My First Lead, hmmmmmm, Here's my story.

A cold, dark and wet night, getting into camp at ten at night, pitching tents in the pouring rain, and sitting with my partner in the tent, sorting the rack by head torch.

The morning comes, a brilliant cold and dry day in the Peak District. We woke early and set off in the minibus with three teachers and instructors. All us students were silent with fear and panic, the teachers just sitting there waiting till we reached Windgather. When we arrived we were sent off in pairs with a school rack to practice placing bomber gear at the bottom of the crag. Sophie, one of the instructors followed us around telling us if our handiwork was up to scratch.

Then the moment of truth came. Who was going to lead first? Sophie reached into her pocket and brought out a 2p coin which she flipped. It slowly entered the air, gradually spinning faster, my partner calls out tails so I shout heads and the coin lands onto Sophie's hand. She reveals it, it's heads...IT'S MY LEAD FIRST...

I rack up while my partner Eddie takes the rope and pays it out at the base of my first climb, a VDiff. Don't ask me the name of it because I have no clue whatsoever. However I think it was a climb to the right of Portfolio.

I do the first two moves and look for a placement. Despite the footholds being huge, ledges coming out from the rock and a huge hold for my left hand, I'm still pooing myself at the prospect of leading a VDiff. I get a bomber nut and move up to place another bit a bit higher up. It's good, I clip in, then move up more until I get to the crux, an overhang. I remember asking Sophie to place a bit of gear despite there being amazing hand and footholds, I thought I was going to fall off. She shouts back "I CAN'T ALWAYS BE HERE TO PLACE YOUR PROTECTON" in a really irritated voice. So I placed a bit more gear, clipped in and moved up to the top. Sophie joins me and says that she was only scaring me into placing the gear when she shouted at me. I set a belay up, two bomber placement, screw gate onto first nut, bring back to harness, clove hitch on another screw gate and do the same again for the other. I take in slack and Eddie seconds it.

Many trips later and I now lead at the severe level, as that's all the school allows. But I also climb 5b/6a sport climbs after a trip to Costa Blanca in November. What more can I want?

Despite climbing for two years I still haven't got a rack yet. That's what you get when your 15, no money for the things you love.

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