As I haven’t been working I have managed to get out and about and get some climbing in, although nothing too hard. In the main I have visiting so obscure crags like the gesail and Craig Wen. Despite the weather I did manage a few night climbing this week. A quick rainbow circuit got five routes in the bag, a beacon session during the rain and today I was at Craig Wen, having been allowed an early finish from the Pen Y Pass Cafe.
The crag is one of the first in the new ogwen guide that had a new topo, so has literally been pushed kicking and screaming into this new decade. It is a lovely place, and before teh guide was published I don’t think I ever saw anyone climb there. Today there were 10 people at the crag!
However I did find it interesting that both here and on its neighbouring crag there were several errors in the topos and grades. HOALT for instance is never HVS 5a, the moves low down would warrant 5b or even 5c, and it would still be a tough E1. The topo line is way off on the top section. Direct Route HS is also undergraded, I climbed the crux on another route and it was a good VS move, interestingly the topo line for Zig-Zag the VDiff that goes up and across the crag is shown going up this step!
There are similar problems with the neighbouring crag with the VDiff being drawn on the topo going up the VS! It seems that whilst the CC guidebooks might be moving towards the 21st Century with colour topo’s, it is a shame that the lines seem to have been drawn in at random., and perhaps the route checkers were far better climber than they think they are. Despite this the crag is worth visiting, although it is the first time I have had to use the new ogwen guide, and I found it a complete disappointment to have to be adding my own correction.
Topo lines drawn at random isn’t just a CC problem to be honest. Jack’s guidebook has a couple of corkers in it. In particular you have got to check out where he drew the original top pitch of Christmas Curry going, I had to stop reading it there. Although the main reason was I did have to give my copy back to the friend I robbed it from, as I have yet to receive my free copy for supplying images for the book. To be honest I haven’t checked whether I have been paid yet either (maybe I should shut up!).
Back to slagging the CC, there latest plan, after being told by the BMC national Council that using the BMC £1 million cash surplus to loan climbing clubs money to repair their huts wasn’t a good use of money came back with a proposal that would see us lend the CC money to buy a new hut (well one they have been leasing) with BMC money. Will BMC individual member be able to stay there? Apparently not. It was one guy that has come up with this idea, he happens to be the treasurer of both the CC and the BMC, if any of you are into conspiracy theories! Someone needs to tell him its BMC not HSBC. Hopefully the national council will vote this idea down. However due to the amount of wasted volunteer time spent discussing these proposal, I am proposing that there is a fee leveed to anyone proposing to use the BMC’s money as a bank, of 50p per individual member, as I don’t want to hear it anymore!
Happy climbing any errors in guidebooks i would love to hear them. My personal favourite was the last Slate guide which saw Poetry Pink downgraded from E5 to E4, but the intro text still saying ‘Low in the Grade’.