070311 Horseshoe Quarry

Overview - The day after the BUSA competition, some nice easy bolt-clipping was in order. Shame I started on something my biceps strongly disagreed with being forced to do, but hey-ho. Horseshoe's another one of these post-apocalypitic-feeling places, fairly well segmented from the rest of the world, and now there just as a climbers playground. At least I didn't have to rip too much rock of the wall... Oh well, there wasn't too much of the day anyway, as there was Six nations action. Come on England!

Willie the Kid (6a):

Rested - A great warm-up, up to the overhang. Got myself in all sorts of trouble, trying to move around the overhang rightwards in Calamity. Quickly realised that wasn't going to work, but couldn't reverse it. The line goes straight up through the over-hung corner via two powerful moves, but that's all there is. Felt very pathetic after having to rest on a 6a... Set the tone for the day rather badly.

The Small Room (6a+):

Led - A hardish start, with strenuous climbing to follow. Nothing to shout about, but a fair lead one way or another.

Montezuma's Revenge (6b):

Led - That's better! The final route on this wall (well, in Northern Limestone, that is), has rather few bolts, but just enough to keep the sports-climbing-head on. I don't know if you're supposed to climb the wall direct (as that seems rather hard), or use the corner/arete, but the second method had some good moves on it, and ended up feeling about the right grade. Could do with a star, actually!

Thomas Crapper (6a):

Led - Thoroughly deserving of the name and the lack of stars. Absolutely straight-forward climbing up the roof, at which point you have to think for a move or two to reach the chain. Not really anything special, but it's there, so why not?

Twyfords (6a+):

Led - Only slightly better the Thomas Crapper, in that roughly the same comments apply, but it's slightly harder, which at least makes it slightly more interesting! As I abbed down, I was instructed to dislodge a loose block from The Small Room. Warning - Horseshoe's been well developed and considerably well climbed, but is still basically an only-slightly-better-held-together loose pile of chos.