Tuesday 14 July 2009

Risky Business...?



I had a cheeky day off work so took the new climb-mobile on a day trip to north Wales, and baked in one of the hottest days of the year so far. Which is great if you're sat on your arse, not great if your slogging up scree slopes. Especially not great if you're a fucking idiot like me and decided to NOT bring enough water, but also to only include the 'feast' of five Jaffa Cakes, having reasoned on the way out, 'it won't take me long and they sell pasties at Ogwen Cottage...'.

I ended up climbing/scrambling up Waved Slab in Carnedd y Ffilliast . It's a Mod climb, looked easy in the guidebook AND on the walk up to it from Ogwen Cottage, so I gave it a go.

Knackered at the bottom. Changed walking boots for rock shoes. Looked up. No rope. Bash on...

It was a superb route, and exhilirating without belays: despite the fact that the climbing was straightforward and the angle was easy, it's easier still to look down and think, 'One false move....' and imagine your body cartwheeling down the face.


Which brings me to the crux of the problem. I went to visit a friend in Brighton this weekend and got into a heated debate with his girlfriend about the merits of climbing/scrambling without a rope. I reasoned, without bragging 'cos I'm not a knob about things like this, that because it was easy and I was relatively experienced that it was a calculated risk, and one I was prepared to take. But her - very good - point was that YOU'RE ENGAGED - it's not just about YOU any more. If you mess it up everyone pays, not just you.

And I sort of agree with her. You can be Tenzing Bleeding Norgay and still pull on a crumbley hold. But will I carry on enjoying myself when the limits of what I'm 'supposed' to do are drawn in around me? I don't know the answer yet, but I guess it'll come to me the next time I'm out on my own and I see a buttress to have a play on.

In the meantime, here's the vid:





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