The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test is one of the iconic Pen Trwyn routes. It was first climbed by Ron Fawcett at E5 6c in 1983 and was one of the most technical challenges at the time. I have always thought it would be cool to do it. It was on the front of the Pollitt 87 guide and was one of the significant testpieces of the 80s boom. Ben and Jerry even met under it for the first time. The difficulties are fairly short, easy plodding leads to a pristine scooped headwall where everything blanks out. I was out with Tommy today. We started up at Mumbo Jumbo doing a few warm ups and Tommy did the FA of a new line that Tony had bolted on the left hand side of the crag. We then headed up to the Acid Test area and both did Quicksilver (really good 7a) to get a top rope on it. I had been on it briefly before and remember struggling to understand it! This time i spent the first 30 minutes trying to identify holds and trying to execute funky positions and palming manouveres. I couldn't believe i was on a 7b+!! Eventually i worked out a sequence that involved crimpy pulls on crozzly holds. It was just pulling really and not overly technical in the end. It went pretty easily first redpoint and i was left wondering what all the fuss had been about. It must be one of the hardest 7b+ onsights in the country when it's unchalked though. Stevie Haston managed it onsight back in the 80s which was a great effort. I don't think many would onsight it now (get on it N Waleans). Satisfying! We then went and hommed around on some 7a's and i did two old routes that have recently been bolted up. Big is Best is now roughly 6b and Adequate Compensation 6b+ish. I think they're both destined to be quite popular.
France? Spain? No, the Orme in October!:
I spotted this project for the Wideboys today for when they return:
Last week me and Tommy headed down to Detritus wall on the Little Orme with Pete Harrison. Pete has spent 8 days putting a handline in across the top of the wall from the grassy ledge above Atlanta Wall all the way across the wall to the Ocean of Emotion belay. Pete rates this new handline as his best achievement in the area. He had some pretty hairy moments sticking it in and most of it he was self belaying holding on to terrible loose rock while sticking in the bolts. Dave Lyon had tipped Pete off about a line to the left of Ocean which he reckoned would probably be just as good. Pete thought this would be a good reward for his efforts and soon had the line bolted an worked. Today he redpointed it at 7c stating it was one of the best of it's grade around. It is a great wall in an amazing position and now it's not even an epic to access it. I got some pics of Pete working the line. Ocean of Emotion looked immaculate too. It takes a orange streak through pristine rock and wall climbing. It looks like a route from Demi Lune sector, Ceuse stuck to the Orme. The last bit of the routes are a bit shitty to the handline. Pete was struggling to get a belayer so he drove to the hills to pick Calum Muskett up who repaid him by working out the top. Calum also bagged the 2nd ascent.
Bird shit tufas:
Handline:
Top roping the proj:
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