After the recent confidence-building session on Tryfan Bach, I ventured to Birchen yesterday to get back out on grit. I was hoping to get some VDiffs and maybe one or two HVDs done, but it didn’t quite turn out that way.

First route: Torpedo Tube (HVD 4a).
Result: Got halfway up on lead and backed off.
Assessment: A horrible, horrible route that ruined my t-shirt when I seconded it. Squirm your way up and twist your legs through 90 degrees for maximum discomfort. Minus one star.

Second route: Lieutenant’s Ladder (Diff).
Result: Got halfway up on lead and backed off.
Assessment: I really should have got up this. Probably would have done in the dry, when I’m not going mental.

Third route: Prow Wall (Mod).
Result: Finally, managed to get up something!
Assessment: It defeated me last time, so I was reasonably pleased with this. Although it was just a Mod.

I also seconded Ben on Cannonball Wall (VDiff), which was fine, and soloed Tar’s Gully (Diff). I’ll admit to being a bit downcast about this performance, and was about to chalk it up as a rubbish day. However, since subsequently checking my UKC Logbook (registered partners only), I’ve realised that the last time I put on rock shoes was the beginning of December last year. So perhaps expecting to lead the same grade after nearly 11 months off is a little much to ask. The problem wasn’t physically doing the moves, it was committing to them on lead. I didn’t feel anywhere near as secure as I knew I should do, so I think some time needs to be spent on some even easier routes to get some mileage back in. And probably on a dry day, too. Bit gutting, but at least there’s a game plan and plenty of potential climbing coming up. MPS is overflowing with climbers at the moment, which is great. Speaking of which, Ben had a great day today on his third (?) day climbing outside. He lead two routes and soloed nine others up to HVD, and also had some lessons in placing gear and building belays. The sun came out just as we finished climbing, and Ben (the other one) and Greg also had some fun in dirty chimneys wrestling chockstones.