I was young and keen in 1995. I was at Sheffield University and I revelled in the fact that the grit edges were a thumbs lift away. This was so much better than rock-free Suffolk where I grew up. My house mate was a keen climber and I'd spent my first year at Uni seconding him and a few other friends. I joined the climbing club but in one meeting had them marked as the clique they were. Yet the membership paid for itself in Rock n Run discounts, so I was always a member.
It was a glorious day when my house mate Scouse and I hitched to Froggatt, getting a lift off a young couple in a Triumph Stag. He was looking for a suit hire shop and she was easily impressed, so we managed to get a lift right out to the crag before they drove all the way back to Eccleshall Road for a suit.
Scouse was keen on notching up some solo's and I felt ready to lead something. So we warmed up with Sunset Crack and Slab, Scouse soloing up with the rope tied on his back, setting up a belay so I could second them. Then the moment came, it was now or never! I already knew which route it would be, I'd pre-selected Heather Wall on the way there, a starred Severe.
What a fantastic route! Trickiest at the start, then lots of opportunity for placing protection in the crack. Not that I took up that opportunity, Scouse kept having to remind me to make placements, I was enjoying the climbing so much I didn't want to stop (or maybe that was the fear!). I felt good and climbed confidently, I loved this leading business! After topping out with a big grin I set to building the most complicated 3 placement belay ever, it had so much redundancy it could have been mistaken for Marconi.
I sat in the sunshine amidst my spiders web belay, revelling in the glory of my first Lead. Scouse proceeded up the route removing my gear and de-constructing my placements. "That one just fell out when I touched it," and "This would never have held!"
But I didn't care, I had just led my first climb. As far as I was concerned it was a huge success. Something that can't be said about my second ever lead...
After university my interest in climbing waned and now, ten years after my last lead, I've returned to the sport, practising on the quiet local crags of Leicestershire. My partners now have less experience than me, so we've been top roping everything, building confidence and technique. Now it's time I went out and led something but it's been so long that I'm going to be doing my first lead all over again.
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