A Day Out with Colin
By Roger Dyke
Easter 2009. Most sunny Easter for years. Colin Maddison was at Ty Powdwr, I was at The Point with family. Friday night Colin rang: "How about climbing tomorrow?" Within minutes I had persuaded the family that they could unload the 2 tons of logs due at 9am, and could make my excuses to the friends that were coming to tea.
Colin decided that Heather Wall (to the left of Tennis Shoe) VS 4b, 4c would be clear of the throngs and just within my ability to follow him, and he was right - two excellent pitches, though the gear was sparse on the first. From the Terrace we took Javelin Buttress VS 4c. Quite a technical 4c it turned out, but with gear in the right place. Another excellent lead by Colin.
My turn now. I charged off with the sharp end to take us up to the ledge below Continuation Wall - to be called back by Colin when I'd overshot it by 30ft. In glasses, my peripheral vision is limited and there was rock in front so I had kept on climbing?
"The Arete" VD looked a possibility, and I started off tentatively just going to see if there was going to be enough gear for me to lead it confidently. There wasn't, so I led it unconfidently. The first decent placement was a pocket just right for a Friend 3. I reached down to my rack for it - and it wasn't there.
"Colin, could you send the Friend 3 up on red?"
"Not really - it's in your sack at the bottom of the crag."
So, off to the arête with no effective runners - but the climbing was easy. And soon a little wire. A few metres higher, it became clear why this was VD not D - but joy of joys, a perfect Friend 1 at head-level for the crux move. What more could a nervous leader ask for?
All-in-all a nice little route, and I was very glad Colin had pointed me up it.
Sunday, catching up on family things and a little walk over the Rhoscolyn cliffs, meeting Scott's friend Mike Hutton, whose talk to us ten days ago I had missed. In the evening, another call from Colin who had had an excellent day at Tremadoc with a more competent partner, knocking off Scratch Arete HVS 4c 5a, Alcatraz VS 4c, and Leg Slip E1 5a 5b. Good going! We arranged to meet at Jesse James' at 10am Monday, but were both so keen we were there at 9.45. Up the Pass to the Wasted and Shadow Wall VS 4a 4c - another new-to-me route. Colin led so smoothly up the ledges of the 4c pitch I was sure I would be up in a jiffy myself. Not so! The top ledge seemed just about impossible, and I took my only swing of the weekend. With a tight rope, I made it eventually. In the café later I appreciated Colin's reading from the guidebook about a 1954 ascent: "A stern test of anyone's vocabulary. ?. called upon ethereal beings for strength, and assuming sundry copulative postures eventually clawed over the mantelpieces."
My turn to lead. Wrinkle VD, which I had done once before, 35 years ago. Half way up the first pitch I sat and sheltered under a little overhang from the ropes, gear and tears coming down from an instructor and his victim on Skylon. Eventually onto the belay ledge (almost overshot this one too). Colin led through and belayed for me to do the superb top pitch with great handholds in the slanting flutings but even after 62 years of traffic, still loose rock. And only 3 runners in 80ft, so by the time I belayed my head was feeling the strain. What an excellent pitch! Coiling the ropes, Colin said "You've got a fan down there - a girl with big sunglasses said "Isn't he marvellous" and asked me how old you were.
"Ah, she must be impressed by my smart modern clothes, Colin."
A quick cheese butty, then we decided to do Crackstone Rib S 3b 4a in Bowden's honour, remembering the time he conned Colin into leading him up it, Colin having only big boots, no harness, and little gear having planned a walking weekend. My hands and head were tiring, so Colin's lead all the way. I vaguely remembered leading it late one evening about 1970, and it being an ace route. It's still an ace route. Superb. And with big handholds to pull on so no bothering about feet. Just like Wrinkle, and just my sort of climbing (sorry Sabina!). Really an excellent finish to the day - and it had to be the finish, because my left hand kept going into "rigid claw mode", and on the top pitch I'd had to belay with my right hand.
We saluted Bowden and coiled the ropes. As we finished coiling, the (35-ish?) girl with big sunglasses appeared.
"I was watching you on Wrinkle. I was rude and asked your friend how old you are, but he said you were 70. How old are you really?"
"I am 70."
"I'm gob-smacked. Absolutely gob-smacked."
Colin dragged me away before I could arrange for her to go climbing with Neville.
What a great weekend Colin. A thousand thanks!
