Karabiner Mountaineering Club

September 2009 Meet Reports

March 29^th - Bridestones - Dan O'Brien

In the absence of a list of names (I distinctly remember writing them down) the following is done from memory so apologies to anyone I missed out...

Members: Dan O'Brien, Heather Brooke, Sue Brooke, Pete Hughes, Duncan Lee, Vicky Alderton, Dave Wylie, James Hoyle, Bob Kelly.

Guests: Kat Brooke, Mark Cosworth, Carrie Marr, Graham Haslehurst, Chris (James' Friend-sorry), Rob Embry and ? Keiran Lee-Alderton?

A fantastically cool and crisp day for newborn Keiran (19 days old) to attend his first KMC meet (three more by 29th September and he can be a full member!!)

Great friction in the morning saw loads of classic problems climbed in the shadow of the (Access denied - Computer says no) Bridestone, including Heather climbing Charlotte Rampling and Chris scaring everyone with his newly developed chimney climbing technique (welcome to real rock).

In the afternoon we moved back along the crag towards "The Castle" for some more great problems. Steeper (and often more intimidating than) the far end of the crag, the team dispersed along a selection of problems in the mid grades, including some obscenely blank slabs (Heather proving to us all that reach is not an excuse by matching some of the taller climbers (myself included) move for move on a very slopey top-out.

Shortly after the team departed for the pub and a well earned drink... Apart from Rob who was last seen heading for Gorple Edge.

All in all another fantastically well attended and successful bouldering meet.

June 20^th/21^st - Great Langdale - Andrew Grantham

Present: Al Metelko, Trish Cranston, Alex Cropper, Roger Daley, John Dobson, Andy Grantham, James and Kasia Hoyle, Joe Flynn, Bob Kelly, Pete Kossowski, Sean Kelly, Lester Payne, Ann Sanderson, Steve Waters and Matthew and Perri Wilkinson.

1, 2, 3 ... 16 erm 17, 18, 19. Things did not get off to a good start when the meet leader realised that the apparently simple task of counting to 16 was beyond his limited wit. It was on the morning of Friday 19th June that the truth dawned on him that although there was only room for 16 at the hut, he had "taken bookings" from 19! A quick phone call to James and Pete was made re tents and disaster was averted.

Notwithstanding that inauspicious start, the meet appeared to be a success with a good turnout in an excellent venue approximately 200 metres from the Old Dungeon Ghyll hostelry.

The weather on Saturday was not as good as it could be and all present decided on a scrambling/walking day. Al Lester and Trish scrambled up Dungeon Ghyll and up to Harrison Stickle. Andy, Peter and Roger scrambled up Crinkle Ghyll, up to Crinkle Crags and along to Bowfell. Roger went on to Pike of Stickle and Andy to Harrison Stickle as well. Meanwhile James, Kasia, Matthew and Perri walked to Scafell Pike and returned via Bowfell and Esk Pike while Joe Flynn walked up the Band to Bowfell along to Angle Tarn and down Rossett Ghyll.

On Sunday various routes were climbed on Raven Crag including Evening Wall (V Diff) and Ordinary Route (V Diff) and Bracket, Slab (S) on Gimmer Crag and Route 1 (V Diff) and Cubs Crack (S+) on Scout Crag.

Saturday June 27^th - Marsden-Edale - Phil Ramsbottom

Members: Bob Kelly, Dave Shotton, Dave Bone, Michelle Harvie, Mark Garrod, Keith Williams, Iain McCallum, Phil Ramsbottom.

* Special Green Star Award

To Mark and Michelle - not only did they use the train, they also cycled into Manchester to catch it.

This is a complicated report as the meet started as four, gained two, lost them, they then carried on to meet up with the other two; for the rest of us the only contact with this last pair was by text message.

So if you are still with me:

Myself, Bob and the two Daves met up as arranged at Victoria station and managed to find the right train despite cryptic directions from the guard. We left Marsden on time at 08:11 and made decent time to Snoopy's caravan at the old Isle of Skye Inn where I insisted on my bacon butty. Suitably refreshed we carried on through the mist to Black Hill, Bob pointing out a Short Eared Owl hunting a short way from us, this was soon chased off by a Curlew.

Mark and Michelle caught us up at the top of Black Hill having caught the later train and run to catch us up, they then walked along with us until we reached Crowden. Just before Crowden, we were entertained by a pair of Peregrines calling to each other just above the path. Shortly after this Mark and Michelle decided that the pace was not good enough and carried on running, Dave Bone did spot them just below the top of Torside Clough, after that the only trace of them was the smoking footprints in the peat.

We crossed Torside Dam at around 12:30 and climbed up steeply up Torside Clough, by then the mist had gone and the sun was starting to break through as we settled down for lunch at the top. It was notable how different Bleaklow is starting to look after the reseeding which has taken place over recent years, this and the dry weather made it look a much more friendly place.

As we crossed the Snake road at the summit a slight shower was very welcome on what was by then quite a humid day, although it would have been much less pleasant without the breeze. Just after that we left the Pennine way to see the last notable bird sighting of the day. A Golden Plover, Bob had been identifying their call all day but said that we would never spot one - well we did thanks to his vigilance.

We managed to hit the bridge over the river Ashop spot on before starting the character building grind up to Fairbrook Naze, not easy after about 18 miles but we made it for 16:20 and rewarded ourselves with a good rest. From there it was just a case of following the Northern Edge of Kinder to the short crossing, I was hoping to meet up with Keith and Iain around here, they had opted to do a shorter route starting from Torside dam, up on to Bleaklow, down to the Snake Inn then back up to Kinder (as perfected by Mr Stubbs). Unfortunately they proved to be too fast for us and were on the train before we dropped off Kinder, probably accompanied by Mark and Michelle who they met around Seal Stones.

Back to the original four; from the South side of Kinder we dropped down into Grindsbrook where we lost the pleasant breeze to be met with a distinct wall of heat. We arrived at a very busy Edale at 18:20 but it was 19:45 before we felt they we were rehydrated enough to make it to the train.

The real irony of the day was the cloudburst which hit Manchester as we got off the train, after 23 miles over the moors I had dry boots, I got them wet crossing Manchester city centre.

July 4^th/5^th - Peak Camp & Climb - Chris Williams

Horseshoe Quarry 4th July

Attendees: James and Kasia Hoyle, Christine Stark, Rachael Ketley, Roger Dyke, Chris Williams, Jo and Mark Furniss.

Against all the odds for this summer, the weekend arrived with a promising forecast, and indeed both days turned into perfect climbing weather with sunshine and a cooling breeze. Horseshoe Quarry was a first for most of those who came along, an adventure into vertical walls of limestone, delicate holds and bolted routes. Indeed for some it was a first on bolted routes outside, but Roger gladly volunteered and made himself into an excellent "lower off" a bit closer to the ground allowing some important practice! [See Cover, Ed.]

A wide selection of routes was tackled mainly on the Sunday Sport Area, ranging from Removal Man which was more like a gritstone chimney to Due Care and Attention, Collard, and Schools Out. Mark and Jo were ticking off the routes with great skill and speed, while James and Kasia showed us all the merits of training indoors all winter. Christine and Chris ventured off to the Chocolate Blancmange Area where Christine once again proved she can lead, but they found the steep grassy bank below the crag more challenging than the climbs and came back to join the others!!

After a very pleasant day filled with lots of new experiences we reconvened at the Stags Head (I think!!) just along the road where we enjoyed the local beer and excellent food.

Lawrencefield 5th July

Attendees: Jo and Mark Furniss, Chris Williams, Dave Wylie, Roger Dyke, Colin Maddison and daughter, Dan O'Brien and Nick

Arriving at Lawrencefield after a busy campsite was a real delight, as once again we were treated to mild sunshine and a gentle breeze rustling through the trees, transforming the crag into an idyllic haven of peace and beauty. The quiet was however short lived as Roger, battling his way up Snail Crack, exclaimed to all "thank god I can still jamb for England!". He successfully lead the route which was, for a VDiff, was not without its challenges! Pretty much the whole of Gingerbread Slab was climbed by most of the team and proved to be the most popular end of the crag. Dan was tempted by Pool Wall, the E5 6b over the water, if only he could figure out the first move without getting his feet wet...?? [Not the only thing he'd get from that biological soup. Ed]. Chris and Nick struggled for ages to get off the ground on Pulpit Groove (VDiff 4a), before Dave wandered over surprised that they were tackling Great Peter (E1 5b)! Oops wrong crack! Pulpit Groove (when finally identified), Great Harry and Three Tree Climb all proved popular routes in the Great Harry Area, completing an excellent days climbing.

July 18^th/19^th - Hut Working Party - James Hoyle

Members Present: James Hoyle, Chris Williams, Iain McCallum, Dave Wylie, Kasia Hoyle, Andrew Ketley, Rachel Ketley, Bob Kelly.

Guests: Jo and Mark Furniss.

A good turnout allowed a number of tasks to be achieved. The kitchen was given a total makeover with new lights being fitted and the walls and shelves being repainted. This was a massive effort by the whole team who worked from early in the morning until late in the evening. There were plenty of sore backs and muscles the day after. A special thanks must go to Chris Williams who went out of his way to collect the new light fittings and paid 3 trips to B and Q over the course of the weekend. A big thank you too to Duncan Lee for lending me his dust sheets, brushes and obtaining all the paint for me at knock down prices.

Master craftsman Dave also did a superb job of replacing a missing slate on the side of the hut above the gas store which should help to ensure the upstairs dorms don't get any damper this winter. Mark Furniss filled in further potholes on the track to complete the renovation of this, and Andrew Ketley managed to find time to dig out some of the drainage ditch alongside the track to try and prevent the new gravel being washed away.

Work will continue on this at the next working party meet and it was noted that some of the outdoor woodwork is in need of some care and attention and possible replacement. We didn't have time to do this on this working party meet but it remains a high priority. I have purchased some new sheets for the dorms but have not yet found time to pass them on to the kind individuals who have offered to stitch them for me but it will be done.

Iain McCallum provided a superb lunch once again which was eaten in the lounge surrounded by every artefact from the hut kitchen and a meat feast was on offer in the evening with a great combination of barbecued dishes and much merriment. Apologies to all those whose food in the kitchen burnt while waiting for the barbecues to cook outside!

On the Sunday Chris very kindly went to B & Q to buy a pot of paint to finish painting the cupboards which had annoyingly not been possible the night before. Bob got off to one of his legendary early starts and went for a walk while Mark and Jo went climbing. Kasia and I were feeling a bit sore in body and mind after polishing off some rather strong Belgian beer the previous evening (oh? ok it was mainly me with the sore head) so we went for a bit of lunch at the Caban before setting off home.

Many thanks to all those who came along, you worked amazingly hard and without your efforts it would not be possible to keep the fantastic resource that we have available to us up to scratch. It would be great to see a similar number of people at the next working meet.

Finally a big thank you to John Castick for maintaining the exterior grounds of the property. The grass cutting etc. is a huge undertaking but absolutely essential.

To give a hint of what goes on during a W.P - scenes from the major kitchen renovation of the last W.P. [Andrew Ketley].

July 26^th - Shining Clough - Heather Brooke

So it rained very, very hard so have to admit I never even made it to the car-park. So if anyone was brave-daft enough to go, feel free to send in your own report for the next newsletter.

August 1^st/2^nd - 10 Gritstone Edges - Al Metelko

Attendees: Trish Cranston, Dave Dillon, Robert Clark, Alex, Jane, Rachel Ketley, Al Metelko.

Saturday. As meet leader, I had plans to do the last 5 crags and thereby leave a car near the Robin Hood Inn while staying the night at the CC hut near Froggatt. Luckily Trish was up for it but unfortunately it was somewhat wet, it didn't stop raining until early evening in the Peak. Climbing on each crag was not an option so we walked this section, leaving my car at 7:30pm which was very much too late arriving at the hut around 11 in darkness.

Sunday. Trish drove the relatively short distance to Stanage where the A-Team (Rob and Wavey) were already waiting, 15 minutes later the rest of the group arrived. As the A-Team were ready they headed off at 9am sharp and the rest of the group split into 2 teams - Alex and Jane - Trish, Rachel and myself.

I'm not going to list the routes done by each team but had the A-Team not waited and done more than the one route on each crag, and have the time to take photos (see web site) they would almost certainly have completed the 10 edges. Never the less we ended up a team of 7 and therefore doomed to not completing the challenge, however I felt we all had a more interesting and enjoyable day. It was 5:30pm when we finished the 5th crag, Laurencefield, the next being Yarncliff. Burbage Brook was the point of no return, as there was maybe only one more climbing possibility we decided instead to walk back to the cars at Stanage. Logically I should have left the group at this point and walked on to my car. As I needed a lift to the Robin Hood Inn we all decided to have a meal there, unfortunately they stop serving at 7 on Sundays. Also the next pub just stopped serving food as we were buying our drinks. The convoy continued to Chapel where we all sat down to a curry.

Thanks to Rob and Wavey for leading up the hardest routes of the day and giving other members of the team a chance to second them.

August 9^th - Brimham Rocks - Trudie Young Dave Wylie (Deputy leader)

Members Present: Dave Dillon, Dave Wylie.

Guests Present: Jo and Mark Furniss, Andy Wright.

Meet Leader Absent: Trudie Young.

With the meet leader stuck at home in self-imposed (swine?) flu quarantine, the five climbers who went to her meet at Brimham Rocks had to fend for themselves. As Dave W. had suggested this crag, he felt obliged to attend and even compile this meet report. Of the guests, Mark and Jo had already been on several Club meets, but it was the first KMC outing for Andy - who was making his first foray back onto the rock after a 17 year gap! That explained why his gear looked so traditional...

The team started off around the Lover's Leap Area, where ascents by some or all of the group included:

President's Progress (HVD, P1, *)

Birch Tree Wall (VS, 4c, P1, ***)

Lover's Leap Chimney (S, 4b, P1, **)

Right Wall (VS, 4c, P1, **)

Lichen Slab (VD, P3, *)

The older Yorkshire Gritstone guidebook lists Lover's Leap Chimney as V-Diff, so Wavey's lead of this was, presumably, a little bit easier than the lead done by Mark, who had the newer edition of the book.

Moving next to Cracked Buttress, two routes were enjoyed:

Cracked Corner (VD, P1, *)

Right Hand Crack (VS, 4c, P1, ***)

Only Mark and Jo tackled the harder of these routes. The previous team on it had left a camming device stuck in the crack, but this resisted all further attempts to extract it. Wavey declined to lead the route: perhaps because it is only a mere V-Diff in his guidebook and so not enough of a challenge for him?

The neighbouring blocks of Cleft Buttress provided the final entertainment for the day:

Cleft Buttress (D, P1)

Lancet Crack (VS, 5a, P1, **)

Dave W. led the former climb, which is the easiest route up this collection of rocks. As there is no simple descent, a combined abseil/human counterweight technique was required to get the team down from the top!

Mark did a fine lead of the somewhat harder route here and Jo provided everyone with some amazing sound-effects as she seconded it. Goodness only knows what other visitors to Brimham might have though was going on...

The weather was superb all day: warm, with plenty of sunshine and only a light breeze. It was so good that the team climbed on for a bit too long and so, unfortunately, the tea-shop had closed by the time they finished.

It's a long drive to Brimham from Manchester (and the National Trust car parking is rather expensive), but it was well worth the effort.

August 15^th/16^th - Kinder Bivi - Dan O'Brien

Cancelled due to lack of interest. The ominous forecast probably put most people off though prospective member (Matt?) apparently made it to the Pagoda so at least one person got a tick.

A good (ad-hoc) day climbing at Millstone was had on Sunday.

September Newsletter Index.

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