As many of you know I was extremely excited about missioning it into the peak district and slaying some "ard" problems which I have read and drooled about all these years. However the weather had a different interest should we say. As I got out of the bus with what seemed like 15 zombies from the uni climbing club we weren't greeted with the friendliest of welcomes to say the least. It was gloomy and dark with a horrible bit of that climbing repellent otherwise known as rain. This was a massive disappointment but I wasn't going to give in that easily! So we embarked on the march up to Stanage Plantation. Home of some narley ass problems and super cool arêtes. As I wondered around the crag by myself I stood in awe under a perfectly formed arête. I knew instantly what is was without without looking in the guide book. Ulysses' bow. Last year I got Jerry Moffatt's biography for my birthday and apart from the being the first book I had read and really enjoyed it had inspired me so much it had changed the way I thought about climbing and my motivation! If you've read it, I'm not talking about being the best in the world (although it does cross my mind sometimes) but the times had when you're out with friends enjoying the scenery and the route, topped with obvious climbing banter.
As I stood for a good couple of minutes recalling epics at Cornwall and the moors and indeed some not to be mentioned moments at Chudleigh it suddenly hit me. I am not going to be doing this today. It was wet and cold so I turned around and went in search of some other high prized routes and problems still with a big smile on my face.
I searched high and low for various things and made a pretty impressive morning of route finding. Sounds strange really that climbing the routes wasn't the only part of it. For me, seeing as it was piss wet, just finding them and looking at it was enough. And some people wonder why I want to go into geology. Before my search ended I went and looked at Brad Pit, a famous V10/font 7c. An iconic problem with hundreds of different videos on the net. The one in which stuck out is the one with Ben Moon doing it. His exact words are "Brad Pit, well is hard but its not that hard". Well I can tell you now it is. Even though I didn't try it, it felt hard by just looking at it!
Eventually I got back with the group and headed of with Hutch in a search of any dry line possible. We eventually found a dry ish Hvs up "some" crack line...I cant for the life of me remember what it was called but basically it's a big crack line which meanders left to the top of the crag at about 16 meters. Hutch said he would go first romped his way but the first 10 foot and placed some gear. This is where I knew it was going to get interesting when he turned around and looked slightly confused at me. When people do this it generally means the gear isn't that good, but with a hitch he carried on across the break to another placement at about 20 foot. His head turned and I was greeted by the same face as I had seen from the first piece. Surely he wouldn't carry on if the gear was "that" bad I thought to myself as he stood up and began to lay back the last part. Either that or he doesn't think he's going to fall! Oh god spoke to soon. As I jumped backwards re enacting the belay used to stop someone hitting the floor from the top more on the Indian Face all I heard was
"Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit"!
Then silence for a second
Then
"Well the gear held"
I looked at Hutch hanging there laughed and lowered him off and had a good old laugh about what had happened. I went up the route afterwards and examined him gear and could really see what the problem was when he placed it! (Thinking back to clipping old rusty seapegs)
After that we decided to call it a day as the weather got worse and I swear at one point looking into the wind was like looking into a burst from a machine gun! So indoors called and the edge got a pretty good seeing to!
Just before we left Stanage I had a quick probe of Deliverance which was mainly dry ish and cant wait to get back to try it in better conditions along with all the other beauties in which the peak has to offer.
Cheers All
Jack
Cheers All
Jack
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