Roaches Meet 2015

Roaches Meet 23rd-25th October 2015

 

After the minor glitch of figuring out how to start the engine and a stalling start down the uni driveway, we were borne away, Roaches bound, by Katie’s exemplary, wonderfully smooth driving on this her first time driving the mini-bus. She was only very slightly stressed! We made good time and arrived there with plenty of evening left for some night-time ascents of the nearby boulders. After ascertaining that sadly, it really wasn’t going to be possibe to send the indoor problem due to the inconvenientley placed heater, James Squire led the charge and headed out to settle some unfinished business with ‘The Gutter’ V7. Headtorches angled, we all watched as he sent it on his first proper attempt after a quick clean and a sort out of the top section. 

Night-time ascent of 'The Gutter' V7.

He then turned his attentions to ‘Undercut dyno’ V6, while the rest of us settled for somewhat lower aspirations and proceeded to tick the area at the very excellent grade of approximatley VO-.  To be fair, there are some brilliant problems at this grade at the Roaches and we had a lot of fun!
Remy was particularly prolific, managing a total of 18 problems before the night was out. With his taste for the unconventional in climbing habits, he was of course, loving it, wanting to stay out until ‘at least 3am’! Connor, deciding his finger was OK showed us all up in his socked ascents.
The most notable ascent was Jack Armstrong ticking ‘Three Pocket Slab’ to the strains of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ after having consumed no small amount of ‘dutty tramp cider’. Clearly it’s all a headgame! Josh could confirm; as he loudly extolled the virtues of the ‘sustenance’ that alcohol provided for him.

Eventually after a very enjoyable evening and night, Remy, Toby Josh and I found ourselves the only ones left outside and went back inside to find everyone else sensibly tucked up in bed…

Saturday dawned clear and rain-less. Oh cruel deception; by 9.00 the rain had set in and was there to stay. Remy however was not to be daunted and was topping-out his first route on as yet dry rock before most of us were even done breakfasting... He then dragged a willing (I think) Ben off to do his first lead. Prow Crack VD. In the rain. Good effort Ben! 

Remy waiting for Ben to set up belay - really quite wet now.

I sent an enthusiastic Sam up Sifta’s Quid for some ‘fun’. Much swearing, unhappiness, and falling off occurred. ‘Fucking vile!’ was the verdict as Sam escaped up the VD, to nurse both his pride and various sensitive parts that had taken a battering as he fell out of the gross, slippy, wet crack at the top. He had refused to squirm through the rock as the guidebook indicated. Tom Beedle nearby, was nearing Sam unhappiness levels, standing learning to belay, in the steadily increasing rain. He had distinctly ‘had enough’ after one climb. Moan factor was high enough to make James M proud.

We all retreated back to the warm, to formulate a new plan. Scrabble and reading climbing magazines. We’re an adventurous bunch!

Eventually we remembered we like climbing, so Callum took most of them off to climb at Awesome Walls.

Callum’s account of Awesome Walls:

So we knew the weather wasn’t going to let up but we also knew we wanted to climb, so off we headed to Awesome walls in Stoke - where everything is awesome, all of the time. For the likes of James Trevitt and Tom Beedle this was their first time bouldering indoors and soon got stuck in. Jack ‘Stretch’ Armstrong and mines game of ‘Add 2’ was an epic one, one that we can probably call a draw and whom I was honoured to dual with. Katie was on a mission to tick the whole V1-2 (I think) circuit, drawing quite the crowd from the club especially on the more awkward ones – let it be noted that she suffered from an awful case of ‘disco leg’, or ‘doing an Elvis’ on more than one occasion. Next came the upstairs wad cave where many a spectacle was witnessed and biceps were polished. Of note was Sophie’s efforts on a balancy problem she’d got pretty close to each time and before having to leave sent it in true style. James Trivett meanwhile quietly sent the entire V0, V1 and V2 circuit on his first ever indoor climbing day. After a cute little warm down session (I was going to be the one responsible for destroying everyone at an indoor bouldering session only to have fantastic weather forecasted the next day) we headed back home, very much ready for some food and the drinking games that were to follow. 

More wet-weather ascents

 Meanwhile, I remembered I like walking and rain; so Josh, Sam and I packed up a bag and set off to explore Hen Cloud and Ramshaw Rocks. Hen Cloud was suitably intimidating and we looked at all the cracks we didn't want to climb. Then we got the map out to see how best to get to Ramshaw. Or tried to. As we had left the house Josh had sensibely asked ‘have we got the map?' ‘yes’ ‘yes we’ve got the map’ Sam and I both replied. Turns out no, we didn't actaully have the map at all. Ah well, adventure time! Bush-wacking and potential mild trespassing followed before we were invited to walk though the garden of the posh-looking Roaches Manor. We were also invited in for tea and cake...I’m not sure why we didn’t take this offer up? Anyway, we took the most circuitous route possible, through woodland, though cow fields, and past a string of 34 dead moles hung up on a fence...! Eventually we found ourselves drinking thermos coffee under Ramshaw's overhangs, and looking out a the softly falling drizzle. After ogling the gnarly hard routes to be found there, we exited a gross wet gully…(why josh!) and at Josh’s strong request headed back via ‘sensible paths with no more bushwacking!’ Funnily enough it didn't take nearly as long.

Team photo. Best soggy walk ever!

The rabble soon returned and the day turned into night which in turn rapidly descended into drinking, games and more events and that are best kept within the walls of the hut. Or outside them, as one naked hut-runner can attest to.
Sam and Toby became rather more intimately acquainted, Tom Beedle fell victim to Toby’s Jager, and we all learned a little more about each other. 

Does this need words..?

1.00am came round, the second time, and found, Josh, Remy, Toby and Connor singing uproariously and polishing off the quite significant remainder of the Jager. Josh, after the Jager, kindly thought he’d do Callum a favour and save him carrying the weight of a half a crate of beer home. Josh then woke up far too jolly to not still be drunk. Josh then bailed off routes all day. Josh was then very sad because he felt too sick to eat his lunch. Josh was only just in a fit state to start consuming solids again by the KFC stop that night. The story of Josh.

But we mustn't be forgetting the story of Remy. Feeling he hadn’t got enough climbing in after Awesome Walls, he took Toby off into the gathering twilight with and rope and rack to climb the only bit of dry rock going: Raven Rock Gully Right-Hand VS 4b. (Why wasn’t ‘gully’ enough to put him off?)

It actually look's kind-of nice here..

It was glorious…that is if you like damp, slimy esoteric chimneys that spit you out re-birthed after an ordeal of grime. So for Remy it was glorious. Clearly.

The moment of re-birth.

Toby’s enjoyment levels were slightly more questionable, but brave is the man who takes up Remy’s belay request!

The morning dawned misty but rain-free and stayed as such. So and we all arose, some more worse for the wear than others, but got everything cleaned up and were out climbing by 9am.

First to Sam and Anthony’s Esoterica Day - I mean ‘Team Marianne’s Sufferfest’. This kicked off with a sopping wet jug on Left Hand Route HS 4b, soon followed by the green expanse of Kelly’s Shelf S 4b with no cams (!), and then by Anthony’s bold S 4a lead of ‘Reset Portion of Galley 37’. Bold I’m told it was; bold, wet and green with the odd thread round a loose block. 

   Finally Sam, vowing revenge on Sifta’s Quid, roped up to do battle. It was indeed a battle, a most memorable one; for both the observers and the observed. 

In the thoes of battle.

Sam got all inside the rock and after much thrutching and groaning, most of it on the spot, emerged more than slightly battered and scarred - both emotionally and physically! 

Post-Sifta's Quid- the suffering is real.

Remy, after a very productive morning ticking, decided to get on Valkyrie with Connor. Off they went. And there they stayed. For not one, or two…but three hours. After making 2 pitches out the first 15m pitch, Remy who had managed his ropes excellently up the this point, decided that jamming up a gross-looking crack in the middle of the lovely airy traverse would be preferable. This resulted in some air-time that saw him just grasping the lip of the overhang below. Fast forward about and hour and Connor was just starting. Fast forward another hour and we find Connor with the ropes totally stuck in Remy’s god-awful crack, frozen on the face, unable to go up or down. The details of this epic are probably best left to fade into the mists of time to become the stuff nostalgic reminiscence, but eventually they made it to the top to wait sheepishly in order to apologise profusely to the poor unfortunate pair that had started up behind them all those long hours ago…

Remy’s verdict was the controversial slating of the Don, which ran along the lines of:  ‘Whillans must have been drunk when he put up that three star nothing bag of shit!’

All looking good at this point..

To add to the list of questionable male climbing instance that day, Toby was pretty gutted to lose a hex irretrievably on the first climb of the day!

Over to Katie and Sophie. They partook of no such antics, instead they had the novel idea of picking a dry route, reading the description properly, climbing it with the appropriate use of gear and ropes, seconding it and getting all the gear out, and moving on to the next one. And the result was a success! They both executed the prescribed ‘beached wale’ flop onto Kelly’s Shelf, S4b beautifully.

Sophie on Kelly's Shelf, S 4b

After a few more leads by Katie including the by now notorious Sifta's Quid, Sophie got on her first lead ever, Prow Crack, VD. This went down beautifully with no issues at all, despite the groans of despair echoing from the rock in Sam’s direction.

Top-out psyche!

Ben too, seemingly not put-off forever by his first wet lead, dispatched two more in quick succession and good style. Prow Corner VD and Captain Lethargy HVD with Tom Liddell. The one lowlight of his day was his top-rope whipper, courtesy of Remy where he very nearly decked out..!

Ben looking cool and collected on his first (dry) lead. Pro Corner VD

Back to Toby and Tom Beedle, where after losing the hex, Toby had a very good epic-less day, leading the lovely Black Velvet HVD, Prow Corner VD and Captain Lethargy HVD. Sadly there are no photo's of him though! Tom Beedle who had never climbed before, had gotten over his misery of the previous day in the rain, and was by now a very able lead belayer and second.

James Trivett and Sophie

Callum and James Trivett also had a good day ticking, James Trivett managing to second everything without resting on the rope once. Callum also had to solo Sifta’s Quid to rescue Katie from rope drag and give her a mid-route hug, and so ended up soloing the whole route which was ‘actually great fun.’  I am then told he had to sort out various rope drama’s involving Toby soloing up to get his lost hex and then needing rescuing, another bad case of rope drag from Katie! (Ok maybe her day wasn't so perfect after all!)

Katie and Anthony

Meanwhile, we unfortunately had a mounting list of injured climbers, James Squire had a badly bruised toe from his attempts on undercut dyno, and couldn’t put shoes on to climb all weekend. He has promised to come back and crush next meet though! Jack Armstrong’s arm was not too strong (sorry) after he pulled a bicep bouldering and Adam too hurt hand bouldering and spent the rest of the day taking photos. Hmmm there seems to be a pattern, and I can’t help but identify the common factor here… Get on the ropes guys! 

A particularly lovely photo of Adam's.

 Climbing with myself was Tom Beedle. New to climbing outdoors, after learning how to lead belay in the rain on Saturday, Tom proved to be an excellent belayer as I took him round a selection of Roches climbs. He took everything calmly in his stride, from slabs to cracks and even overhangs. Probably ready for a lead soon should he feel so inclined! West Wallaby VS 4c’s pumpy overhanging traverse, however, saw him swinging into space unable to gain any purchase on the rock , so we bailed for some lunch while another party keen to get going rather than wait for me to abseil, took my gear out. 

Josh and Anthony loving life.

During lunch I voiced a desire to try Commander Energy E2 5c as it looked a little less intimidating than I’d expected, much to Callum’s vocal enthusiasm. After getting ‘all of the beta’ from Callum I racked up feeling steadily less psyched and more sick… why was I getting on a grit E2! This was something I had time to ask myself a few more times as I went up to and then backed off the crux about 6, maybe more, times! I just had no idea what the move was meant to be, all I knew was that Callum’s beta wasn’t going to work for me, being considerably shorter! I came very close to bailing, and even started developing rock-envy of Sam who had all the rock surrounding him in Sifta’s Quid and didn't have to deal with an expanse of holdless grit! Eventually something clicked and an incredibly tenuous rockover move gained the break. The rest was awesome, particularly the lovely airy arete at the top!

 Callum may or may not describe it otherwise below, but after his epic belay, it seems only fair to grant him an account of it from his perspective:

Callum on Ellie's ascent of Commander Energy (E2, 5c)

The only way I can describe Ellie’s ascent was that of a broken lift, up and down and up and down and up and down…and after the 5^th or 6^th time I think she remembered how to climb. What many do in dynamic style Ellie thought she’d do the big sidepull/reachy move statically – treating it like a friction slab. It was fucking grim to watch, I was gripped even though I was the one still on the ground. But she did it with (she may disagree) reasonable amounts of grace – unlike the next section. Some great grunts could be made out from Ellie as she pulled herself over onto the thin flake and elegant is not the word I’d use. Once established on said flake I hear a ‘I thought you said it was all over here Callum!!!’ as she approached the final blank arête/slab. …Erm yeh sorry about that… Anyway, after a few moments of figuring out the final smears of the route an ecstatic Ellie topped out victorious! Her first grit E2! Get in!! 

Callum being equally 'elegant'

Sophie on her first lead while I faff in the background.

If emotions were visible that short stretch of crag would have been a rainbow, from Toby leading in the corner, past Sophie going though all the emotions of a first lead, my tortuous agonising over the hard move, to Sam turning the air blue in no quiet fashion inside the rock at the far end.

After his epic belay session, we went up for Callum to ‘look at’ The Sloth HVS 5a. However wasn't feeling the psyche that day, so we went bouldering instead, with Jack and James. Callum did the classic Joe’s Arête V3 second attempt which was cool, although much to my disgust at the time as I no-one to work it with then! We then both flashed the easiest 6a matle problem ever (not 6a!) and played about on the boulders until the dark began to descend. On a last-ditch attempt of Joe's Arete I somehow latched the top much to my pure astonishment!

 

As the sun set bathing the woodland and crag in an amazing orange glow, we all packed up and traipseddown to the van to wait for Toby and Tom Beedle, who had decided to finish the trip as we'd begun it: climbing at night!

All in all, despite the rain, it was a great trip, of much variety, night-time bouldering, wet walks, indoor climbing, wet climbs, dry climbs, green climbs; and when we weren’t climbing much fun was had in the hut, both scrabble and drinking games! More first leads happened, esoterica was climbed, and fun was had by all accounts. I for one, can’t wait until next time! 

 Pictures courtesy of  Adam, Jack and Sam. Thank you :)

Peak Camping 2015

The first proper meet of the year got off to a good start with loads of new faces. The drive up was uneventful and we arrived at North Lee's campsite to find Callum and Remy swathed in a sea of tent fabric. Everyone got stuck in and soon we had Toby's huge tent erected so that the rather many holes could all be admired more easily. These, despite Remy's labours that afternoon sewing and taping a metre-long tear, were rather abundant! After a tent pole was bodged into place and multiple rips taped up, people made themselves comfortable inside with fingers tightly crossed for a dry wind-free night!
The morning brought bitter cold, and we crawled out of our sleeping bags reluctantly. Jack announced that the 'trad season was over' it being far too cold - he himself having forgotten all warm clothing is Wales.


We soon got going however and arrived at Burbage North car park in good time, splitting off into groups to explore the various outcrops of rock that make up this crag.
Charlie and I took our groups on a march to the far end while Callum and Marie stayed to nearby to witness Remy as he swiftly got going on his epic day of falling off! More on this later. Meanwhile Jack and James Squire sessioned (if you could call it that..) some of the brilliant bouldering routes Burbage has to offer. Jack was pretty psyched to send Remergence f6b, but quickly found he could not keep James occupied, who after flashing Remergence and getting it's harder sit-start after about four attempts, went off in search of harder challenges across the valley.

Burbage North looking lovely in the early morning.

The far end was very crowded with Southampton students everywhere! Charlie, with Ali and Emma got on the excellent Lieback HS 4c. Chris, after showing me up seconding clean a VS 5c that I'd bailed on in disgust (definitely because he is taller than me!), got on his first trad lead, Still Orange S 4a which he completed with no difficulty at all.


So back to Remy's antics. First up: Pulcherine VS 4b. Total falls: 3 including 1 deck-out. Second in line: Mutiny Crack HS 4b. Total falls: 5, 3 before the overhang, and 1 off the ledge after it.  The second one saw him sprawled flat on his back groaning. Our concern turned to amusement at his disgusted moans of 'whyyy!?' The pad was then employed to minimise further damage to his person as he then proceeded to fall off a further 4 times in quick succession. (Note to Remy: throw old shoes away!) Callum too decided to join the deck-out train, hitting the ground from the start section of Knight's Move HVS 5a after claiming to find 'no gear' behind the flake. Precarious balancing not being for him that day, he instead opted to get inside the rock on Hollybush Crack, a VS 4b semi-offwidth crack which Ben and Maddy successfully seconded.


Charlie and I thought we'd better set things straight with a successful lead(yeah right.. the route required a determined fist jam and a long reach!) and set off to do battle with Wednesday Climb HVS 5b. A battle it was. And not an elegant one. Or a sucessful one. We retired battered and broken.

A pitifuly bad jam.

Maybe getting inside will work?!

Maybe it wont...

Instead we mangaged to both do Banana Finger V3 after a few attempts- some dignity restored...maybe, those pictures!






By now James had come back from his sending Zaff Skoczylas 7C; it was time to get him on a trad lead and start ingraning the ethics of the ULMC into him early! The Grogan HVS 5c was picked as a suitable first lead and after a tutorial in cam and nut placements from myself, we sourced a harness, taught him how to rack up, 'Oh but that's so much extra weight!,' and he was ready to go. Locking off through and past the hardest moves to place gear he complained he was getting pumped - these boulderers!

James on The Grogan HVS 5b

Chris, after having whinged at me all day that nothing was hard enough, was invited to second it, but decided to jump off near the top, definitly intentional - I hear it's more fun that way!

The success route of the day was Mutiny Crack which I think almost everyone either lead or seconded. Jack even got sworn at by a girl from another group for cutting loose on it and dicking about, after she had had a hard time leading it, much to the gathered audience's hilarity. Then, after collecting everything and everyone together, we drove to the pub where we basked in the warmth and after a few beers soon started dropping off to sleep (Marie).



Sunday dawned cloudy, and Emma, Marie and I emerged from our tent to find that luckely the rain in the night hadn't caused the occupants of the dubious tent too much discomfort! After wide varity of breakfasts were consumed - Adam - pork pies, Chris - mini sausages and apple juice, and Ben - cold soup (!), we speedily packed up and set off to 'the finest of all gritstone edges,' Stanage. It was a beautiful morning, with swathes of mist pooling in the valley beneath us, and cold and early enough that we could take our pick of the routes before the hordes arrived.

Pooling mist in the valley below Stanage early Sunday morning.

First off we sent Jack away with Ben to get on some harder climbs, but after a few hours they returned because Jack had broken, quite literally, his belayer, who had thus far seconded everything that Callu,  the day before, and Jack today, had thrown at him with admirable success. Now he had unfortunatly hurt his knee on a particularly high step, which was also a shame as I'd hoped to get him on a lead that day.
But things were going well overall. Remy put things right and didn't fall off once! He and Maddy climbed the classic Vdiff of the crag Flying Buttress.  Here Remy even got to practice his pully skills, having haul Maddy up over a tricky step. He then (wearing his good shoes!) proceeded to have a great day, he and Maddy ticking off a long list of routes including at the end, his sucessful lead of a run out VS 4c called Malarete.


Ali made the most of the day re-consolidating his leading skills after having had a break from climbing. He also lead Flying Buttess, with Emma and Marie seconding him, followed later in the day by Sociology S 4a, and Black Hawk Hell Crack S 4a - a good effort, and not a route I'd have attempted when trying to consolidate Severe - the name says it all! Emma seconded all these routes, becoming over the weekend a competant belayer and second, maybe time for a lead next meet..? In fact, quite a few of the new members are probaby ready for a first lead next time.

Charlie and Chris had a good day ticking too, and after a sucesstion of HS's and a VS 4c finger crack Via Media, Charlie got on Via Dexter Right Hand HVS 5b and lead her first grit HVS, which was also her first proper onsight of a HVS as a pretty psyched Charlie told us :) That should definitly inspire confidence to get on some more!

Marie started off on a Vdiff and then Garden Wall S, and then after seconding Charlie clean on the HVS (another first, and a pretty happy Marie), decided to get on her first HS, Castle Crack. She'd been caught out by time contraints and had had to bail on one at Burbage so it was high time to tick this goal! Chris got his best intructor voice out to coax her through the hard bits. 'I'm a real bitch when I lead' she informed him with serious forthrightness beforehand; he knew what he was in for.

Marie looking stylish on Castle Crack HS 4b

And pretty...

Callum meanwhile, after having made a right meal of both the climbing (much grunting) and his ropes (no comment!) on Central Trinity Vs 4c, procceed to give Adam an inadvertant excersise in jamming, picking routes that despite appearances, Adam could always find a handy jam in, making suitable jamming noises at the same time. Apparently this diminishes the pain involves..? Callum then dispatched Queersville (Shitsville, James M), HVS 5b with no problems which Adam also seconded, before spending a while sat beneath Flying Butress Direct...a story we shall return to!

After enjoying Christmas Crack, Sophie and I got to experiecne the glorious top-out of Straight and Narrow HVS 5a, a truly brilliant overhanging mantle with a jug! Sophie, having come on this meet not having climbed very much at all, had learnt how to belay with Chris and I yesterday and was now a trusted belayer and was able to second both climbs with skill, picking up laybacking in particular with ease. This was followed but another prehaps more than slightly run-out HVS, which actually turned out to be an E1 5b on UKC, explaining the serious deck-out potential! Then I racked and roped up but ad-hoc decided to solo Heaven Crack, the best V Diff I've ever climbed. I'm not a fan of soloing but doing it with a rope and the possibilty to place gear if I so desired, was a really nice way to do a first real solo climb.

At this juncture James returned with the widest grin on his face and noncholantly told us he'd done The Ace. 'Cool, must be hard' I thought flicking through my guide. Hard... at V13, it is the hardest problem at Stanage, and to date James' hardest problem. No wonder he looked so delighted!

James sending The Ace V13

Then I got Jack to come and belay me on The Left Unconqurable, E1 5b, as I had yet to do a grit E1. It remained true to it's name - still unconqured after two attempts and two fairly beefy whippers with the rope burn to prove it! So we traipsed back along the crag to bully, ahem, ecnourage with gentle prodding, Callum to get on Flying Buttress Direct E1 5b. And what a spectacular show it was! Leaving the ground with the bold statement 'you don't need skin, just biceps', he built a bomb-shelter under the overhang and after a few ups and downs to psych himself up, he let loose a power scream and launched himself toward the lip, grabbing it and swinging outwards in spectacular style! He finished it up with a heel-hook and a couple more pull-up moves as everyone on the ground watched and bathed in the afternoon sunshine.

'You don't need skin, just biceps!'

So to get on the send-train, Jack, Chris, Sophie and I went back to my hitherto unconquerable route, Charlie coming along to take photo's. On this third attempt the moves all flowed and felt easy and I and jug-hauled up the final holds on slowly melting arms, so psyched to have done it! The best routes are the ones you have to try hardest for and, and I'd found it hard, being pumpy and needing speed and confidence.

The Left Unconquerable E1 5b

So many hardest-ever leads happened that day, first grit routes at the grade, and just generally solid leading all round. The new members, if they weren't already, were all competent belayers by the end, and although many were less experienced, there was really very good standard of climbing going on all round. Some people are now well on their way to first trad leads.
I think it's fair to say everyone tried hard, and had a great weekend with suprising good weather.  Let's keep it up!

Sunset at Stanage

Thanks to Charlie, Emma and James for the photo's :)