Sunday, 18 December 2016

Climbing - Wharncliffe

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.
Deuter Guide 35+ on my back
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.

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