Climbing in Paradise (August 2013)

Finding myself in Provence for a couple of weeks I could not wait to get onto some limestone and burn off some of the inevitable extra calories accumulated by les aperos, entrees, plat prancipaux and desserts. My daughter Laura was keen to give sport climbing a try so I consulted the internet and discovered Paradou (paradise) at
http://nicobrasfort.starnux.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Topo-Escalade-Paradou-2004.pdf

View from the top at Paradou

Lots of 3's and 4's on this section (north facing so in the shade)

This is an ideal beginners crag: gets 2 out of 5 stars on some websites but this is because it is small, about 20m max height, so not intimidating. As you can see the section above has a nice flat base. There are brand new staples and chains at the top of each pitch and a little terrace for the leader to stand on while fiddling with lower off setups. A newly installed Via Ferrata wanders over the crag. One negative point is this crag is near a road so could get busy at times. Luckily when we arrived we had the crag to ourselves.

After warming up on some 3's I mistakenly lead a 4+ ( I thought I was on a 3) After installing a lower off I suggested Laura have a go and not to worry if she fell off. As it happened Laura breezed up it, so we tried a few more similiar routes.  By this time it was 11.00 am and time to vacate:  Provencal crags in August have limited access due to fire risk. To find out if a crag is available go to http://www.bouches-du-rhone.gouv.fr/files/massif/

Invigorated by our visit to Paradou we decided to visit Chateau Virant, this time for an evening climb on its east face (shady after 6.00pm)  We would take Michel our gite owner with us. I had visited Chateau Virant with Michel last year (see previous Blog) Here the climbs are a little higher that those at Paradou and as the crag is on an escarpment the view more sensational.

Chateau Virant (east face)

The prospect of the crag as you approach from the car park is not very impressive: shaped like a molar tooth it has been scarred by a carved staircase to give access to a vandalised viewing platform. However the  east face of the crag makes a greater impact and the staircase can prove useful if difficulties in setting lowers are encountered. The stone has a lovely white marble like appearance but still provides plenty of friction.


Someone had kindly marked the base of each climb with its technical grade from 3 to 6, thought of as an almost sacrilegious act on British rock. Out here in Provence however there is so much rock that I cannot see how a little graffiti does any harm. I must say I found the marks useful as the guide book to this area is very expensive and I do not have one!

Olive groves and vinyards make a great backdrop to the Chateau Virant outcrop (east face)

As usual we warmed up on some grade 3's. The climbing was straightforward but a leader can be faced with some awkward lower off setups (paired staples in inconvenient positions with no linking chain) so plenty of slings may be needed. We soon settled into a rhythm with myself leading, belayed by Laura, then Laura removing quick draws as she climbed belayed by Michel, and lastly Michel climbing belayed by myself from the bottom of the crag.


After moving on to one or two grade 4 climbs (thanks Stephen for the extra gear) the sun dipped below the western horizon. A damp breeze blew in from the Etang de Berre giving the rock a clammy feel. We spent some time gazing up at some lovely looking grade fours but sadly our climbing session had come to an end. Maybe we'll be back next year to try them?

Michel on a Grade 4

Michel and his wife Bernadette had kindly invited us that evening to dinner at their gite. Several bottles of Bordeaux red were drunk making for a perfect end to great day.

Climbing and tea cake on Portland

 At last genuine summer weather has arrived! Our planned return to Portland on 13th and 14th July coincided with one of the hottest weekends of the year with gin blue skys and soldiers keeling over on the Brecon Beacons due to heat exhaustion.


To avoid the rigeurs of the afternoon sun  we opted for the Cheyne Weares area (east facing) and headed down the cliff path to try out an area new to us: Godnor Far North. There was a sizeable crowd already assembled on the rocky cliff base where we joined the queue for Valerie's Patio (grade 3) Although we had to wait our turn for climbs the atmosphere was friendly with the usual climber's witty banter providing entertainment.

A mini rock festival at Godnor far north

Stephen then lead Tombstone, a gorgeous little 3+ climb with an interesting start and nice holds appearing at just the right times and in the right places.


 I then lead Noonie and the Pulp Fiction Tantrum (4+) It felt more like a 5 and when I finally reached the top I was hot and exhausted. I also wished I had bought my helmet as there seemed to be some loose rocks at the top. With an awkward stance I was faced with a pair of staples above head height. Before threading the rope through these and being lowered to the ground I began the usual proceedure of  pulling up what I thought was an ample bite of rope, tying a figure of eight on it and clipping it to the belay loop on my harness. The idea is to ensure the leader is attached to the rope at all times so he does not drop it and become stranded. (very embarrassing) I untied my original figure of eight knot and started to thread the rope through the two staples. To my exasperation I discovered that I had not pulled up enough rope to pass through both staples and reconnect with my harness. This was frustrating and the heat made the situation worse. Without going into too much detail it took what seemed an age to rectify the situation. I felt I had learnt a valuable lesson: after reaching the top of a sport climb and clipping on, take time to breath deeply and work out a sensible strategy to avoid rushing and making silly mistakes.


Before too much dehydration had set in we retired to the Sugar Loaf Cafe in Easton for tea and excellent toasted tea cakes which I highly recommend. Then off to Exeter to crash on my son James' floor but not before a beer and an Indian meal!


On Sunday we returned for more practice on Portland. This time we tried an old haunt: the Veranda on Battlship Back cliff (west facing)

Stephen and fellow climber on The Veranda

I tried leading another 4+ called Limestone Cowboy but could not top out. I felt uneasy about a rock ledge below the top move and all the time was wondering whether I would hit this if I fell.  I convinced myself that a vital hold had broken off so tried  traversing slightly right to the next climb in the hope of more success. This also proved difficult and I eventually did fall off. No harm was done though just a slightly bruised ego.

Me on Phil's route (4)

 


We then warmed down on Never Lead a Dumb Existence (4) Phil's Route (4) and lastly Dr Sole and Mr Sole (3) before returning to the Sugar Loaf Cafe for more tea cake.

 Cheers Stephen for doing all the driving and James for accommodating us. We'll be back.

Southern Sandstone at 60

Yours truely in Glen Brittle, Isle of Skye 1984

Now that my big 60 is arriving next year, should I not be hanging up my harness, and thinking about abandoning my local sandstone outcrops for more sedate activities: golf perhaps? I believe there are many reasons why a climber, who has arrived at three score years in reasonable physical shape and still enjoys the sport, should continue as long as he or she can. Of course a certain amount of adaptation is required to ensure continued motivation as the years go by. In this article I will describe the benefits I have gained through this exhilarating sport and  some strategies I have adopted which hopefully will keep me coming back for more in the future. These strategies are also useful for anyone wishing to take up the sport in later life.

Climbing should be fun- but how can this be sustained over the years? I believe this sport involves a mental game which every climber has to play. The way you feel about your own performance can depend on what you want to achieve and who you compare yourself with. Although it may not be obvious, most climbing does have a competitive element, but this must not be allowed to get out of hand. Another pitfall in climbing is grade obsession: the drive to achieve harder and harder climbs. Inevitably there comes a time when when age starts to affect performance.The time in our lives when we experience this drop is different for each person, and could be largely controlled by our genetic make up. Listening to your own body and making decisions about how to realistically challenge yourself is the key to sustained passion for climbing in later life. 

As far as fitness is concerned, most youngsters do have an advantage over us more mature climbers: they are supple and thus tend to be less injury prone. To promote suppleness I do stretching exercises when I get up in the morning and my body is warm, concentrating on the lower back and hip joints. Keeping these parts of the body supple is so important especially when attempting sandstone climbs graded 5+. I always warm up and stretch before attempting a climb and if it is the first climb of the day , then choose a lower level of difficulty. It is tempting to jump straight onto something difficult while you feel fresh. In my experience this is seldom a successful strategy and risks injury. As one gets older the ability to recover quickly after strenuous exercise diminishes. When I was younger I seemed to be able to climb day after day and not suffer the consequences. To prevent fatigue I try to operate a regime of one day on, one day off to give my body a chance to repair itself.

Climbing is great for the back. Your spine is basically a vulnerable string of vertebrae held together by ligaments and anything which strengthens the back has to have health benefits: improving posture and making injury less likely. Regular climbing is bound to increase strength: sandstone climbing is particularly good at promoting finger strength as holds can be less than positive. However the sort of climbing I do relies more on technique than power. If you are taking up climbing in later life, be very patient and concentrate at the start on learning moves rather than trying to build muscle. Of course climbers have to lift their own body weight so losing a few pounds will reap rewards on the rock face. Climbing into a late age provides a powerful incentive to keep light. It is self evident that all these health benefits will have a positive effect on your performance in other sports you do.

The joys of Moonlight Arete (Graded 4b)  Harrisons Rocks

Shared danger can intensify friendships. Apart from solo climbing, more than any other sport, climbing promotes a special kind of friendship involving a large dose of trust. I have always climbed with partners who I consider to be climbing mentors: by this I mean that they have always taught me new things about climbing and acted, in a climbing sense, as role models. In the 80's I climbed regularly with a sandstone specialist which eventually led us to some spectacular multipitch traditional climbing in Scotland. These days, apart from training on local sandstone I seem to be doing more sport climbing -although my partner likes traditional climbing best. Who knows where this will lead? The pub is usually where the next 'mad' idea is born: a place where, with the help of good ale we forget the discomfort and hardships of climbing and dream up the next adventure.

So to summarise, here is my recepe for a lifetime of enjoyable climbing:

• challenge yourself within realistic boundaries to keep it fun
• listen to your body and maintain fitness to avoid injury
• climb with expert friends who can always teach you something new.

No Way!

Escalade a Chateau Virant (August 2012)

August is not the best time to climb in the South of France as its generally too hot at this time of year. But having  filled my hold luggage with climbing rope, harness, quick draws, climbing shoes, and chalk bag, leaving little space for anything else, a heat wave was not going to stop me sampling a little Provenal sport climbing.

Liz and I were ensconsed in a gite just outside Salon in the Bouche du Rhone district within half an hours drive of some mouthwatering climbing venues. These include Orgon which became famous in the 70's because some of the hardest climbing in the world was happening here. Now it has become a forgotten backwater in climbing circles. Due to the summer fire risk in this part of the world, access to mountainous areas is restricted. So if you want to go climbing you have to consult a government website which told me that a local crag at Chateau Virant was open from 6.00am to 11.00 am.

The owner of our gite, Michel was keen to go climbing with me. So to avoid 'les coups de soleil' we got up at 5.00 am loaded up his Renault Espace and drove sleepily south in the direction of Lancon. Here we left behind the urban sprawl which blights the outskirts of many French towns and drove up into the hills adorned by la garrigue, a picturesque scrubland with gnarled oak trees and an understory of aromatic herbs.

We parked in the twilight and took the ten minute walk up to the crag, one of many  monoliths which protrude out of the garrigue like giant white molar teeth. The crag was not the most beautiful I had ever seen but the location was spactacular with an amazing view of Chateau Virant and surrounding vineyards, the Mediterranean sea to the south and to the west  Mont St Victoire (the one painted by an obsessive Cezanne) We had no climbing guide book to Chateau Virant so had to spend some time scouting and eventually chose an easy looking warm up route on the east side of the outcrop.

Michel dons his climbing shoes

The climb felt like class 4a as I methodically followed the upward line of staples revelling in the friction provided by the limestone which seemed very hard, almost like marble. Michel proved an excellent second spotting a 'back clipping' mistake I made when I clipped the rope into a quick draw incorrectly. On reaching the top I was confronted by two staples close together and no chain. This arrangement seems to be common in this part of France. Before lowering off I had to perform a fairly complicated sequence of tieing and untieing knots and threading the rope through both staples before being being lowered to the ground by Michel! Now it was his turn to climb with me belaying from the bottom.

Michel topping out in the morning sun .............

............  and in the shade

 After a couple more climbs on the east facing side it was becoming uncomfortably hot so we shifted ourselves and gear to the west facing shady side to try something a little harder. By 10.00 am our bodies had succumbed to the heat so we retreated to a shady cafe in Salon.

The day after we flew home from Provence a vast area of countryside around Orgon was torched by an arsonist. Several villages had to be evacuated while fire fighting planes dumped water on the flames. But I am told periodic fire followed by natural regeneration is partly responsible for the creation of the garrigue forest. The fire seemed like a catastrophe at the time but most of the climbs at Orgon escaped the flames and the land will recover in time.

Here is a link I have found on You Tube  which gives the  flavour of climbing at Chateau Virand
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezKKPDe0zVA
You can find a description of this climbing area on Climbing Away at
http://climbingaway.fr/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=3&Itemid=4&recherche=1998&lang=en

Tryfan (February 2013)

Being in a kayak club takes you to places in Britain which have plenty of climbing available.

Having arrived in Snowdonia two days early for a kayak trip down the River Tryweryn Stephen and I hoped to get some climbing done on Tryfan.

Tryfan viewed from Pen yr Ole Wen in summer conditions.

A blocking high over Europe had kept the rain away for a week. But the same high pressure was feeding sub zero arctic easterlies over Britain. I decided to bring my fleece onesie!

As we drove up the A5 from Capel Curig towards Llyn Ogwen we got our first full view of Tryfan's east face. I had forgotten what a spectacular mountain Tryfan is: it looked particularly awe inspiring with snow etched into Heather Terrace and whispy cloud adding an air of mystery and grandure. I thought of music to accompany the scene: the first movement of Holst's The Planets perhaps, (The Bringer of War) and it was clear that with such low temperatures we were going to have to battle the elements.

One advantage of mountaining in cold weather is the lack of summer crowds and we easily found a parking place.

Glyder Fach (above) and Cwm Bochlwyd (below) from the A5 car park

As the freezing wind was blowing from an easterly direction we decided to try climbing on the more protected west side of Tryfan and elected to try our hand on Milestone Buttress.

Stephen 'kitting up' at the foot of 'Super Direct' (see below) HVS, Milestone Buttress.

After selecting a bomb proof ground anchor I belayed Stephen as he climbed the first pitch of Super Direct. The west face of Tryfan was not as sheltered as we had hoped. After only ten minutes, despite a thermal base layer, fleece onesie, thick Craghopper trousers, and Berghaus fleece and jacket I was getting very cold and wondering how Stephen was feeling. He soon told me and with a few expletives decided to retreat.

An honerable retreat from 'Superdirect' with the A5 and Llyn Ogwen beneath.

About thirty feet to the right of Super Direct is the easier, and we hoped more sheltered start of Direct Route so we decided to have a go at this. From a terrace the first pitch follows a thin polished crack and slabs for about 100 feet to several flake belays. Stephen made light work of this, put in very secure protection,  collected the sling he had used to abseil off previously and made himself secure below some flake belays. At last it was my turn to climb and I relished the friction provided by dry rock and the 'new' Hanwag hybrid climbing/walking shoes I was trying out (thank you Stephen) But the freezing rock was transferring heat from my hands and soon they had lost all feeling. On reaching the top of the pitch it did not take us long to decide that we had suffered enough and retreat was the only sensible option. This we did by carefully descending the start of a grade 3 scramble which eventually reaches the north ridge of Tryfan.

Undaunted, after depositing our climbing gear back at the car, we decided to make a day of it and ascend Tryfan by the north ridge. This route is a relatively straightforward grade 1 scramble made harder on the day by a chill factor way below freezing, snow patches and verglas (ice covered rock sometimes difficult to spot)

We started unconventionally from a car park at the head of Llyn Ogwen by 'bush whacking' up an easy angled heather covered  broad shoulder. As the ridge narrowed we chose rock rather than well worn paths as this avoided slippery snow patches but at the same time we had to be wary of dangerous verglas. Here and there the enjoyable scrambling gave way to more leisurely sections where we stopped and admired the views.

A leisurely section of the north ridge with Llyn Ogwen and Yr Ole Wen in the back ground.

There are three prominant peaks on Tryphan. As you ascend the ridge the stark grey North peak is always visible providing a focal point, a destination to concentrate the mind should the going get tiring. I started to get cramp in both legs so we stopped in a wind eddy to take on fluid and eat some sardines on oat cakes (I am now a convert to this delicacy). Between the north and central peaks a short scramble down leads to a gulley and from here we could look 600 feet or so down the precipitous East face.

With all thoughts of cramp forgotten we stumbled across the famous Adam and Eve blocks at the summit.

Stephen bridging Adam and Eve (we did not fancy jumping)

On the way down the south ridge we met up with a family who were also descending. The father proudly displayed his latest gadget, a miniature hand held weather station complete with anemometer, altitude and temperature sensors. He informed us that the wind chill reading on the summit had been -19 degees! As we plodded down the track to Cwm Bochlwyd thoughts turned to a warm welcome in the Y Giler Arms and perhaps a pint or two of Bathams Ale. (almost as good as Harvey's best)

Trip to the Gower

 Friday 2nd November

Three cliffs Bay

Whilst on the Gower Peninsula South Wales surf kayaking we were keen to get a bit of climbing done should the weather permit and arrived a day early. We had booked into Rosilli Hall bunk house, Middleton, which was more like a mini self catering hotel. The weather sounded terrible overnight and was not much better come the morning with squally showers- some of hail!

After consulting a website we learned that a famous climbing spot, Fall Bay was a short walk away so we decided that come rain or shine this would be our target. We knew some of the climbs here are tidal dependent so waited before making the short trudge across muddy fields to Fall Bay. Like many bays on the Gower, Fall bay is a beautiful secluded spot. The golden sand seemed to glow as the sun came out and the gods of Gower smiled on us.

On arrival at the remains of a small fort we turned left and made for a precarious path  which took us high above the crashing waves between the upper and lower tiers of the cliff face.(the web site advised us not fall off here!) Finally we arrived safely  at a large ledge from which we peered over the drop in search of climbs.

Stephen searches for climbs

Unable to find a dry route down we decided to carefully retrace our steps and hope the tide would fall enough to allow access to the lower tier from the beach. (The upper tier rock looked rather loose but I later read that there are some great clinbs on it)

Back in the bay Stephen found a small cove with an excellent wall for warming up on, traversing and having minor epics inches from the ground:

Can I take this back to Sussex please?

After a sumptuous tinned mackeral and oatcake lunch the tide seemed to have retreated enough to allow us to venture round the cliff. At last we found  Kings Wall where we selected Kings Route a nice looking V. Diff.

Stephen leading Kings Route

As you can see the initial 4m or so of this climb are barnicle encrusted which provided a great deal of friction: hense the long runout to the first piece of protection.  After setting an anchor at the top of the climb, Stephen belayed me as I climbed and collected the protection he had placed, without falling off I might add. The route back down to retrieve our  rucksacks involved negotiating the aformentioned precarious path yet again! We just made it in time before the incoming tide claimed our precious posessions!

 We then trudged back up the path to the bunkhouse for a well earned cup of tea and thoughts of kayak surfing: For our surfing exploits see www.cvcc.org.uk/blogs/stephen-blog/

A visit to K2

When Southern Sandstone is too damp to climb on, Stephen and I have been going to Lewes Leisure Centre  to use their small indoor climbing wall. For a change of scene on a cold damp afternoon last Friday we went to K2 (the Sports Centre in Crawley not the mountain) to use the High Sports Climbing Wall. Buddy's UK Climbing Wall Guide gives this wall a 4* rating so I was keen to give it a go.

Opened in 2005 the K2 Sports Centre cost 37 million pounds and was built as part of the 2012 Olympic bid
The 12m lead climbing wall  is visible from the car park behind a glass window and is an impressive site.

The 12m climbing wall

We found the Sports Centre staff welcoming and after the usual form filling, lengthy gazing at computer screens, questionaires and disclaimers we had  a quick practical test  to check tying in and belaying. We then warmed up on the bouldering wall. This was generally harder than the wall at Lewes and mostly overhanging so I soon warmed up.

The bouldering wall

We then moved onto the the 12m wall and watched while a young man attached to an auto belay device tried to get to the top egged on noisily by his mates. The device took up the slack as he ascended and, we supposed, was about to control his descent in the event of a fall. At the top however he froze and with quivering legs would not jump off. After much 'encouragement' he leapt back, dropped some distance before the clutch engaged slowing him down. The breaking action of the clutch catapulted his body painfully into the wall from which he bounced and landed! Thankfully the whole gang, looking very pleased with themselves left the scene. 
'As this is England it must be regularly tested' said Stephen with a slight hint of doubt in his voice.
Needless to say we had a go. The sculptured panelling here has a  crack with surrounding coloured bolt on holds and we spent half an hour or so playing with different routes and practicing lay backing and jamming holds.

 Stephen on the auto belay device

 
  At 5.00 pm the Juniur Climbing Club arrived so we retired to the nearby cafe to watch the climbing instructors at work with youngsters. Revived by coffee and hot chocolate we returned to the 12m wall for some leading practice. 

 Harder leading routes visible with quick draws in place

 Indoor climbing walls are a great place to practice leading techniques away from the distraction of the outdoor elements. We avoided the harder overhanging wall section with its quickdraws in place and used our own quick draws on an easier angled section. We praticed clipping bolts on lead and had a think about back clipping, Z clipping and other issues like stepping behind the rope when leading.

 Different climbers have different ideas about the safest techniques: just look on U-tube at belaying techniques and you will see what I mean. For a thought provoking description of clipping bolts on lead go to:

Climbing Techniques 

Indoor climbing lacks the exhilaration of the outdoors but when its a rainy Friday we will definitely be back to K2.