At the beginning
of the summer I created a list of local trad routes that I wanted to try. I wrote the list to encourage me to get on routes I had been putting
off for a while, to eliminate my standard excuse of “I’m not mentally prepared
for leading this route today” and because I quite like making lists.
Daddyhole:
Meadfoot:
 |
| Clotted Cream at Meadfoot |
Telegraph Hole:
Anstey’s:
Sanctuary Wall:
Long Quarry Point:
Chudleigh:
Lowman:
After a
summer of free-time, good(ish) weather and an abundance of climbing partners my list now looks like
this:
Daddyhole:
Suicide Blonde E6
6b – Seconded.
Meadfoot:
Telegraph Hole:
Anstey’s:
Lumpy Universe E2 5c/E3
5c – Trad at Anstey’s?! You have to be joking.
Sanctuary Wall:
Incubus E1 5b
Call to Arms E4 5c
– Agh, scary!
Long Quarry Point:
Black Ice E3 5c
– Slabs, ugh!
Chudleigh:
Dripdry E4 6b
– Tried, failed, ran away.
Lowman:
Interrogation E3
6a – Shocking, it's a classic, get on it.
The last
route to cross off my list was Zuma at Daddyhole, a perfect cool crag for a
warm afternoon. It felt good to get stuck into the route after thinking about
it for some time; there were handholds and gear and even a rusty peg for
company.... then the pump kicked in. My control and poise disappeared in a
desperate sprint for the rest, too pumped to place gear or even contemplate the
largeish fall that would see me landing on my belayer’s head. Luckily I made it
and relaxed on the ledge placing gear to my heart’s content.
An easy bit of climbing followed, enough to tempt
me to believe that it was all over and the final stretch would be a jug-pulling
romp to top with more gear than I could shake a stick at. It wasn’t. I managed
to get wrong handed and increasingly pumped above a move I couldn’t reverse
with only the stubborn determination not to fall off now keeping me on. Somehow
I made it to the top and collapsed on the grass vowing to work on my endurance
so that next time I won’t have to make the choice between placing gear and holding on.
No comments:
Post a Comment