Tuesday 13 April 2010

Coming up: Menlove Edwards on Lliwedd

Al Leary at the start of Menlove Edwards' classic VS-5a climb, The Sword: Photo Andy Bruce©

"We started off on the Rocker Route first day, early start, photograph of cliff in sunshine, last chance for two weeks but we didn't know that, strode over the grass, up the screen and stood panting a little but full of hope at the foot of the Rocker Route. Nice easy climb, but it was on the second pitch I began to wobble, being some way off the ground by then and it's very nervy if you don't trust your footing, then on the fourth pitch I couldn't do it at all but could take a shoulder, and after that, you know what it is, you've got to do it somehow but how, you may come adrift any minute and go for six, but we went on, grim as death we went on, a little light refreshment half way, didn't we need it, 3.0 p.m., and the worst is yet to come, but we went on knuckles scraped, knees bleeding, 5.0 p.m., 6.0 p.m., 6.30 p.m., the summit : what a victory : what a life: but if every climb was going to go like that what about the guide, we'd never do it, not in four weeks, not in four years. '

This Friday, Menlove Edwards  is up against it on Lliwedd.