In our continuing mission to turn all members of the CUHWC over to the dark side (sorry, CUMC), I took the president rock climbing during the Snowdonia trip. It was looking rather wet & grim and we decided to start off by top-roping a climb. Keith was to lower me off from the top, then I was going to climb back up. I got lowered down to the bottom and waited for Keith to take the rope in. After ten minutes of nothing happening I untied and walked back up to the top. Keith had been waiting for me to shout "Climbing" - our first communication breakdown. The second time we were more successful - I got lowered off again and started climbing. About 15 metres up I was balanced on a small slimy ledge, contemplating the even more slimy, steeper way ahead when I started getting some slack rope. This was a bit unnerving so I shouted "NO" very loudly up into the wind (Keith later told me he had heard this as "SLACK"). Result: yards of slack rope. Well it worked out all right in the end - Keith used his head and decided that it would be a good idea to take it in again before I fell off.
The next climb we decided to do was a three pitch "V.Diff." (next stage up from a grade 3 scramble & definitely requiring a rope, as Keith found out). I led the first pitch and Keith suggested that he might like to do the second pitch as his first ever lead. Keith climbed up and had a look at the route ahead - going over an overhang (well the guidebook did describe it as "quite hard for the grade"). Keith wasn't put off and said he'd give it a go. He clipped the rope through a couple of pieces of protection he'd put in below the overhang and tried scrabbling up it. Then had his first fall. Undeterred, he tried again. He got up a bit further than before and had a slightly longer fall. Luckily, he got up the third time and we completed the climb.
I led the first bit of the last climb, which involved me teetering around on small holds, just about managing to stay in balance (I faced a 10 metre fall if I slipped). Keith led the last bit and found out what rope drag means.
All in all a very enjoyable day out. Now, anyone else want to go climbing with me?
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