Today I ventured onto slate for the first time.
Talk of slate being like no other rock for climbing on had me somewhat apprehensive, so first off was Steps of Glory f5b. Not often will one find a climbing area which differentiates the f5's, but slate is like no other. I took the route slowly and carefully, trying to pick up the nuances of slate... small edges, high-steps, not overly generous bolting. Afterwards I took a fall on the technical start of Orangutang Overhang f6a+. I took a half step back next and did Plastic Soldier f6a... all 40 metres of it. The aforementioned plastic soldier is to be found hanging around on a bolt somewhere near the mid-point of the route. Pretty much unheard of to get a sport route of that length in the UK. With sustained climbing all the way to the top, I found myself calling 'Watch me!' more times than I'd like to admit. 'Watch me!' is not something to be shouted too loudly in the Dinorwig slate quarries due to a small issue around access... here's a photo of the infamous Dali's Hole.
What would Maggie's Climbing Team, the dole sponsored pioneers of slate climbing think of modern climbers and their toy soldiers? Well somebody set fire to the sky above Llanberis tonite...
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