Another pre-dawn start – but this time it wasn't for winter climbing, but for the final leg of the RAB Mini mountain marathon series in the Peak District. Or so we thought. It was snowing hard as we drove down the M1, and the message arrived – the event was cancelled as the approach roads were impassable. Luckily, we had the climbing kit in the car (just in case there was time for anything after the run), so our objective changed and we headed for Edale.
The rest of the drive provided the crux of the day, the roads were so icy it took us a good 3 hours of slipping and sliding to get to Castleton. We parked and headed for Mam Tor, hoping the previous night's hard frost had done it's magic. It hadn't, and despite plenty of ice and snow, the ground was completely unfrozen. Not ones to let such things put us off we headed up the gully anyway. Mostly easy going, until it got steeper near the top and I was climbing what felt like vertical gravel. A sudden attack of sanity just below the top, where it really did become vertical, and I traversed left to avoid the most suicidal section. I was soon at the trig point, which provided the only protection on the route. Grade II/III but ungradable in the today's conditions! Atmospheric though and full of history, worth going back for when properly frozen.
A short walk along the ridge led us in a mile or so to Back Tor. This is much shorter, but also much more like proper climbing, having things like solid rock, and turf that doesn't disintegrate when you touch it. We climbed Back Tor Gully, another II/III – just one pitch, but fun, and with some properly frozen turf and even quite a bit of old hard snow.
Not quite what we'd planned, but a fine day out.
Some photos here.
Tags: gravel, ice, mild insanity