Zwei Grosse Weissbiers Bitte!

Lightning visit to the wonderful Pfalzer Felsenlands to meet PJ who was collecting a caravan from Cologne. Once again a great place to explore, but although being 25°C cooler  than my previous visit, there was almost no breeze so I didn't get to crank as hard as I hoped - feeling semi-strong is of little use when I'm simply sliding off slopers. I need to do some average windspeed research for next time. In the meantime...

Walking in through a forest. Like every single approach there. I don't know why I'm using the guidebook for directions as it's entirely in German and I understand about 10 words, 4 of which are the title of this blog post.

What it's all about. Autumn in the Pfalz could be very good for 'shrooming, maybe.

Triffels. One of the typically impressive bows of rock sailing out into the forest. Atypically this one starts with a rare proper slab with some rare proper slab climbing, with a much harder prow towering above. All of this is commanded from the bridge of the Burg Triffels castle further back along the ridge. Scenic...?

 

...yes indeed. This is further around to the left of the previous photo, at the join of the slab and the headwall. Unfortunately I failed on a semi-impressive route on the headwall when I reached a slopey break and could scarcely hang on let along do a massive reach to the next holds. Hmph.

Practising Pfalz hanging belays. Soon after this we decided to give up on using the giant archaic ringbolts and just use the protection above. Actually pebbles were pleasingly common on this trip, along with....

...beetles. A fuckload of beetles, every day. Most of them seemed to aim unerringly for the approach tracks and bag-dumping basecamps, so I spend as much time rescuing the cute wee buggers as I did climbing. Although there was some good climbing...

One of many excellent grade 7s, which as usual features multiple and varied cruxes with good rests in between. This was at Burghaldefels, before sliding off a heinous slab on pebbles that I was far too sweaty to hold onto and left black with damp, but also before doing another excellent 7 that finished surfing along the crest of a concave wave overhanging 5m at the top of the crag. Once we walked out of the forest we realised it had been drizzling steadily most of the afternoon so no wonder the conditions were a bit flange.

More pebbles, more excellent 7s, more cool crags. This is the crux of Geierwally on the Ostwand of Geierkopf und Geierschnabel, and involved an off balance slap off a pebble and hidden smear to a sloper. Sweaty as usual but holdable. And in case you're wondering what sort of rock feature this took place on....

...yup, that one. Can you see why I like this place??

Walking around again. Forest, lots of forest. Very vibey place. If you like forest.

Zwei grosse Weissbier bitte! How every day finished: Walk out in the dusk avoiding wolves and trolls, go back to the Buttelwoog campsite, crank the caravan's heater to max, go to the campsite bar, order Wiessbier und Schnitzel or similar, eat with gusto, head back to the now-sweltering caravan, chill out and crash out. A nice routine although not one for watching the waistline, not least because of the universally gentle crag approaches. I'm not sure how much of the good fitness work from Wales I've undone with these decadent dinners, but I'll need to hit the training harder again...

The Calling

From Welsh Grit to Yorkshire Grit, but when will The Calling take place?? I went down this weekend for a pre-season friendly, well I use "friendly" in a loose sense as none of the 100+ climbers I have on two Facebook profiles (most of whom live very near either the grit or myself) nor anyone on UKC/B/A/Z seemed keen to join me for some routes despite it being such a bustly area. So a friendless recce mission it was, although as it turned out Rylstone was heaving with climbers and I probably could have tagged on to an odd numbered group. I didn't, instead I sulked a bit, walked a lot, lost some skin and didn't climb that much. Still it was useful recceing: Rylstone has plenty to go at in fairly decent conditions, Widdop is festering on the North faces but has a few appealing routes on the West faces, Simon's Seat solos are still too hard for me at this stage but should stay in nick for a while.

As for the calling....I'm glad it is in the hands of the frictional guru rather than the slippery paws of the egg-dropping lime thugs. This trip highlighted how difficult and sensitive the call is: The air was hazy but not humid, the wind was fresh but fickle, the rock was cool but not crisp. Lord's Seat was perfect in a perky breeze, Simon's Seat was unclimbable in the shelter and later sun. I reckon you could change 1 technical grade per 45° of relocation around the blocks. So we shall see what happens. I've got a surprising amount of grit psyche so am planning to start on the bleaker moorland crags before the weather gets too grim, then lower the altitude and swing sunwards as the winter draws in...

Here's some pottering and pondering:

Wales again.

I went back, the weather was glorious this time, I didn't climb on any mountainy crags and I didn't do any really challenging trad. I did however, do a lot of walking in the Rhinnogs and got my final photo tick...

And finally got involved with some definitive Lleyn guide climbing at the charming Wylfa area (after meeting and chatting with The Crook)...

And did my hardest sport route (and hardest moves) on slate...

And took my best ever photo of a bee...