Driving into the car parking by Bus stop quarry you have no idea of what is around the corner. The dark grey landscape has the look of a Tolkien landscape. Cant help thinking the Welsh really know how to fuck up the landscape (but thanks anyway). As you walk around, the sound of slate cracking beneath your feet I start to feel anxious about what I will find, after all we had no guide book and the rumours about climbing on slate had left me feeling nervous. But, once we reached the Australia sector the mood changes and I started to feel a little comforted by my surroundings. Everything was bolted well, none of the stupid wide spaced bolting you find in the peak district and the lines of the climbs looked pleasant.
After looking around I decided enough is enough and its time to do something. Picking a route I liked the look of I tied on and jumped on and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. It was climbing indoors, the holds were there you just had to be able to use them. I found out that this route and the next to follow were graded VS - yes for those who don't know some slate routes carry trad grades - and were immense fun. Sometimes you have to get away from the hard stuff and just enjoy yourself, something I forgot about later when the dark shadow of competitiveness creeped in.
After a friend and experienced climber had lead a route graded E2 6a called Gaddafi Duck, one of the newest climbers in our outing and one full of enthusiasm decided to get on it as well and lead it. This was ok I wasn't to bothered but as my main climbing partner decided to jump on the route and have a go as well and succeed I decided I couldn't let that go and decided to have a go myself - its good having someone to climb with, with whom you have healthy competition. After a couple of attempts top roping ,a failed lead attempt down to a real lack of commitment, to many mental distractions and with the climbing party distracted and not paying attention I jumped back on. I can't climb with an audience, well not straight away. The first part of this route is the hardest and when your grip strength isn't a strength at all you need to think a bit unconventionally - compared to some climbers I know anyway - and make use of what you've got.
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In four wheel drive mode to make the first clip on Gaddafi Duck E2 6a/6b+ |
Solving problems is part of what I love about climbing and the picture above says it all. Knowing I couldn't hold on and make the clip I needed another pair of hands to stay on the rock and so used my foot to toe hook the hand rail to my left. After this it was time to make what I call the Pete Whitaker - the high step move to bring your foot by your hands and rock over as much as you can and grab that arete and pull and push to the final relief of being able to stand up straight and relax a little before the next committing balancing act and strange body shapes that seem to define this route.
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The high step move on Gaddafi makes you wish you took up Yoga. |
The rest of this route becomes a lot easier but very pleasant. I'm glad that competitiveness is there or I would have missed out on a great climb. But realised that I must make sure I climb routes for the right reason, jealousy is never a good motivator - but I soon realised that the jealousy was born out of others and how they approached me and climbing, stirring things up negatively and so realised I must climb for my own reasons, a little competition is good but should never be the main reason for climbing and you should have some fun along the way, no matter what twisted form it comes in, when things stop being fun the motivation drops.
The day was finished off with a bit of fun, after all all work no play makes Matt a dull boy. Having watched everyone else climb Solstice (HVS 5a) I decided I would have a go plus I needed to retrieve some gear. I decided this would be a speed run and try and climb as smoothly and quickly as possible the 24 meter climb. I looked at the moves and run though my head what I was going to do but made sure at the same time I kept an open mind incase things were different. Which they were at the top, having the open mind though allowed me to move through the final moves easily to reach the top in 2min and 19sec. Not to bad I. Showed myself how the right mental attitude and a top rope can make a massive difference in your climbing.
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| Running up Solstice HVS 5a Bus Stop Quarry. A nice fun route one to come back and lead. |
The following day it was time for a few climbs around Tremadog a beautiful place where the rock rises out of the trees to tower above the road and the homely Eric Jones' Climbers' Cafe. After eying up the route called Y Broga (HVS 5a) for a few days I talked myself into doing the route. Having not had much success on grit stone hvs routes I was confident it being a slab would fall to my strengths, with its mixture of slap and layback climbing up a corner.
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| Y Broga - HVS 5a Tramadog |
Placing the gear was easy, all the footholds were good and the gear was near the crux so the run out didn't worry me, but as I made my way through the crux sequence of laybacking off a polished slab the route started to take its toll, I finally managed to grab a loose chock stone and pull up to the end of the pitch. It felt amazing, almost warming to do this. More than mere satisfaction, deeper than that. But the fun wasn't over.
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Ben leading the second pitch on Y Broga. His first trad lead. |
After letting my partner climb the second easier and good all round pitch (which was his first trad lead so hats off to him) I was faced with the last pitch. Climbing up the short slab to the arete I was faced with sheer exposure. Climbing up on thin finger cracks, poor-ish slopers and feeling the pump set in I fiddled in the gear as best I could edging upwards, my mind set on the hope of reaching my final destination
but at the same time immersed in the moment. I place one more bit of gear as I hung on to the arete, feeling nothing but air and rock around me, my wire half in and half out of the crack I make the final move to a surprising jug and the easy moves to the top, my heart pumping and the feeling of relief and joy flooded through me.
An amazing weekend that showed me what can be accomplished with the right and wrong type of motivation. The wrong motivation was falling into the grasp of jealousy and competitiveness without first having that bit of fun at the same time even though it resulted in doing a great climb. The right motivation was my love of certain styles of climbing in this case slabs and the confidence in my ability to climb them, sometimes as a friend once said you have to focus on your strengths as well as your weaknesses. And above all I extended my comfort zone, not by much but just a little to make a difference in the future, enough for my brain to be happy with, sometimes you have to walk before you can run. My horizons are becoming that little bit clearer in the mind bedding world of climbing as I realise more about myself and what lays ahead.
