Well, its has probably been at least a year since I last climbed Dream of White Horses, I do try and make it at least an annual outing, as the route is so classic a rock climb that every time I cross the immaculate zawn I can’t help but be impressed by the quality of the climbing. In the past couple of years I have guided several visiting american teams across this amazing traverse.
Many of these Americans had there imagination captured by the classic photo of the Ed Drummond on the route, with big seas crashing up the cliff. Giving the white horses that Dream is famous for. The route is a master of cunning, as the territory it takes in is enough to curl the toes of even the most adventurous of climbers.
Don’t expect a walk over, despite Dream of White Horses being a HVS, and actually only VS climbing, but in a totally unescapable situation. On tuesday I opted for the best route combination on the Wen Slab. That of Concrete Chimney into the last and most spectacular pitch of Dream.
Concrete chimey as a long first pitch makes the route a real HVS adventure, and much steeper than the wen slab original line up the flake. The route traverse out to an arete where exposed and tenuously steep slabs lead to a crasy plethora of bubbly jugs. Eventually leading to the aptly named Concrete Chimney, a shoot of creations leftovers poured into a rift and forgotten about for years. The true line of this feature is a very hard E6 called Rubble.
After I climbed the first Pitch I sent Moony across the final traverse of Dream of White Horses, as leading this pitch is easier than seconding it. Something that I had forgotten about as I haven’t seconded this pitch in years!
Anyway the photos are from our day out, which was rather cold, as the sun really failed to stay out for more than five minutes at a time. However the route was still as good as ever. A route that any climber should aim to climb at some point in their life.
If you would like to be guided across then I am more than happy to talk to you about it, and if I feel you have the necessary experience more than happy to climb this route again and again.
