UKC

My First Outdoor Lead (65) - Craig-a-Barns, Dunkeld

© James Grimwood

This is a section from my diary following my first lead climb back in 2003. I used to work in an outdoor centre in Scotland as an instructor. One slightly murky day we piled into our minibus and headed off to Craig-a-Barns near Dunkeld:

February, 2003:

Wow... I must be mad.
photo
Sour Milk Gill, Seatoller, The Lake District
© James Grimwood

I've just been climbing and thoroughly crapped myself. Why did this happen when I've been climbing before? Well it's all down to me doing my first lead climb.

I'd spent the morning seconding Pete, one of the other instructors, and now wanted a go at leading myself. A quick look at the guidebook and I decided the 20m climb "Anon" would be a good starting route. Graded Diff with big, obvious handholds. I couldn't go wrong, or so I thought.

Setting off was fine, I mostly got used to the strange feeling of not having the safety of a top-rope and even remembered to place gear on my way up. Encouraging shouts from Pete further helped to keep me going upwards, and not looking down at the treetops below; I'm one of those climbers who gets vertigo looking down a stairwell. It all went well until I came to a large, wide grassy ledge. Had I brought the guidebook up I would have known that the route was finished. Instead I carried on over the ledge onto the progressively blank looking and flaky wall above.

I made good progress up this, the loose rock and poor gear placements not seeming to cause me much distress - well, they were, but I was half way up and doing quite well. At last the top arrived and I reached upwards with one arm...

The top is always a surprise, you never know what you're going to find. Sometimes it's a flat grassy ledge, other times more climber friendly rocks. This being Scotland I was given the option of grabbing handfuls of heather, or branches from a nearby tree. Having not yet learnt the strength of heather I opted for what looked to be a good, sturdy branch.

I grasped the branch, which immediately came away in my hand, complete with a little nest of ants. It was totally rotten.

Well, I can tell you a proper life-threatening scare is different to the 'safe' ones you get being top roped. Had I fallen I'd have dropped quite far onto a tiny bit of gear that was creatively placed in an outwards flaring crack. From nowhere I suddenly developed the ability to glue to rock with a vice like grab of my other hand; a skill I would later use many many times when climbing. I even had the presence of mind to put the branch - ants and all - back onto the ledge before grabbing the rock with my other hand.

Breathing heavily and trembling ever so slightly I then proceeded to attach myself to the ledge at the top using a very large friend and an equally large hex, and a few other nuts for good measure. I also found a tree and put a sling around that. I was not coming off.

It wasn't until both me and Pete were on the ground again that he told me I'd finished my route and had somehow gone up the second pitch of a nearby route, which depending on how you finished was graded between V.Diff and Hard Severe.

I must be mad... the instant we were on the ground I opened the guidebook to find another route to do.

dmm-writing_comp

www.dmmclimbing.com

Write approximately 500 words about your first outdoor lead and supply an image of you climbing (not necessarily your first lead) and submit to: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/send.html

The competition will be judged by us here at DMM and the winner announced on Monday 24th December and will win a complete DMM rack worth £500.

But more than that, everyone who submits an essay will receive a spot prize.

More details HERE


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