Offwidths at Mt Piddington
Ripped out the trad rack (as I have consistently been doing for the past short while) and headed up the hill Saturday morning with a Champagne hangover.
Climbed "The Spartan" a three pitch 5-8. I'd heard there was an offwidth section, but that it was easy and impossible to fall off, so I didn't bother gathering any big cams or other gear. We walked by some old blokes with a rack of number 4-5 cams, and Mikl suggested I borrow them. I started to worry a bit, and carried on about not wanting to do anything you needed anything bigger than a number 4 for, but caved in after they looked like I might die in response to my not wanting the gear but going off to climb the Spartan. Anyhoo - Mikl led the first easy pitch and I lead the crux pitch, which does indeed have a hefty offwidth start that I ver nearly did fall off after refusing point blamk to jam my foot into the section. Very nearly fell off, very very glad of cams, that were, if anything, slightly too small. Got to the jug at the top and destressed for about 20 mins. It was freezing with a howling wind, and I was pumped stupid as a result. The next bit of the pitch traversed out for 15m under a huge roof on underclimgs that I really wished I had hexes for (Mikl left them at home as we were planning on a doing a new route somewhere else but it was too cold). At the end of th etraverse you throw yourself up into a flaring chimney, get a good head /body jam, then grovel up and out onto a ledge. All this sounds grose, but it was actually OK. The next pitch was a hideous one move wonder chimney to the top which Mikl led, but I should have as I would have fitted through the chimney a lot better on lead.
Next route was a 5-8+ jam crack (Psychopath) that I absolutely hurtled up as I borrowed someones crack gloves for. Man - I am SO buying myself some of those beauties. The crack, BTW, is not considered 5-8+ by anyone normal, but more like 5-10 at least.
Last crack of the day - The Eternity - another 5-8+, except I had to give back the crack gloves and bruised the shit out of my hands as a result. Oh well
Sunday
After a night of Japanese food, wine, and watching Saturdau night fever followed by a U2 concert series at Moss and Cokes place, we headed to the Station to pick up our friend Rob to climb with.
Mikl went off bolting nearby and Rob belayed me up Tombstone Wall (5-7+) where I discovered that I was trashed from yesterday. I managed to wail my way through the crux and then decidede to drop a few grades.
Mikl came back and ran up Cafe Racer (5-8) which is not really 5-8, or even 5-9, or even 5-10 for that matter, and has no gear through the v1 roof move until you get up the wall a few metres. Quite mad. I happily seconded this.
After Rob and Mikl took off to climb some harder stuff, I ate lunch then had a well-deserved snooze. After lunch I decided top redeem my offwidthing skills by practising on Charity, a 5-5 offwidth corner with no holds on the walls either side to change your options with. I collected several large cams from nearby parties, and headed up. After desperately trying to find a better way, I accepted the obvious and stuck my foot in the crack which worked a treat. Satisfied that this technique would not have worked at all on Spartan the previous day due to the very soft shoes I was wearing, I topped out only to find that as typical for the area, the "tree" that one raps off in guide was nowhere in sigfht and I was forced to drop down around the arete at grade 5-10 to gain the rap anchors.
All in all a good weekend, and offwidthing lessons that were well learned. Perhaps I'll regain the use of my abdominal muscles by the end off the week.
Climbed "The Spartan" a three pitch 5-8. I'd heard there was an offwidth section, but that it was easy and impossible to fall off, so I didn't bother gathering any big cams or other gear. We walked by some old blokes with a rack of number 4-5 cams, and Mikl suggested I borrow them. I started to worry a bit, and carried on about not wanting to do anything you needed anything bigger than a number 4 for, but caved in after they looked like I might die in response to my not wanting the gear but going off to climb the Spartan. Anyhoo - Mikl led the first easy pitch and I lead the crux pitch, which does indeed have a hefty offwidth start that I ver nearly did fall off after refusing point blamk to jam my foot into the section. Very nearly fell off, very very glad of cams, that were, if anything, slightly too small. Got to the jug at the top and destressed for about 20 mins. It was freezing with a howling wind, and I was pumped stupid as a result. The next bit of the pitch traversed out for 15m under a huge roof on underclimgs that I really wished I had hexes for (Mikl left them at home as we were planning on a doing a new route somewhere else but it was too cold). At the end of th etraverse you throw yourself up into a flaring chimney, get a good head /body jam, then grovel up and out onto a ledge. All this sounds grose, but it was actually OK. The next pitch was a hideous one move wonder chimney to the top which Mikl led, but I should have as I would have fitted through the chimney a lot better on lead.
Next route was a 5-8+ jam crack (Psychopath) that I absolutely hurtled up as I borrowed someones crack gloves for. Man - I am SO buying myself some of those beauties. The crack, BTW, is not considered 5-8+ by anyone normal, but more like 5-10 at least.
Last crack of the day - The Eternity - another 5-8+, except I had to give back the crack gloves and bruised the shit out of my hands as a result. Oh well
Sunday
After a night of Japanese food, wine, and watching Saturdau night fever followed by a U2 concert series at Moss and Cokes place, we headed to the Station to pick up our friend Rob to climb with.
Mikl went off bolting nearby and Rob belayed me up Tombstone Wall (5-7+) where I discovered that I was trashed from yesterday. I managed to wail my way through the crux and then decidede to drop a few grades.
Mikl came back and ran up Cafe Racer (5-8) which is not really 5-8, or even 5-9, or even 5-10 for that matter, and has no gear through the v1 roof move until you get up the wall a few metres. Quite mad. I happily seconded this.
After Rob and Mikl took off to climb some harder stuff, I ate lunch then had a well-deserved snooze. After lunch I decided top redeem my offwidthing skills by practising on Charity, a 5-5 offwidth corner with no holds on the walls either side to change your options with. I collected several large cams from nearby parties, and headed up. After desperately trying to find a better way, I accepted the obvious and stuck my foot in the crack which worked a treat. Satisfied that this technique would not have worked at all on Spartan the previous day due to the very soft shoes I was wearing, I topped out only to find that as typical for the area, the "tree" that one raps off in guide was nowhere in sigfht and I was forced to drop down around the arete at grade 5-10 to gain the rap anchors.
All in all a good weekend, and offwidthing lessons that were well learned. Perhaps I'll regain the use of my abdominal muscles by the end off the week.
posted by Ness at 12:27 pm
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