Well I have been working the last few days so I have been off the grid, in a Spooks kind of a way. So heading up the climbing wall tonight I heard a vicious rumour about an attempt at the title of King of the Pass, originally conceived when two teams were observed climbing in the pass back in 1986; one group on Classic rock route Right Wall the other on Classic Ice Climb Cascade. The modern re-working of this is that given the right conditions it must be possible to climb Right Wall, Cascade and Jerry Roof (which hadn’t been climbed back in 1986) in one day.
Given Cascade hasn’t form since 1996, it was an all too an obvious target for a local wad, cue Neil Dyer, who along with Pete Robins who it has been rumoured climbed Cascade on Sunday, and seeing the Cromlech covered in snow, didn’t think well the conditions are all wrong, instead they headed up to the Cromlech to attempt the fabled Right Wall.
Talk in the village is that Neil Dyer fought his way up to the girdle ledge putting in a vital rock 1 that he’d usually never place (strong and bold bastard!), and once there realised that the snow was covering the verglas on the girdle ledge. Now most of us would have given up at the road, let alone at the crag, when you realised you needed full winter clothing, socks and fingerless gloves to climb Right Wall, but not even in the face of verglas, and the sort of pump that us mere mortal gets at the top of Cenotaph Corner or Left Wall, he fought on and eventually was spat of the slippery ledge.
Now whilst for most Right Wall would be the easy option, on the day it was the hardest option, as knowing Neil he wouldn’t have struggled very much on Jerry’s Roof as its only V8+! Anyway I’d like to big up Neil for trying, and in the circumstances I would love to give him the interim title of King of the Pass, as his effort was far more inspirational than someone waiting for the right day to walk up all three routes!