Big Weekend
It’s been a big weekend!
Friday saw Pete sending Silk Cut (See UKC News and my other blog post with video), me finally cruising Highlife (short video to come) after what has seemed like a lifetime and then a couple more big days straight after.
Saturday was a session on The Quarryman, leaving my shoulder feeling like it was dislocated! It felt very hard (of course) and I struggled a little with the cramped nature of the contortions, but I can do them all, the fact that it’s hard makes it all the more motivating to try it again! It will take a big effort for me to link this route in a day as this pitch is right at my limit, but you never know. Being so tall doesn’t help on the groove pitch! But luckily I think it does help for the top pitch, so it’s swings and roundabouts. Really good to be back down that wall. Amazing spot.
Sunday came and I was still psyched, even after our late night in the Vaynol. Ian and I trudged up to Galt yr Ogof. Ian tried a cracking E7 that Caff and I did two years ago called Heart of Stone. Ever since doing that route I fancied having a look at Mission Impossible, the E9 to the left. What a corker. Needless to say it is nails and Neil Carson was pretty handy. I’d like to get back up for another go – sort of feeling torn between this and The Quarryman now! I think, as Mission is slower drying, I can mix and match between these two to reflect the weather.
Mission is awesome, super, super steep, with an amazing first section (around F7c+) to a brick hard final few metres, right at the apex of the diamond shaped wall. What a position. A couple of the pegs are now rotten, and the stuck wire is also rotten. I’ll have a look at sorting them out next time I’m up there, which is hopefully quite soon.
