After umming and ahhing for many hours about whether to drive the long way round to the lakes (A66 shut), me and Rob eventually decided to take the safe option and head for Kinder Downfall on Wednesday, just before the big thaw set in. Because of road closures in the peak, we had to take the M60/M62 option which was in itself a rather long drive. After a minor detour to go and see Oldham Athletic's ground (a lifelong dream for Rob) we arrived at the Kinder Reservoir car park. The final kilometre of the drive was on packed snow but the traction was fine.
We set off walking shortly after a group of 3 had set off and just in front of a group of about 7! We made good time as far as the woodland at the end of the reservoir, walking on packed snow as deep as the drystone walls. Many drifts were well over a metre deep and it was hard to believe we were in the peak district. Beyond this, previous tracks had been covered in and we had to make our own route. Much of this was wading through deep and loose powder which was both time consuming and tiring. As we left the shelter of the valley the wind increased along with the spindrift making for a very wintery feel overall.
Arriving at the downfall we found the ice in good nick but very buried with a monstrous cornice on the right. The usual easier variations were utterly buried in snow, so only the grade IV direct was climable. We geared up in the icy cave under the downfall wondering why the party of 3 in front weren't getting on the climb. It eventually transpired they were off to do something else and the party of 7 were getting arsey that no-one was climbing yet so we jumped on it. Rob made light work of the ice climbing getting some good screws and a thread on the first step. After a bit of loose snow and another good ice step however, he was stopped by the final slopes which were covered in deep, unconsolidated powder. With sprung leashes clipped to the bottom of his axes, plunging didn't really work so he ended up using whole body friction to make the final moves.
A delay then ensued as Rob was out of sight and the wind made communication impossible. With the full 50m of rope run out, all I could do was hold onto the end and wait, while the waiting climbers got even more pissed off. Finally I set of climbing, opting to wear liner gloves so I could get the screws out quickly – big mistake! By the halfway ledge my hands were frozen solid. Unable to bend my fingers I managed to pull on my warmer gloves and finish the climb. However, by the time I reached Rob, the first pangs of hot aches were coming on. After 10 minutes of lying on the floor moaning and wailing, vowing to never winter climb again, the pain passed and the relief was so good it was almost worth the suffering 🙂
Rob has a picture of me in my darkest moment which I'm sure he'll put on at some point. (and here they are…. Rob)
A convenient ab took us back to the cave where Rob did some ice bouldering and I took pictures. With the adrenaline now worn off, it was also becoming apparent that my sprained ankle (done by sledging in crampons – not recommended) was not happy with being made to climb ice. The walk back down was a bit of a hobble, especially the final bit along the road.
So apart from the novelty of ice climbing in the peak, is it worth it? Considering its short length, it's a reasonably good route but the walk in (especially in deep snow) is a real killer. I wouldn't rush back to climb it again, but am glad we did it and in very good nick.
Not sure what the surprise in the title refers to, I just thought it sounded good.
Tags: hot aches, ice, Peak district
Yet another good reason for not going leashless 🙂
well i was going to unclip them which would have helped a tad but really – there was no grip/resistance – it was all balance and hence scary