Dodgy forecast and showers and lethargy meant a local w.e for Peri, Dave S and I, climbing at Scuggy with Roy on Sat and Brimham with Rachel and Graeme on Sunday.
Got some good problems done at Scugdale spending some time working with Roy on techniques, so easy to practice with such a variety of quality short climbs and able to repeat and try different methods. General messing about and Roy did a lead with Peri while I spotted Dave on the Shelf.
A beer rounded off an excellent afternoon's chilled fun.
Sunday I found Peri and Dave about to do a repeat ascent of Green Prioress which Dave flew up really really easily, I opted for a rope and glad I did as it wasn't happening at all for me today. We then top roped a fine looking slab E3 5c which was really a bit disappointing as despite appearances the route seems to wander.
Ho hum, good to be out and in the sun while York got a drop or rain or 2.
Peri and I had Monday off work and organised a little trip via YorkClimbers.com with George Wright, we headed to Rivelin,. Rained on the M1, threatened a lot at the crag then got so hot we had to run away and hide in the trees! Rivelin's a fine crag with loads and loads of quality routes at all grades from D to something way too hard for mortals. Many good S, VS and HVS though, and we were alone.
Highlight of the day was our trip to Altar Crack (VS 4c ***), great layback up a fine corner, more gear than you can carry, but – and its a big Nigella sized butt – you won't be able to hang on and place it without getting pumped – so be tactical!
Peri then practised her technique for 'The Nose' with an interesting ascent of Nonsuch (HVS 5b). After Renshaw's Remedy (VD **), a tad dirty but lovely route, we returned to the main area where it was now cooler, and I led Jonad Rib (VS/HVS in diff guides) easy-ish gearless climbing takes you near the top where good medium cams and a sling round the tree finish it off.
Great crag lots on my wishlist still, oh and the car park is free but closes at 7.30 – though you can park outside it!
Good times.
Pix:
Sounds good!
We headed south for the weekend to climb on east facing crags as the gales were from the west.
Climbed at Turning Stone Edge near Matlock for the first time on Saturday afternoon. Strange place, rhododendrons all over the place, no midges but lots of wasps. Has a good epic on Amber Arete (VS 4c **), the closest I've come to falling off without actually doing so, Elvis times two.
Camped over to try out the new tent, then went to Aldery Cliff, Carmen did a couple of fine VSs, I did an HVS 4c but with side runners so VS 4c (otherwise the first 30 feet are unprotected). And a couple of other routes. Not a bad crag (BMC owned now), quite dirty though and very vegetated in places, but you park right by the crag so it's a 5 second walk in.
I'm hoping my 'ascent' of nonsuch will be my comedy dogging/aiding lowpoint of the year, although I'm relieved to see that on UKC it now gets E1 5b. safe as houses but hard as a very hard thing.
For anybody fancying Altar Crack, rob's method involved placing one piece of gear then laybacking like a bat out of hell for the horizontal break – worked impressively well but theres a nasty fall onto a block ("the altar") if you fluff it.