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Scariest climbing moments 16-Aug-2004 At 2:19:08 AM ness

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When I first started climbing Mikl took me out to do the first new route of the millenium.

After a bit of a walk we arrive at the place, a 2 pitch 27/14, both pitches 50 metres, very exposed. As a bumbly, guess which pitch I got? Very sportingly bolted. The first pitch is a gobsmackingly beautiful arete on perfect rock, nively bolted, one every few metres. Mikl hauled my ass outta there, onto the ledge, where I headed up the "14".

Think carrots, every 12 metres. Think big chunks of really loose rock, I had several ledges collapse. I had a sit down and cry moment, between bolts at one point, got my crap back together, and headed up into the choss again. The last 15 metres consisted of huge spikes and shattered dinner plates, all very loose - think fine, shattered china, with Mikls old thinnish looking rope running between them all, down and around the corner where the last carrot lay 10 metres below. Four points of contact climbing. Often two of the points served the purpose of throwing chunks of rock off into space, three or four in quick sucession before a hand would land on something solid. Not what I had in mind for one of my first climbs, really. It may have been, like, 15 or 16, but the way I was forced to avoid anything that looked remotely like a hold it was more like a solid (or not so solid) 18.

Ness