Head Games; Gritstone Highballing
When it comes to danger, perspective is a tricky thing. In some situations, exposed to a thrilling and unfamiliar experience, we might find ourselves terrified when in fact we are completely safe. In others we may grow too familiar, convincing ourselves, realistically or not, that we are in control.
Either way, on gritstone, there is no shroud of safety to calm our tenuous minds. High E-grades on grit are renowned for a brutal combination of danger and technicality, with a long, clattering fall onto barely adequate gear often being the best you can hope for. For those routes that shun all forms of rope based protection, the bold soloist must be totally confident in their ability, and prepared to face the consequences of failure; broken bones, or worse.
Or, perhaps not.
Last Sunday I found myself at Froggatt, filled with a rising sense of optimism for the positive conditions. Bright, winter sunlight threw lancing strands of gold across the gritstone outcrops, drying off the streaks of water that had crept out during the night. Crisp air and dry rock brought velcro-like friction, and with it, the possibility of hard climbing.
Having topped out on the classic HVS/5a 'Valkyrie' with my climbing partner Alex, I headed down from the buttress to find a carpet of bouldering mats littering the base of the crag. Out in force, a strong crew of climbers had banded together to lay siege to the classic routes 'Oedipus, Ring Your Mother' E4/6b, and 'Narcissus' E6/6b. I'd glanced at Oedipus earlier in the day, and fancied giving it a try.
After watching a few of the others attempting the route, I pulled on my shoes and crimped through the thin, entry crack to the main event; a rising, sloped flake that grew steadily worse before opening into a positive dish at the top. The next couple of moves flowed easily and I found myself pausing, right hand on a sloper, left hand on a thin crimp, poised for the final, committing move. Spurred on by encouragement from below, I rocked up and latched the positive finishing hold.
Having got the flash on Oedipus, I was definitely feeling a little cocky. Enough so that, having belayed Alex on another route, I was back at the base of the crag and eyeing up Narcissus. The others had been working the moves for a while now, and the chunks of beta were coalescing into a solid sequence.
After seeing one top, then another, I decided to have a play. Pulling quickly through the first few moves, I soon found myself worryingly far off the ground. Pushing the thoughts to one side, I rocked up and suddenly found myself balancing on the arete, right below the upper crux. Slightly gripped, I decided to test the fall and calm my nerves. One moment of scary plummeting followed, then I impacted the mats, landing about as comfortably as possible. The game was on.
Ten minutes later, I found myself back on the arete, muscles tensed to prevent myself from swinging round and off. I wobbled my left foot out onto a solid foothold, reached up into the upper seam, and attempted to fiddle in the barely substantial single-pad fingerlock that I'd seen successfully used a short while before.
Was that it? Weight it more... Yes! Holding my breath to control the fear, I reached further and further upwards, desperate to make contact with the positive flat hold near the top of the arete. I slapped my hand onto something, thinking I'd gained it; nowhere near as positive as I'd hoped. Shouts rose from below.
'Higher! Just a bit higher!'
'Am I not on it?!' I shouted back, legs starting to shake.
'No, reach higher!' came the reply, 'You're nearly there!'
I slapped again, higher, and my hand latched gratefully onto the positive hold. I rocked around the arete into a layback and drew in deep, grateful breaths. A few more straightforward moves saw me topping out onto the ledge with a victorious shout. Happiness, mingled with undeniable relief.
To top the day off, Alex successfully lead his first E2, 'Brown's Eliminate', as the sun crept its way slowly over the horizon. A brilliant day for all involved.
Looking back, I still can't make up my mind about the nature of my ascents. The layer of boulder pads seemed, from a rational perspective, to make the route safe, as realistically as it could be.
Either way, on gritstone, there is no shroud of safety to calm our tenuous minds. High E-grades on grit are renowned for a brutal combination of danger and technicality, with a long, clattering fall onto barely adequate gear often being the best you can hope for. For those routes that shun all forms of rope based protection, the bold soloist must be totally confident in their ability, and prepared to face the consequences of failure; broken bones, or worse.
Or, perhaps not.
Last Sunday I found myself at Froggatt, filled with a rising sense of optimism for the positive conditions. Bright, winter sunlight threw lancing strands of gold across the gritstone outcrops, drying off the streaks of water that had crept out during the night. Crisp air and dry rock brought velcro-like friction, and with it, the possibility of hard climbing.
Having topped out on the classic HVS/5a 'Valkyrie' with my climbing partner Alex, I headed down from the buttress to find a carpet of bouldering mats littering the base of the crag. Out in force, a strong crew of climbers had banded together to lay siege to the classic routes 'Oedipus, Ring Your Mother' E4/6b, and 'Narcissus' E6/6b. I'd glanced at Oedipus earlier in the day, and fancied giving it a try.
After watching a few of the others attempting the route, I pulled on my shoes and crimped through the thin, entry crack to the main event; a rising, sloped flake that grew steadily worse before opening into a positive dish at the top. The next couple of moves flowed easily and I found myself pausing, right hand on a sloper, left hand on a thin crimp, poised for the final, committing move. Spurred on by encouragement from below, I rocked up and latched the positive finishing hold.
 |
| Reaching for the positive hold on Oedipus. Thanks to Guy Van Greuning for the epic photo! |
Having got the flash on Oedipus, I was definitely feeling a little cocky. Enough so that, having belayed Alex on another route, I was back at the base of the crag and eyeing up Narcissus. The others had been working the moves for a while now, and the chunks of beta were coalescing into a solid sequence.
After seeing one top, then another, I decided to have a play. Pulling quickly through the first few moves, I soon found myself worryingly far off the ground. Pushing the thoughts to one side, I rocked up and suddenly found myself balancing on the arete, right below the upper crux. Slightly gripped, I decided to test the fall and calm my nerves. One moment of scary plummeting followed, then I impacted the mats, landing about as comfortably as possible. The game was on.
Ten minutes later, I found myself back on the arete, muscles tensed to prevent myself from swinging round and off. I wobbled my left foot out onto a solid foothold, reached up into the upper seam, and attempted to fiddle in the barely substantial single-pad fingerlock that I'd seen successfully used a short while before.
Was that it? Weight it more... Yes! Holding my breath to control the fear, I reached further and further upwards, desperate to make contact with the positive flat hold near the top of the arete. I slapped my hand onto something, thinking I'd gained it; nowhere near as positive as I'd hoped. Shouts rose from below.
'Higher! Just a bit higher!'
'Am I not on it?!' I shouted back, legs starting to shake.
'No, reach higher!' came the reply, 'You're nearly there!'
I slapped again, higher, and my hand latched gratefully onto the positive hold. I rocked around the arete into a layback and drew in deep, grateful breaths. A few more straightforward moves saw me topping out onto the ledge with a victorious shout. Happiness, mingled with undeniable relief.
To top the day off, Alex successfully lead his first E2, 'Brown's Eliminate', as the sun crept its way slowly over the horizon. A brilliant day for all involved.
.jpg) |
| Alex tasting success on his first E2 lead. |
Looking back, I still can't make up my mind about the nature of my ascents. The layer of boulder pads seemed, from a rational perspective, to make the route safe, as realistically as it could be.
The fear was still present, but comforted by the knowledge that if we fell, we would be safe. The consensus on the grade was highball F7a, and it seemed right.
However, the niggle is still there, tucked away in the back of my mind. Were we safe? Could we really negate the danger? Or were we too just convincing ourselves of an unrealistic level of control?
I don't think I'll ever be sure.
Stay tuned!
Mischa.
Amazing post, always wanted to climb Valkyrie!
ReplyDeleteThanks Liam, glad you enjoyed it! Subscribe to the blog for more of the same. Valkyrie is definitely one for the wishlist! Bring thuggy jamming technique and hexes for the complete experience ;)
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