Dulas Big Numbers

A few months ago i blogged about the big link project up at Llanddulas. I had a few more sessions but never made much progress and the greasy slots prevented much linkage. My attempts to stop the water by filling the back with resin made one of them smaller so i had to drill it back out to return it to its former depth. I've lost count of the number of days i've spent hanging in this roof on my own doing little 'jobs'. There always seems to be something that needs doing. Climbers can be a miserable bunch, as the masses rejoice in the hot weather the sport climbers and boulderers grumble about humidity and conditions. Options are limited for hard climbing when it is so bloody warm. The main cave at Dulas is pretty much heatproof and so a great option in the stifling temps. I was lowering down from Zoidberg in the Cave when i spotted a couple of holds between the finish of Temple and Last Crusade. I got a rope down the line and there was indeed another potential finish- there looked to be enough holds. I bolted it up and got on it, straight away a crucial hold fell off so i had to come back with glue. After using some shitty old resin that didn't set i finally got the hold sorted and returned with Pete Robins. I worked out some of the moves and he sorted some good foot beta for the crux. The finish comes straight out the roof from the kneebar on the link project and you could start up either Temple or Last Crusade.
Pete working out the heel/toehook combination for the powerful crux:


I've had about 4 sessions working the end now and it still feels pretty tough. It's fiddly to sort your feet out coming out of the shit kneebar and then the powerful crux feels desperate. I had a nice sequence with a wide undercut pinch but the rock is so slick and smooth by the time i've pulled up on it i'm greasing off so i had to figure out another way using a heel on a small spike. This finish is about fb7C and starting up Temple is about f8a/+ to get there. It feels like a really hard sequence to have at the end of a big roof. Hopefully i'll link the end soon but the thought of linking it all seems unfeasible for now. The moves aren't as hard as the link project but you've done much more to get there. Still it's nearly always decent conditions and is 10 minutes from my house so i have to look at the positives! If i get to having good redpoints this year i think i'll be satisfied. This style suits me but my best ascents in Parisella's were years in the making and to transfer that level to a new bit of rock and having to clip bolts is going to take some doing. Everything is magnified when you get a rope on, it's a much harder proposition than bouldering just off the deck. It's cool that the Dulas has a few potential big numbers now. Doing the new finish from Last Crusade could be 8c+, who would have thought it! And there's still the main aid line out the front if Ondra ever pops in (highly unlikely).

I thought i'd better give potential belayers another reason to go there so i bolted up an obvious alternative start to Zoidberg traversing into the end of Temple. It proved to be a fun addition with a crux slap to the black boss at the end of Temple before climbing to the ledge and finishing up the 6c. It's called Catch the Pigeon and is 7b.
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