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Tuesday 4 July 2017

Bouldering at The Henge, Stanage Far Right

The weather was looking good - not too hot but dry, and plans were made to head outside. Plans were made over coffee at The Climbing Works on Sunday and we drew up a shortlist, which resulted in a decision over curry later to go for Stanage Far Right (often classified as part of Stanage Popular from a Trad Climbing point of view but worthy of it's own area when bouldering) and look at Easy Jamming (though that might be high and scary), Huge Slab, Henge, Snout and Rim.  I picked Liz, Kelly and Kelly up after work on Monday and we drove out to meet Ed, arriving to a beautiful moody peak sky - and a fair breeze, so I was glad to have packed long trousers and a hoody.


We walked in and decided to start at The Henge as it was Liz's most favoured area, and we could always try more on the way back.  The walk in wasn't too bad and the weather was lovely for climbing, not as hot as on recent trips so the rock had a lot more friction to it. We started out with Tweedle Dee, Steps and Tweedle Dum which were beautiful to climb if a little high for a first climb of the day biut landings were good and the rock was full of solid holds.


Moving on from here it was more of the same with Hook, Line and Sinker then on Slotted Wall it was starting to get a little more technical - nothing too taxing but on my first go I decided I had broken too far left to count it (verging on to Slotted Arete) so repeated it being careful to stay centre, then quickly knocked off Right Hook and Slotted Arete.



We then headed further along at took a look at the Quick Wall area.  I bottled it before even pulling on several times and we got confused by the topo, in Peak Bouldering it appears to stop before the top so we decided it was a matched top hold rather than over the top climb, and eventually I built up the courage and flashed it, but I think that was far too easy to be a 6A+ so I am guessing it must go further than we took it.


I then took on the sit start on Staircase Flake and then Front Flake before looking at The Henge itself - this has lovely looking breaks but is rather high so I let others go up it first before getting on.  As it happens this was a really nice climb and at no point did I feel uncertain but when I got to the top my heart was racing and I realised I was breathing fast - I think I forgot to breath all the while I was climbing it!


Finally it was time for a very rapid ascent of Sparky Slab, if nothing else because the previous area was very sheltered and we were getting bitten a lot, getting around the corner meant a bit more breeze to keep the midges down. I was really enjoying myself, the rock here was lovely, but the light was beginning to fail and we needed to head home.  I'm already itching to get back outside again, I have got my head properly into it again and I need to start pushing my grades.  Hopefully it won't be too long, but this weekend sees Cliffhanger and having failed to make it along in previous years I have this firmly in my calendar.


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