Hard Lessons

Yesterday was a day of firsts for me in climbing. My first E2, my first lead fall and my first deck out!

I arrived at the quarry yesterday morning with one main purpose. To try out this climb called Back Off (E2 5b). It was the same grade technically as the E1 I did a couple of weeks ago, but being an E2 it would be a bit more sustained.

After warming up doing another solo of Heaven Can Wait (HS 4b) I headed over to the slab and rigged up a belay to one of the trees. The initial part of climb involves smearing your feet up blank rock - which has become quite polished - and another couple of tricky moves to gain a horizontal break where the first bit of gear is. It took me three attempts to get on to the slab. My foot kept slipping away and falling back in to the crack where they came from. I scoured the rock with my hands trying to find the roughest bit I could so I could get some purchase. Eventually they stuck and I was soon at the break.

I was able to get two opposing nuts in the break, and about one third of a rock 1 in a small pocket. The next four meters or so are unprotected and take you to just below a bulge where you can find your next gear. Once I had that piece in, it was a careful rock over on the bulge to reach the tree. Feeling quite exposed at the top of this slab and having some major disco leg time, I was almost within reach of the finish. I put all my faith in to my smearing and grabbed the lower off as soon as I could. I'd done it!

The rough line of Back Off (E2 5b)

After coming back down to earth, I headed around the corner to look at another climb called Summer Daze (HS 4b). After making a belay I headed up the slab making delicate moves. After a short while I was 20m up and about to climb on to the upper slab to the top. But something changed my mind, not sure what, but I abseiled down and removed my gear. Then abseiled down from the top to retrieve the bits I left behind, and climbed the last section to the top.

20m up on Summer Daze  (HS 4b)

After a spot of lunch I headed over the far end of the quarry to climb something else. After having a look through the guide book I settled on Caveman (VS 5a). It starts with some tricky moves up a small crack line, which takes you to a depression in the rock where you traverse 4m to the right, then continue straight up over another tricky move to gain a crack to the top.

My first fall

I had worked my way up and traversed right to tackle this tricky move. There was a side pull for your right hand, then delicate smears for the feet to make a long reach for the crack line. As I reached up my feet slipped out from under me and I was heading down. About 4m later the rope caught me and I came to a safe stop. I climbed back up to try the move again. I fell off again.

The next few seconds are a bit hazy, but as I fell the lead rope got caught behind my leg, which caused me to flip on to my back. The belay will not catch me if I'm falling up side down, and I slid at increasing speed down the slab for about 10m. My head hit a small sapling at the bottom, pushing it forward and straining my back. I slowly stood up feeling winded, gasping short breaths as I took in the shock of it all. As I sat down on a rock a nice swelling was coming up on the side of my knee where the rope and I had met.

That's what I fell off

What I should have been using was a backup knot. I knew this before and had been using it before. But I had gotten complacent, thinking that I was unlikely to fall up side down on these slabs. I was wrong of course, and I've learnt the hard way.  No ones fault but my own.

My back seems to be getting a bit looser, but my leg is still a bit sore and stiff. Hopefully I should have recovered in a couple of weeks when Brad is finally allowed back out to play!


Ignoring the fall though, it was a good day!