Cragging

Duncan figuring out the line of Aura/Pinnacliissima.

Nikki dropped Dunc and I at the end of the road and we started the long slog up to Craig yr Ysfa. We reached the top and abseiled down to base of the Lower Amphitheatre Wall. Aura looked steep. I felt apprehensive. I racked up and gave it a go. The holds were there, the gear was there. My head wasn't. I had a rest, tried to sort myself out and continued. Every time I moved away from gear I got irrationally scared. I lowered off and let Duncan lead it. He cruised it and I had no problems on second. I need to sort my head out!

Me on Aura.

I set of up Pinnaclissima's first pitch, a dirty looking corner with surprisingly good climbing. The crux involved committing all of one's weight to a foothold, with poor handholds. After a few goes up-climbing and down-climbing I managed to figure it out. Duncan set of up the next pitch, a thin looking corner with minimal gear. The back of corner was damp and with no micro cams to protect it we scuttled away. 

The next evening Burrows and I headed to the Grochan, arriving just in time to watch DC cruise Murial. Ollie lead Wind and then lowered off so I could sport climb it on his gear. I quickly lead it, grateful for his move by move beta. Ollie then lead Karwendel Wall, which was very good and probably the most tricksome of the three Grochan hard Hard VSs. I finished with Brant Direct, which I'd seconed a few times before but never lead. Remembering it to be hard I was pleasantly surprised.

Can you guess what we do?

Ollie and I had work in the Lakes at the weekend, but managed to squeeze in an after work ascent of Copenhagen on Hardknott Crag. This was one of my first E2 lead and it was a joy to re-lead it on Ollie gear in the evening sunshine. It's a brilliant pitch, with one move that is desperate for the short (thankfully I'm not!). Unfortunately Hardknott Crag is pretty dirty at present. Apart from Powerglide and Copenhagen all the other routes are caked in moss. Someone local should do the climbing community a favour and abseil down them all with a brush. The other routes I've done there are all excellent and it's a real shame that a roadside crag that catches the evening sun is hardly climbed on.

This is about as roadside as they get and it's filthy dirty: Come on Lakes climbers sort it out!

Burrow low down on Copenhagen.

Me re-leading Copenhagen.