Many years ago now having flunked my first ‘go’ at university, I took a year off to work out what to do next. With so many friends all over the UK at various universities I embarked on a bit of a year long road test of various institutions being a common sight at Keele, Harper Adam’s and Bangor Universities, despite not being enrolled at any of them. On one of those first trips up to Bangor, I was taken climbing to the infamous Rainbow Slab, we top roped a route in the driving snow called Red & Yellow & …&… etc… .
I remember this today as I was out on the slate in very similar conditions, climbing one of the better new wave of sports routes, up the left arete of Never Neverland Slab. I can’t remember its name, and it seems unimportant to this tale. The moves were tenuous as the snow had laid on all the edges and melted, so every hold was slightly damp, not a good combination with Slate, but it was steady enough to allow progress and despite the snow it wasn’t too cold!
Back when i first visited the Rainbow slab, my first impression was that these guys had massive balls. Whilst the climbing was never hard the thought of essentially soloing that line was just ridiculous, its funny that despite accumulating years of experience in the intermittent years the idea of soloing that route is still fairly hat stand. Also in all those years of experience the thought of going out rock climbing in the snow still hasn’t become that appealing, I guess ignorance was bliss back then.
The next route we did was called Breaking Wind, but after being cleaned and retro bolted to make nice F6a, the latter day micheal angello tried to rename the route Fresh Air Crack. Now their argument was it climbed a different line. Unfortunately for them I attempted the route prior to it being retro bolted, and can safely say that on lead you climbed the exact line of the bolts that are in place, other than the last section, interestingly there was once a bolt on this route, at about half height, the old stud is still there but the bolt has long since gone!
I discovered this on my first attempt to check the route for the new slate guidebook, I had been climbing with Llion and as I racked up meticulously I looked up and thought that I might be lucky to get any of it in, as there was a dearth of any cracks that might take any protection. As I shuffled my way up, left a bit, right a bit, teasing the easiest line out of the cliff, I found that the climbing was straight forward, but the gear none existent.
The higher i got the more nervous and aware of the situation i became, looking up there was still no sign of even the smallest of fissures to nestle even the tiniest of RP. As I came level with the bolt stud, I suddenly realised that there might be a mistake that has been handed down from guide to guide, since back in the day, when perhaps the bolt stud I was looking at had a bolt that was ‘borrowed’ to fore fill a role on somebody else’s route.
At this point the thought of continuing up seemed fool hardy, looking down and the concept of reversing the route in my now emotionally charged state, had a similar sense of foreboding about it. So as I was about to shout down to Llion that I was going to untie from rope so he could run round and rescue me, I saw both ropes neatly coiled on the ground! In my rush I had forgotten to tie in, however as there seemed to be no gear, Llion just assumed that I had decided after bouldering out the bottom few moves that I had committed to the solo! Suffice to say the route is a lot more pleasant and popular with the new bolts in and a rope!
I would like to say this was a few years ago now, however it was one of those moments when familiarity bred contempt. Where ignorance spurned incompetence.
