Jeopardy

I had my first taste of new routing on the virgin rock. Many thanks to Doug who was the driving force developing the area for taking me there. Whilst seconding him on a couple first ascents I noticed an unclimbed pillar, and after brief inspection on top-rope we made plans to come back the next week so I could clean the line and have a go at climbing it.

Climbing on popular routes straight out of a guide book gives the impression that the rock has always been in a climbable state. However developing a new route can be dirty work. I set about my project with a patio scraper to clear out any cracks, brush to clean the rock, and look for gear placements and hand/foot holds.

I then tried the moves on top-rope and checked I could place the gear whilst climbing. Tying in for the first time on lead I felt quite calm, until the rope got caught the wrong side of the right-hand arete whilst making the crux move onto the top slab.

Luckily I was able to reverse the move and sort out the rope.

Then carry onto the top for the first ascent of Jeopardy.

It was a lot of work for 8 metres of new climbing, but very worthwhile as the experience felt more adventurous and creative.

Reign of Piece - resurrected

Drilling into rock for the first time to place a bolt was a challenging experience. An internal battle was fought, and the Bosch won. The justification? To replace the rusty bolts on the route 'Reign of Piece' at my local crag so the route can be climbed once more in relative safety (the rock does not lend itself to natural gear placements). The work was carried out with the kind advice and assistance of the first ascensionist Terry. An extra bolt was placed closer to the ground within reach of a stick-clip to protect the initial 'easier' climbing.

Due wild overhanging nature of the cliff it was physically demanding work. After two hours just four new bolts were placed. Stepping back onto ground my legs were wobbly. I now have a greater appreciation for the new routers out there putting in their time, energy and money equipping climbs for us all to enjoy. Feel free to donate to the North Wales Bolt Fund found here!