Wales, trip 1

So after a day at home recovering with an elbow injury, possible broken toe, tired muscles and getting kit cleaned I headed out again. I didn't really want to miss out on the good weather and I was climbing with a new partner, Rachel. Rach is scared of ropes. She's good at rock climbing, but scared of ropes... but she wants to climb at Gogarth on big multi-pitch routes so I figured that we'd start on something small...

...Idwal slabs.

I remember when Idwal slabs was a really big deal for me. I remember having to learn the hard way about route finding on a big cliff. Like it or not Idwal is a big cliff, but it's slabby and covered in ameanably graded routes. It also looks really impressive, but not that high up once your on it. And she did say drop her in at the deep end, right?

We headed over with the new Ogwen Guide (which I'll write a first impression of later). This so much better than the old guide and the first time I've had a definitive guide book to Idwal. I chose Charity (severe) as our first route. It looked hard enough to be interesting but easy enough that we'd have no problems on it. The first pitch should have provided the hardest climbing, especially since it was polished to high heaven. That didn't matter much thought and I belayed at the massive stance. The second pitch is what threw me a little. I'd warned Rach that the "white stuff", quartzite would be very slipped when wet. Had I engaged my brain when looking up at the route, I'd have noticed that the second pitch ran straight over a soaking wet quarzite band. Thankfully there is a dirth of good incut handholds to pull on and she was fine.

I then tried to make it too the top in 1 rope lenght... apparently this isn't possible from the second stance so a little down climbing ensued to gain a good ledge. We topped out in good time. Considering Rach had threatened to cry on me, she done really well and actually enojyed herself.

The walk off from idwal is something I dislike. Hence carrying trainers for the walk off up with us. Considering the grade of some of the routes on the slabs, it is probably the hardest bit of the climbing. After descending we consulted the guide book for a harder more challenging route settling The Other Direct Start to Tennis Shoe (E1 5a). This took a blank looking groove until you made a hard move to gain the slab. The gear could have been considered unnerving but I like shoddy gear as it focuses the mind. I'd left all my 2 really small cams behind as I figured I wouldn't need them
(planning on only climb severes and VS's all day) They would have made the route quite a bit safer. I looked at my nest RP's and brass offsets and decided not to fall off.

The route was awesome! Considering that Idwal gets quite bad press as somewhere thats pretty polished I was amazed at the friction on this route. It was as good as grit and with the added pockets & edges to crimp on it made a great route and a good end to the day. We decided against finsihing off Tennis Shoe and Rachel abseiled off from the frist pitch stance climbed the ordinary route. I even found a size 7 wallnut on the ledge!

We walked out enjoying the setting evening sun. I might have swam out to the little Island in Lyn Idwal, because I've been meaning to for a while. It's further than you think when you have to swim back! Then a well earned beer (or three) in the Vaynol.

I woke up at flippin' 6am to a strong orange glow in the tent. The sun was already up streaming in through the orange fabric, also heating up the inside like a cooker. I tried to get some more sleep hiding under my sleeping bag, but to no avail and was eventually forced out of the tent to cool down... and get some breakfast.

We went slate climbing for an easy day out, but it was just too hot in Bus Stop Quarry and a little too hard. Instead we bailed for an a shady crag and something with a bit of friction. We headed into Llanberis Pass and up to Dinas Mot. The whole place is pretty slabby so picking a route wasn't really going to be a problem, but I wanted a challenge for Rach. After reading the descrition of Lorraine Direct (HVS 5a) described as one of the best pitches on the nose, I had to go for it. It takes the line of Lorraine to the first stance, then breaks off from there.

It's a 40 metre pitch. Not that I'm against long pitches. I prefere them. The experience is longer and normally a little more run out. You have to choose your gear placements well and conserve your runners more menaing you need to try and read the route more. It's not a short grit route thats going to be over in 10 moves but a more protracted afair. The actually line takes a slabby groove trending diagonally right, then you surmount an over lap and carry on my a slab to the belay. It's a pretty awesome pitch as the gear is good, but spaced. The climbing is quite technical, especially at the overlap above not the most inspiring gear. I was actually a little nervous while I was climbing it. I was worried that I wouldn't manage it which then got me worrying that Rach wouldn't manage it. Not the best things to have on your mind whilst climbing!

Either way the climb soon relented. It was still awesome climbing, but now a little bit less runout. I belayed and Rach started climbing. She did really well considering she's not a fan of heights and this was a much steeper route than I'd anticipated. After arriving at the belay shaking but nothing more we carried on up and abseiled down the left hand gully off Dinas Mot.

This was our last climb for the day as I we'd faffed around on slate earlier and the route had taken a little longer than expected. Not bad for Rachel's first trip to wales though.