I can show you how not to climb an E3/4!

Went to Bonehill this evening as Chris wanted to work his project, The Umpire Strikes Back V2 6a (E4). We arrived and set the top-rope up to 'warm up' on You Cannot Be Serious V3 6a (E2/3), but could barely get a metre or so off the ground. We then moved the top-rope along to The Umpire Strikes Back, and Chris got quite high on it before finding himself at a loss of where to go or where the holds were. I barely got off the slab - could probably have done it in a different way to Chris, seeing as I couldn't reach the same holds as such a tall person, I flailed around wildly for a bit and then came back down. After this failure, we went over to Big Slab. I soloed up problem:74 (3c), a Diff, and then led one of the lines to the right of this problem, which supposedly go at about VS. Quite unprotected after halfway, but quite fun nonetheless and is the second VS I've led! (The first being Aramis on Haytor, 20.03.2011... After this, seeing as it as getting darker and there was a light drizzle in the air, we decided to call it a day and head off...

Setting new routes?

White Rock 03.07.2011

Luke on Central Route (D)
03.07.2011

Again, a lazy start to the day - Luke and I decided that we should go and explore something different, so we went to White Rock, a limestone quarry near Newton Abbot, to find out what the routes there were like. We were pleasantly surprised to find the crag to be larger than we had at first anticipated. We approached via Ogwell Mill, as suggested in the guidebook, walking to the end of the road and then turning left to walk through a field, passing through a gate, and then coming almost immediately upon the slightly obscured crag on our right, just behind and old quarry building. The ground appeared to be slightly overgrown and the rock was a bit on the loose side... We decided that Luke should lead, and we attempted what we assumed to be Central Route (D) in order to check out the crag. As we suspected, it was a bit loose and chossy and quite overgrown, however there were no major difficulties, although there were very few gear placements, which made the leader's task just a little bit harder. The route we decided to follow started slightly to the left of the lowest point, at the best belay ledge and then up the most logical line towards some blocks half-way up, just after which there was a fairly solid PR. We then moved a couple of metres left to top out and ab down off from the top. The second route we did, possibly West Buttress (VS), was fairly difficult, although VS was probably a fair enough grade for it. Gear was, again, sparse, as we followed the line up and left to a platform and then slowly traversed up and left until topping out just shy of a large gap on the face. There is probably plenty of room there for new climbs to be put up, but in its present condition it would hardly attract many people to come... We did, however, manage to clear a thin layer of dust off of those two climbs, which have probably rarely been climbed in the past!

How to take a whipper!

Got a call early this morning by Harry, who was keen to go climb some trad - we decided to go to Haytor, seeing as Harry wanted to climb Aviation (E1 5b***) and I had a couple of projects which I had wanted to get. We turned up fairly late, having left shortly after 11.30, and headed immediately for Lowman. Harry managed to climb the first pitch fairly well, although he did seem a bit scared at times and only placed three pieces of gear, none on the final traverse. I slowly seconded him, but had a bit of a nightmare, having to rest on the rope at the bottom before I managed to work out the sequence to commit to the flake. After that I was OK until I got to the traverse. I shook out a bit first before removing the last piece of gear between Harry and myself, and then slowly moved across, grabbing the jug-like holds. Sadly, however, my nifty footwork did me little good on the incredibly polished granite, and the pump in my arms proved to be just too much, causing me to take quite a nasty fall for about 4 metres, swinging beneath Harry and then back round, finally ending up directly beneath him. After shaking out a bit and finding that I was more or less intact save for a few cuts and scratches on my arms and legs, I climbed the delicate moves up the slabs and onto the large hollow flake where Harry had set up the belay. Once we'd switched over the belay, Harry once again started to lead, but unfortuantely couldn't figure out the first move, and eventually, after a few minutes, just lunged for the large jug above him and caught it. Once up at the top, he belayed me up, as I managed to climb the second pitch clean although still slightly nervy from my fall. I decided to forgo leading any VS or HVS climbs and only led Step Across (D*) in order to feel slightly better about myself and make myself lead a climb after a fall. After this we decided that it was about time to head back home as Aviation had been the only climb there which Harry had fancied doing and I wasn't feeling particularly psyched after the whipper!

How to not climb..

Went to Saddle Tor yesterday evening with Chris - didn't manage to climb anything though, everything there seems to be a little bit hard for me - did manage to get most of the moves on the Hidden Traverse (V4***), although losing some skin in the process... After warming up on the Hidden Traverse, we then moved on to the main boulder, where we tried Bjorn Again (E2 6a*) as well and problem:12 (javu) (V2 5c). Unfortunately, as I tried a slightly renegade way of starting up Bjorn Again, a piece of loose rock crumbled and brought me back down again, along with a small chunk of rock - fortunately it doesn't seem as though the climb was at all impaired by this, as the large sloper is still there with only a fragment of the edge missing. Sadly although I took photos, they were taken on my camera instead of on the camera memory card, so I need to figure out how to transfer them now... However, there's no rush, as my fingertips are pretty sore from the moor's granite touch!

Summer bouldering

Harry on Tom's Traverse (V4 6a) 26.06.2011



Mike on Problem 69 (javu) (V0 5b)
26.06.2011



Yesterday went to Bonehill for a spot of bouldering. I'm not that big on bouldering, but it was a lovely sunny day and was just nice to get outside. Most of the time was spent with us coweing away in the shade, but we spent a generous amount of time in the sun, all of us getting a little burnt by it. Ross and Harry tried to climb The Wave (V6 6c), but the rock was just too slippery to be able to get hold of the starting holds! Chris and I meanwhile tried Rippled Wall (V4 6b***), but could only just make it off the ground, which, for a first attempt at it wasn't too bad, I feel. I was also convinced to try the slightly burly problem, Tom's Traverse (V4 6a), but although I found I could do each individual move, stringing them together seemed a little bit harder. Eventually, Harry, Ross and Chris decided to head back off, whereas I decided to stick around and keep climbing with Mike and his friend when they arrived. We climbed the problems at the Warm Up Slab and Baby Slab, but otherwise we were quite content just to chill out and wander around for a while before packing up and heading back to Exeter. Mike finally stuck the dyno at Greg's Dyno (V3 6a), but decided that topping out on it didn't seem particularly nice, and so just jumped back down.

A pleasing drive around Dartmoor

After a lazy start to the day we started driving towards the Dewerstone to teach Chris how to lead trad properly. However, took a detour to Haytor to see if we could find Luke's 'South Devon and Dartmoor ' guidebook, which had, unfortunately, disappeared. We decided it was a bit windy and there were too many people around so we continued on our way to the Dewerstone. After a cautious walk-in, we found that this, too, was wet, and, after some deliberation, decided to try Sheeps Tor. Arriving there, we found that we could hardly see the tor as a result of the thick cloud which had settled over it. Nonetheless, we walked up, found that the rock was wet, but possibly climeable. Luke started soloing Sheltered Crack (D), but backed off it , feeling it was somewhat precarious. I soloed up Play Crack (D), but we then decided that it wasn't worth trying to climb there and left. Shame, really, as I had my eye on Wind Wall (HVS 5a*) and Mushroom Wall (VS 5a*). Oh well, maybe next time... Instead we drove to the Barn, where we tried out all their new routes for an hour and got quite worn out on these. It was good fun, and probably good for strength (not my strong point in any case), but still, indoors comes far beneath outdoors in my estimations...

Barbecue at Hound Tor

Gemma on Problem:6 (javu) (V2 5c*)
23.06.2011

So, to take brief break from revision, I accepted an offer from Nick, Gem and Dave to go for a barbecue out on the moor. We initially thought we'd go to Bovey Woods, but eventually changed our minds in favour of the slightly more open and accesible Hound Tor. I repeated a number of problems from our previous trip there, but also managed to get Aerobic Traverse (V2 5c**) and a few more easy-ish problems. I was sorely tempted by Aerobic Wall (E2 5c), but it looked fairly high and I didn't particularly fancy falling from the top, especially without a pad beneath me for protection. I'd like to think I could do it, but probably couldn't. Maybe just as well I didn't try. Also had a go at a couple of climbs on the Skin Graft Boulder, Skin Graft (V2 5c*) and Cosmetix (V5 6b*), although I managed neither, I was fairly interested in them and will doubtless return to try them out again at some point...