September 2007
A Blog! Well you’ve got to start somewhere so to let me get going with a brief summary of some of the year’s more interesting (to me) outings and events.
Climbing wise so far this year it has been a mix of ticking off some classic trad routes that have been on ‘The List’ for a long long time, picking off the odd sport line and repeating some of the SW’s climbs that I first did well over 30 years ago. Roaring Silence (E3) on Scafell’s East Buttress and Ahimsa (E3) on Cheddar Gorge’s Acid Rock were worth the wait. Ahimsa’s top pitch is one of UK limestone’s best E3’s giving immaculate bridging in a sensational location and with excellent small wires all the way and is one those lines that looks like it might be a lot more of an undertaking than it turns out to be.
I always new that Roaring Silence would be a good route but what I hadn’t expected was a deserted East Buttress on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, allowing the rare luxury of climbing in shorts and a tee shirt and not being cold even when belaying. I was just about to start questioning the whereabouts of all the trad climber’s but did not have to look far as the next day they were all at Dow! Still ‘every cloud..’ spurred us on to find something new to do and we headed to Great Central Route (HVS 5b) away from the crowds. GCR turned out to be a tremendous climb and for my money must have been one of the Uk’s hardest when it was first climbed in the early 1920’s even with combined tactics on its crux pitch.
On the work and domestic front early spring was spent putting together Mike Robertson’s DWS guide and the summer getting married! But now my attention is turning to finishing the El Chorro and surrounds guide over this winter.