SUMC - Swansea University Mountaineering Club

If you're not falling, you're not trying hard enough!

The first major weekend trip in the Mountaineering club's calendar took place on the 27th - 29th of October, taking place on the south cost of England on a small isle known as Portland, or by the local tourist board the Jurassic Coast! Apparently you're forbidden to mention rabbits once on the isle, due to the cave-ins believed to be caused by the white furry creatures in quarries on the isle. We took the advice and didn't mention the rabbits. After a stressful journey we arrived at the youth hostel, our base camp for the weekend. Our first crag (bit of rock) we were going to visit was called Cheyne Weares.

The group was a mixture of experienced climbers and freshers, which worked out well. On getting to the bottom of the crag, we were a bit concerned at the level of the sea. We were confident the crag wasn't tidal, but someone hadn't told the sea. I was surprised no one got a drenching from one of the big waves. A lot of the group pairs that included freshers started on the introduction climbs, levels 4 and 4 + (Should explain that the higher the number, the harder the climbing is) A few of the more experienced pairs started as they meant to go on, warming up on some 5's and 6a's, having in the back of their minds attempting a route which goes out over a roof - "Resistance is Futile", which gets a grade of 7a+. Simon Robinson was the first to attempt the hardest route on the crag, and managed to get over the roof before coming off. Along with Oliver Buxton, Mike Barclay and myself Stuart Llewellyn, we managed to get to the top of the route with a little help from a few rests. The club's president, Jon 'Albatross' Freeman then put us all to shame when he completed the route clean (Without falling off, or resting on the rope. Getting to the top in one attempt)

Steve Rigler made a valiant effort at "Starbuck", grade 6a, as did others in the group, so credit where it's due, it's a different game climbing outdoors and people were throwing themselves at some tricky climbing. One such climb was "Where Silence Has Lease" 6c. Oliver Buxton had taken a massive fall earlier in the day on this climb and I was about to find out why. The crux (hardest move on a route) was right at the very top, with your last clip in point well below your feet. After doing a tricky move involving a layback, and pulling through to the massive hold near the top I was psyched I had managed to do the route! Then I saw how far away the last bolt to clip in was, well out of reach. Then all too sudden I was off the rock waiting for the rope to kick in and stop me. When you have time to think "I'm still falling" you know you've fallen quite far! After several other attempts at completing the route, and several other falls I gave up. Simon went up after me, and looked as if he was going to get the route, he too took some massive falls which is good fun when you know it's safe. Everyone was climbing pretty damn hard on the first day, Surrey Uni were there at the same time, but we were definitely climbing harder than those guys!

Saturday evening, the fair was in town so we knew where we were headed, pay a few quid per ride to get beat up by really badly designed ride, then a curry and a few beers, what more would you want? After the curry we sat down to watch a brand new climbing DVD just released, called E11, a documentary following a pro climber on the hardest climb in the world. Seeing the kind of falls he took made ours seem insignificant. None the less it got some of us even more psyched to climb the next day, and others to go to the pub and get wasted.

Sunday's crag was on the opposite side of the isle, with taller climbs and harder grades. Blacknor South was quite different from the first crag, Cheyne Weares. The walk in was particularly sketchy having to use a pre-placed bit of rope to get down a chimney. Once at the crag and our shoes caked in mud from the walk in, some of the group headed to the lower slab section. A handful of us stayed on the top section, and questioned whether it was worth the effort of putting our climbing shoes on. But I'm glad we did, as we found some real gems. Including "Talk" , 6a+ with big fall potential right at the top. Bec Holland turned some heads leading this clean, then going on to do "Toe the line" 6b a technically demanding route, congratulations Becs. Olly and Mike, found some entertaining routes with "Isle of Slingers" 6c+ and "Lord Stublock Deepvoid Breaks the Chain of Causation", 6b+. Yes climbers can be a little strange sometimes, but if you've got the chance to name a route it's going to be something elaborate isn't it, not "Dave's Route". All in all, another awesome day, where everyone climbed at their limits on some fantastic routes. Congratulations to the committee for organising a brilliant weekend, and well done to the freshers who came along, the club hasn't been climbing this hard for a while.

If you liked the sound of this report, and fancy getting involved with the mountaineering club, then visit http://www.uwsmc.org.uk and get climbing!

Stu