DO SUMMIT GOOD: Gritstone & Claret

Hitting Stanage, Peak District a few weekends ago, I got home psyched for a return trip. The weather forecasts got the weather completely wrong the week before last, so we didn't venture back up. But when I saw last Sunday was looking nice, I was determined to make a run up north to jump back on the gritstone.

My wife Natalie and I got up early and hit the road, straight up the M1 to Stanage and straight back to the plantation boulder area. This was Natalie's first boulder session outdoors and she was really up for it.

I warmed up on a few easy problems and then had my sights set on ticking 2 problems I did not get to tick last visit; 'AB Top' a V4 (6b) and 'Business Launch' (same grade). I played around and was struggling, the problem was my fingers, which hadn't fully recovered from my last visit and I was shredding through the skin very quickly, especially at the top outs.

My Fingers

I moved on and started ticking other problems and the fingers just continued to get worse. I tried tape, but this just kept rolling off and was ineffective, so I continued to climb bare.

I took a moment off and Natalie had a play with a problem, she pieced the puzzle together managing to climb her first boulder; a little celebration at the top pulling the lightning bolt. Awesome effort and her first problem ticked, 'Black Wall' V0.

Following a rest, I wanted to get on 'Green Traverse' V6. I managed to piece the first half together and I think this will go next visit with a bit more persistence. I got back on 'Deliverance' V8, but with no joy and tried 'The Thin Slab' V5, but again, the fingers were not helping me.

I decided to head back to 'AB Top' and 'Business Launch', managing to tick them both, with encouragement from Natalie.

I wanted to try 'Bull Flake', a V5, but after a few attempts it was time to retire with my fingers, now bleeding and extremely sore.

A good day, ticking many V1s, 2s, 3s and 4s and again psyched for a return trip next weekend.

I'm really proud of Natalie, ticking her first problem, which I'm sure is the first of many to come and looking forward to spending many days together on the crag.