Today was the day I tried a route I’ve been saving for about six years.
“White Life” at Chudleigh in Devon is an E5 6b that splits off from a classic E4 that I’ve done a few times before. Steep fingery limestone on a south facing sunny crag.
Putting off routes for another time is an easy thing to do. Waiting for the right conditions, fitness and a hundred and one other things. It also has a reputation of being a tricky route, despite the well protected climbing. A few friends of mine had tried to onsight the route and fallen off or rested on the rope and I was keen to get it first time, no falls or rests.
So there I was on a Friday afternoon after a long weeks work (here come the excuses) down at Chudleigh with Matt wondering what I was going to climb. Chris was there bouldering, and he suggested I should finally get on White Life, and stop mucking around.
Actually I thought White Life would be a good test, I’ve got a long tick list of routes to climb and you’ve got to find your form before you launch on more serious climbs on the sea cliffs.
After Matt despatched Machete Wall as a good warm, I geared up and psyched up, and climbed to the first fixed gear and found a rest. After that I spent the next 20 minutes or so climbing back and forth up to the next hard section trying to figure out a sequence, trying not to get too pumped and narrowly saving a slip that could have turned into a fall.
It was time to get on with it and leave the rest behind. Pockets, two crimps and poor footholds led up to the blocky side pull and a big reach to clip the first peg. I was fighting a rising firearm pump at this stage, and succumbing to the usual things that happen when you get tired. Why is it the footholds always appear after I’ve clipped the gear?
Up to the next peg, even worse handholds and even more pump. Too pumped to clip the peg in fact. There was some fighting to stay attached to the rock but the inevitable happened. It’s amazing how much the rope stretch when you take a lead fall, and I was looking up at the crux from quite a way below it.
I lowered off to the floor, thanked Matt for the good belaying and drank some coffee. After pulling the ropes ten minutes later I felt rested enough to try again, clipping into the gear I had already placed.
I know the sequence this time and what a difference that made. I was soon back into the rest, then clipping into the next peg above the crux, some lay backing, another peg, some disco leg, a jug and a ledge – relief.
Not quite the big glory onsight I was after, but it’s always satisfying to get on a route at your limit. Good fun.
