It Begins

I've been trying a route at the Quadrocks for around 3 years now and went back this week hoping to make progress on it after all the improvement I've seen in my training recently, unfortunately my climbing doesn't always work like this and my last project at this great little crag will need to be climbed by someone else. Dot came down the following day and it was summer conditions and we worked our way through the best of my new routes down there and I picked up a nice sunburn! A lot of people slag the Quadrocks but its great climbing and there aren't many crags afford such a stunning panorama, from Ailsa Craig in the South , over to Arran etc and North to the Arrochar Alps! Dot took some pics, in fact she took all the pics in this post!

Looking to Wee Cumbrae and Hunterson from the Quadrocks

Yesterday it was back up the Glen to get some stuff done before the rain arrived, a good team gathered at an ongoing project of Johanns (new route). He linked it yesterday for the first time and with all the right ingredients for an attempt coming together he decided in a gutsy move to go for it! It's potentially E7 6b with no gear on tiny edges and smears. He went for it and made good progress before it went a bit iffy at the crux and made the wise decision to jump for the mats a few metres below rather than likely falling uncontrollably from further up. It was a stand out attempt in both the gutsy and technical standards, in my opinion anyway!! Continuing the momentum Gee led his first E5, the solo Where The Mood Takes Me was my first E5 and is a cracking wee climb!

Johann on the route

Johann off the route

The team, L-R-Gee, Alex, myself, Dave, Johann

We then headed up to Blacks Buttress where I got on Centrepiece on top rope but it started raining so time to call it a day and return soon!!Thanks to Dot for the photos!!

Trying Centrepiece