Saturday, 5 and 12 November 2016
After a couple of previous climbing experiences and buying 'Eastern Grit' guide I started looking for a quiet climbing location near where we live i.e. Barnsley and decided to try Wharncliffe. Majority of the routes looked beyond our capabilities but there were a few we could have a go at. Dry, sunny, late Autumn weather encouraged us to get outside.
Even though the plan on 5th of November was to go to Black Slab Right on Puttrell's Progress I chose to park at the small, muddy lay-by at the side of Woodhead Road. This meant a longer walk but the day was so beautiful that I preferred to walk through the woods.
This was the first time I took my new Deuter Guide 35+ rucksack with me. It is very comfortable, but a bit heavy, especially when compared to my previous (admittedly smaller) trusty Wolf Gang Taternik 28. I must say that Taternik has been so reliable that I couldn't see it ever breaking and I was struggling to justify purchasing a new rucksack. The only thing is that my 20 year old Taternik is a bit too small for winter activities.
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| Deuter Guide 35+ on my back |
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There was nobody else at the crag, allowing us to rig a top rope without getting stressed about blocking the route. Since I still don't feel confident leading on anything else than scrambling routes we rigged the top rope using 10m of static rope which was just long enough. I think I will need to buy a 15m replacement.
Even though Black Slab Right is only classed as a Mod climb I deviated from the route near the top. As I was being lowered down by Magda, I dropped awkwardly into the niche and injured my shin bone. I felt really stupid but this meant the end of the day for me. In order to ease swelling, I applied cold spray but I must have overdone it as later by bruise started to look more like a burn. Anyway, I was able to walk back to the car without any problems.
We came back on 12th of November and had a go at nearby Alpha Crack on Great Buttress. Magda being Magda approached the route as a scrambling challenge and soloed it in her soft walking boots! Well, I preferred to practice rope skills and later we managed to make a two-pitch route out of this 10m Diff beginners climb (there is a nice big ledge near the top). I realized that I would do with more small screwgate carabiners and more skills in general, like how to swap leads safely for example.
Even though the plan on 5th of November was to go to Black Slab Right on Puttrell's Progress I chose to park at the small, muddy lay-by at the side of Woodhead Road. This meant a longer walk but the day was so beautiful that I preferred to walk through the woods.
This was the first time I took my new Deuter Guide 35+ rucksack with me. It is very comfortable, but a bit heavy, especially when compared to my previous (admittedly smaller) trusty Wolf Gang Taternik 28. I must say that Taternik has been so reliable that I couldn't see it ever breaking and I was struggling to justify purchasing a new rucksack. The only thing is that my 20 year old Taternik is a bit too small for winter activities.
Even though Black Slab Right is only classed as a Mod climb I deviated from the route near the top. As I was being lowered down by Magda, I dropped awkwardly into the niche and injured my shin bone. I felt really stupid but this meant the end of the day for me. In order to ease swelling, I applied cold spray but I must have overdone it as later by bruise started to look more like a burn. Anyway, I was able to walk back to the car without any problems.