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Weather/Conditions: Cold,
clear weather.
Accompanying: Ian
Routes:
Corner
and Groove (5m Diff, solo)
Flake Route (10m V.Diff, seconded)
Curved Crack, then Punk Rock (10m HVS 5a, top-rope) |
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A good day out climbing
- the long drive to Neilston was rewarded by a slightly dank looking
quarry, though the range of routes were apparent. I started up a small
climb called Crack and Groove (Diff), an easy warm up I felt. Ian went
to Flake Route first and took a left hand variation due to the
unprotected and committing nature of the crux move at the top. It's
harder than the grade suggests. Since I was on a top-rope I went for the
crux and pulled it off, just. I wouldn't however have liked to have done
it on lead.
With the day getting on, we set up a top rope on on of the harder climbs
in the quarry - Curved Crack (HVS). I figured that since I'm good
technically, a top-rope might allow me to perform better out with the
Glasgow Climbing Centre. Curving Crack started off fairly hard which is
too be expected, then turned dirty with pellets and bird droppings
covering the ledges. Be warned. It got a little too hard so I changed
plan and swung out onto an alternative finish to this route called Punk
Rock, also of the same trad and technical grade. It proved to be a tough
challenge with some loose rock at the top. I made it, but couldn't have
done so without the top-rope.
February daylight hours are short, so it started getting dark by the
time I finished Curved Crack/Punk Rock. One of my main memories of this
crag was watching the sun going down, feeling the chill in the air and
packing our things by headtorch beam. And as sad as it is, the whole lot
was causing me to miss my recently deceased friend Michael Coffield who
had died only a week previously. Since Michael and I always walked into
the darkness of night by headtorch, Ian and I being at a dark crag by
headtorch triggered some unfortunate memories.
That asides however, it was a good day climbing and well worth it. The
drive back though then north of Glasgow was a bit long though.
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