Great week for Rock Action

05 Aug 2010

This was the second year for Rock Action.  This time we got a dry week (more or less) and extra instructors...  James MacHaffie, Ian Hey and Rachael Hinchliffe joined me and Jules to run a superb week of climbing. See all the photos here

I say dry week, in fact Monday was dreadful, but we proved that if you’re keen, motivated and clever with your destination you can still climb.  Stanage Plantation it was and we stuck to walls facing away from the drizzle!  Buster, Jethro, Viv, Ben, Charlie and Josh practiced their movement skills, some for the first time on the delights of gritstone.  Footwork, heel hooks, mantleshelves and slopers were the order of the day and a good bit of time was put in on the classic Green Traverse (7a).  Buster came close, but Ben put in an incredible effort to get this – he’s only been climbing 6 months!!

The second day we placed gear and made belays at Birchens.  Ellie and Hannah joined us on this day too.  By Wednesday the guys were ready to put their new skills to leading at Stanage and on Thursday they were positively flying at Frogatt.  Tody’s Wall (HVS), Heather Wall (S), Sunset Crack (HS), Green Gut (VS), Chequers Buttress (HVS) and Hawk’s Nest Crack (VS) were some of the routes to go down.  For most this was either only their second or third day of trad leaving ever!

 

Hannah leading Sunset Crack at Frogatt

The evenings flew by in a whirl of zip wires, videos, slacklining, more bouldering (at Rubicon) and by Friday energy levels were still high and we headed down to Cheedale to check out the limestone and for many the first ever time sport climbing.  We visited Blackwell Halt and Max’s Wall.  We mostly top roped, to get a feel for the rock but Buster managed an outstanding flash of a 7a on lead.  Many got 6a+/ or 6b on top rope clean, which is a great effort – our limestone isn’t the easiest to work out how to climb.

There were a few sad goodbyes but by the signs of things on facebook, everyone’s in touch and arranging the next climbing trip...  A really great week.  Thanks so much to Jules, James, Ian, Rachael and everyone at Thornbridge.

I was super motivated to climb myself, but this is now looking less and less possible by the day as I expand frontwards.  Countdown now for me – 5 weeks to go.  I have my own firsts to deal with – Boots baby section today stocking up on some items, which currently seem quite mystifying...