25/08/2008Gogarth Repeat - Like The Cad on Acid

So with Alastair arriving at eleven, after making the three-hour dash from Lancashire and hoping to wrap up the filming for his forthcoming film about on-sight climbing, there should have been time enough, even going by the most pessimistic forecast.

Serious and precarious are words associated with Gogarth's Left Hand Red Wall and Paul Pritchard's 1987 'mega-outing', The Super Calabrese (E8), probably deserves this description more than any other route on this flat colourful canvas. Paul climbed the route over three visits with three different partners who all chose to bale out rather than follow Paul up the climb! The belay at the end of the second pitch was a single poor peg (Broccoli Garden) and the crumbly first pitch Paul describes in Deep Play as: "The holds were hidden under wet tufts of grass. I climbed, ice axe in hand, cleaning as I traversed the initial overhang."

Unsurprisingly, one look across at the dripping vegetation under the overhang, convinced Nick and Adam to take a variation start above the roof. A line that Neil Dickson and James McHaffie took last year and called Super-Duper Calabrese at 6b. However, to Nick it seemed more logical to traverse right with his feet where Neil had had his hands to join Paul's line at the groove above the roof.

Hanging down the wall, the freshening wind had Alastair cursing as he was blown about while trying to keep the camera steady. By the time Adam reached the end of the 6a second pitch, the sky behind him was black and rain was in the air. It was only two o'clock: the forecasters had clearly got it wrong. Nick followed, determined not to slip off, despite the trickles of water starting to run down the rock. At the stance it was blatantly obvious that for the 'Astro Turf' top pitch it was a case of rain stopping play. For once, Nick and Adam were glad of the climbing paparazzi and welcomed having a static line to jumar out on. Otherwise it'd have been an unpleasant abseil to the bottom of the zawn and an awkward scramble/climb out.

With a dry spell forecast for the next day Nick wanted get the route finished off. Alastair couldn't make it back and for Nick "It had been too frustrating a summer to wait around". In the fortuitous way that these things work out camera-man Ben Pritchard was in Llanberis for the weekend and owed Alastair a day's filming. The bad news for Nick was he wouldn't able to get to the crag until three. Luckily it was still drizzling in the morning so Nick was going to have to wait for it dry out anyway.

Nowadays, the stance used for the start of the top pitch is six-foot to the right of the one used by Paul and much safer. It's hard to believe Andy Popp hung off that single peg while Paul reclimbed most of the top pitch for Ben Winteringham to shoot advertising photos. A fall off this poorly protected pitch is likely to end up impacting directly on to the belay. Adam had no such concerns being securely tied to the wall and Nick made no mistakes in finding the holds amongst the hairy lichen. At the top of the route Nick commented: "If any of the holds break on that top pitch you'll be flying long enough to order a gin and tonic." He added: "It's like The Cad on acid." More prosaically Adam thought it was: "One of the great multi-pitch E6 Gogarth routes." And thanks to Ben, you'll be able to see the footage of Nick and Adam finishing The Super-Duper Calabrese in Alastair's new film, On Sight, that promises to have viewers gripped if not pumped. For more about the On sight film go to Posing Productions and for a preview that will have you slavering with anticipation click here.

Photos:
top: Nick Bullock moving right on the first pitch with Alastair Lee capturing the action. © Ray Wood

middle: Nick jumaring out with a following wind after rain stopped play. © Ray Wood

lower: Nick keeping it together a long way above any good gear on the final 'Astro Turf' pitch. © Ray Wood

Note: This is thought to be the fourth ascent of this route with the second being made by Mike 'Twid' Turner.