More Trad Mayhem

Had a great day of traditional climbing mileage with Kev last Sunday. We hit the Quarry for 9 bells and the weather was lovely, cloudy with sunny breaks and no rain. We got 6 routes done, I lead Tramp VS and E-Route VS and I followed Kev up Bingelstine VS, Jameson 10 VS, Body Stretcher HVS and Moonlighter VS. My finger couldn't handle the crimpy crux on Bodystretcher but was doing pretty well the rest of the day. It was a good long day I was knackered walking out.

Kev

I got up at the crack of dawn today to beat the encroaching rain and get an early morning session in Dalkey again with Pat. We met at the car park at 7 in the A.M. The sun was beating down and the birds were chirping, it was a gorgeous morning and I had my sights on leading Thrust. We chilled out and drank a coffee in amongst the trees and then had an easy warm-up starting with The Giants Staircase S, which was a nice easy 2 pitch climb which was useful for warming up and rope work practice, making a hanging belay. When we finished it we tied together Alpine style and simul-climbed  the end of Tower Ridge. It was good fun to try it and to learn some new rope skills.

 Pat In The Warm Morning Light

Next up after a another coffee was Distrust VS, a line that I really like which people are always giving out about. Fair enough the top in grassy and scrappy but the actual rock climbing part is a big , sweet, juicy flake, I love it !! It was a really enjoyable lead. Now it was time for the main event ... Thrust HVS :)

 Thrust Hvs

I've been earning my stripes, sticking to VS and lower and getting back into the swing of placing gear for the last couple of weeks and doing stamina training with the view to leading this route. So I set off with high hopes but probably over thinking the whole thing. I onsighted it back in day and for some stupid reason I had a notion in my head that I was suppose to use a crimp to step out of the 1st groove, however it is not until the second groove later on that you should make this move. So instead of climbing the groove with the lovely big crack in  it I made a silly hard move out right into a dead end and an irreversible position. I knew I was fucked and had made a bad decision and I had no choice but to try and carry on anyways. I was about a meter and a half above my last piece, a size 5 nut, my foot popped and I hurtled through the air grunting coming to a stop a few meters below the piece which held very well. In the second or so it took me to fall I was pumped with about a half a liter of adrenalin, I was hooting and a hollering on the end of the rope laughing. I gave my shin a jolly good wallop during the fall !!

It wouldn't be a Proper Day of Trad Without the Sight of Blood

Pat tied in and led Thrust and I followed no probs once I went the right direction. So it'll deffo go on the lead next time I am in Dalkey. After this climb the rains came and Del had to back off Tower Ridge Direct E2 because it was getting too wet. It's a cool looking finger crack climb.

 Del On Tower Ridge Direct E2 Just Before The Rain Stopped Play

It was an eventful and fun days climbing, the fall was probably a good thing and I will hopefully feel a little more relaxed on the lead now I have gotten my 1st fall of the season out of the way. On the way home we stopped of in Burger King and ate a magnificent Steakhouse Angus burger and had an aul chat. Hoping for more good weather this Sunday ... fingers crossed :)

 Peace Out Folks