Where's my wheel barrow? E5 time!

Had two days in a row up at Tynrich slabs and had great weather both days, it dosnt get huge amount of traffic as it is abit of a jungle bash/slog up heathery hill to get to but when you do the routes are worth it! Even more so now as paul and I spent abit of time on shunts scrubing it clean and digging out some of the cracks.

Lorraine did well to get there without falling apart after 3 hours sleep the night before but it was worth it in the end! We did a quick warm up and then i did schist is a newt which didnt feel too bad for E3 6a, i was expecting more jubilation when i got to the top but it never came, time for something harder to get the blood pumping.

Paul cruising Blewit

Paul and i turned up at lunchtime today after slogging up in winter boots, bad idea... Both of us spent the first while cleaning, paul cleaned Blewit E2 5c and i set to work on Slippery Jack E5 6a. Paul seemed matter of fact about it pulled on a few holds gave it a quick clean and got set to lead it as it all seemed good. Nice move after nice move through all of it up to the middle where he placed a nut which he told me was marginal and got into the crux sequence, slowed marginally for half a minute and then blasted to the top. When i got to the nut it was a 0.25 put in sideways i was suprised it was holding the wait of the quickdraw, would have made for an entertaining fall!! Another E2 5c in the bag.

Before first lead

I spent abit longer cleaning up the small slopey crimps of slippery jack and marked out a few of what i thought might be key foot holds. Had a couple of go's on top rope and was determined i could do it. I had considerd using a side runner to stop me hitting the floor from the first crux but that was nerves talking,paul and i had a quick chat and it was out of my mind id be fine until just after half height where i got the key touching nuts that protects the further hard moves out and up to the top. Guide book says bold and we found out why... First 2m are easy and then its 10m of continuous 6a yet it felt alright. Got through the first crux fine up to the key nut which you could take a huge lob onto its that good, right beside it i worked another nut in which isnt amazing but i figured it would make it harder for the first nut to come out. The final 4m or so felt quite good until i got within 6 inches of the top, the lip was just above my hand and no more but i had wrong handed myself on the final 2 holds with high feet. Tried to adjust my hands but it was pretty much friction holding me on, tried to lower a foot, no chance, tried to adjust my hand again and the inevitable happened. Just enough time to let Paul know and i was off, it 9m screamed past until the rope came tight and i came to a stop in fits of hysteric laughter and screaming from both of us. I had no idea bodys fell so fast, as in freakishly fast. As i peeled off the top hold i could see the rope way below me and paul pull in slack as he moved back but it was all over odly fast. Biggest adrenaline rush of my life it was awsome!! Another lesson learned though, i will never solo anything again in my life, you would hit the floor insanly fast and hard!

Felt absolutly fine(I now realise i have scuffed up arms and fingers, shoes and bruised knees) pulled the rope down, Paul went and stripped the gear for me and i got straight back on it. It all went smoothly got to the nut and rest where i thaught about resting but knew if i waited about too long i could psych myself out so a quick shake out and carried on. Wasnt gonna make the same mistake twice and payed attention to the final sequence. Awsome day and delighted to have my first E5 of the year, next on the list, The Prow.

Perfection in a day on the west coast

Lorraine, Paul and I headed over to Jetty crag for what turned out to be perfect weather ALL day long, arriving at 11ish there was plenty day light to be used, little did i know we would be finishing off at 9pm to a perfect sunset. We started off slow taking 5 hours to lead the first 3 routes!!

Lorraine on Bus Stop, perfect rock Severe

Paul o his first E2 Right Charlie

Dracula

Paul and i went and did Dracula the other night in perfect sunny conditions, it was however freezing in the wind on the top. Cheers to Rich for the pictures and the use of the nut key, much appreciated!Paul did the first pitch and set a usual house belay in fine form. All was fine untill the Elvis leg set in, in monumental style, that mixed with the final crux and off i came a metre from the finishing jug. I fell to where my feet had been and sure enough i found a foot hold i will be back hopefully this week as i know i have it in the bag.

There are two old blocks with chord through them hammered into the crack of Dracula presumably there from around the time of its first ascent, long story short it now has one block and Paul has a piece of lucky string to remember the day by... All i can say is that its the pumpiest E3 i have ever been on!

Insomnia - Duntelchaig, 70 foot wall

A line that has been playing on my mind for nearly two weeks now was there again yesterday, I have been desperately keen to get on and try to lead it. I have always climbed better outside than I can on indoor plastic and having climbed 7b inside the day before gave me confidence that I could lead this line at 70 foot wall without a fall. I had top roped some of the top moves 2 weeks previously and found them hard but do-able. I have been on at Lorraine for days to come and hold ropes for me as soon as we get a dry spell, woke up and it was wet yet again so we headed to the wall for a few hours instead. Came home completely exhausted and sat and watched out the window for a few hours as I didn’t have energy for anything else; the sky got lighter and lighter and the ground gradually dried up. A few frantic phone calls later and Dad was on his way home after work and willing to come up with me to see if it was dry.

By the time we made it to the bottom of the route the sky was dark and threatening snow/rain at any point. I ran to the top after getting ready as fast as possible so I could abseil down and see if the holds were dry and usable. Used my jumper to dry off the last little bit of moisture and chalked them in the hope they would stay dry by the time I reached them. I wanted to try the crux once more before I lead it but knew I didn’t have enough energy to do that and then lead it so I bit the bullet and went for it.


The route takes the line of Anne Boleyn’s crack E1 5c to the ledge where gear can be arranged, from this point Anne Boleyn’s carries on up Swastika, (severe) for 8m to the top of the crag. Insomnia takes the arête directly above Anne Boleyn’s Crack, thin, awkward, barn door moves above gear gains the arête and work up this (possible ground fall?) to a decent hold where a dubious cam protects you for a further 3m or 4m to the top. I did not load the cam to see if it would hold, all four teeth were in a pocket just deep enough to cover the four legs but it is slightly flared so may not hold under a shock load.

I have given it E3 5c as up until the ledge the technical grade is 5c and the moves above continue at this level without let up until easier ground at the top is reached. As the moves are sustained at this level along with ground fall potential and the dubious gear I feel it warrants E3. If there wasnt risk of hitting the floor and the cam high up was "safe" then this would be different.As always all of these things are speculative so give it a go and see what you think. There is no record of this route I have trawled far and wide yet should you have done this F.A. then my apologies. I will report it to SMC so it can be included in the revisions and next guide book this also confirms its originality.

By the time I had toped out and started to abseil down to strip it the heavens opened and within minutes the whole thing was wet again I had got it just in time. I now have no skin left so need a few days off to recover, hopefully the weather will improve in the next few weeks so the trad season can begin and we can get on and try some harder routes without the rubbish of damp patches and seeping cracks! Roll on summer! Jamie

Update

Alot has gone on in the last month. Stewart was up and climbed his first vs in style at cummingston in the freezing cold, in the same day we went to huntleys cave and whilst i was under a roof stewart experienced sunshine, snow, hail, rain, and freezing winds all within the space of minutes. With the rock now soaking we took the exit route through a a tiny tunnel at the back of the cave,stewart just made it through and i lowered him onto the slab below, he then set up a belay which i told him not to bother doing "just attach me to you we dont need anchors it will be fine".Stewart did it anyway and i set off through the whole only just making it and no more, reached the end and saw the 2ish metre drop onto a steep wet slab. tried to climb out and instantly fell and shot off down the slab towards the bottom of the gulley, all i can say is i was very gratefull of stewarts belay stopping me, what made it even more impressive that he stopped me was that whilst trying to climb out he was spotting me with both hands as soon as i fell he grabbed the wrong side of the rope with no friction and managed to hold me.

We also had a trip to tynrich slabs with me insulting stewart in the carpark for having full waterproofs in his bag.... Stewart did scorpion(i think) with the best spaced gear he has ever used, well into the swing of trad now and coming on strong. It then started to rain but i was determined i was having something so got on Chanterelle and quickly found that E3 5a has no gear and is not a comfortable place to be in the wet but hey made it to the top, both still here and another lesson learnt. As stewart put it we are epicing are way through Strathnairn. I got soaked, stewart had waterproofs....

Kirsty has also been a star and come and held ropes for me in the cold whilst i did a couple of routes at duntelchaig, finally tackeling anne boleyns crack (fallen off of it on previous years) which turned out to be a good route. Was back to cummingston for a flying visit with enough time to do one route in the moray sunshine, weather never fails to impress along the coast. Then another day back at 70 foot wall where there were 4 groups! Iv never seen that many climbers at one crag, it was a strange feeling im used to it being silent apart from me and whoever im out with. Met up with stewart again down in Stirling at Cambusbarron quarry for the day, the rock type was unlike anything we have climbed before and we found it tough going to adjust to the new style.Stewart made light work of another vs, definetly time for HVS and I did Ninety-Five E1 yet it was interesting. Lots of other good routes there though, its well reccomended. Think thats everything recently, managed to fit in a suprising amount considering the time of year, long may it continue.