It all started12 months ago, on a Tuesday.
Me and my friends were planning our next climbing trip to Windgather Rocks in the Whaley Bridge area. Suddenly an idea sprang in to my friend's head, possibly the funniest yet greatest idea he has ever had . . ."Let's lead climb!”
Naturally being seventeen and feeling invincible in our new climbing lifestyle we were all well up for doing something that we never had done before without an experienced person around or any leading experience in our lives. So we went to the crag and got our boots and harness on - the rubber on my boots smelt great on that day or was it just sheep poo? We went and watched a guy lead Portfolio HVS 5b and we decided that we knew what to do so off we went.
On my first lead we only had a set of 1-11 nuts and 5 quick draws so we felt extremely un-equipped compared to the other climbers with half the shop jingling on their harnesses. I placed my first bit of gear and my nerves were terrible, would it hold? How far will I fall? The usual kinda questions.
Then to my left I heard a guy shout "take the fall" and naturally looking over I saw this man fall for what appeared dead far and was close to his belayer! Then I suddenly thought oh my god I'm leading what am I doing this for! When I was nearly at the top I shouted to my mate, "How am I looking?” to which he replied ”Don't look down! Seriously don't!”
Once I looked down and I realised all but one of my gear I'd placed had come out and I was 9 meters up "Chockstone Chimney a Diff”, on the Middle buttress, with no gear but a size 4 nut! My heart suddenly started to beat so fast that it was just one long blur, my hands went all sweaty, my feet suddenly were all un-coordinated and my body was gripping the rock for dear life! So I placed a cam very quickly and poorly (which later turned out to be over cammed). I had no idea whether I was doing it right but it made me feel safer with it in so I placed it and clipped it with the only thing I had left, a 120cm sling and a screw gate. Then my body wouldn't move. One half of my brain just kept thinking "god I want to go down" but the other half was saying “What on that cam! You'll get down quicker than expected!” all of a sudden I got disco legs and I just felt like I had no control over my body, a sudden rush of vertigo hit me harder than the floor would of. I was petrified. Then with some wise, comforting and quite insulting words of encouragement I moved my left leg and then my right arm and mantled my way on to the top. Victory at last! It felt amazing I felt like I was on top of the world instead of a 10 meter crag!
My friend couldn't get my nut out, and I only then realised that I'd left the nut key in my bag as I'd decided that I wouldn't be needing it. Ha-ha, luckily the man who'd fallen on Portfolio previously had heard my friend cursing me and threw his nut key up to him!
After my adventurous first lead I have been leading ever since but I've gotten a little better.
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