls Stoke. They've finally got around the changing all the routes (although changing them all in one go does mean that they'll all get old at the same time?). There was some pretty good problems, especially on the slabby walls but I find it hard to get proper psyched for indoor climbing.

We managed to get out sunday after a massive bbq saturday night, which sadly we left early from because we where so tired. Sunday morning I woke up on Tim's sofa. I'm sure sometimes I'm better off kipping on a ledge on Idwal Slabs rather than some of the sofa's I've crashed on. Staring out of the window I was blinded by the sunshine, good. Sunshine was a good thing as I was going a little stir crazy about not climbing outdoors. We all gathered at Prescott's house and headed off. A quick break in Leek to pick up some oatcakes for breakfast and pikes to eat later for lunch and off we set.

Cratcliff is near Matlock area, so heading to Leek wasn't the most direct route, but it did make for a nice scenic drive across the Peak District. I'd brought an Alpkit Gouron 25L, brought second hand off a friend for the grand sum of £10 (best deal ever). I'd managed to cram my rack, harness, food, clothes, shoes and water into this tiny sack, with helmet and ropes carried on top of the sack. I must say that I was impressed at how much you could fit in with careful packing and how well it carried. I think this thing will be a firm favourite to be carried up mountain routes and for cragging in the future. I'm going to be a little careful about hauling the poor thing though.

The weather was fantastic and the walk in simple so we arrived at the crag 'bout 11 and started to make our way to the main face. I took me a while to get my head around where everything was at the crag. Most of our group seemed to be content with some bouldering so I left them too it and headed to my aim for the day, Suicide Wall (HVS 5a). Suicide wall is a pretty long route for grit at 30 metres, you can do it in 2 pitches. Apparently it's tradition to do it like that? Either way I figured it would go in 1 pitch.

Prescott was belaying me, which was good. I've had a tonne of people belay me over the years and you know how it is, there are guys & gals who give you that little bit more confidence when belaying, well Prescott is one of those guys. Plus he's plucked me out of the air before to stop me decking out, quite literally. I set off up what seems like a nails start. It was 5a from the word go as I tried to gain the tree you start off. Grabbing a tree thats got no friction was also a pretty hard thing to accomplish. Either way I thrutched onto it and dropped a sling over it.

Now I only had a tree stump to land on if I fell off, great right? more gear was ploughed in and I started up the jamming crack to the stance. I was starting to rethink my "all in one pitch plan", infact I was starting to think about bailing off the route. I was pretty scared to be honest. It was a hot day and my hands where sweating up every three seconds, I though I'd end up blowing a jam and slipping out. I was also paranoid 'bout hitting that tree.

So a normal person would go down right? Either way I carried on up, fighting to make every jame count. My hands where slightly too big and each one felt like I was cutting to the bone just to stay in. Somehow I didn't fall out and made it to the bower stance for a rest. I did think about building a belay then and there, but hell to that it was only 15 metres to go. I rested for a long while and nipped out the get a piece of gear in the large break just above me then reversed back down for a rest.

Rested I went for it. 15 metres to go, just keep moving. Stop, whack in a piece of protection, clip it and go. My arms started to pump out as I got under the last section and I knew I couldn't do it. I hauled myself into a groove in the rock and snuck a hands off rest balanced precariously on my feet with my calves cramping up. I spied the final crack and cringed. I'd used up all my big cams and I've even left the size 4 on the ground. Why'd I do that? I always carry the size 4 on grit! Dammit. Then I remember the torque nuts sitting quietly on the back of my harness. In goes the red one, quick rest and I've gone for it up this fantastic layback flake. With no large gear I slip a tiny wire and my smallest cam, clip it, release my cheeky knee jam and head up for the top holds.

They're jugs thank god! And jugged enough that I can just pull over and stand breathing hard at the top, grinning from ear to ear. It's not often you find a route that just really seems to take all you have to do it! It wasn't the top of my grade, it wasn't the hardest moves but it was just the best climbing. I yelled I was safe and sat down to rest for a minute.