I Went Traditional Climbing!!!!

What? No?! Never! But yes dear reader, I actually went Trad climbing! Nuts, hexes; my entire rack that has not seen the light of day for a very long while!  The crag was Trebanog, a moderately good, low lying crag in the middle of a Welsh ex-mining town. It is a pretty staple venue of the Cardiff University club, having a fair number of easy routes to take beginners up. Consequently I have been here a few times previously and done a reasonable number of the routes here. Still, there was plenty left to explore! The company was good, if a little girly, with fellow CUMC members Nikki, Hannah and Liv being my climbing partners for the day. The first route Liv and I attempted was Last Arete (HS 4b) which is simply brilliant, a superbly independent line, good positions and never too technically difficult. Dispatching this easily, gave me renewed vigor to skip the whole 'taking it slow as haven't climbed in ages' shenanigans and go try some harder stuff. Somebody's bolted Firewater! Previously an E2 5b solo, now its a sparsely protected 6b sports route. I had a go at this on lead, which although completed clean, doesn't quite count as an 6b tick as I wimped out a bit at the end using footholds out left on a VS I had backed off of a year previously. Liv, despite her shorter stature, managed to complete what I had failed and with only one rest, pretty good going for a girl who hasn't climbed outside since May. 

Meanwhile Hannah and Nikki were having fun, climbing an unnamed Vdiff (Nikki), Desperate Arete S (Hannah) Last Arete HS (Nikki) and Eastend Crack HS (Hannah). Which is a pretty damn fine effort given that the girls have about a dozen climbs under there belt between them! Carry on Leading girls! 

Next climb on the list was Blood, E1 which Olly had climbed on our last visit to Trebanog in May. Its turns out, after I get to the top, that it wasn't Blood at all, nor even a full E1. Instead it seems I've forced a weird line between an E1 at the bottom and a HS at the top. Random! Awkward corner cracky climbing! And so from this disappointing HS tick, I really resolved to try a proper HVS, just to show myself that I've got better since May. Thing is Trebanog HVS's are all ridiculously soft touch: half of them could easily be soloed! But I remembered Steve having a right ol' swearing seshion on a HVS round the far corner of the crag so Liv and I went for a wander to look. Described as Aunty Pasty (HVS 4C) "The unlovely corner to the right" - from the ground it didn't seem that unlovely, in fact it seemed pretty easy! A relatively unprotected bridging shuffle to a large ledge, then lace a large crack with gear and then summit through the offwidth. How easy! But easy it was not: an unweildy mantle at the first break anda horrendous burl-fest through the offwidth at the top, all on rubbish gear! I was shaking, disco legging, struggling and cursing. It was far from graceful and next to the climbers two routes over from me elegant ballet, my struggle must have seemed like a gritty and pointless street fight by comparison. But I got it clean, another, proper HVS tick! Liv tried to second it but cut her finger on the first few moves, pouring blood everywhere! Nikki had to second it in the end, only resting once. 

It was a good day; a really encouraging start to the next academic climbing year. I can't wait!