Extracts from Newletter 21
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As Eddie had been attending a course in Devon and I had nothing better to do we arranged to do a little cliff climbing in Cornwall. Not having to work on a Friday afternoon meant that I was able to meet Eddie at the Wreckers Inn at a reasonable time before camping at the Kelynack campsite near St.Just (£2.50 a night but you have to book).
Saturday, and like a man on a mission I headed to the Penzance pasty company to purchase a huge box of pasties followed by a browse of the Groovy Poodle (purveyors of extraordinary hats and other ridiculous Garb).
And then to Bosigran to attack Venusberg (VS 4a,4a,4c,4b). I got half way up the second pitch when the heavens opened and my bottle went. Thankfully Eddie lead the rest of the pitch and we high tailed it back to the campsite to await developments. Whist waiting we indulged in the full teashop experience (but without bacon butties and scones it was in no way satisfying).
By late afternoon the Sun had returned and we tried to salvage the day at Sennen by Eddie leading me up Dextrose (HVS 5a), Double Overhang (VS 4c) and No Number (VS 5a). All this late into the evening action meant all the local food sellers had gone home and we where forced to go into Penzance to find a chippy, drink larger and gawp at scantly clad young things. Eddie started wondering if he could get into any of the clubs dressed in fleece, lycra leggings, big boots and old tee-shirts. (you’ve more chance of getting a f*** of the pope says I).
On Sunday the gloom returned but the rain held off so that we
could have another go at Venusburg and follow it with Little
Brown Jug, both super routes which made my body ache. I was glad
that Eddie was able to drag me up both of them.
The next club trip to Cornwall is on August Bank Holiday, I’ll be there will you ??
Martin Upfold
with
28th June 1998
After a tedious 4 hour drive from Burgess Hill we arrived at the crag with a sense of forboding, the sky was full of black clouds, we did not want to turn round and drive all the way back without touching rock. Luckly the rain held off and we set about tackling Colonel’s arete, a wonderfull V.Diff which ends on a small pinicle from which I could admire the view over the Pym valley whist Jody made light work of seconding.
After Lunch we decided to have a go at Route B and add in some of the variations mentioned in the guide book. The first pitch is a little mucky until the the small overlap at the top makes you think. The second pitch has very little to recommend it except that it is followed by the third, which throws a wonderfull feeling of exposure at you as you traverse out onto the face and climb up on big holds to finish. (oh and yes Shirley my nut is still there after the last trip).
All to soon it was time to head back east and play with the traffic.
Famous Pierre
| Martin would like to thank Jody for coming out to play at very short notice and letting him lead all the routes. Famous Pierre is currently undergoing treatment....... |
Harvey and I took a short drive up the M4 to celebrate
American Independence day by climbing up the sun soaked cliffs of
Wintors Leap. Any excuse to go climbing will do for us!
We set up base camp (O.K so we plonked our sacks on the ground
and scattered the contents all over the place) below the North
Wall and set about climbing Right Hand Route. As we climbed into
the sun the rock got drier and the pegs got slightly rustier. I
like this route, which probably explains why I’ve climbed it
so often. To keep the natural harmony of symmetry in place our
next route was Left Hand Route, a romp over some over hanging
blocks up to the belay on good rock. Suddenly the world turned
pear shaped for everybody on the cliff. A girl peeled off Right
Hand Route and smashed her unprotected head against the rock and
dangled from the rope. All hell broke loose as a rescue of epic
proportions lumbered into action. There where helicopters,
firemen, policemen, ambulances and cliff rescue teams (abseiling
down the cliff for no apparent reason). The
“professionals” managed to evacuate the casualty to a
helicopter parked in a field half a mile away in an air of
farcical overkill.
Suddenly we didn’t want to climb any more so we went home.
Martin Upfold
| Helicopters and Harvey both start with H but beyond that point the similarity ends, Martin Upfold is cockney rhyming slang for ..... |
As this was my first time in this area I decided to make a weekend of it. Rather than camp, Robert Hall and I decided to stay in a converted chicken hut which masquerades as a cavers hut in the Mendip hills. We had the whole place to ourselves, I can’t think why.
Wintors leap was only 45 mins away, but it was raining, so we sheltered under some rock debating our first route. As the sun appeared we had decided on Central Rib and Rob had decided that I was too lead all of the pitches.
Central route is a little like a pick and mix stall in that there are three or four similar lines in close proximity that you can mix and match depending on your mood. We started on the Vdiff as it was all wet and we are not very good first thing in the morning, switching to the Severe halfway up and then finishing on the VS line. It was a good laugh swapping routes frequently and thoroughly confusing ourselves but we slowly got to the top by which time the humidity turned the whole place into a tropical rain forest. We retired to Mendip to waste away the day .
On Sunday we had a look at the north wall area and decided to have a go at Right Hand Route (HS). The first pitch wobbled about a bit as we wobbled to a tree belay. Next we tackled a few small overhangs and blocks (These were, of course, huge monsters when I was going over them but Rob hardly noticed them). At the third pitch I was unable to get my customary 8 bits of gear in the first 10ft but as it was only 10ft to a rusty looking peg my normal practice went straight out of the window, any way it’s a well know fact that no one dies on an HS and all climbs can be talked up into an E number over a few pints. The next pitch made me struggle, being short the hand holds where miles apart and I had to carefully wobble from one move to another finally ending in a “praise the Lord and go for it” move that can only be seen at this level of climbing. The sun shined and all was right with the world
Martin Upfold
| Martin is currently working towards his Cub Scout needlework badge as he feels this will enhance his rope work. Famous Pierre is currently visiting ladies of ill repute as he feels this will enhance his reputation |
Conundrum: Nick and Alison are in the USA, we were going to
the USA, and both Nick and I like to climb. The solution seemed
simple. We meet up at some suitable venue and get some routes in.
Just one small snag; this was Jill's summer holiday! That little
problem solved, we agreed to meet in the Grand Teton National
Park, very conveniently located close to Yellowstone. With the
promise of just a few days under canvas, even Jill seemed happy
with the arrangement. So, just 4,000 miles for us by `plane and
some 2,000 miles for Nick and Alison by car and there we were -
at South Jenny Lake camp site ready for the off so to speak. The
weather was ambivalent on arrival, but a good day was promised.
The traditional early start (only 5.00 am this time) and we were
on our way to the trailhead leading to Middle Teton (12,804').
For a summer climb there seemed to be rather a lot of snow, we
thought, but that should make the SW couloir route that we had
chosen more interesting. The developing low cloud also added
interest, but careful map and compass work eventually convinced
us that we were climbing the right mountain! A very long time
later (as usual we had not acclimatised) we reached the col
between Middle and South Teton and were looking up at the grade
I/II snow couloir. No need for roping up - fortunately since the
rope along with all our communal gear had been dumped some 400'
lower down - so we soloed to the airy summit in somewhat less
than record time. The implications of Teton climbing very soon
become apparent when considering the implications of a high
mountain range rising without foothills from the surrounding
plane. Longish walk ins (8 miles each way) and almost 6,000' of
ascent are never going to be quick, or easy. Anyway, we had
arrived, missed the view of Grand Teton (and virtually everything
else!) and began the steep descent. Nothing much untoward here,
just a very long plod and a little rather mobile snow. Something
over 12 hours after leaving we were back at the car in scorching
heat.
Lots of hot pools, geysers and wild animals later, Nick and
Alison left to go home and Jill and I continued south. A
relatively fast solo ascent of Longs Peak (14,255') in the
Rockies via its north face and a traverse of the keyhole route
gave rise to feelings of invincibility and a wish (shared by
Jill) to return to the Tetons in good weather. Two weeks later
that's where we were, with me looking longingly up at the east
face of Teewinot (12,325'). Persuaded by locals that this had
been climbed in well under 2 hours off I set at 8.00 am. Clearly
the locals and me are incompatible, since 3 hours later I was
about level with the two distinctive gendames, Worshipper and
Idol, and still 2,000' short of the summit. It was also getting
rather hot and the reflection off the snow was dazzling. About
this time two Americans took over the lead and ploughed a furrow
leading up the 45 degree face. An hour later as the route reached
a constriction a shout from above made me look up to see a wall
of snow descending very fast. Clearly axe belays are not very
satisfactory in the face of an avalanche because I did not stay
where I was for too long. Braking seems pretty ineffective also
when being carried at ever increasing speed down a steep slope,
although it was possible to correct tumbling and realign
orientation to face uphill. Then there is the fear, accentuated
by rocky outcrops and the realisation that to stop would be an
act of God, rather than man's design. With the possibility of a
2,000' run out I was far from happy.
By no act of mine (though not without desperate trying) all
movement stopped. I was on the surface, axe well and truly
embedded, but disgorged into a well-defined avalanche runnel -
not a place to dally in. After what seemed an age, but was
probably only seconds, I realised that although battered all
moveable bits were where they should be and it was possible to
cross to `safe' ground. Here the altimeter indicated a fall of
500' and the damage could be inspected at relative leisure.
Shredded elbows, and left hand beneath the residue of my thermal
gloves, and an ominous lump on one knuckle. My leg ached as well,
but at least I could walk. A quick wave to the Americans - heaven
knows how they avoided the avalanche, unless of course they
caused it! Going down I had plenty of time to reflect on yet
another lesson learnt, as well as to prepare a suitable story for
Jill.
Derek 13th July 1998
| Teton is French for Tit, but Derek is far, far too polite to even mention this small detail. |
Route names can tell you a lot about the route, the first
assentionist or both. for example if a route is called
“Ordinary Route” or “Buttress Direct” you can
be sure that it was first climbed by a tweed clad climber in hob
nailed boots and with the aid of a couple of servants. If on the
other hand the route is called something like “Psychedelic
Chalk bags” in was undoubtedly put up in the 70’s by a
spaced out hippy. Sometimes the name describes the climb, for
example “Three Pebble Slab” is a slab with three
pebbles on it. This has, however, been shortened from the
original “Three Pebble Slab with a funny shaped hole half
way up for your one and only bit of gear which won’t stop
you from hitting the ground once you get to the wobbly bit”,
but that was always a bit of a mouthful.
I first noticed Three Pebble Slab when I first went to Froggart,
someone was having a bit of a mare on it, and as we walked past
he asked us Oh so politely if we wouldn’t mind awfully if we
could set up a top rope for him as he was a trifle incovieniced.
This was a route I had to do. On my next visit I cheated and top
roped it, just to see if I could do it and to peer into the very
odd shaped hole. Then on the last club trip the time was right, a
few routes to warm up, a full supporting cast, and away I went.
Suddenly it was over and I was at the top tying on and belaying
everybody else.
The sun shone and I was happy at doing my first grit E1.
Pete
| The supporting cast consisted of Angela, Liam and Karen who had to spend the rest of the day trying to deflate Pete’s Ego so that he could get it back in the car |