The Gables, 24th October 2008

The UK weather is a fickle thing. The forecast for today was that we would have 60mph gusts at 900m and that we would have a bit of sun in the morning, with showers in the afternoon.

This weather forecast precluded any attempt on the Napes Needle as a) it was really windy for the ascenders and b) it was too cold for the 'hangers-on' to be waiting for the process to unfold. So we opted for an ascent of Great Gable with a secondary peak of Green Gable thrown in. For the scramblers, there was the option of heading over to Westmoreland Crags as an approach to the summit.




This was a first Verdes Adventure for Steve H.



Steve is a newcomer to the rigours of Verdes but proved to be a complete 'no holds barred' member as the day progressed. Rich M had never summited Great Gable so another personal goal was up for grabs..

Denied an attempt at the Needle, John D and Rich S made good use of the day to take the off piste routes, taking the scrambling line wherever possible and ending on a scramble through Westmoreland Crags as a means to the summit.



A good day was had by all and there was something for everyone during the trip.

Still got to to thread this needle though for the virgins....

Davie

Anything you can do....

In the '80s, Ron Fawcett, from Yorkshire, was one of Britain's foremost climbers.

He was raw muscle, built like a bionic flea and could perch himself on the very slightest of holds as he powered his way up a series of challenging first ascents.

A true Verdes Adventurer and worthy of mention in our blog.

Here's Ron having a rest on a steep (and high) piece of grit stone.

Needless to say, all Verdes adventurers rest in a similar way when they are waiting for their belayer to set up the camera.

Here's a spookily similar image of Davie resting on a 6a route at Leeds Wall.

History repeating itself?

Perhaps not....

Davie

Leeds Wall, 17th October 2008

Rich S, Ian S and Davie combined work with a bit of pleasure at Leeds Wall today.

We decided to forego the usual bouldering and bottom roping approach and instead concentrated on lead climbing.

As usual, Richard scampered up stuff, but we managed to get a few good climbs in. Ian was very impressive with his 'I'll climb two routes simultaneously' approach, using two holds for each foot at some points. (or should I say for each flipper.)

Leeds is a cracking wall and a must for Verdes afficionados. We'll try and schedule a weekly session there and aim for Fridays as these aren't too busy.

Next session is probably on Monday morning - email me if you want to come for a couple of hours... its great fun!

Davie

Total Rethread. Napes Needle and Great Gable, 12th October 2008

Davie and Phil H headed off to the Lakes yesterday to introduce Phil to Napes Needle.

The trip commenced on a note best forgotten. On arrival at Stockley Bridge we came upon a young lass taking a picture of her boyfriend on the bridge. I offered to take a snap of them both together and when she climbed back up to give me her camera, I set off for a good vantage point.

I turned to take the snap and promptly fell spectacularly on to my chest and shoulder, completely wrecking the camera in the process.

In a true Verdes moment, I clambered back over to the stunned couple, gave her back the wreckage and got her name and address before disappearing into the distance.


We took time out to examine flora and fauna on the way and were soon at Sty Head Tarn. We pushed on across the Climbers Traverse and as we arrived at the Needle, there were a couple climbing up the joining wall, using the crux of the Needle as a holding point.

Oh no! Congestion....


I climbed up to the girl who was anchored and prepared the belay for Phil. The rock was very greasy and the rope was definitely needed. The scramble up unroped had been a bit hairy and I was glad that I would be abseiling down. The lead climber abseiled down to join me and his partner and we established that we were all from Ripon!

They were squaddies; her from Signals and him in the Engineers.

Bloody craphats!

Phil managed to get past the initial moves and was soon joining us at the crux. Getting down the other side was tricky as the rocks and holds were really grimy but he was soon safe and sound.


One classic abseil later and we were having lunch on our lofty perch, over looking Scafell Pike, Lingmell and Great End.





We continued around the Traverse until we reached the Kirk Fell path on the West side and used this to gain the summit of Great Gable.


Job done.





Although clear for most of the day, the cloud was quite heavy at around 700m and visibility was around 40m.



We headed back down to the stretcher box and developed a top tip for in the mountains; if you're going to injure yourself, do it by the box! MRT will know exactly where you are, distance to get to you is minimised and you can use the box as shelter until they arrive...





Got back to the car after 8 1/2 hrs - a cracker of a day out.

Next threading session is on the 24th October - so if you haven't done it and want to lose your cherry - come along.

Davie

The Roaches, 10th October 2008

Not wanting to be known as someone with all gear but no idea, I decided to get out on some rock and have a go at leading a climb. The venue selected was The Roaches in Staffordshire, with beautiful views, a good selection of climbs of all grades and some multi-pitch classics thrown in for good measure. It also happens to be close to the home of Kev; a fireman, Paddy dive instructor, biker and of course a highly skilled climber.

My first lead was to be Prow Corner, a 12 metre VDiff. It was chosen as a first because it is not too challenging but has loads of cracks to practice placing protection. With just about every piece of gear from my rack placed in every gap, crack or hole (to gain experience rather than protect the route) I made it to the top and set up my belay. Kev would now second the route and inspect each piece of protection and give me feedback on its effectiveness. Fortunately, all was well and sufficient for Kev to declare it was time for a more challenging route!

We moved to the upper tier to access the longer climbs and found the ‘Right Route’. Another VDiff but this time a 24 metre split into two pitches. I led the first pitch of around 15 metres to a lofty belay stance with fabulous view over Tittesworth Reservoir. When I was anchored in, Kev started to climb, evaluating my gear placement on route. Once along side me, another inspection of my belay then he led the second pitch of 9 metres to the top. Second route done and still enough daylight to attempt another route.

The next route was just a little further up and was called Maud’s Garden. A 21 metre, VDiff, multi pitch. I led the first pitch again which was quite easy to climb but, due to the lack of any kind of crack or gap, I found I had to climb around 5 metres un-protected. Once I had my first lump of hardware in the wall I relaxed and found the rest of the climb a pleasure. The large ledge at 12 metres provides the belay stance and allowed me to bring Kev up who continued through to lead the second pitch.

By the time we got back to the start of the climb the light was rapidly fading but Kev was already planning his diary so we could come back and move up a grade or two. There is a classic route at the Roaches called Valkyrie (38 metre, VS 4a, 4c) that he has wanted to lead for sometime. Just need a little more practice…

Rich S