Shropshire Lads, plus a mini gear review: DMM Renegade Harness and Aero Quickdraws

The Shropshire Hills

Released from family responsibilities for a day, I arranged with Tony to meet at Nesscliffe - perhaps Shropshire's 'proudest' crag. Having done Red Square a few years back, there's not much in the main sector easy enough for me to realistically try, but up on the Far Buttress I had heard that Batman (HVS) was a good climb. Whilst waiting for Tony to arrive at the cliff I floundered about in the rhododendron bushes trying to find the Far Buttress from the main sector - eventually stumbling over the large and obvious path that takes you easily and directly there.

Batman HVS, the quiet end of Nesscliffe

We both agreed the bouldering looked great too, but wanting to find some lunch sooner rather than later we limited ourselves to climbing Batman. It's rare I find routes that I think are easy for grade - a side effect of punterdom I suspect - but in this case I was pleasantly surprised to find it rather straightforward even with no warm up. But unless my climbing takes a remarkable turn for the better, that's probably Nesscliffe ticked for me!

The big cliffs of Llanymynech - spot the climber

We then headed towards Llanymynech, stopping on the way for a rather pleasant and reasonably priced pub lunch in Knockin, reminding me of just how bad roadside food options are in Finland in comparison.

Tony was pretty impressed on arrival at Llanymynech - it is a big crag and the length of the lines makes up to some degree for the slightly iffy nature of some of the walls. We started on two 6a lines on the left of Foreigner Walls which were fine, then Tony got on the rather fine Smack the Juggler (6b+).

Tony's first Llanymynech route, some slightly chossy non-descript 6a, but still all good fun.

He slipped off the onsight but got it on his first redpoint attempt. I actually got through the crux seconding on my first go, but ran out of puff higher up so did it with one rest. One to add to my ever-lengthening list of climbs-that-I-really-should-do-properly-one-day.

Unknown climber on Smack the Juggler 6b+

In the same vein, having watched another team on the rather wonderfully positioned Bah Bah Black Sheep (6a+) at the far side of Grid Iron Wall, I wanted a go. I did reasonably well until the inevitable arm pumpage made me wimp out of a minor run out above the crux. After a little rest on the bolt and giving myself a stern talking to over being such a wuss, I pulled back on and finished. Tiger Tony, of course, then cruised it but I used the excuse of wanting to show him the rest of the quarry as an excuse to put it on my aforementioned list to come back to, rather than putting the effort in and trying a second time to lead it cleanly.

Same unknown climber on Bah Bah Black Sheep, 6a+

We then headed to Welsh end of the quarry and Bay Wall. I remember cruising routes there last visit, and Tony indeed shot up the first route he tried that I had identified as a 6b, commenting he couldn't really see what was different about it to the other 6as we had done. I then headed up what I believed to be a 6a only to grind to a halt and then fall off a bit where I couldn't really work out what to do next. After lowering off, we more carefully checked the topo and realised that, yes, incompetent my guidebook reading was to blame so that Tony had indeed cruised a 6a and I had fallen off the 6b. Ooops. Tony then shot back up to my high point on the 6b before pulling a couple of great long reaches through the crux to finish. Then I, not wanting to finish on a low, battled up the not terribly great 6a (Summer Bay Babe) that Tony had already done.

Some not very good 6a on the Bay Wall at sundown

The sun was setting by this point and it was time to start our respective drives homeward, but I suspect we will arrange a rematch at Llanymynech in the future.

The DMM Renegade 2

The miniature gear review bit is just that the lovely people at DMM, deeper into darkest, craggiest North Wales, had asked me if I wanted to try some of their new products and this trip was the first chance to try them out. I've been a big fan of their Renegade harness since I reviewed it for UKClimbing quite some years back now and it has been my go-to harness ever since, being used probably on average once a week for nearly five years. My original is very grubby and a bit fluffy but still going strong, but nevertheless I was honoured to be asked if I would like to try out the new version in fetching red and grey. Putting it on was like meeting an old friend, it seems to fit me well and is as comfy as the Mk I. The Mk II keeps the design fundamentals like the floating waist padding and seven gear racks; but as some people claim to hate the slightly forward slanting gear racks on the Mk I, the Mk II has more traditionally oriented ones. I never found the first design a problem, but can happily report the new ones work great too. I need to wear it more but first impressions are the Renegade II is a great all-round harness with the few issues from the first version now resolved.

DMM Aero quickdraw

The second thing to try were some DMM Aero quickdraws. I've never tried Aeros before - DMM's slightly more basic plain-gate krabs. They aren't the lightest by a long stretch, but they sit in the hand well and both Tony and I felt they clipped as nicely as his swish BD sports quickdraws. Both ends have keylock gates making them great for clipping and stripping plus DMM are now using the same redesigned bent gate on the cheaper Aeros as on their more pricey plain-gate models and I think it is this rather well shaped and featured gate that really makes the Aeros easy to clip. They seem to be available for as little as 12 quid looking online, and in economical packs of five, and I suspect will serve well as hard-wearing sports 'draws, although I can't see any reason why they couldn't make up part of your trad rack of quickdraws either.

You can watch DMM's product videos for the Renegade 2:

DMM Renegade from DMM Climbing on Vimeo.

And for the Aero krabs/draws:

DMM Aero from DMM Climbing on Vimeo.

Wild Wales (2)

I recently wrote a review of the Marmot Genesis Jacket I got sent to test for UKC. In the review I noted that the wildest weather I had tried it in was in Wales at Christmas time, when Mat and I climbed the Cneifion Arete above Ogwen - this is despite having used it lots in the brutally cold January we had here in Finland, in temps as low as -26. I just happened to stumble over a little video on the Backpacker magazine website of a bunch of their American staff backpacking in the same area. They obviously enjoyed themselves a lot but talk about the worst weather in the world! Little mountains, wild weather, but a pub and good beer at the end of the day. They obviously totally got it. It's easy to become blasé about our 'little' British mountains, so it great to see foreigners really enjoying them.

Wild Wales - a winter ascent of the Cneifion Arete

Yesterday Matt and I staged a quick raid across the border into Wales. In some, frankly, pretty shitty weather we climbed the Cneifion Arete (III,3) in decent mixed conditions. I started up a crack system a little to the right of the normal start which was reasonably well protected but had some hardish moves. It's a long time since I've done British mixed, but I'd guess at tech 5 for that line and was a good fun in challenging conditions. The second pitch is mainly walking but the third pitch much better if you stay on the arete itself.

Matt in the Devil's Kitchen on the walk-in

Fellow travellers - another team heads off higher into the Nameless Cwm

Matt approaches the belay at the top of pitch one

Me at the belay

Matt on the fine arete near the end of pitch three

This is fun. Honest. Self portrait in the icy blizzard on the top - the Gribin Ridge

Below are a couple of film clips, the first is Matt battling to get the last runner of the route out, and the second - a panorama (although you can't see much!) from Y Gribin, looking first towards Tryfan and over a frozen Llyn Blochlwyd.

Cneifion Arete - Welsh winter climbing from Toby A. on Vimeo.

A 'view' from Y Gribin from Toby A. on Vimeo.

Welsh ice

I wasn't sure whether it was going to be worth the drive and the 5.30 am start but it was. Yesterday I drove up to Snowdonia and arrived in frigid but beautiful clear weather in Llanberis. There was very little snow left on the hills but water ice forming everywhere.

Llanberis Pass

Sargeant's Gully

I firstly climbed Sargeant's Gully (II) in Cyrn Las - all on new water ice. Fragile enough to make you careful but never very hard.

A couple of the steepest sections weren't sufficiently formed to climb, but could be bypassed by a few moves on rock on the side.

There was water flowing behind and next to the ice in some places but generally plenty of bosses to get good placements.

Looking across Llanberis to Glyderau from Cwm Glas.

Next I continued up into Cwm Glas and took Parsley Fern Gully up the slopes above towards the summit of Crib y Ddysgl.

Parsley Fern Gully

Parsley Fern Gully (I) again was mainly on fresh water ice, but there were a few old patches of neve at the very top.

Old crampons for old snow

Yr Wyddfa from Crib y Ddysgl

From the summit of Crib y Ddysgl I decided to miss out the hoards on the top of Snowdon and instead headed of east along the Crib Goch ridge.

Cloud blowing over Lliwedd

Crib Goch

Finally I took Crib Goch's north ridge back down into Cwm Glas and down into Llanberis, passing under the still forming mighty ice falls of Craig y Rhaeadr.

Craig y Rhaeadr

A well earnt supper in Pete's Eats.

Wintour's Leap - photos

Chepstow Castle

Ali on the crux of the first pitch of Zelda (HS 4b)

Mike in his element; chillin' (literally with the weather that day) halfway up Zelda

Ali works out the crux, not too bad when you find the holds but horribly exposed and scary until you do!

Picnic time

Mike racing sunset up Fly Wall, The Split VS 5a.

I posted a video of our climbing trip to Wintour's Leap last week, but I promised Mike, Andy and Ali who I was climbing with I'd add some photos when I got chance. British inland limestone is, in my opinion at least, a bit crap in that way that lots of things you love about Britain are actually a bit crap (the weather, the seaside, the cafés, etc). Bits break off in your hands, it is slippy, vegetated and always seems to be covered in bird shit - but the cliff in its entirety is huge and imposing in a brooding way. Sitting above the tidal, lower reaches of the Wye River that forms the border between England and Wales, Wintour's forms a huge wall on the English side of the the river reminding you, like Chepstow Castle just a kilometre downstream, of when this was a very real border with military importance many centuries ago. Like so many places in the UK, it just drips history if you think about it. Anyway, it was a good day with great company; slippy, cold and bird-poo covered rock or not.