This started based on Jim’s almost unnatural love for slate. He persuaded
Jack to go for a day of climbing in Hangingstone quarry with him and Tanner. I
managed to tag along thanks to an invitation from Jack and prepared for a day
on slate sport. How close it was surprised all of us. It took a similar time as
the bus to the tower takes to get there. We parked and set off up what we
thought was the right trail trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. Luckily
the first person to talk to us assumed we were going to Hangingstone quarry,
and was kind enough to point us in the right direction. The right direction was
up a hill through a field. Unfortunately there was a land rover parked at the
top of the hill but we chanced it anyway. Sure enough there was someone in the
land rover, who asked us where we were going and informed us of the nature of
the land … not public access.
We left quickly and without protest to avoid compromising possible
access disputes. This set a bit of a downer on the day but we settled on Forest
Rock as a secondary destination and attempted to find it. This involved a wrong
turn in the car and subsequent U-turn, and asking a local for directions.
Eventually we found the small outcrop. What an outcrop though. A slate cave
with slabbed sides. We all warmed up on the V0 slab, then attempted the V1 crack
problem that started the E1 Sorcerer. Jack was the only one that had an issue
but this was a height issue for the lower moves. The lanky swine could almost
reach the top from the first high foot. The rest of us had to do a really
awkward lean through using a hand jam to reach the jug.
The next problem, which occupied most of our time was a tasty V2
called Saucy. At a first glance it looked like a layback problem up a hanging
rib next to the V1 we had just done. Tanner had however seen a video of someone
chimneying up the route, so we spent an hour or so trying various ways of
grovelling up the problem to no avail. I decided after a while to try my initial
idea of laybacks and knee-bars which this time came to fruition. Weird moves
indeed. Jim then succeeded in laybacking up the route, while Tanner managed to
crack the chimney method. Jack unfortunately was again plagued by size. While
he would be able to reach the top hold after 2 moves he could not move past the
first. Flexibility was an issue that could not be avoided it seems.
After a lunch break we took the mats to a slab by the cave entrance.
We move back the V2 quickly after 2 attempts did not go well. Large falls onto
a sloped landing, with loose and wet holds was not something any of us wanted
to do.
We went back to trying the V2 and the V4 sit start. Despite several
tries and various techniques the V4 remained just out of our grasp. Tanner and
I were the only ones trying and neither of us could pull of the body tension
needed for the moves. Jack unfortunately never managed to crack the V2 despite
getting very close several times. That’s just the way of bouldering though.
We all were running out of patience and strength so called the day
early. Just as we were leaving though a fellow boulderer arrived, who kindly
gave us a run-down of other problems we could try, and of other crags in the
area we could check out. Despite the bad fortune of the day we left in high
spirits and returned to Leicester in the sun for a nice relaxing evening.
Might be a while again to my next post … May even be my last as part
of the ULMC …
Until next time then :)
No comments:
Post a Comment