Starting Climbing Outside

April started for me with two weeks of sunny sport climbing, no, not in Europe but in a quarry in Matlock. While the venue might not be the most picturesque, the climbing is really good and it felt nice to be trying hard on a rope again. It was lovely to be able to climb with Nicki and James after a year of being locked down in different counties. We interspersed our sport climbing ‘holiday’ with some trad days. The nth cloud at the roaches was quiet, crowd free and has some quality routes. A headpoint of a route called Pillar of Judgement, fully reminded me that my heart belongs to trad climbing.

Mid April saw me return to work with a bang. D of E expeditions restarted and it was time to spend my days introducing young people to the joys of the countryside. Teaching people how to enjoy and respect the countryside is one of my passions. Seeing how proud they are after completing an expedition for the first time. Watching them suddenly understand the compass and the coloured lines on the map. The realisation that they can do it and can look after themselves in the ‘wilderness’. I always hope that they will go on to be lifelong walkers. I also hope that they will remember the country code, and not just the woman who went on about closing gates and taking litter with them.

This year we have already seen moorland fires in the Peak District and a huge amount of litter left in Car Parks. Education is the answer and maybe if we start with the younger generation it will filter though. Looking after the beautiful areas that we have in the UK and preserving them, and the wildlife within them for the future.

Obviously, April went from sunny to snowy overnight, changing the climbing conditions and seeing search for dry rock commence. Gritstone is very easy to damage when it’s wet, flakes can snap off and pebbles pull out. Once a climb has been damaged it is lost to everyone, broken holds cannot magically be put back.

How do you know what is dry enough to climb and what isn’t? and how do you find dry rock after snow? This is where some local knowledge comes in handy. If you have driven all the way to the Peak only to find it damp, drop us an email and we will happily take you for a guided day around the crags. Me, if its cold and snowy you will usually find me in front of the fire with a cup of tea.

For my birthday at the start of May, I had a plan. A route I wanted to headpoint. I was hoping for sun. We went to the crag, it was cold and windy but the rock was dry. Then it snowed……… That’s one route that will have to be finished another day.

Becca LoundsMay 9, 2021