A lead, a second and a fall...

Only a couple of days in the Peak this weekend. I'll start with sunday as it was less eventful and I namely lay around in the sun and ate, recovering from saturday. I did Portfolio (HVS 5b) which is a excellent little route, with an interesting top move sequence. Then I did Arete Direct (E1 5b) which the guidebook describes as a solo pretty much as the first move is unprotectable. Unprotectable my arse, that is if your packing a rack of odd shaped wires, RP's and Brass offsets. I was to it made the move pretty well protected. It was still a powerful little move though! Still a great route. Then Route 1 (VS 5a), again not well protected, until I figured out some gnarly little opposed wires (large RP and a curve nut). Also again a powerful move but it was worth it. Sadly I didn't have my camera with me but these where all pretty photogenic routes so looks like I'll have to head back to windgather.

Saturday then and a lead, a second and a fall, pretty much all in that order...

A Lead:

So I jumped on Smear Test at the lower tier. It weighs in at E3 6a, which is at the height of the grade I've lead but I've been thinking 'bout it since I did Ascent of Man. It's descibed as an awesome route and a great introduction to the other smeary slab routes in the area. Andy's just tried Pincer and backed off and offered me a belay for it so I jumped on it.

The route takes the start of the Pincer with the wicked little bouldery 5a move off. You start pulling off a crimps and a tiny jug then rockover on your feet. It helps if you think about your feet alot when you do it as you need to flag a foot out to stop yourself barn-dooring off. Then the fun begins. I messed up getting to the crux of the Mincer and almost screwed up my onsight by falling off. I seriously thought I was going to fall but managed to keep it together got to the correct place. Then came the actual line I was supposed to take, bringing me below the mincer roof crux. I'd been here before, I'd fallen off this crux before.

This time I did it in style. I'm not being big headed but I did. I laybacked my way around the roof, on slopey holds for my hands, almost messing my my feet butI did it. It was so happy as I was really worried I wouldn't managed this and miss my shot at the 6a slab.

Then the ledge, a host of gear and major rope drag. There wasn't much I could do about the rope drag other than pray so after a bit of talking between everyone who was there I launched out across the slab. The first hold was actually quite big (from what I was expecting) but then it petered out. I searched for some handholds and found a couple of pebbles. Pebbles man! not the think to e pulling up on. Normally I'd freak out at this with almost nothing to hold on to. This time it felt really good. I took little steps up with my feet, holding my pebbles tight and searching out the best friction with my toes. I could see a "massive" hold I was aiming for (1 whole cm deep, and badly sloping!) I knew if I just got my hand on it I'd be fine. The slab was acutely changing in angle and getting less steep as I moved further from my gear.

I got it, and matched both my hands on it, moving my feet quicker. The next hand hold came in the form of the petered out crack I was aiming for, and some gear? I sort of laybacked the crack as it wasn't deep enough for anything else and went to place a cam as... my foot slipped off on the lichen. It's been so dry all the lichen has dryed and is quick slippy. I didn't fall off and placed my cam, clipped it in and shot up the crack to finish. What a route!

A second:

Slippery Jim (HVS 5a). This was Laura's lead and like Smear Test has been something eating away at me, S.Jim has been eating away at Laura. It's only a short route, maybe 8/9 metres, but it's far from easy. It's also one of Laura's few HVS 5a leads as she's just breaking into the grade. She'd racked up with a load of gear, enough to climb El Cap we kept joking! but she manged to place enough it on lead. A second I really enjoyed the climb, prefering to layback instead of the thrutchy Whillians-esque technique that Laura used. It was a pretty cool route.

A fall:

It's said that "pride comes before a fall", and in this case it was exactly that. I jumped on Akit (HVS 5b) after bailing of an E5 next to it and whacking my rear end something rotten when I slipped on the landing. The bruise has meant that I can't sit on my right butt cheek and belay! I jumped on Akit thinking it was only a "mere" 5b climb, boyed up on my 6a lead earlier in the day. I climbed it really well, but I totally didn't give it the respect it deserved and was spat off by the dry lichen just after the first bludge (1st crux). Straight back up I tackled this buldge better and headed to the second one. I was climbing like an idiot and not thinking at all, so was spat off again this time, landing on the first buldge, then hitting the slab and bashing myself up quite a bit.

Humbled, I rigged an abseil to rescue my gear, without even finishing the route, but I'll be back.

So another hardest send for me (Smear Test) and a very humbling experience falling off Akit. I have no eqipped my rack with a brush, mainly for those mountain routes, hell I might just add the tooth brush so I can carry it all the time. I guess I still need to learn to give the rock the respect it deserves... and the lichen apparently.