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24th Aug 2012 True North

I don’t normally whinge about the summer weather we get. The last few years haven’t been that bad, I don’t think. Yes it’s not been that hot, but that’s better for climbing conditions. They’ve also not been that dry but at least we’ve always had a dry spring so almost all the routes are dry on the steep cliffs even if it does rain. This year however it has been terrible! No dry spring so everything is wet and then the usual showery and humid July and August. Trying to get anything done in this country has been a real challenge.

 

 

To my surprise everything at Kilnsey was dry a few weeks ago so I took the opportunity to get back on True North, the classic 8c up the middle of the very impressive North buttress. I’ve tried True North a few times before over the years and always been stopped by conditions. This route is the last to dry out at Kilnsey and the first to get wet! I’ve been in the position before ready to redpoint the route only to find the next time I’m there it’s totally soaked, it’s so frustrating! This is normally the crux for anyone wanting to do this route, but I was hoping it’d be different this time.

 

I spent a couple of days re-working the sequences, trying to remember them and changing them a bit. Not surprisingly it had rained heavily for a few days in a row and there were signs it was going to seep again very soon. I had one more long weekend to try and get it done. Friday was rubbish conditions. I was on redpoint shaking out at the rest half way up getting wet from the drizzle blowing in! This is a 30 degree overhanging wall 25 metres high, how was I getting wet!! I fell, not tired, at the upper crux due to wet crimps. I had one more day, after a rest day, to get it done. Hopefully the conditions would be better. Sunday….it wasn’t ideal conditions, quite overcast and humid, but at least the rock wasn’t getting wet! Thankfully I did it first redpoint with out too much trouble. As I expected the cliff was a waterfall once again by Tuesday, I done it just in time!

 

3 days later I found myself at Raven Tor, this time with very different conditions to Sunday at Kilnsey, it was cold and a strong wind was blowing. I was there to try Mecca Extension, another classic 8c that I’d tried earlier this year but like everything it had been wet for ages. It was now dry and I was psyched. It went the same as True North, first redpoint quite easily. 2 8c’s in 4 days, cool! I’ve got a couple more exciting projects this year that I’d love to finish off, before I go to Spain for a month in November. I’m just hoping the weather allows me to try them at some point!

 

Contributed by: Neil Mawson

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