Thursday 24 November 2011

Pre Peak Adventure

As I sat yesterday in a three hour lecture wondering if the day might improve in the slightest, when the text came in. "Cheddar after lectures, Keen?" KEEENNN I was mustard for it. It had been ages since I had led anything outdoors so I was buzzing for the last part of the lecture!!! Myself and Cameron got out the car and was greeting with a standard Cheddar hello of an icy wind and freezing rock, but this wasn't going to knock my pysche! We quickly warmed up on some easier things and set off looking for harder lines. After putting the draws in a 6b+ for Cam he went for it and onsighted it! That was he hardest grade outside to date showing that all the trips indoors have paid off for him!

We then moved on to the objective of the outing, a 25 meter route on the Ginsberg wall called Get That Man. Its apparently a super classic for the wall and the area and seeing as Cam was keen to have a go I agreed to put the draws in. Not thinking much of it as I'd probably fall as I hadn't been out for a while I left the sanctuary of the ledge and moved into the crux section. I saw straight away a projecting block up high with a hugely chalked underside knowing that it was going to be an evil Cheddar undercut. For me this is worrying as I find undercuting from low down difficult but as I grasped it I completely forgot about the whole "You're not any good at these moves" and carried on. Once past this I finally realised that the thing that puts me off routes is the fact that I think to much into it. As soon as I hear the words "Side pull" or "Undercut" im immediately put off, which is why I don't really enjoy my Cheddar trips. But this time I put it to the back of my head and got on with it!

Clipping the chains was pretty sweet as the route had taught me a fair amount and was brilliant throughout with the fact that I onsighted it was great and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Hopefully this has set me up for this weekends Peak District trip! Cheers to Cameron for the belay!

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