Those precious days out...




Looking down Bad Skin Day from belay
 

I don't get out much. That stands as a fact at the minute but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Fortunately that makes me want to try hard when I do get out regardless of fitness etc... I think this is something that I can be quite proud of - I try hard, sometimes really hard. It may not be pretty. I may not have any gas left in my tank at the top. But I'm not afraid to try and in some cases fail. Long may this last :) Since my last post I managed some nice routes during psyche fuelled daytrips with the A-team.

Pressure Point E6 6C - 2nd go

Bad Skin Day E7 6C - after top rope practice

Very Big Springs E7 6B/C - after top rope practice

Sunbane E6 6B/C - tried it onsight, fell off, then got it clean

And failed on some others...

Divided Years E8 6C attempted to work this on pre placed gear - fell off mid crux, did all the moves

Prime Mate E6/7 7A fell from the top hold twice!

Easy Lover E7 6B Only tried it on Brian's gear as a warm up - lowered off before crux

More recently I managed to climb Slapstick E7 6C in Dalkey. This was cool - It has sat there, unrepeated & rumoured to be Dalkey's hardest route for 16 years. Another Ron Browner addition and a proud line taking a striking steep arête up on Central buttress overlooking the entire quarry. I wanted to find something to motivate me for trad so I abbed down it one Sunday. The following Wednesday, despite some rain and not having top roped the route clean, I tied in for the lead and fell off above the crux on the last move before the easy terrain - ripping the 30 year old peg and a RP I had placed. I hit the ground on rope stretch thanks to a flawless belay from Brian - what a legend! The following week it went first go. I chose to lead it preplacing the RP's as I wasn't confident that they'ed hold me falling onto them and I reckoned they would stand a better chance if I placed them from a rope. Not the best form but despite not wanting to rush into anything I let my desire to nab the second ascent get the better of me before I could rationalise the perceived (imagined?) additional risk of placing the RP on lead. I think knowing that there are at least 6 capable trad climbers living in Dublin with plenty of free time that could just choose to turn their attention to the route and dispatch it at will acted to make me feel under some sort of time pressure so I did it this way. It's cool though because it's the type of route that I'd get on each year as a benchmarker. Soon after my ascent Brian Hall stepped up to the mark and lead it placing the RP in great style - making the 3rd ascent.


 



Sunbane - tips n' toes



 



Slapstick