Heavy showers continued to plague the planning process for today's rock climbing group and conditions outside first thing were all pointing towards a day at the Indoor Climbing Wall.
Knowing an area well enough to know what different areas are like in certain conditions is certainly an advantage, but today I really felt like I was pushing my luck. After a torrential start to the day, there were a brief few hours of respite predicted on the forecast. We took a chance and went over to 'Bus Stop Quarry' above Llanberis, hoping that the strong winds (gales in the mountains!), would dry off the slate, which is famed for its fast drying properties. Our luck was in. There were even a few fleeting moments of sunshine!
We all climbed a route on the main face - I led the pitch then brought up the students behind me. We then continued the adventure, under blackening skies, up the wall above on a little climb called 'Jenga', which is bolted, but also has some good cracks for the guys to practice placing trad gear. On our way back down to the bags, it looked like our time was up as rain drops started to fall again. We dashed back to the van, excited for having managed to 'snatch a route' but freezing cold from the strong winds. We drove straight to the cafe for a well earned brew and a quick game of chess to warm up!
The rain looked like it was setting in, so we finished off with an excellent bouldering session indoors at The Beacon Climbing Centre, where people couldn't believe that we'd just been climbing outside in the dry! Sometimes you've got to take a chance!
Bus Stop Quarry:
- Equinox VS (4c)
- Jenga, F4a
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