The Magic Rock

Pendeen Cliffs
17th October 2009

Second Slip - Severe 4a - Lead
Wave Dancer -  Severe 4a - Second
Rip Tide - VS 4c - Nearly drowned

Not the best days climbing I've ever had but probably one of the more eventful. Joe and I had not been to Pendeen but  with the attraction of a short walk in we thought we'd give it a go.

The lighthouse is very impressive as are the two massive fog horns located on the seaward side. I wouldnt want to be in front of them when they go off! Still they led us to Pendeen Watch, the first of the areas we climbed in. The shorter seaward wall is definitely the more stable and offers some good routes. I went for Second Slip the obvious vertical crack and it turned out to be a gem.

You start from the giant boulder and make a nervy step onto the face (no pro available here but a significant drop if you slip). However once on the face, there is good pro available with some bomber placements. More importantly the crack is steep and tricky in places. Lots of holds, but still exposed for a severe.

With the tide pushing we opted to climb the main face and so Joe set off up Wave Dancer. This too was supposedly a severe. However, the almost complete absence of gear and the fact that what you put in you couldnt trust meant it was more of a 15 metre solo for Joe. Only when he reached the top wall was there some obvoius placements, and these were brittle. I would put the climb as Hard Severe purely on the quality of the rock. Two holds snapped on me as I climbed. The holds are big and the climbing good, but you're never sure on how hard you can pull.

Then it was off around the corner to Ripe Tide Wall. The book warns that the ledge whilst not tidal in the main , can be washed over by a large swell. On this day the swell was not that big and we were two hours off high tide. We watched for a while and the waves didnt get anywhere near so I geared up and set off down. The bottom of the ramp is smooth and a bit greasey, but you can climb without a rope. Just as I was about to step onto the lower ledge I looked up to see  a set coming in substantially bigger than any before . I took off like a startled rabbit back up the bottom section, to see a series of sets completely over the ledge and the area I had been climbing on. Had we not stopped for something to eat we would have been on the ledge climbing so it was a full on warning to watch out when the surfs up.

Instead we played on a little overhang at the bottom of the ramp. Great fun and hard with little pintchy holds. Only problem is that by time we had finished we'd killed one of the twins. An edge had cut the rope right in the middle so it has now been cut in two and will be used for rigging. That was a quick £120 gone.

I expect we will return as there are a number of climbs here still to be done. Next time I'm bringing some rope guards.

Bosigran Ridge
2nd October 2009

Commando Ridge - V Diff - Second

Yet another day out on the ridge for me and Chris and as usual lots of fun. This time it was Andy's turn to join us for an adventure and I dont think he was diappointed.

It was fairly cool and with a reasonably strong wing you couldnt hang around too long. Andy claims I had told him 'it was just a steep walk' but I dont remember that. Still the descent sorted things out. Dropping down to the base of the ridge re enforces how long a route it is and for someone on there first time it adds a bit of seriousness to the whole day.

But the real awakener is when you step off the bottom ledge onto the face in a narrow zawn. Suddenly it is full on exposure, with waves booming, gulls screaching and the wind blowing. A complete assault on the senses. This is what makes it so good, because the climbing is very reasonable with nothing too tough, but it is all the collateral issues that catch people out. Andy was no exception and was no doubt pumped full of adrenaline  by time he reached the top of the first pitch. I'm sure I heard the words "I'm going to get you for this Ridds" more than once.

We climbed as a leader and two seconders which was slower but worked well. We followed the main ridge climbing the knife edges which adds to the feeling of exposure but makes it more fun. Andy dealt with everything really well, obviously a natural. Including Chris's hanging belay on the last pitch. Chris led the whole route which made things easier and clearly he enjoyed it.
We finished on the Armchair, the 4a section right at the end. Always a shock because it is harder than the rest of the route. Chris made short work of it though and so we finished on a high as usual.

The ridge never fails to deliver.

Pordenack Point (Green Face area)
26th September 2009

The Green Face - Severe 4a - Alt Lead
Mexican Pete - VS 4c - Second
Mr Haggis - HS 4b - Lead (dnf)

The tide meant we were restricted to the top face to start with and as things turned out we stayed here all day. The Green Face area sits just to the left of the first descent gulley and as such receives a good few visitors across the top of the cliff. This means that for a good portion of the time you are climbing with an audience. This is disconcerting to say the least. Its like tee'ing off when there is a queue on the Golf Course.

Still the audience didnt make that much difference ( and we must be famous now with all the photos being taken!). The first climb of the day was interesting. We did the harder crack variation start (or at least Joe did). Quite difficult to protect and tricky, but a good opening pitch. The second pitch introduces a sense of exposure as you go around the corner onto the seaward face, but is straight forward. Finding your way off the summit bloke adds some fun, with a jump across to the main cliff which Joe demonstrated for me. Glad my knee is better....

Mexican Pete is a different proposition completely. I left this climb determined to get my weight down and strength up which is testement to its strenuousness. From the outset it is commiting. The initial vertical crack wipes the smile off your face (until you've got through it). Joe somehow jammed and smeared up it, just making a thank god hold at the top. I had the luxury of being able to layback it, but it was still a beast.

The second pitch tackles the Green Face via a overhanging crack. This needs some character from the leader as its not easy and the whole time you are on it, you are on power. The area is very lichenous, but this doesnt detract from the climbing at all. The holds are good and if you get your feet right, its not so bad. The whole climb is brilliant, giving excitment the whole way. An excellent lead by Joe on one of the hardest VS's I've been on, especially the bottom crack. I would put it at 5a technically, not 4c. Its a good job the protection is good.

I saved the bag of shit called Mr Haggis for last. We has looked at the large overhang when we arrived and MH went up the left hand side through what looked like some classic juggy holds. Maybe I went off route but having climbed the bottom section which consisted of two crack's both of which were crumbling I was faced with a climb up toward the overhang through manky rubbish. The litter of bolders lying on the ledge should have given me an indication of how bad the rock was. Once I reached the overhang I placed a piece of gear in a crack only to realise that the whole section was peeling away. I rekon if I weighted the pro it would have resulted in a rock fall. Freaked out I traversed left and escaped out through a cave/hole. Two weeks in a row. Hard granite next week.

Not wanting Joe to be crushed by the cliff I abb'd off and took the gear out. A disappointment, but it couldnt take away from Joe's lead on Pete, so we left with big smiles and thoroughly dehydrated and knackered. Another great adventure of the Cornish Cliffs.
Rest of the photos are here.

Pen Olver
17th September 2009

Let Her Children Play - VS 4c - Lead
Songs From A Broken Heart - VS 4c - Second
Womb Tomb (Direct Finish) - V Diff - Lead

A forced trip to Helston meant the Lizard was the obvious choice. I've never climbed at Pen Olver, but the guide book indicated there was good climbing so Chris and I set off for the unknown.

Finding the descent ramp was our first issue. When you approach it, it doesnt look feasable that there is a way down, but its ther and being lazy I went for the first climb we came to. It didnt look too difficult although it was hard to tell as usual from the bottom. The first part is fine, good climbing and OK if hard to find protection. But as you go up the quality of the rock deteriorates.

At the point where you traverse around the holds start to get brittle and pro scarcer. I possibly went a little high on the traverse but it was still tricky. At the top I was faced with a short shallow chimney which I decided to go for. Half way through pulling up, the hold in my left hand snapped of, bouncing off the face and going over Chris's head before i could get my words together to shout below. I was busy trying not to fall off and in the end gave up on the chimney and scrambled up the ramp ( which the guide book suggested anyway). On the way I dislodged a foot log boulder which fortunately landed flat and didnt roll off to collect Chris.
Nerves fried I set up the belay, (what there was of it?) and Chris came up. The top of Let Her Children Play is a minefield of loose material just waiting to fall. Not my favorite climb.

Then it was on to 'Songs' an altogeher different prospect. It looked good and it was good, climbing the small 'island pinnacle' up the main seaward crack. Good climbing, brilliant pro and an amazing belay spot on the top. Shame Chris left me at the bottom facing a rising tide with a moderate swell running. My wet feet indicated how close I was to being beaten by the tide, but it was worth the wait. Thats two weeks in a row that Chris has left me at the bottom of a climb with a rising tide. I'll have to watch this.

The final climb was Womb Tomb. A great chimney climb which we used as an escape route. 'Songs' finishes on the pinnacle recquiring a down climb down the landward face, which is easier than it looks. So you are back at the bottom. Womb Tomb is an obvious climb out being next door and higher above the tideline. Having climbed the chimney, I didnt fancy the traverse with its swing potential , especially after my encounter with snapping holds ( I was a tad nervy about this) so I finished on the V Diff and let Chris play on the traverse which in hindsight I probably should have done. But hindsight is a deceptive thing. I'll leave it for the next time.

Still, another fantastic days climbing and a venue we will defintely be back to.

10th September 2009
Gurnards Head

Right Angle - HS4b - Alt Lead

We'd checked out Right Angle a few months earlier on a windy  day with a big swell running. On that occasion the crag was intimidating, with spray blasting out of the mouth of the cave just below the route.

On this day it was different, with the sun shining and the route sheltered from the stiff northerly, although when I spoke to the pair in front of us he described the scene below the belay ledge as a 'maelstrom'!.  The cave was still booming away, but it didnt seem so threatening, probably because the sun was out.. We had a short wait whilst two other climbers completed the first two pitches and then it was off across the long traverse into Right Angle.

Right Angle has a serious feel to it, probably because once you commit into the climb it is not really escapeable, except by climbing back out. The first pitch woke us up, with Chris feeling a bit nervy at first. Probably because you go straight into full on exposure (that's traverses for you). The climbing wasnt hard, but you had to constantly think about your second when setting pro.

This became clear for me on the second pitch which I led. Again not hard climbing but the decent down to the ledge is tricky. The previous pair shouted down to me to go lower which I duely did, although I think that I should have traversed earlier across to the belay ledge. A tip here. Climb with two ropes. That way you can clip one when leading down and setting pro for your second, but leave one only clipped to the top piece of pro. This eliminates the swing potential when you finally traverse to the ledge.

Unfortunately I went too low and ended up climbing back up to the ledge, which put a nice S in my rope work and immediately popped my pro on the ascent. This made my slip on wet rock just before I made the ledge all the more poignant with a possible 15ft  fall and a dangle in the sea.

So the order of the day is good rope work. The noise from the waves was loud. A consatnt booming, with the odd set sending spray up to the belay ledge. The assault on the senses was overwhelming but added to the excirement of the climb. Chris made a good job of seconding to the ledge. Probably more threatening than leading because you are above the gear until the last few feet.

Then it was off up the main crack. After all the traversing the ascent seemed less technical, with one tricky overhang. But the exposure and amazing climbing was just brilliant. it's a long climb out which Chris led ( I intend to try it for myself at some point) and its only when you hit the top that you realise how sheltered you are down in the zawn.

One of my favorire climbs and a day that left Chris and I buzzing. Over 3 hours of high adventure!