Grand friday

Initially planned to go to the Quarry but decided to take the chance and head further a field. I prefer to keep local places like the Quarry and the Scalp for the evenings or when I don’t have time to go further.

I believe there was a good few out in the Scalp today. Would be good to get a regular mid-week session going there.

Went down to a misty Wicklow Gap. Was pretty cold when we got out of the car. The inital boulders we visted were wet thanks to the driving mist, spotted a really nice slabby wall with around 5/6 nice looking slabs on it. The landing is slightly sloping but nothing a bit of light engineering can’t sort.

Went to a more sheltered hillside and looked at a few things. Had a micro-revelation about the sheer volume of rock in the Wicklow Hills. There is tons, a lifetime easily. I keep a list of projects I want to climb/clean/try and it only gets longer. Probably added another dozen problems to it today.

Played on a rock I had been to a few times before and spotted a line that I’m not sure how I missed. Almost perfect arete, has holds but looks hard. Very highball, a route really. Going to try it on a rope once Ped gets me my stakes.

Ped and I spent ages on a nice rounded yoke. The crucial holds were filthy and we didn’t have the mean to clean it. Ped has a ladder for me down in Munster which should be perfect for that sort of thing. We gave it a good few goes. nice moves. Codename: Optimus Prime. Will go after a clean.

 Stopped off at the hut on the way home and did the arete on Zef’s boulder. Such nice rock, very draining problem. Bad value at 6a+ I’d say. Anyone done it?